Explosions were heard across Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj early on Saturday morning. Israeli officials confirmed that Israel has started striking targets in Iran. A second wave of targeting reportedly caused explosions in Shiraz. Iranian officials claimed the blasts that occurred were from air defense systems.
In other news, the Washington Post announced that it will not endorse a presidential candidate this year. Following the announcement, Robert Kagan, the editor at large and husband of Victoria Nuland, reportedly resigned from his position.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Conservative Tree House, Dean, DV, JW, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
IMF Estimates 3% GDP Growth in Poland, Says More Reforms Are Necessary to Unlock Further Upside
After its visit to Poland last week, the IMF forecasted Poland’s GDP growth of 3 percent in 2024, 3.5 percent in 2025 and 3.4 percent in 2026. By 2029, growth should be just below 3 percent.
Geoff Gottlieb, permanent representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, told ISB News:
“We currently estimate Poland’s potential economic growth at just under 3 percent. The downward revision from our previous forecasts reflects current demographic and immigration forecasts, an expected slowdown in investment as EU funds run out, and lower productivity levels as Poland catches up with highly developed countries.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Today’s daters are taking matters into their own hands. Seemingly no longer satisfied with the potential partners that life throws at them at work, in school and in their circle of friends, Statista’s Katharina Buchholz details below that an increasingly large number of heterosexual daters is opting to meet their partner online.
Surveys carried out and analyzed by Stanford University show that between 1995 and 2017 the number of heterosexuals who met their partner on the internet rose sharply from 2 percent to 39 percent.
You will find more infographics at Statista
With the help of dating apps like Tinder and eHarmony, but also through social networking sites like Facebook, daters reconnected with old friends and acquaintances (8 percent of couples who met online), were introduced to someone (11 percent) or — in the majority of cases — met someone completely new on their own (81 percent).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
At Least a Dozen Fraudulent Ballots Identified in Colorado, Some Counted
The Colorado secretary of state’s office announced that at least a dozen fraudulent mail ballots were sent in and identified in Mesa County, but that three of them were counted and unable to be removed.
“The ballots were filled out, the return envelopes were signed, they were then returned to a USPS blue box, so that’s a postal box, not a ballot drop box,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) said during a news conference on Thursday, CBS News reported. “The issue was discovered during the signature verification process.”
The secretary of state’s office said the Department of State learned earlier in the week about the dozen or more ballots that were stolen before the intended voters received them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Chinese Hackers Target Phones of Trump, Vance: Report
Chinese hackers have reportedly targeted the phones of former President Donald Trump as well as Ohio Senator JD Vance as they have been campaigning for Election Day. According to the New York Times, the hackers are believed to have gotten deep into American communications data and targeted information from the phones of Trump and Vance.
According to the Times, people familiar with the matter told reporters about the Chinese hackers on Friday and investigators are working to determine what information they were able to pick up from the phones, if any.
The Trump campaign was made aware of the hackers this week. Information on the phones of Trump and Vance may have data that could potentially put the national security of the United States at risk, as the hacker may be able to obtain contacts, phone calls, and text messages sent and received from Trump as well as Vance
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Computer Glitch in South Carolina Means 1,900 Teens Who Otherwise Qualified Cannot Vote: Court
A judge in South Carolina on Friday ruled that nearly 1,900 teenagers, who were 17 when getting their driver’s license but would be 18 by Election Day, cannot vote next month because a glitch in the computer system was caught too close to the election.
State employees with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) failed to notify election officials that the teenagers had checked a box to register them to vote, because a glitch in the system meant that the teens were not flagged as qualified, according to the Associated Press. The teens were therefore not presented with another form to confirm their citizenship, and confirm they were not felons so they could vote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Election Ballots Damaged in Arizona After Man Sets USPS Mailbox on Fire
A man has been arrested in Arizona after a Phoenix U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mailbox was lit on fire in a suspected arson attack, destroying multiple ballots inside it.
Police arrested 35-year-old Dieter Klofkorn for the attack.
Klofkorn has been charged with one felony count of Arson to Property following the incident.
The incident unfolded early Thursday morning in Arizona’s capital.
In a statement, the Phoenix Police Department said:
“Klofkorn stated that he committed the arson because he wanted to be arrested and that his actions were not politically motivated and not related to anything involving the upcoming election.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harris Spokesman Confirms Kamala Said No to Joe Rogan Podcast
Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news
A spokesman for the Harris campaign confirmed that Kamala said no after being invited on the Joe Rogan podcast, claiming the invitation was turned down due to a “scheduling” issue,” despite her being in Texas today where Rogan’s podcast is based.
Ian Sams was asked by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes about whether an invite had gone out and whether Harris would appear on Rogan’s show given its popularity and reach with young voters.
“Well yeah, I think that the Vice President’s happy to go anywhere and any place to talk to a broad segment of the country,” said Sams, before admitting that she wasn’t prepared to go to Texas to speak with Rogan.
“We talked with Rogan and his team about the podcast, unfortunately it isn’t going to work out right now because of the scheduling of this period of the campaign,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hillary Clinton Claims Trump is “Reenacting 1939 Madison Square Garden Nazi Rally”
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news
Bitter presidential loser Hillary Clinton has claimed that Donald Trump is purposefully reenacting a 1939 Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden.
Appearing on CNN, Hillary stated “One other thing that you’ll see next week is Trump actually re-enacting the Madison Square Garden rally in 1939.”
“I write about this in my book,” she added, hawking her turgid scribe.
“President Franklin Roosevelt was appalled that neo-Nazi fascists in America were lining up to essentially pledge their support for the kind of government that they were seeing in Germany,” Hillary declared.
So basically she’s saying that everyone who goes to Trump rallies is a nazi because she disagrees with their politics.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, is sounding the alarm over former President Donald Trump’s failure to enter into key agreements with the Biden administration for the presidential transition process, warning that it could endanger the peaceful transfer of power and threaten U.S. national security.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Trump and his vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, obtained exclusively by NBC News, Raskin warned that they are “breaking the precedent set by every other presidential candidate since 2010” by not accepting resources provided by the federal government for a smooth transition.
“Your actions depart from well-established norms of the federal government and demonstrate a spectacular disregard for the successful continuation of the essential institutions of American democratic government,” Raskin wrote.
The Maryland Democrat said it appears Trump could be trying to flout fundraising reporting requirements and rules designed to prevent conflicts of interest in the incoming administration.
| — Hat tip: Conservative Tree House | [Return to headlines] |
Johnson and McConnell Urge Harris to Stop Using Rhetoric That Could Lead to Assassination Attempts
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday issued a joint statement that urged Vice President Kamala Harris to stop using rhetoric that could lead to additional assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump.
Trump has already survived two assassination plots so far. The first occurred at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, this summer, where the former president was shot in the ear. The second was thwarted by Secret Service at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. No shots went off in Florida, but the alleged attacker was onsite with a weapon.
The warning comes after Harris made an inflammatory speech at the Naval Observatory on Wednesday, where she claimed Trump would “invoke” Adolf Hitler if he returns to the White House.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kamala Harris Targets Major Senate Rule Standing in Way of Radical Agenda
Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris can no longer hide her extremism, revealing that she plans to target a Senate rule that is standing in the way of her radical agenda.
Harris told a CNN town hall Wednesday that the Senate filibuster should be scrapped.
The proposal was one of the few semi-coherent responses Harris gave as she spent much of the event rambling — one might even say filibustering.
The filibuster is a political tactic, sometimes known as “talking a bill to death.”
It’s used by lawmakers to delay or block a vote with prolonged debate.
While not part of the Constitution, the filibuster is often seen as a key element of the U.S. Senate, which was meant to be the more deliberative body of Congress.
In recent years, Democrats have pushed to end the Senate filibuster for the very reason its defenders say that it exists — to block injudicious or oppressive schemes from getting rammed through with a bare majority.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meta Slammed for Censoring Meme: Satirical Take on Kamala Harris Sparks Oversight Board Reprimand
While some people, for some reason — looking at a meme representing Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz may believe these are actually “Dumb and Dumber” characters — the Meta Oversight Board reminded Meta, and the world, that one meme to this effect was satirical.
And — would clearly be understood, by a vast majority of those coming across it, as such.
Certainly not as a pair of characters from a buddy comedy movie then — but in fact, politicians and presidential/vice presidential candidates in a US election, the Board found of the meaning of the meme’s content.
The point is, that while the imagery is not flattering, it is also not “bullying” or “harassing.”
And, said the Board — basically — shame on Meta for censoring a meme that clearly falls under the satire category, and shame on Meta for using the “bullying and harassment” platform policy to censor it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Microsoft is busy inventing new phrases to make sure that, what the tech giant and its likes consider “inclusivity,” is properly reflected in Microsoft Word.
But at least as far as words, “mother” and “father” are concerned, this inclusivity seems to, paradoxically, work by exclusion.
Gone are the days when Word offered spelling and grammar checks. Now, for people who like their writing software to nudge and prod them during the writing process by suggesting “more suitable” replacements, Word has something called “Inclusivity Checker.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Missing Army Sgt. Sarah Roque, 23, Found Dead in Dumpster on Missouri Base
A US Army sergeant was found dead in a dumpster in Missouri after she failed to report for duty earlier this week, and a person of interest is being investigated in connection with her murder.
The body of Sgt. Sarah Roque, 23, was found Monday evening, according to a statement from US Army Fort Leonard Wood.
Her remains were discovered in a dumpster near single-soldier housing, NPR reported.
An unnamed person of interest was taken into custody in connection with the killing on Thursday, officials said.
Roque was reported missing after she failed to report for duty on Monday morning, NBC News said.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Portland State University Lays Off Nearly 100 Faculty Members Amid Declining Enrollment
Portland State University (PSU) has issued potential layoff notices to nearly 100 faculty members amid declining enrollment and an $18 million budget deficit. The layoff notices were distributed just three weeks into the start of the new school year, and dozens more are expected to be issued by mid-December. This comes after PSU made national news in the spring for allowing Antifa and students to seize and occupy its library in protest of the conflict in Gaza, causing nearly $1 million in damage.
The layoffs mostly apply to nontenured faculty members who will be terminated at the end of the academic school year, PSU spokesperson Christina Dyrness Williams told Axios. The university is required to give termination notices six months in advance, as per an agreement with the teachers union. Emily Ford, who represents PSU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), expects the majority of its 350 nontenured members will receive layoff notices.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prosecutors in Key Pennsylvania County Say They’ve Busted a Fraudulent Voter Registration Scheme
In a fresh blow to Americans’ confidence in elections, prosecutors in a key Pennsylvania county said Friday they had uncovered a large-scale scheme to submit fraudulent voter applications that were collected at shopping malls and other locations.
Lancaster District Attorney Heather Adams told a news conference that detectives have found about 60% of some 2,500 election registrations submitted in recent days to the county’s election office were fraudulent.
“At this point, it is believed that the fraudulent voter registrations are connected to a large-scale canvassing operation for voter registrations that date back to June,” Adams said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Warn of Long Election Day Lines as Maricopa County Says Results Will be Delayed
As Republicans warn of long lines on Election Day in Maricopa County, Ariz., local election officials also expect election results to be delayed. Republicans in both Arizona and on the national level are claiming that Maricopa County has not sufficiently prepared for Election Day, which may result in long lines and persuading eligible voters to avoid voting.
The possible Election Day issues are in addition to the announcement by Maricopa County election officials that it will take 10-13 days to completely tabulate all ballots, meaning that some races may not be called on election night.
Harmeet Dhillon, counsel for the Republican National Committee, and Abe Hamadeh, the GOP nominee for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, sent a letter on Thursday to the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, warning of the potential delays and voting issues that could occur on Election Day.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr Takes Case to Supreme Court After Wisconsin Refuses to Remove Name From State’s Ballot
Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court over Wisconsin’s refusal to remove his name from the state’s 2024 election ballot.
Kennedy dropped out of the race and endorsed President Donald Trump.
However, some worry that including his name on the ballot could siphon votes from the GOP candidate, The Hill reported.
Kennedy has been through the wringer during this presidential election season.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Slippery Slope to Censorship: Senator Warner’s Push to Police Web Infrastructure for Disinformation
It seems every election cycle needs a bogeyman, and for Senator Mark Warner, that bogeyman is Russian disinformation. Fresh off Capitol Hill, Warner’s latest initiative is to investigate how major internet domain companies—yes, the middlemen who register web addresses—might play a role in spreading disinformation. The target list reads like a Who’s Who of the digital backstage: Cloudflare, GoDaddy, NameCheap, NameSilo, Newfold, and Verisign. But behind the supposedly patriotic mission to “protect democracy” lies a question worth asking: is Warner protecting discourse, or prepping a Trojan horse to squelch online dissent?
We obtained a copy of Senator Warner’s letter to domain companies for you here.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stanford Doc Hailed as ‘Intellectual Freedom’ Leader for Challenging Gov’t on COVID-19
Authored by James Samuel via The College Fix
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya received the American Academy of Sciences and Letters’ top intellectual freedom award on Wednesday for resisting attempts to politically control his scientific work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The academy presents its annual Robert J. Zimmer Medal for Intellectual Freedom to a scholar “who displays extraordinary courage in the exercise of intellectual freedom,” according to its website.
Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, received the honor during the academy’s annual investiture ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Afterward, he joined Princeton University Professor Stephen Macedo for an interview on stage.
Macedo began by asking about the first time Bhattacharya pushed back against the government’s handling of the pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Babylon Bee Speaks Out After Scoring a Win Against California’s Political Satire Policing
California has stepped back from enforcing its contentious censorship law against The Babylon Bee and attorney-blogger Kelly Chang Rickert, following a federal court’s indication that the law likely oversteps First Amendment protections. This decision grants both parties the freedom to continue their sharp-edged political satire online during a pivotal election season—at least for now.
The case emerged from a lawsuit led by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorneys challenging two California laws—AB 2839 and AB 2655—that set stringent rules on online political speech.
These laws, signed into action by Governor Gavin Newsom, aim to control a wide range of political commentary, including satire and have drawn fire for their ambiguous language, which opens the door for state interference in online discourse. The swift enactment of this legislation triggered emergency appeals from The Babylon Bee, Rickert, and other free speech advocates to put AB 2839 on hold. This law, which forbids “materially deceptive” content about California elections without disclaimers, carries severe consequences, including costly lawsuits.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump to Call in to Virginia Rally as Old Dominion Appears Competitive
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump announced Friday that he would be call into a Virginia rally hosted by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R, and Republican National Convention Chairwoman Lara Trump on Saturday.
“I will be calling in to Glenn’s Rally with Lara Trump tomorrow morning to talk about this crazy Ruling, and announce my final stop in Virginia before Election Day,” Trump wrote on the social media platform, X.
A federal judge in Virginia on Friday ordered the commonwealth to place non-citizens back on its voter rolls. The judge ruled that removing the registered voters from the rolls violated federal law, WRIC reported.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) posted on X a statement vowing to appeal the decision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Robert Kagan, editor at large at the Washington Post, has reportedly resigned from his position following the paper’s decision not to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris — or any candidate — for president in 2024.
CNN correspondent Hadas Gold confirmed that Kagan, whose wife is former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, resigned Friday following the paper’s decision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington Post Won’t Endorse Either Harris or Trump for President
The Washington Post newspaper will not endorse a presidential candidate this year, the publisher announced Friday.
Publisher William Lewis said in a note to readers the news outlet would not back a candidate for president this year nor “in any future presidential election” — marking the first time in 36 years the national daily newspaper — among the most venerable of the mainstream media — will not be making an endorsement in a presidential race.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington State County to Pay Out $1.25 Million to Family of Armed Drug Dealer Shot by Police
A Washington state county settled a wrongful death lawsuit on Wednesday with an agreement to pay $1.25 million to the family of Kevin Peterson Jr., a 21-year-old black male shot and killed by police in 2020. Peterson, a drug dealer who was armed with a 0.40 caliber pistol, was shot by Clark County sheriff’s deputies during a regional drug bust operation in Vancouver, a city located just north of Portland, Oregon.
Peterson’s death sparked violent Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots in the Pacific Northwest, where a judge was ultimately forced to resign after successfully predicting the outcome of the case: Peterson’s family would use their criminal son as a BLM martyr to gain compensation at taxpayers’ expense.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘You’re at the Right Rally’: Vance Reaches Out to Christians in Final Election Push
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance on Friday urged Christians to turn out to vote, pointing to the Democrats’ mockery or belittling of their faith as evidence they would not preserve religious liberty.
“You know, of course, there was the rally where somebody shouted something,” he said at a rally in Monroe, North Carolina. “It was a simple I think they said ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and Kamala Harris said you’re at the wrong rally. Well, if you think Jesus is Lord, you’re at the right rally.”
Harris attracted widespread scrutiny for remarking that two protesters who shouted “Jesus is Lord” at her campaign event were “at the wrong rally.”
Vance also pointed to a recent video in which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., appeared to simulate Holy Communion using a Dorito with a popular influence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Begins Euthanizing Citizens With ‘COVID Vaccination Syndrome’
Canada has just killed the first citizen under the Canadian government’s controversial new plans to begin euthanizing patients who have been injured by Covid “vaccines.”
An Ontario man in his late 40s has become the first person to be euthanized for “post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome.”
The man was killed under Canada’s “assisted suicide” laws via the government’s taxpayer-funded Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program.
Doctors had determined that the patient had become a burden on the socialized healthcare system.
They warned that he wouldn’t recover from “post-vaccine syndrome” and ruled that MAiD was a better option than long-term care.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ontario to Ban International Students From Its Medical Schools by 2026
On Friday, Ontario officials announced that international students will be prohibited from attending its medical schools comes 2026 as the province moves to put Canadian students first. Premier Doug Ford said that the province will cover tuition costs for over 1,000 students who apply for its new grant program and commit to becoming family doctors in Ontario.
Ontario lawmakers explained that the legislation’s goals would allow 2.5 million of its residents who don’t have a family doctor to obtain one. Data shows that 12 percent of Ontarians do not have a family doctor, as per a study conducted by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Military Not Ready to Fight, Warns British Defence Minister Ahead of Autumn Budget
The UK must now rebuild its strategic defence stockpiles and its military forces are not ready to fight or deter foreign aggression, Britain’s Defence Secretary warns.
The United Kingdom and Germany signed a “landmark defence agreement” this week, prompting Britain’s Minister of Defence to hail new cooperation with Berlin while warning the UK military must now change to face up to future threats. In remarks to Politico, defence minister John Healey — a little more than 100 days in-job after the left-wing Labour party had a good election earlier this year — said a defence review now under way would “not only step up and continue our support for Ukraine, but at the same time we rebuild our own British stockpiles and the strength of our forces.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bulgaria Heads Into Seventh Election in Three-and-a-Half Years
European Union and NATO member Bulgaria heads into its seventh parliamentary election in three-and-a-half years in what is seen by many observers as a response to deep and severe political problems.
The election on Sunday, October 27th, could record the lowest-ever turnout since the fall of communism in 1989. The previous turnout at the elections this June had already dipped to a new historic low of 33.4%. In contrast, the elections held in April 2021 had a turnout of 49.1%.
There seems to be a growing distrust in politicians as they fail to set up stable coalition governments and keep relying on new elections, resulting in “revolving-door governments” replacing each other.
Bulgarian conservative journalist and lawyer Viktor Kostov told The European Conservative
This is how democracy works: when you don’t have the majority to run the country, then we go into another election. I myself don’t see any level of instability, repeated elections haven’t led to a breakdown of society. But many people are getting tired, and wish to have some form of direction.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechia Agrees to €450M Purchase With Brazilian Embraer for 2 C-390 Transport Aircraft
Czechia has finalized a major acquisition with Brazilian aerospace company Embraer for two C-390 Millennium medium transport aircraft, the country’s defense ministry announced on Friday.
In a press release, the Czech government outlined its desire to enhance the Czech Armed Forces’ air transport capacity, improving its capabilities for cargo transport, personnel evacuation, firefighting, and in-flight refueling. The Czech government approved the contract earlier this month.
Czech defense ministry official Lubor Koudelka signed off on the deal at a ceremony attended by marketing directors of the Brazilian supplier.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Leaders Call Ukraine’s NATO Membership Demand Unrealistic
Ukraine’s chances of joining NATO anytime soon have taken a big blow after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini agreed on Thursday that Ukraine’s immediate accession to NATO cannot take place. After a meeting between the two heads of state, Pellegrini said,
The chancellor and I agreed that today the issue of Ukraine’s accession is not on the table, nor can it be on the table, nor is it realistic.
The same sentiments were amplified by Scholz], who told an interviewer the conflict must not escalate into a direct war between Russia and NATO—again ruling out the delivery to Ukraine of long-range Taurus missiles, which have the range to strike at targets deep within Russian territory.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU’s Charles Michel Says Bloc Leaders Will Debate Israel Relations
EU-Israeli relations will be scrutinized more closely in the future, outgoing European Council President Charles Michel said in an interview with the European Newsroom (enr), which dpa is part of.
Sooner or later “it will be a more serious debate,” Michel told the enr in remarks published on Friday, singling out the EU-Israel Association Agreement as one topic for scrutiny.
The European Council president was addressing a question about how to deal with accusations that the EU does not challenge Israel on human rights and international law in the same way it does for Russia.
If the EU wants to pursue global influence, the bloc must avoid the trap of double standards, Michel said. He stressed that the bloc has consistently called for international law to be respected.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), led by Herbert Kickl, has reached a historic high in the latest polling, securing 33 percent of voter support, according to a survey conducted by the Lazarsfeld Society for the news outlet OE24.
This represents a significant rise in popularity for the right-wing party, which came out as the single largest party in Austria’s recent parliamentary elections but was sidelined from coalition talks by the legacy parties.
In last month’s election, Kickl’s party secured the most votes, with 28.8 percent of the electorate backing his anti-mass migration policies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Notre-Dame Entry-Fee Plan Angers Catholic Church
French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati has proposed a €5 entry fee for visitors to the medieval Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris sparking strong opposition from the Catholic Church.
The Church has claimed the suggested move, unveiled on October 24, would “hinder freedom of worship” as protected by France’s 1905 law on the separation of Church and State.
The Paris diocese asserted that an entry fee would not only violate the legal principles but also compromise the Church’s mission.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Soccer Star Abdelaziz Barrada Dies Suddenly of Heart Attack at 35
The soccer world is in mourning after officials confirmed that international player Abdelaziz Barrada tragically died suddenly.
Barrada suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday, according to local media in his native Morocco.
The former Marseille star was just 35 years old when he died.
Marseille has now confirmed Barrada’s sudden death with an emotional post on X.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Jewish Advocacy Group Slams Macron’s ‘Unacceptable’ Israel Comments
The French Jewish advocacy group CRIF has condemned French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments about Israel during the international conference in Paris in support of the people and sovereignty of Lebanon.
“Much has been said about the ‘clash of civilisations’ and the need to defend one’s civilisation. I am not convinced one can defend civilisation by perpetuating acts of barbarism,” said Macron on October 24, referring to Israel’s military policies and actions in the Middle East.
Macron’s words sparked criticism from the CRIF: “Never in history has a democracy accused another democracy of ‘sowing barbarism’. Never in France has a President of the Republic spoken such words to our allies, whatever their disagreements and differences,” the group said in a press release published on X on October 24.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Friedman: ‘Poland Will be a Power by the End of the Century’
Bad times are coming for China, Russia, and Germany, and the future belongs to America, Japan, Turkey, and Poland, author and political scientist George Friedman told Gazeta Prawna.
The following interview has been cut in some places for brevity.
For many readers, your (latest) book is not so much a geopolitical analysis as science fiction.
If a hundred years ago, readers picked up a history textbook written in the early 21st century, they would also have felt like they were reading a science fiction novel. If they had heard that by the end of the 20th century, nothing would remain of the imperial power of France and Great Britain, that Israel would appear on the world map, and a third-world country with 50 percent illiteracy — the United States of America — would play a dominant role, they would have felt like someone was telling them fairy tales.
[Comment: An easy lookup on the internet says this about US literacy in the 1920s: “The percentage of people who could read in the 1920s was between 65 percent and 75 percent. It means that there was a great improvement in the percentage of people who could read from the beginning of the 20th century to the 1920s.” And the US was a first rate economic and military power in the 1920s.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gang Leader’s Mother Shot Dead in Akalla as Sweden’s Gang Violence Spirals Out of Control
A woman in her 60s was found dead after a shooting in Akalla, a suburb in northern Stockholm. The victim, according to Swedish media, is the mother of a known gang criminal, raising fears of revenge attacks as gang conflicts continue to spiral.
The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. on Tuesday when police were alerted to a residential building in the area. Upon arrival, they found the woman dead from gunshot wounds. While the police have launched a murder investigation, no arrests have yet been made.
“There is a lot at stake here to prevent further escalation,” warned SVT crime reporter Diamant Salihu. He noted that threats against relatives of gang members are common, and the authorities fear acts of retaliatory violence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Approves Almost €100M in Military Exports to Israel in Three Months
Germany has authorised approaching €100 million in military exports to Israel in the past three months, foreign ministry data has shown.
That has coincided with the latest legal challenge by human rights groups concerned about the potential use of these weapons in the Gaza war.
The data revealed on October 24 showed Germany has approved €94,052,394 in arms exports to Israel since August 2024, according to a government response to a parliamentary enquiry by left-wing Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) politician Sevim Dagdelen.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Ups Defence Exports to Israel, Bucking European Trends
Germany increased its arms exports to Israel in the second half of the year, contrary to European trends, amid claims that the government resumed suspended arms sales after receiving assurances from Israel that weapons would be used by international law.
Germany, which has close historical ties with Israel, was Europe’s largest arms supplier to Israel between 2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Fewer export licences were granted in the first few months of this year following a rise in civilian deaths in Israel’s offensive against Hamas and invasion of Gaza and later Lebanon.
But since August, the government has given the green light to exports worth €94.05 million, dpa reported on Thursday, citing the German Foreign Ministry — more than double the €45.74 million worth of exports between the start of the year and 13 October that the Economy Ministry told the Bundestag’s economic committee last week.
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Germany’s Scholz Concerned Over North Korean Troops in Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has described reports of North Korean troops being sent to Russia as “very worrying.”
“This cannot be underestimated,” he told journalists during his trip to India on Friday. “This is, of course, something that further escalates the situation.”
Scholz said the move shows that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in dire straits.
It is also a reason to continue to strive for a just peace, he argued, and to provide “firm, reliable” support for Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected Russia to begin deploying North Korean soldiers from Sunday or Monday.
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Hungarian Prime Minister: US Presidential Election is Pivotal for Europe
Speaking on public Kossuth Radio on Friday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban presented recent governmental decisions, touching on discussions regarding Hungary’s EU presidency, the approaching Europe Summit in Budapest, interference from Brussels, and the soon-to-launch national consultation. Emphasizing Hungary’s honest and straightforward approach, he noted that while their voice may stand out within the EU, it aligns with recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned that the Union faces decline without improved competitiveness. Viktor Orban highlighted Macron’s key role in creating a competitive Europe.
The Prime Minister underscored that Hungary will host the European Political Community Summit. Orban remarked, ‘The Western world will meet in Budapest,’ while observing that the US presidential election preceding the summit could influence its outcome.
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Hungary’s Orban Claims Poland’s Center-Right Government Was Installed by the EU
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban suggested on Friday that Poland’s government and its prime minister, Donald Tusk, were installed by the European Union as part of a plot to remove the country’s previous right-wing populist leadership.
Orban provided no evidence to substantiate his claims about Poland’s government, which was elected in 2023 with record high voter turnout of nearly 74%.
The comments came two days after Orban, a nationalist who has taken an increasingly adversarial approach to the EU, told supporters in a speech that the bloc seeks to topple his government and install a puppet regime in Hungary.
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Netherlands Bans Palestinian Activist Mohammed Khatib From Entering the Country
Controversial Palestinian activist Mohammed Khatib will not be allowed to enter the Netherlands to deliver a speech during an event at Radboud University in Nijmegen next week. Khatib’s arrival was declared to be “highly undesirable,” said Justice and Security Minister David van Weel and Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber in a joint statement on Friday.
Khatib “legitimizes, condones and glorifies violence against the State of Israel, including violence by organizations on the European Union’s terrorist list,” according to Van Weel and Faber. “He also actively expresses his support for terrorist organizations. These statements can have a radicalizing effect.”
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Norway Aims to Raise Age Limit for Social Media Users
The Norwegian Government has said it wants to raise the age limit for social media used by teens in the country through an amendment of its Personal Data Act.
In Norway, the act means users must be at least 13 years old to consent to social media collecting personal data.
The government said it now wanted to change that age limit to 15 years but parents would still be able to consent for children younger than that.
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Orban and Spajic Affirm Strong Hungary-Montenegro Ties in Budapest Meeting
In a press release following his meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic in Budapest, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban highlighted the productive discussions covering both bilateral and broader European issues. This was Spajic’s inaugural official visit to Hungary, an occasion Orban marked by expressing optimism for many such future engagements, given their shared vision for the region and Europe.
Orban underscored the increasingly critical nature of EU enlargement, specifically involving the Western Balkans. He pointed to recent challenges faced by the EU, including waning global competitiveness, which he attributed in part to stalled enlargement efforts. Emphasizing the importance of adding ‘fresh impetus’ to the EU, Orban acknowledged Montenegro’s strong track record in aligning with EU standards and indicated Hungary’s commitment to advancing Montenegro’s accession process. As part of Hungary’s upcoming EU presidency, the two leaders pledged to facilitate the closure of four negotiation chapters for Montenegro by December, marking a significant step toward the EU’s long-delayed expansion into the Western Balkans.
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Poland Alerts Prosecutors to Alleged Offenses During Probe of 2010 Plane Crash That Killed President
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s Defense Ministry said Friday it notified prosecutors of suspected offenses committed by members of a special commission that investigated the 2010 plane crash in Russia that killed Poland’s then-president and 95 others. Commissioners alleged the crash was a Moscow-sponsored assassination.
The notices of 41 potential offenses are the result of a recent review by experts of the work of the controversial commission that was launched by the previous right-wing government in 2016. The probe exacerbated Poland’s already deeply strained relations with Russia.
The commission, which was attached to the Defense Ministry, was generally seen as politically motivated and serving to consolidate the electorate of the conservative ruling party led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of President Lech Kaczynski, who died in the crash.
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Polish Court Grants €75,000 Bail to Priest Imprisoned for Six Months
Father Michal Olszewski, who since March has been held in detention on corruption charges relating to the actions of the previous Conservative (PiS) government,, is to be released from prison by November 15 on bail of €75,000.
The funds for Olszewski’s bail have already been offered by former PiS prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and PiS MEP Daniej Obajtek, a former CEO of fuel giant Orlen.
The Court of Appeal in Warsaw on October 24 decided to release Olszewski and two former employees of the Ministry of Justice once bail of €75,000 each has been paid. The decision overturned one taken by the district court in Warsaw, which had. decided to prolong their detention until the end of the year
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Polish President Rules Out Sending Brand New Weapons to Ukraine
WARSAW, Poland — Polish President Andrzej Duda has ruled out the possibility of supplying newer weapons to Ukraine, including the tanks, self-propelled howitzers, missile launchers and light attack aircraft that his country has ordered from South Korean manufacturers for Poland’s military.
Duda made the announcement on Oct. 25 during his official visit to South Korea where he met with his counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol.
The South Korean president recently announced his country is considering to provide weapons to Ukraine to support its ongoing combat against Russia’s attack.
Duda was asked whether Poland could also supply some of its South Korea-made weapons to Kyiv, which play a key role in a broad effort to modernize Warsaw’s arsenal.
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The Court of Appeal in Warsaw decided on Thursday that Father Michal Olszewski and two officials from the Ministry of Justice could leave custody after paying bail of PLN 350,000 (€80,000) each, reports wPolityce.
The bail for Fr. Olszewski was paid by the Order of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The representative of the community, together with attorney Michal Skwarzynski, is currently signing the documents at the National Prosecutor’s Office. wPolityce.pl reported on Thursday that former PM Mateusz Morawiecki and fellow PiS member MEP Daniel Obajtek expressed their willingness to help pay Father Olszewski’s bail.
His attorney confirmed that he may be released as early as noon on Friday, adding that after accepting this bail, the prosecutor’s office should immediately send an order of release. The whole procedure can take up to two hours.
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Portugal to Step Up Security in Lisbon After Riots Sparked by Police Killing
The government will continue to increase security in Lisbon’s urban neighbourhoods and on buses, where riots have broken out since Monday following the death of a person shot by police, the Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro announced on Thursday.
The minister spoke to journalists after the meeting of the Lisbon Metropolitan Council, where he was joined by Portuguese Interior Minister Margarida Blasco and mayors of the 18 municipalities that make up the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.
“All the means that the Portuguese state has at its disposal to ensure people are safe will be available,” said Leitão Amaro.
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Scandal Plagues Swedish Hospital, 33 Women Given Unnecessary Hysterectomies
As many as 33 women in Sweden had their uteruses unnecessarily removed after Uppsala University Hospital wrongly diagnosed them as being at risk of uterine cancer in 2023 and early 2024. An investigation into other cases has now been launched.
The Uppsala University Hospital this week revealed that it had officially informed 33 of its female patients, aged between 38 and 85, that they got misdiagnosed with precancer and their hysterectomies were unnecessary.
The women had seen doctors at the hospital for a variety of problems, including, in some cases, unexplained vaginal bleeding. During their visits between 2023 and the spring of 2024, cell samples were taken and later analysed by the hospital’s laboratory. The 33 women were found to have cell changes that put them at risk of developing cancer, known as endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN).
However, in these cases, the cell analysis proved incorrect, with pathologists systematically overdiagnosing EIN, the hospital said.
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Spain: Far-Left Catalan Separatists Step Up Demands to Continue Supporting Sanchez
The left-wing platform Sumar, its former far-left ally Podemos and the Catalan separatist party JxCat are stepping up pressure on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to accept their political demands in exchange for a vote on the 2025 national budget, key to the government’s survival.
While the fragile stability of Sanchez’s coalition government between his socialist PSOE (S&D) party and Sumar seemed assured thanks to the crucial support of the right-wing Catalan separatist party JxCat and its left-wing rival ERC, things have become highly complicated for the Spanish prime minister in recent weeks.
After passing a controversial amnesty law — deemed unconstitutional by the centre-right and far-right — and making sweeping concessions to Catalan self-rule, Sanchez secured the parliamentary support of JxCat, led by Catalonia’s embattled president, Carles Puigdemont, who is currently in self-exile in Belgium.
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Spain’s PM Faces Backlash Over Law Tightening Grip on Public Media
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is facing a surge of criticism after enacting a decree that tightens his government’s control over the public broadcaster RTVE. The new law, which expands RTVE’s board from ten to fifteen seats, enhances the voting power of Sanchez’ coalition allies while diminishing that of the main opposition party, the Partido Popular (PP).
While Sanchez’s government claims the decree promotes “pluralism,” opposition figures argue it grants the administration unchecked influence over public broadcasting, effectively transforming RTVE into a “private television channel.”
This controversial move is part of a broader pattern of institutional control under Sanchez. Over recent years, his government has placed loyalists in key roles across Spain’s national bank, constitutional court, and state pollster, consolidating influence within state entities.
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Spanish Mayor Calls for Demonstration to Avoid ‘Devastating’ Franco-Era Gibraltar Border Closure
The mayor of the Spanish town neighbouring Gibraltar has been seeking support for an open-border demonstration over fears that deadlocked talks on a post-Brexit treaty could lead to a catastrophe such as that of General Franco era when in 1969 the frontier was closed altogether for 13 years.
A few days ago, cross-border commuters were handed leaflets by the mayor of La Linea, Juan Franco, calling for the march on the evening of October 25 with a warning: “We don’t want another repetition of 1969, when the closure of the border plunged the city into misery.”
He said the protest would be a “historic march to demand an immediate response to the problems affecting the city”.
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Spanish Left-Wing Big-Gun Resigns Over Sexual Abuse Allegations
Iñigo Errejón, spokesperson for the far left-wing party Sumar in the Spanish Congress, has announced his resignation from that position and his seat, and has announced his departure from institutional politics.
His resignation comes amid a wave of rumours on social media, where several women have alleged they were victims of abuse by an unnamed politician.
On October 24 on the social media platform X, Errejón said he he had been enduring personal issues with “psychological support” and had decided to “take a break to focus on [my] well-being”.
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Swedish Gender Equality: Girls Commit Crimes as Often as Boys
A survey by the Swedish Crime Prevention Council (Brå) shows that criminality among the country’s youth is becoming gender-equal, with the same number of girls as boys admitting to committing crimes.
In a survey of ninth-graders (15-year-olds) in 400 primary schools across the country, over half of the students—51.3%— admitted to criminal activity in the past year. The reported criminal activity includes violence, theft, threats, robberies, vandalism, drug crimes, and sexual crimes. The number of criminal boys is only one percentage point above that of girls.
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Tech Victory Over Brussels: EU Loses €1 Billion Antitrust Case Against Intel
US tech multinational Intel has won a major victory in its long-running battle with the European Union over a €1.06 billion antitrust fine, with Europe’s top court ruling in the chipmaker’s favour.
In 2009, the European Commission slapped the fine on Intel, saying it had engaged in anti-competitive practices.
The commission alleged two types of anti-competitive behaviour. First, Intel was accused of offering hidden “conditional rebates” to computer manufacturers who chose Intel chips over those from competitors, particularly AMD. Second, the company allegedly paid manufacturers to delay or cancel products using AMD processors, pushing them out of the market —practices termed “naked restrictions.”
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UK: Has Starmer’s Plan to Ban Cigarettes in Pub Beer Gardens Been Snuffed Out?
Reports suggest that Britain’s Labour government is becoming ‘spooked’ about its plans to ban outdoor smoking in the beer gardens of public houses. This follows warnings from the hospitality industry that the proposed crackdown could cause job losses and pub closures.
Initially, the measure was presented as a public health initiative to save money and lives. According to prime minister Keir Starmer in August:
My starting point on this is to remind everybody that over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking. That is a preventable death, it’s a huge burden on the NHS and, of course, it is a burden on the taxpayer.
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UK: Tommy Robinson Arrested on Terror Charge Over Refusal to Hand Over Phone Pin
British activist Tommy Robinson will miss a demonstration he was due to lead in central London tomorrow after being arrested over his failure to surrender his mobile phone to authorities under counter-terrorism laws, and is being held over a High Court injunction.
Tommy Robinson surrendered himself at a Folkstone, Kent police station on Friday afternoon, where he was arrested and charged with “failing to provide the PIN to his mobile phone under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000”. Under the Tony Blair-era law, anyone travelling through a British port can be required to surrender electronic devices “to determine whether they may be involved or concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.”
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UK: Where Are the Protests in London This Weekend and Why Are They Happening?
Thousands of people are expected to march in central London on Saturday as police seek to prevent rival protests from spilling over into disorder.
Supporters of Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, are due to hold a demonstration in the capital.
It is expected to be met with a counter-protest organised by the Stand up to Racism group.
Here, Yahoo News UK explains where — and why — the protests are happening.
Where are the protests in London?
On Saturday, the protest organised on behalf of Robinson, under the name Uniting the Kingdom, is due to march from Victoria station to the southern end of Whitehall.
The counter protest organised by Stand Up To Racism will march from Regent Street St James’s to the north end of Whitehall.
Under police conditions, neither march can start until 1pm, and must follow the force’s designated routes. “Static rallies” will take place at the end of both marches, with both groups ordered to disperse by 6pm.
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‘We Are in Danger’ — Spanish Anti-Tourism Spills Into Winter Season
It’s well past the August holiday peak, but anger against over-tourism in Spain is spilling into the off-season, as holiday-makers continue to seek winter sun.
On Sunday locals in the Basque city of San Sebastian plan to take to the streets under the banner: “We are in danger; degrow tourism!”
And in November anti-tourism protesters will gather in Seville.
Thousands turned out last Sunday in the Canary Islands, so the problem is clearly not going away.
This year appears to have marked a watershed for attitudes to tourism in Spain and many other parts of Europe, as the post-Covid travel boom has seen the industry equal and often surpass records set before the pandemic.
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With No Exit Strategy in Gaza, Critics Fear Israel Will Stay Indefinitely
Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland believes Israel faces months of fighting in Gaza unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu uses the chance offered by the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to end the war.
Since Sinwar’s death this month, Eiland has been one of a chorus of former senior army officers questioning the government’s strategy in Gaza, where earlier this month troops went back into areas of the north that had already been cleared at least twice before.
For the past three weeks, the IDF has been operating around Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, the third time they have returned to the town and its historic refugee camp since the beginning of the war in October 2023.
Instead of the IDF’s preferred approach of quick decisive actions, many former security officials say the army risks being bogged down in an open-ended campaign requiring a permanent troop presence.
“The Israeli government is acting in total opposition to Israel’s security conception,” Yom-Tov Samia, former head of the military’s Southern Command, told Kan public radio.
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Iran: Israel Reports Targeting of Military Sites in Iran Oct. 26
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that ongoing actions against Iran as of early Oct. 26 are precise airstrikes against military targets. Reports suggest alleged explosions in and around Tehran and Karaj in the initial strikes, followed by Shiraz in a second wave of targeting. Damage assessments are ongoing, with unconfirmed accounts suggesting potential impacts against air defense systems and/or military bases in eastern, western, and southwestern Tehran and near Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA). Iranian officials have yet to confirm casualty figures and claim that blasts that occurred were from air defense systems. Israeli military actions will reportedly continue in several stages in the coming hours.
Iran has closed its airspace until at least 09:00 IRST as a precaution; extensions are possible. Reports indicate internet outages across the country. US officials stated they had received notification ahead of the operation and confirmed that US forces were not participating in the airstrikes.
Increased security and localized ground transport disruptions will likely affect the vicinities of any confirmed explosions. Authorities will likely introduce enhanced security measures in response to the attack. Flight disruptions are likely in the coming hours, with residual delays possible in the coming days. Further isolated security incidents and attacks cannot be ruled out.
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Israel Confirms it Has Struck Iran, as Explosions Rock Tehran
Five explosions were reported heard across Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj early on Saturday morning, according to Iranian media, in what is alleged to be the beginning of an Israeli retaliatory attack on Iran.
Israeli officials confirmed to Army Radio that Israel had started striking targets across Iran.
Reports of explosions at the Imam Khomeini International Airport in the Iranian capital were also received.
Arab media reported that Israel attacked the location of the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Iran.
There were no planes flying over Syria or northern Iraq during the time of the suspected attack.
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Israel has launched a series of “precise” strikes against Iran, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Local media reported multiple explosions were heard early on Saturday in and around Tehran and Karaj.
The IDF said the strikes came as the “regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th,” the day Hamas, an Iranian ally, launched its suprise cross-border invasion of Israel last year.
The explosions in Tehran mark the latest escalation in what’s quickly becoming a multi-front conflict between Israel and Iran-aligned forces in the region, including Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran fired a barrage of missiles into Israel earlier this month.
Explosions were also heard in Damascus, Syria, though it’s unclear if these were Israeli strikes.
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Paris Meeting Raises Almost €1 Billion for Lebanon as France Pushes for Israeli Ceasefire
France’s foreign minister has urged Israel to heed the message to cease fire and focus on diplomacy after world powers raised slightly short of €1 billion to ease the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and support its army at a conference in Paris.
Some 70 government delegations and 15 international organisations met in the French capital on October 24 to help Lebanon but a low-level US presence and its looming presidential elections dimmed prospects for a swift halt to fighting.
“The message [for Israel] is simple: Cease fire!,” French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot told a news conference at the event, reiterating that a Franco-American proposal for a temporary truce was still on the table.
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One of Russia’s Closest Allies Warned it Against Sending North Korean Troops to War
One of President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies this week warned Russia against sending North Korean troops to war.
Speaking to BBC News on Wednesday, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said North Korean troops would be “a step toward the escalation of the conflict.”
“Even if we got involved in the war this would be a path to escalation,” he added. “Why? Because you, the Anglo-Saxons, would immediately say that another country had got involved on one side… so NATO troops would be deployed to Ukraine.”
When asked if he believed the reports were true, he said they were likely “rubbish.”
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Putin Says Russia Won’t Make Concessions to End War on Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin said Russia is open to a “reasonable compromise” but won’t make any concessions to end its war in Ukraine.
“We aren’t going to make any concessions here, there will be no trades,” Putin said in an interview with Russian state television published on Friday, after he’d hosted a summit of BRICS countries in Kazan. “We are ready to make reasonable compromises, but I don’t want to go into details right now because there are no substantive negotiations.”
The Russian leader’s comments signal a growing confidence in the Kremlin as its troops advance in eastern Ukraine and evidence of war fatigue emerges among some of Kyiv’s allies. The interview came after Putin hosted the largest gathering of world leaders in Russia since the start of the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Some in attendance at the BRICS summit spoke about the need to de-escalate the conflict, but nobody publicly confronted Putin.
“Any outcome should benefit Russia,” Putin said. “It must proceed from the realities that are taking shape on the battlefield.”
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Russia Accuses West of Interference in Moldova, Georgia Elections
Russia on Friday denied allegations of interference in crucial elections in Moldova and Georgia, and accused the West of manipulating voters in the former Soviet republics.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Western countries were attempting to dictate terms to Georgia ahead of its parliamentary elections on Saturday.
“It is, of course, hard to imagine that the proud Georgian people would tolerate such ultimatums that rain down on them daily,” Peskov said.
Saturday’s election could prove a crossroads for Georgia. The pro-European opposition is fighting for victory, while the conservative nationalist ruling party, which favours Russia, is aiming to retain power.
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Vladimir Putin Says No BRICS Plan to Create Alternative to Swift Banking System
Brics countries “have not and are not” creating an alternative to Swift in their pursuit of financial cooperation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the conclusion of the bloc’s annual summit on Thursday.
Putin made the remarks at a press conference after the summit he chaired ended in the Russian city of Kazan. Leaders and delegates from 35 countries converged to discuss pressing issues before the group of major emerging national economies.
The Kazan Declaration — adopted by Brics at the summit — indicated that the countries recognised the benefits of a more transparent and safe cross-border payment infrastructure.
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Zelensky Says North Korean Troops Will be in Ukraine Within Days
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects Russia to deploy North Korean soldiers from Sunday or Monday.
“This is a clear escalation,” Zelensky said on Friday on X.
He cited intelligence information suggesting that the North Korean units are to be deployed in the combat zone from October 27 or 28.
The move clearly shows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intention to continue the war, Zelensky argued.
He said Putin has not denied the reports of the transfer and training of North Korean soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
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Georgia: Government Criticises EU Wokeism Before Crucial Election
The citizens of Georgia are heading to the polls on Saturday, October 26th, in what is being framed in Western liberal media as one of the most hotly-contested elections in the country’s history, a geopolitical tussle between the ‘pro-Russian’ forces of evil and the ‘pro-Western’ good guys.
The reality is, of course, a lot less simplistic than that.
The ruling conservative Georgian Dream party, which has governed the small eastern European country for the past twelve years, has not veered the country off its course towards joining the European Union, but has simply approved a number of laws that are not in line with what Brussels likes to call “European values.”
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Lidia Thorpe Claims She Has Been Brutally Assaulted and is Suffering Horrific Spinal Injury
Senator Lidia Thorpe has revealed she was brutally assaulted at the MCG earlier this year causing a major spinal injury, forcing her to miss a third of parliamentary sitting days.
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Mexico: COVID mRNA ‘Vaccines’ Trigger Multiple Sclerosis, Study Finds
A team of investigative medical researchers has found that Covid mRNA “vaccines” are responsible for several new cases of multiple sclerosis.
The study, from leading medical University researchers in Mexico, traced numerous cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) back to mRNA injections as the cause.
The results of the study, led by Drs. Amy Jocelyn Mengual Ku and Carlos Eduardo Cabrera, were published in the Ciencia Latina Internacional medical journal.
The researchers sought to assess the incidence of post-Covid injection MS across different age groups and vaccine types.
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Canada: Justin Trudeau’s Stunning Immigration Policy U-Turn After His Polling Numbers Tanked
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a surprising new shift in immigration policy as his Liberal Party trails in the polls.
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Cost of Asylum Seeker Housing and Support Soars to £41,000 a Head Per Year in Britain
An analysis from a left-wing think tank has found that the average cost of housing and supporting alleged asylum seekers in Britain has more than doubled over the past four years.
The report from the progressive Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said that, adjusted for inflation, housing and support costs for alleged asylum seekers rose from £17,000 per migrant in 2019/20 to around £41,000 in 2023/24.
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Germany’s Federal States Would Like Further Migration Controls
The premiers of Germany’s 16 federal states meeting in the eastern city of Leipzig on Friday agreed a joint statement on migration which describes the number of people seeking asylum to be “still far too high.”
The statement released by the committee that brings the premiers together to coordinate policy concluded that “there is still a need for action on this issue.”
However, they conceded that measures already taken to better control migration are beginning to have an effect.
The state premiers decided to continue the existing checks at internal borders, which they said have contributed significantly to reducing the number of illegal entries.
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‘Hundreds of Refugees in Germany Have Visited Their Homelands,’ Report States
Hundreds of refugees have travelled back from Germany to their home countries for vacations since the beginning of 2023.
That was despite seeking asylum in Germany and asserting their need for assistance due to various reasons — ranging from political persecution to war in their home countries.
Answering questions from the Alternative for Germany Party (AfD), the German Government acknowledged the numbers, German news outlet Apollo Newsreported on October 24.
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Italian Police Bust Illegal Migrant Reception Ring, Arrest Mayor of Meloni’s Party
Police in Rome and Frosinone arrested several people — including a Fratelli d’Italia mayor — and seized assets on Thursday as part of a major investigation into a criminal network accused of illegally securing public contracts for migrant reception services funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Ten people have been placed under house arrest, and three were banned from bidding for public contracts due to the investigation known as “The Good Lobby” led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome.
Among those detained were the mayor of Ceccano, Roberto Caligiore, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party, and business people and officials from Frosinone and Naples.
The suspects are charged with conspiracy and corruption for allegedly rigging public tenders funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). Authorities have also frozen more than €500,000 in assets believed to be the proceeds of illegal activities.
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Italian Justice Minister Calls for Disciplinary Action Against Biased Immigration Judge
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s attempts at controlling migratory flows have brought her into conflict with her country’s courts. The court in Rome that invalidated the detention of a handful of migrants in a centre in Albania was put in its proper place after the government announced a decree that successfully amends previous legislation about who can designate migrants’ countries of origin as ‘safe.’
The civil court had ordered the Coast Guard to bring the migrants to Italy because it ruled their home countries, Egypt and Bangladesh, could not be considered safe. On Monday night, the Meloni government fought back by elevating the status of the ‘safe country’ decision from an interministerial decree to ‘primary law.’
Carlo Nordio, the Italian minister of justice, is now calling for sanctions against the judge involved in the case, who described the head of government Giorgia Meloni as “dangerous.”
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Migrant Smuggler Gangs Busted at Polish and Italian Borders
Both Italy and Poland are grappling with organised networks of smugglers who make their money by smuggling convoys of migrants into the European Union.
At a time when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is trying to impose a new model for managing illegal migratory flows and is encountering hostility from her country’s courts, the Italian police have revealed the existence of a gang active on the Calabrian coast, whose aim was to redirect migrants to various European Union countries.
An investigation carried out in southern Italy in coordination with anti-mafia units led to the arrest of 13 smugglers from Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in Catanzaro, Calabria.
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Netherlands: Prime Minister Confirms New Asylum Measures; Distribution Act to be Scrapped
Prime Minister Dick Schoof has confirmed in a letter to parliament that the Cabinet has reached an agreement on the asylum migration measures: there will be border controls from the end of November, and the Distribution Act will be dismissed soon. These measures are a part of the asylum package that the coalition parties agreed on in the evening of Thursday leading into Friday.
The Cabinet also wants to declare certain parts of Syria as safe as soon as possible. Asylum seekers from those safe areas will have no chance of asylum in the Netherlands. The government also wants to revoke asylum permits already issued to Syrians from areas that are designated as safe, which means they will have to return. It is being investigated whether this is possible.
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Number of Small Boat Migrants Arriving Into Britain in 2024 Surges Past Last Year’s Figure…
— as total rises to more than 29,500
The number of small-boat migrants arriving in Britain by boat this year has surged past the entire tally for 2023.
More than 300 asylum seekers landed yesterday after crossing the Channel — bringing the running total for 2024 to more than 29,500. The number for last year was 29,437.
It also means the number of migrants who have crossed since Labour won the election is fast approaching 16,000.
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Texas’ SB 4, an immigration law passed in 2023 that allows the state to deport illegal border crossers, remains tied up in courts. Legal experts have argued that if the state is successful in arguing its case, it could reshape immigration law across the country.
State lawmakers and officials have said that the Biden administration has failed to fulfill its duty in protecting the state, and that Texas thus has a right to defend itself. The law makes it a misdemeanor to cross the border illegally, allowing Texas peace officers to arrest those. State magistrate judges can order the person to leave the US to Mexico in place of continuing prosecution. Repeat offenders can be charged with a second-degree felony, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
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People traffickers are making desperate migrants pay £12,500 for an inflatable dingy, a motor and 60 life jackets in their attempt to cross the perilous English channel.
An undercover investigation conducted by the BBC has unearthed the German link to the lethal human smuggling trade ferrying people across the treacherous waters.
The central European country has become a key location for holding dinghies and outboards motors used in the extortionate deals.
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To Deter Migration, Sweden Calls for a Better Link Between Aid and Migration Policy
Aid policy should be more clearly linked to migration policy to encourage people who want to come to Sweden to stay in their own countries, the Swedish government and its far-right partner, the Sweden Democrats (ECR), announced Thursday.
Sweden should determine its own aid and migration policy. Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa (Moderates, EPP) and the Sweden Democrats’ migration spokesman Ludvig Aspling spoke at a press conference on Thursday.
“Through development aid, we will increase assistance in the (EU’s) neighbourhood, which in the long term should reduce irregular migration to Sweden and the EU,” said Dousa.
The government and the Sweden Democrats have decided to develop a new aid policy strategy, with a total budget of SEK 3 billion (€255 million) for the period 2024-2028.
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Trump Blasts Harris Over Migrant Crime as Both Visit Border State of Texas
Former President Donald Trump on Friday excoriated Vice President Kamala Harris over illegal immigrant as they both visited the Lone Star State.
Harris is set to hold a rally with Beyonce in Houston this evening where she will focus on abortion rights.
During his press conference in Austin, Trump went into detail about the murder of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student who was alleged killed by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant.
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France’s new crackdown on cyberbullying sees seven charged in “first wave” of arrests against those who trolled the creator of the Paris 2024 Olympics LGBT-themed opening ceremony.
Seven people have been arrested across France this week, accused of making death threats, insults, and of cyberbullying of figures involved with the 2024 Paris Olympics including most prominently the artistic director of the much-criticised opening ceremony, Thomas Jolly. The opening ceremony grabbed headlines globally for its overt political and social themes, with many decrying it as ‘woke’ and extravagantly anti-Christian.
Those arrested are six men aged between 22 and 79 years old, and a 57-year-old woman. France’s Le Figaro cites a source inside the investigation said “some” of those arrested had “worrying profiles”, and said one is allegedly seen by the government as being a “professional hate monger”.
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The report argue that athletes born male had gender specific attributes, such as higher strength, which were advantageous in certain sports
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