WASHINGTON, October 7 (Sputnik)
* Accreditations have been withdrawn for eight members of the Russian Mission to NATO, an alliance official confirmed to Sputnik on Wednesday, adding that the number of positions that Moscow can accredit has been reduced to ten.
*� NATO's decision to expel eight employees of the Russian mission in Brussels will not be left without a response from Moscow, Andrey Klimov, the head of the Russian upper chamber's commission for protection of state sovereignty, told Sputnik.
* NATO's decision to reduce the number of diplomats in the Russian mission is related to statements about the so-called "Russian threat" after the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.
* The Arlington Police Department said on Wednesday that four people have been wounded in the shooting at Timberview High School, but the suspect has been identified and is currently on the run.
* Police gave an all clear for students to leave the Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas, where an active shooter situation took place, local news reported.
*� Arlington Police have detained the suspect in the high school shooting that left four people injured earlier in the day, the department announced via Twitter.
* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called on the Ethiopian government to allow the world body to provide humanitarian assistance to people in need across Ethiopia following its decision to expel seven UN officials involved in humanitarian work there.
* US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told Chinese Top Diplomat that Washington will continue to engage with Beijing at senior levels to ensure responsible competition during a meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said on Wednesday.
* The United States and China have agreed that the two nations' leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will hold a virtual meeting by the end of 2021, Reuters said, citing a senior Biden administration official.
*� Europe is trying to maintain carbon neutrality at Russia's expense while Moscow will make efforts to build a dialogue based on the interests of all parties, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
*� Putin said that it would be possible to increase gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, but this would be at a loss.
* Putin said that it was necessary to consider possible increase in the gas suppl, but this must be done carefully, as Russia does not need speculative excitement.
* The creation of joint European gas inventories will be part of the European Commission's proposals to overcome the energy crisis, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
*� Many factors influence the rise in gas prices, it is necessary to be careful in their analysis, European Council President Charles Michel said at the end of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Slovenia, answering a question from journalists about "Russia's role" in the energy crisis.
* It is necessary to promptly stabilize the situation on the gas market, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday.
* The United States gaining a foothold in countries near Afghanistan will mean moving NATO infrastructure even closer to Russia's borders, Yuri Kokov, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, said on Wednesday.
*� Iran will soon host a meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighboring states and Russia, and also plans to take part in the upcoming Moscow-format negotiations on Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said.
* A committee in Congress has requested the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) look into allegations that former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country carrying millions of Dollars with him, SIGAR John Sopko said in a congressional testimony.
