Exclusives

Military

Russian plant supplying components for Iskander missiles reportedly struck by Ukrainian Storm Shadow missiles. OSINT projects reported that a strike hit the Proton plant in Orel, a facility whose electronic components are used in several Russian weapons systems.

Drone strike sinks cargo ship near Romania, killing Ukrainian sailor. Romanian President blames Russia. The Khoryv capsized about 13 nautical miles off Romania’s coast, with nine crew members rescued and three still missing. The incident adds to a wave of attacks threatening Black Sea shipping and Ukraine’s export routes.

Denmark rushes 50,000 cannon rounds to Ukraine to help F-16s hunt Russia’s advanced jet drones. Ukrainian pilots are already using the 20-mm ammunition to intercept jet-powered attack drones, as Russia deploys faster targets that challenge Ukraine’s air defenses.

Ukraine wants partners’ Patriot interceptors now. Europe can hand them over only with US approval, Ukraine’s president says. Ukraine is contracting about 1,000 Patriot missiles that will take years to arrive, so it wants partners’ stocks today.

Russia’s tax service runs on two key data centers. Drones went after one of them overnight, along with a chemical plant that supplies explosives makers. The data center in Gorodets stores state registers, including tax records, and opened in 2015 with Russia’s current prime minister on hand.

Phones down, water off, a factory roof broken open: Russian-occupied Luhansk counts the damage after another night of drones. Ukrainian monitoring channels pointed to strikes on communications, and pro-Russian local channels filled in the rest of the morning’s picture.

Russia kept sneaking troops through gas pipes behind Ukrainian lines. Now Ukraine has gone more than 15 km underground to do the same to Russia. More than 30 Russian soldiers were captured and Russian losses topped 100, the Khartiia Corps reported.

Ukrainian OSINT analyst: Russia’s Yandex data center in Sasovo burned out inside, though its roof shows almost no significant holes. Yandex hasn’t said whether the AI supercomputers there were damaged.

Intelligence and technology

A modem from a Russian drone led reporters to its Chinese maker—which invoiced 500 for Russia’s drone plant. Posing as a Russian military supplier, journalists got a $2.87 million invoice, three bank accounts, and no pushback on military use.

Russia may stage sabotage in Eastern Europe, but wants Kyiv blamed, Ukraine’s Intelligence warns. The agency says Moscow aims to weaken European support for Kyiv by making Russian attacks appear to be the work of Ukraine’s military.

The money starts as bags of cash in a Moscow market and ends up clean in China, leaked files show. The firm, co-owned by the bank behind Russia’s defense industry, hides where the money starts before it reaches foreign banks.

The Starlink hot potato: Musk points to Trump, Trump points to nobody, then credits Musk with the fix. The speed limit stays. Ukraine’s military Starlink terminals still lose connection above about 160 km/h, nine days after the limit took effect, and Kyiv has no official explanation of who imposed it.

Russia’s Doppelgänger operation used fake Ukrainian channels to spread disinformation. Hacked files show who ran it. The campaign targeted Ukraine’s military and political leadership, including with a fake about war widows receiving a can of stewed meat as compensation.

International

40,000 tons of Russian diesel are bound for New York—due four days after Americans vote. The tanker loaded at a Baltic port Ukrainian drones struck in March. Trump wants cheaper diesel before the midterms.

Russia’s attacks on Black Sea shipping raise risk of global famine, German FM warns. As Russian strikes increasingly threaten civilian vessels and Ukrainian grain exports, Germany’s foreign minister warned that shipping disruptions could leave vulnerable countries without essential food and fertilizers.

Austria expels Russian Embassy and OSCE diplomats over suspected spying. Vienna remains a Russian spy hub. Austrian security authorities raised suspicions of espionage involving four Russian diplomats, prompting Vienna to declare them persona non grata.

Russian Geran drone crashes in Moldova near homes and energy facility: Chisinau expels Russian diplomat. President Maia Sandu condemned the latest incursion as Russia’s war on Ukraine increasingly threatens neighboring Moldova.

Finland gives Ukraine 10 diesel locomotives that keep trains running when Russian strikes cut the power. The engines come free from Finland’s state railway, part of a visit that also brought winter energy money and new defense, housing, and satellite deals for Kyiv.

NATO’s weapons-buying agency opens dedicated door for Ukraine, non-member, letting it buy arms through its contracts and its firms bid for tenders. The agreement, signed by Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara, gives Ukraine a single entry point into 45 weapons programs.

Humanitarian and social impact

Ceasefire planned for occupied Oleshky as residents face starvation and blocked escape routes, White House announces. A truce announced by Melania Trump is due to take effect October 29, opening the way for humanitarian supplies and evacuations if Russia and Ukraine implement the agreement.

Ukraine frees 270 from Russian captivity in “historic” prisoner swap, including 5 Olenivka survivors and American teacher Stephen Hubbard. The latest exchange returned 261 military personnel and nine civilians. Some had been held since 2018, while many others were captured during the defense of Mariupol in 2022.

Russia has kept the Red Cross away from Ukrainian POWs since 2024. Now about 1,500 captives it never confirmed as prisoners face prosecution. A captive soldier’s wife says that whenever families find a relative, Russia moves them to another prison and contact is lost again.

Political and legal developments

45 seconds of voting in the Lviv Oblast Council sparked a new dispute with Poland: Warsaw says Kyiv promised the UPA year decision will not take effect. Poland is Ukraine’s main hub for Western aid, and every new fight over the two nations’ WWII past erodes the trust that role rests on.

Russia keeps hitting Ukraine’s arms plants. Now private developers can dig them space underground—and sell or rent it to them. The state budget has paid to keep war-damaged arms plants running. The new model brings private money into the digging.

Zelenskyy names three postwar security guarantees for Ukraine. Even Russia needs one of them, he says. He names NATO membership, direct US guarantees, and a European Coalition of the Willing as the paths under discussion.

Trump cannot get Putin to halt strikes on Ukraine’s power grid, so he blames Ukraine instead, Zelenskyy says. Before that, US officials had cut Kyiv off from US intelligence and lowered a speed cap on Starlink to pressure Ukraine.

Read our previous daily review here.

Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Germany resists as France’s debt troubles threaten contagion Diego Faßnacht reports that France’s rising borrowing costs and political paralysis are colliding with Germany’s resistance to larger EU commitments, exposing a widening fault line in Europe’s […]

The post France’s debt troubles expose cracks in Europe’s fiscal union appeared first on Asia Times.

The body of 29-year-old Hajar was discovered on the morning of Oct.16 inside a suitcase in the Amstel River along the Amsteldijk in Amsterdam-Zuid, near Martin Luther Kingpark. She had been missing since Oct. 4, when she was last seen cycling away from the RAI convention center toward the Buitenveldert neighborhood with an unidentified man.

Hajar disappeared after sending a series of alarming text messages to a family member. According to reporting by De Telegraaf, one message read: “Help me. Now. He is killing me.”

The messages arrived around 11:15 a.m. on Oct. 4. Her family reported her missing that evening, but police initially classified the case as non-urgent. A public appeal for information was not issued until Oct. 13, nine days later.

Women in the Netherlands and Germany are now trying to defend themselves with "Smurf spray" after an asylum seeker raped and murdered 17-year-old Lisa. "Since Lisa’s death, many of (self-defense) products have been sold out, including the Smurf spray." Pepper spray is illegal in both Germany and the Netherlands, which means women are desperate for self-defense options. Smurf spray paints a potential rapist’s face blue for days, making a suspect easy to identify. But can it really stop a determined rapist? "After the death of 17-year-old Lisa, practically every woman in Holland wants to carry it." 17-year-old Lisa was not the only victim. The asylum seeker had previously raped and sexually assaulted other women. (Video source: RTL)

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 2, 2025

On Oct. 20, Amsterdam police arrested a 23-year-old Somali national identified in reports as Abdi A. (or Abdi Anan). He has lived in the Netherlands since the age of six, holds permanent residency, and has no fixed address.

Authorities said he was first questioned as a witness after CCTV footage placed him with Hajar near the RAI on the day she vanished. He was arrested the following day after a separate violent incident at a home in Koggenland, Noord-Holland, in which a man, later identified as his foster father, was injured.

Police Chief Peter Holla told a press conference that “Hajar died fairly soon after her disappearance” and that “as far as is known, the suspect has no connection to the victim.”

First, a Dutch woman was raped and beaten. It was all caught on surveillance camera, but police never released the footage or an image of the suspect. A few days later, the African migrant Chris Jude raped and murdered 17-year-old Lisa. A complete failure of the Dutch police and larger immigration system. @rblommestijn : “The police and judiciary simply did not do their job properly.”

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 8, 2025

Chief Prosecutor René de Beukelaer said, “Once again we must pause at the violent death of a young woman.”

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema confirmed the death was the result of a violent crime and noted the case alongside the prior murder of 17-year-old Lisa.

Nigerian asylum seeker on trial for murder of Dutch teen as she cycled home raped another woman days before, court hears

Investigators later searched an empty school building on De Klencke in Buitenveldert, where police believe Hajar was killed.

Holla described the circumstances of the disposal as “inhumane.”

Family members expressed anger that police did not treat the case as urgent sooner despite the text messages, telling LINDA.nl: “We already knew she had been murdered. That is what she messaged.”

Moroccan asylum seeker arrested for brutal assault and attempted rape of 19-year-old Dutch woman in Rotterdam, mayor describes ‘terrible crime’

Police said they assessed the initial report differently and have since spoken further with the family.

Hajar was described by acquaintances as vulnerable and known for leaving her home with a suitcase and going away for longer periods before returning.

The investigation remains ongoing, and the suspect is expected to appear before a judge.

The post ‘Help me. Now. He is killing me’ – Somali man arrested afrter Amsterdam woman’s body found in suitcase in Amstel River appeared first on Remix News.

A 13-year-old German boy identified as Bennet was hospitalized with a concussion, bruised ribs and other injuries after an alleged attack by a classmate outside a school in the eastern German town of Eilenburg, according to the boy’s mother.

The incident, which occurred Friedrich-Tschanter High School as Bennet went to retrieve his bicycle, was filmed by three other students and later circulated on WhatsApp and Snapchat, according to the Bild newspaper. The alleged attacker is Mohammed, )a Syrian classmate of similar age who had previously drawn attention at the school for violent acts.

In a statement Bennet’s mother said: “He baselessly accused my son of insulting his mother. Then he suddenly started beating him — on Bennet’s head, temples. He kicked him in the ribs, brought him to the ground, choked him by the neck. When Bennet got up, the other forced him onto his knees.”

‘A direct result of the irresponsible mass immigration’ – 40% of all violent crime suspects in German schools are foreigners, over 2 knife attacks a day

Hospital records cited in the accounts documented a skull contusion, concussion, strangulation marks on the neck, and bruised ribs. Bennet spent a night in the hospital and received an IV. His mother has said he no longer leaves the family property out of fear, continues to experience pain and does not feel safe going to school alone.

School officials transferred the alleged attacker to a school in a neighboring town for one year, but the mother of Bennett stated that the boy is engaging in similar behavior at the new school.

Germany: Young teen reportedly beaten by girl with ‘migrant background,’ but police seize mother’s phone when she filed complaint

The case has drawn attention on social media in Germany, including a widely shared post by radio host Julian Adrat.

“Mohammad from Syria tortures Bennet after school in the Saxon town of Eilenburg….They send the Syrian to a school in the neighboring town so he can continue tormenting Germans there. What’s going on here is almost impossible to put into words,” wrote Adrat.

Mohammad aus Syrien foltert Bennet nach der Schule im sächsischen Eilenburg. Er schlägt ihn zu Boden, tritt ihm in die Rippen, würgt ihn. Er lässt ihn sich vor ihm hinknien und um Gnade winseln. Bennet erleidet eine Gehirnerschütterung, geprellte Rippen, ihm wird eine Infusion gelegt, er verbringt eine Nacht im Krankenhaus. Seitdem verlässt er sein zu Hause nicht mehr. Den Syrer schicken sie auf eine Schule im Nachbarort, damit er dort weiter Deutsche quälen kann. Was hier abgeht, lässt sich kaum in Worte kleiden. Aufwachen!

— Julian Adrat (@JulianAdrat) October 22, 2026

One of the issues is the widespread violence against German youths in streets, schools, and clubs at the hands of migrants. Remix News has covered this issue in Germany and other European schools for years. Remix News had documented numerous cases of German students being bullied, assaulted and humiliated at the hands of migrant youths.

Muslim students beat him because he was German and gay. "They hated me because I am German, because I was already a homosexual boy back then, and because I did not submit to Sharia, to Islamic laws on German soil," said David Brough (@_david_brg). "During my school days, I was mistreated, beaten, ostracized, and insulted every day by Muslim classmates." It is a hell many German students have faced as schools become more "diverse." "The situation in our schools – what I call our Sharia schools, I was in a Sharia school in Wuppertal – has gotten even worse," said Brough. He then describes how, when he sought help, a guidance counselor claimed he must accept "diversity." "When I went to the guidance counselor with an SPD party membership card back then and told him about the homophobic assaults, the abuse, and running the gauntlet in PE class, he only said to me: ‘David, we are a school of diversity. You just have to endure it. You have to tolerate other cultural conditions. And in Islam, being gay is haram, a sin.’" This same attitude dominates within the German left. Even if the costs are unbearable, everything must be done in the name of diversity. "This country, Germany, and the politicians of this country, have not only sold out our cultural identity, our dignity, and our pride. The worst part is that they sold out our children, and we – the former schoolchildren, now young adults – are being robbed of our own culture." Follow: @RMXnews

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 11, 2026

In fact, Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel addressed the issue in an interview this week.

“We have a lot of violence in schools, imposed, I’m very sorry to say, but we have to talk about it, by children of Muslim descent, beating up our children in school,” she stated.

German AfD Leader Alice Weidel: We have a lot of violence in schools, imposed, I’m very sorry to say, but we have to talk about it, by children of Muslim descent, beating up our children in school. People are very afraid. https://t.co/8K4cyjQPz3

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 21, 2026

It is not just the right in Germany calling attention to the issue.

Arguably Germany’s most famous currently serving mayor, Tübingen’s Boris Palmer, has attributed the success of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party among young voters to the consequences of mass migration, which have transformed the school system and other areas where young people gather. Palmer is notably associated with the left and was a former member of the Green Party.

“They experience what irregular migration means on a daily basis,” Palmer wrote on Facebook.

“Above all, the young men who have arrived alone are changing the living environment of young people. In the park, in the club, on the street, on the bus, at the train station, in the schoolyard,” he added.

Why did the youth vote for AfD? Famed German mayor says the youth are dealing with mass migration ‘on the street, on the bus, at the train station, in the schoolyard’

The beating of a German teen in Frankfurt (Oder) also made national headlines earlier this week as well, which sparked a major demonstration against migrant violence in the Brandenburg city.

“The cowardly attack by ten migrants on a single German has had an effect. Around 1,000 people gathered this evening on Leipziger Platz in Frankfurt an der Oder to protest together with the AfD against migrant violence. We won’t tolerate it any longer! The perpetrators and their families need to be deported,” said AfD state lawmaker Lena Kotré at the demonstration.

‘The cowardly attack by 10 migrants on a single German had an effect’ – Large protest against migrant violence held after brutal beating caught on film

The other major issue is that German law sets the age of criminal responsibility at 14, which could limit formal prosecution depending on the exact ages involved.

The post ‘What’s going on here is almost impossible to put into words’ – German boy beaten and strangled by Syrian classmate, video spread on Snapchat appeared first on Remix News.

Exclusive

One year of Ukrainian arms exports, and industry has questions: how much army gained, where Berlin office is, who joins joint ventures. Ukraine promised to sell surplus weapons abroad 12 months ago. Its arms makers now ask why a fee of up to 30% still blocks the deals.

Starlink helped Ukraine pull off Operation Vivaldi. Now Starlink could help Russia take the ground back. The operation retook 277 square kilometers north of Lyman. The drones that now hold that line lose their Starshield link above about 160 km/h.

Ukraine’s answer to Russia’s jet Shaheds: a jet drone named Bars, built to strike Russia and now turned around to hunt them. Zelenskyy says it has the best hit rate of any Ukrainian interceptor against the jet drones, about 30%, but the small jet engines it needs may be in short supply.

Progress on a sore point for Ukraine and Poland: remains of over 40 Ukrainians killed by Polish WWII units found in Łasków. The find is the first in years from Ukraine’s searches in Poland, coming as Warsaw keeps pressing Kyiv over how it remembers the UPA.

Military

Russia kept sneaking troops through gas pipes behind Ukrainian lines. Now Ukraine has gone more than 15 km underground to do the same to Russia. More than 30 Russian soldiers were captured and Russian losses topped 100, the Khartiia Corps reported.

Ukrainian OSINT analyst: Russia’s Yandex data center in Sasovo burned out inside, though its roof shows almost no significant holes. Yandex hasn’t said whether the AI supercomputers there were damaged.

Drones reportedly hit a Russian weapons plant near Moscow that Washington and Kyiv sanctioned. Militarnyi names the systems: Buk and S-300. Astra matched video of the explosion to the 75th Arsenal in Serpukhov.

Fog blinds Ukrainian drones. Russia resumes mechanized assaults in the south after months-long pause, military officials say. Russian forces periodically assault Ukrainian positions in small groups using motorcycles and quad bikes, the Southern Forces Grouping reported.

Ukraine’s Navy killed Russian Shahed: one drone boat launched another drone, which shot down third, all unmanned, all at sea. During the mission, Ukraine pairs a drone boat and a drone interceptor.

Intelligence and technology

35 US parts, a Chinese navigation unit, a Russian engine: what’s inside Russia’s Filin missile. Russia began firing the Filin at Ukraine in late summer. The firm that makes its onboard equipment also helps produce a Shahed-type drone.

Denmark puts a $112.6 million state guarantee behind the maker of Ukraine’s Flamingo missiles. Fire Point’s Danish fuel plant for its Flamingo cruise missiles is running late, and its estimated cost has roughly tripled.

Russia replaces its missiles as fast as it fires them, Ukrainian intelligence says. Its drone order this year tops 100,000. HUR calls the order a systematic bet on exhausting Ukraine’s air defense.

Romania shot down two drones it believes were Russia’s new Geran-4s. Europe isn’t ready for swarms of them, analyst warns. Analyst Fabian Hoffmann says jet-powered interceptors are one answer, but too few Western suppliers make the small engines they need.

Ukraine sends ground robot to string wire obstacles in open, taking its sappers out of kill zone. Ukraine hands one of the front’s deadliest jobs, stringing wire in the open, to a remote-controlled ground robot.

International

NATO’s weapons-buying agency opens dedicated door for Ukraine, non-member, letting it buy arms through its contracts and its firms bid for tenders. The agreement, signed by Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara, gives Ukraine a single entry point into 45 weapons programs.

Zelenskyy names three postwar security guarantees for Ukraine. Even Russia needs one of them, he says. He names NATO membership, direct US guarantees, and a European Coalition of the Willing as the paths under discussion.

Trump cannot get Putin to halt strikes on Ukraine’s power grid, so he blames Ukraine instead, Zelenskyy says. Before that, US officials had cut Kyiv off from US intelligence and lowered a speed cap on Starlink to pressure Ukraine.

Poland paused a military aid package over Lviv’s vote honoring WWII nationalists, Ukrainian source says. Polish ministry denies it. Warsaw has barred the councilor who proposed the resolution from the Schengen zone, and Poland’s defense minister wants Kyiv to distance itself.

War-hit Kyiv puts 85 European-funded buses on its streets. Here’s what riders find inside. Since 2022, the bank has provided 2 billion euros for emergency repairs to the country's infrastructure.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian missiles and drones kill one and injure 24 in Kyiv, splitting its metro line in two. Hours after a Kremlin aide said Russia was ready in principle for new talks, prosecutors say Russia destroyed 13 homes in one Kyiv district.

Political and legal developments

From “bad-guy fleet” to “good-guy fleet”: US will let investors buy sanctioned tankers and return them to legal trade. Chris Wright puts the dark fleet at about 1,600 ships. Each would need US approval, on terms he didn’t spell out.

Read our earlier daily review here.

US president says Starshield military communications system is back, but declines to comment on whether he spoke to Musk on the matter. What we know on day 1,703

Donald Trump has claimed that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk fully restored Ukraine’s Starlink access, restrictions on which have hampered Ukraine’s attack missions and air defence. However, a senior European official told the Associated Press on Thursday that nothing has changed in the operation of the military-grade Starshield service. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of ⁠the system. Trump on Thursday appeared to confirm that the service had been down, but claimed it was once again working at optimal speeds. “You know, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference,” he said. “I guess the bottom line, he put it back.”

Questions over who ordered interruptions to Starshield – which plunged relations between Kyiv and Washington to a new low – have ignited a blame game within the Trump administration and its allies. Trump has denied being involved in the decision concerning the slowdown, while US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said that decisions regarding Ukraine’s access to Starlink were up to its parent company SpaceX and Musk, not the White House. Musk last week posted to X: “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ⁠on Thursday – before Trump’s latest comments – that Starlink had not ⁠been fully restored.

Russia pounded Kyiv with ballistic missiles overnight, after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin to discuss the resumption of peace talks. Russia’s aerial attacks hit 12 regions of Ukraine, killing at least four people and wounding scores of others, including five children, Zelenskyy said on social media Thursday. Two women, aged 50 and 60, were killed and dozens of other people were wounded in a Russian strike on a market in Lozova, in Ukraine’s northeeastern Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration. Another person was killed in other strikes on Kharkiv.

Downing Street has rejected the description of Putin as a “humanitarian” made by Witkoff after meeting the Russian president. When asked about the US envoy’s comments, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “We certainly do not recognise that characterisation, and President Putin has killed thousands of people, both innocent Ukrainians and his own Russian people, who he has sent to their deaths on the frontline.” Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha chided Witkoff for flattering Putin, saying on social media the latest “brutal” Russian attacks demonstrate “what Russian ‘humanism’ truly sounds like.”

Nato member Denmark said on Thursday it has agreed to buy its first ⁠long-range precision missiles as ⁠it seeks to bolster its security to deter Russian aggression in Europe, drawing condemnation from Moscow. Defence minister Jeppe Bruus said the new missile systems would boost Denmark’s capabilities and enable strikes “behind enemy lines” ⁠if attacked. “We’re in a serious and deteriorating security situation and that ​is why we are ‌building up the defence ‌and strengthening our combat power,” he said. The Russian embassy in ‌Copenhagen said Denmark’s missile policy aimed at confrontation with Moscow and warned of “inevitable disastrous consequences”.

Romania will accelerate development of surveillance capabilities and equipment to counter mines ⁠and drones in the Black Sea after a series of drone attacks on commercial ships off ⁠its coast, its ⁠top defence council ​said on Thursday. At least seven cargo ships have been hit near the coasts of Nato members ⁠Romania and Bulgaria in the past two weeks, with 30 sailors reported dead or missing.

No ⁠deals should ​be made to buy gas from ⁠Russia as long as Moscow’s war ⁠in Ukraine continues, Finland’s prime ⁠minister Petteri Orpo said in Kyiv on Thursday. The EU banned Russian pipeline gas under short-term contracts ​from 17 June, and will ​apply it to long-term contracts from 1 November next year. Senior Russian political and energy officials meanwhile have urged the EU to reconsider plans to ban imports of ⁠Russian LNG, arguing the bloc’s ⁠low storage levels ​had put Europe in a precarious position. “I ‌hope there is still time to reconsider these decisions,” Leonid Mikhelson, the head of Novatek, Russia’s largest liquefied natural ‌gas producer, told an economic forum in Istanbul on Thursday. “Europe should support its industry, in my view. There is still time.”

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

© Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

© Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

RICHMOND, Va. Virginia State Police are asking for help in locating relatives of Edward James Donegan, 74, of Colorado, who was found dead along Interstate 95 in Richmond, Virginia, on Oct. 4.

Investigators have been unable to notify Donegan's next of kin.

"Troopers responded at approximately 5:42 p.m. that day to southbound Interstate 95 near Chamberlayne Avenue after receiving a report of a deceased individual. Donegan was located in a wooded area approximately 30 feet from the roadway," a Virginia State Police spokesperson said. "Despite extensive efforts, investigators have been unable to locate and notify his next of kin. State police are releasing his name in the hope of reaching a family member so his loved ones can be notified."

The investigation is ongoing.

"The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation. No foul play is suspected," police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Virginia State Police Division 1 dispatch at 804-750-8758 or email questions@vsp.virginia.gov.

This is a developing story, so check back with WTVR.com for updates. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have info, photos or videos to share.

Germany’s federal states are proposing that social media platforms reserve at least 20 percent of algorithmic recommendations for content from a pool of approved media outlets deemed important for opinion diversity, according to a draft under public consultation. The proposed measure is already being slammed as a state-mandated propaganda effort that would force German citizens to view content friendly to the ruling establishment parties.

The measure is part of the second stage of a planned Digital Media State Treaty developed by the Broadcasting Commission of the Federal States. Under the draft, public broadcasters such as ARD, ZDF and Deutschland Radio would automatically qualify for certain offerings.

As AfD party soars, ARD public media chief’s admission that migration coverage in Germany was ‘probably not critical enough’ is not serious

Meanwhile, private outlets would generally need to apply and demonstrate that they meet criteria including news and political reporting, information and educational content, documentaries, local or regional coverage, original journalistic production, editorial staffing and accessibility standards. Approvals would be decided by the 14 state media authorities.

In other words, the state wants to control what people are seeing in their feeds.

As the Berliner Zeitung reports, the media law involves “media quotas with an advantage for ARD and ZDF,” which are two state broadcasters that already have a massive advantage over private competitors. Both outlets, which are notoriously in favor of mass migration and known for their anti-AfD bias, and which employ virtually all left-wing journalists, are already known for not playing on a level playing field.

Austrian remigration activist Martin Sellner, along with other right-leaning accounts, already are warning about the new plans.

Germany plans to force social media platforms to fill at least 20% of algorithmic recommendations with "diversity positive" government-regulator-approved media content.

Public broadcasters like ARD and ZDF would qualify automatically. Private outlets would need "State approval"

You cant make this up.

— Martin Sellner (@MartinSellner_) October 22, 2026

The rule would apply to algorithmic recommendations shown to users, such as in feeds or under videos on platforms including Instagram and X. Content drawn from the approved pool would still be selected according to the platforms’ algorithms and user interests. Officials have framed the quota as a way to protect journalistic content from being sidelined by engagement-driven material.

However, skepticism is obviously abundant.

“And who gets this golden seal of quality for preferential playback completely automatically? Of course, the public broadcasters. Private publishers, on the other hand, get to play the supplicants and politely apply for the status at the so-called “state-independent” media authorities. A rogue mind thinks evil of it,” wrote commentator Bernd Kaiser.

“If you want to exchange views on X in the future, the algorithm will soon forcibly serve you the curated explainer journalism from Tagesschau — right between your friends’ posts. They’re selling us this unprecedented market intervention as ‘Public Value,’ but it’s a blatant attempt to secure air superiority over online discourse,” he added.

Mündiger Bürger? Dass ich nicht lache! Weil ARD, ZDF und Co. trotz 8,5 Milliarden Euro Zwangsgebühren im Jahr immer öfter an den Interessen der Menschen vorbeisenden, greift der Staat jetzt zur digitalen Brechstange.

Die neueste Glanzidee der Länder:
Wenn das Publikum freiwillig wegläuft, zwingt man ihm die Inhalte eben per Gesetz auf.
Der geplante Digitale-Medien-Staatsvertrag sieht allen Ernstes eine 20-Prozent-Quote für Social Media vor.
Das heißt: Jeder fünfte Post in Ihrem Feed bei X oder Instagram soll künftig verpflichtend ein „vielfaltsfördernder“ Beitrag sein.

Und wer bekommt dieses goldene Gütesiegel für bevorzugte Ausspielung völlig automatisch?
Natürlich die Öffentlich-Rechtlichen.
Private Verlage dürfen hingegen als Bittsteller auftreten und sich bei den sogenannten „staatsfernen“ Medienanstalten brav um den Status bewerben.
Ein Schelm, wer Böses dabei denkt.

Wenn Sie sich künftig auf X austauschen wollen, serviert Ihnen der Algorithmus bald zwangsweise den betreuten Erklärbär-Journalismus der Tagesschau – direkt zwischen den Beiträgen Ihrer Freunde.
Man verkauft uns diesen beispiellosen Markteingriff als „Public Value“, aber es ist der völlig unverhohlene Versuch, die Lufthoheit über den Diskurs im Netz zu sichern.

Wer exzellenten Journalismus macht, braucht keine algorithmische Rollator-Hilfe durch den Staat.
Wer aber Panik vor der eigenen Irrelevanz hat, flüchtet sich in Zwangsquoten.
Wir dürfen den Elfenbeinturm nicht mehr nur teuer bezahlen, wir sollen ab sofort auch bei jedem fünften Swipe in Demut daraus lesen.

#ÖRR #Meinungsfreiheit

— Bernd Kaiser (@Bernd_Kaiser_BD) October 21, 2026

The draft was released for public comment in late September 2026, with submissions accepted until Nov. 13. It builds on an existing “public value” system that already grants preferential placement to certain media apps in app stores and on smart-TV interfaces. Some private broadcasters, such as those already holding “public-value” status, would also be eligible for the pool.

The Berliner Zeitung, a private newspaper, noted that state-funded broadcasters could expand their visibility relative to private competitors that rely on advertising or subscriptions. Critics have also pointed out that the criteria emphasize structural and production features of outlets rather than the range of viewpoints in individual posts, and that there is limited evidence the specific 20 percent threshold would increase actual diversity of perspectives.

Germany’s public TV stations have effectively banned the conservative AfD party

The Digital Media State Treaty is being prepared in two parts. The first, focused largely on implementing European Union rules including aspects of the AI Act, has already advanced. Part two remains a discussion draft and would require agreement by the governments and subsequent ratification by the parliaments of all 16 German states before it could take effect.

Media regulation in Germany is primarily a responsibility of the states under the country’s dual public-private broadcasting system.

Bavarian woman sues German public broadcaster for bias, refuses to pay license fee

The post Germany plans to force social media platforms to fill 20% of algorithmic recommendations with ‘state-approved’ content appeared first on Remix News.

Nearly 5,000 Germans emigrated to Poland in 2025, outpacing the numbers who left for Britain, Italy or the Netherlands, according to new government data.

Figures from Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) showed 4,941 people moved from Germany to Poland last year, the highest total since the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, only 1,720 moved in the opposite direction. The resulting negative migration balance for Germany was highlighted by financial daily Handelsblatt reporter Christian Wermke, who asked: “Why are more and more Germans moving across the Oder? What exactly works better in the Polish economy than in Germany? And what could we learn from our eastern neighbor so as not to permanently lose skilled workers?”

Poland features 5 amazing swimming pools just outside Kraków, in Zakrzówek. German Youtuber @freiformation appears to prefer Poland to Germany when it comes to swimming. "No groping, no harassment, just families, children, girls, women, men, all peaceful." https://t.co/r3cGmXnsMT

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 22, 2025

Kevin Wörner, a 33-year-old who relocated from Berlin to Warsaw, and whose mother is Polish, told the newspaper there is “an incredible sense of a new beginning here. Everyone here is very optimistic.”

He contrasted that atmosphere with conversations among friends in Germany, where “it just gets you down.” Wörner cited lower taxes, less bureaucracy, stronger digitalization, and a more business-friendly environment as practical advantages, saying he had the impression “everything is a bit simpler here and more conducive to entrepreneurship.”

The trend also comes at a time when more and more Western European visiting Poland have made remarks about how safe the country is, how there is a lack of migrants, and how much better of a lifestyle the country offers.

A young French-speaking woman traveling in Poland describes how shocked she is to finally not be catcalled and harassed. "It’s when you come to countries like Poland that you realize there are really problems with our countries, like Belgium or France." "Whether it’s Brussels, Liège, or slightly bigger cities like that, I would always get catcalled, honked at, harassed… really, everything you can think of." "And now I’m in Krakow, Poland, and it’s been two days that I’ve been walking around in this outfit, and I get absolutely no comments, no stares – like, only respect." Follow: @RMXnews

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) July 9, 2026

Jens Althoff, head of the Warsaw office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, noted that many Germans still hold a “rather distorted image of Poland.” He pointed to ongoing infrastructure investment, high levels of digitalization, punctual trains, and well-maintained stations as visible differences.

Althoff also observed that younger Poles often emphasize achievement and implementation over the work-life balance discussions common in Germany.

After returning from Poland, French journalist @YOANNUSAI said: "It’s true that after coming back from certain countries to France, you can say to yourself: ‘My God, what have they done to our country?’" "And it’s true that Poland is still Poland, while France is no longer France. The reality is this. The Poland of 40 years ago is the same as the Poland of today. France today is nothing like the France of 40 years ago. And immigration, of course, is partly responsible for this." Many Western Europeans have the same reaction after returning from Poland, which still has basically the same demographics as 40 years ago. Poland is also a vastly safer country for women on the streets. "Finally, in Poland, young girls go out freely, without fear. Obviously, in Poland, there are young girls who are dressed however they want to be dressed. They don’t censor themselves, which is no longer the case in France. I had to go out on a Saturday night in Paris, and a lot of young girls self-censor how they dress. This is not the case in Poland, as I have seen. You can walk freely around Warsaw at any time of day or night without worrying about your safety, which is not even the case for me in Paris, as a man, OK? I’m afraid for my own safety at certain hours in some neighborhoods of Paris."

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 5, 2026

Other interviewees mentioned Polish digital tools such as the BLIK mobile payment system and the mObywatel government app as examples of efficiency that stand out to newcomers. Handelsblatt’s reporting appeared amid broader German media coverage noting Poland’s economic growth and infrastructure improvements, even as some outlets have described ongoing operational difficulties on the German rail network.

Poles are moving back to Poland, as Germany becomes a ‘failed state’

The Destatis figures place Poland among the top destinations for German emigrants in 2025, behind Switzerland, Austria and Spain but ahead of several Western European countries. The newspaper framed the trend as a potential signal for German policymakers concerned about retaining skilled workers, while noting that overall German emigration remains highest to neighboring German-speaking countries, such as Austria.

This development also comes amid an already ongoing trend of Poles living in Germany moving back to Poland.

‘In Germany, I don’t feel safe, I want to return to Poland,’ says Polish woman to PM Morawiecki

The post ‘Everyone here is very optimistic’ – Germans are increasingly emigrating to Poland appeared first on Remix News.

In a podcast with Paul Ronzheimer, ARD chairman Florian Hager conceded that public broadcasters have often lectured AfD voters, that migration coverage was “probably not critical enough” in places, and that journalists from academic backgrounds can lose touch with everyday realities.

During the podcast, Hager distinguished AfD politicians from their voters and said concerns about representation and trust in public media are a problem that public media must acknowledge as a problem.

“I am trying to create a separation between AfD politicians and the people who vote for the AfD,” he said, noting that the concerns of voters should not be ignored. “And if there’s a feeling that we don’t represent them, that they aren’t seen, or that they can no longer trust us, then it’s a huge issue for us. And then you can’t say it is their problem… but it’s our problem.”

These are rare admissions from an ARD chief. However, in a country where approximately a third of voters support the AfD, the party and its voters can no longer be swept aside by public media as anger over mass immigration soars.

Germany’s public TV stations have effectively banned the conservative AfD party

In general, public trust has eroded in public broadcasting while the AfD consolidates its position at nearly 30 percent in national polls.

Public media’s trust problem is measurable and persistent. A Media Tenor “Zukunftsindex Deutschland” survey of more than 3,000 people found only 31 percent trust ARD, ZDF and related programs; among 16- to 29-year-olds the figure was 25 percent, and among AfD supporters it dropped to 15 percent.

WDR/Infratest Dimap data from spring 2025 put institutional trust in public broadcasting at 55 percent overall, with a clear East-West gap (higher in the West, lower in the East).

Compulsory fees continue to fund a system whose audience is shrinking relative to the political landscape, and the people who have to pay those fees are even willing to hold public demonstrations over the issue. t has strong echoes of the protests against the BBC.in Britain, where taxpaying Brits who vote for conservative parties have launched campaign after campaign for the abolition of compulsory fees to support the network.

Bavarian woman sues German public broadcaster for bias, refuses to pay license fee

The ideological skew inside the German journalism industry helps explain much of the uncritical migration coverage. Hager is now being forced to confront this issue, but the problem is that the vast majority of journalists working in public media are extremely supportive of left-green parties, and many of these same journalists could even be considered open-border extremists.

The 2024 TU Dortmund “Journalism and Democracy” survey of 525 journalists — with 40 percent of respondents working for public broadcasters — found 41 percent leaning toward the Greens, 16 percent toward the SPD, 6 percent toward the Left, and only 8 percent toward the CDU.

As for the AfD, it either was not listed or received support so low, at below 1 percent, that it was considered “negligible.”

The end of ‘Welcome Culture’ – Majority of Germans want immigration moratorium, mass deportations, and believe too many legal migrants arrived

In total, among those expressing a preference, left-green parties accounted for roughly 82 percent of journalists. Green Party support among journalists was several times the party’s national polling level at the time.

Meanwhile, the party that is supported about a third of the population, the AfD, does not even have 1 percent representation in the public media networks, even though those same networks are obligated by law to represent a full spectrum of the public’s political opinions.

What does this mean in practice? When the people producing the news overwhelmingly favor parties that have defended high immigration levels, expansive asylum rules, and framing that treats immigration restriction as morally unjustified, then the type of “uncritical” reporting described by Hager is the predictable outcome — not an accidental oversight.

German public broadcaster ran fake AI-generated clip of ‘ICE troops’ arresting a migrant family

Hager’s attitude has been repeated not only throughout German politics, but across the entire Western world. The elite, the political establishment, and the organs of the press offer a constant platitude, claiming to have not “paid enough attention” to voters and that we “need to do better” on the topic of immigration. This has been repeated ad nauseam for decades, and is only amplified when right-wing parties opposed to immigration get closer to power.

They are ultimately empty words at the end of the day meant to paper over a real crisis. Is Hager going to hire more journalists who support the AfD? The thought would never cross his mind. Is he going to start reporting on the nationality of suspects in crime reports? Highly unlikely. Is he going to start running more pieces critical of immigration? This is also unlikely, although there may be some subtle steering toward acknowledging there is a problem but that the public should never vote for the AfD to potentially fix the problem.

Majority of Germans reject Muslim immigration, express fear of becoming a ‘minority in Germany’

Notably, he also expresses worry that an AfD-led government may place curbs on the cash cow that feeds the ARD with tens of millions of euros in mandatory fees on German citizens, who have to pay to keep the ZDF and ARD running whether they like it or not.

Hager says he wants to separate AfD voters from the party and address feelings of being unseen. That is tactically sensible for an institution facing state-treaty threats and potential cuts to its funding. Yet the parties that dominate journalistic preferences – the Greens, SPD, and large parts of the center-left spectrum – continue to support higher immigration and more open policies that sharply contrast with the AfD’s core demand for sharp reductions and stricter controls.

That problem is not going away.

Even if Hager truly wanted to turn the ship around and gain back the trust of AfD voters, would there even be any institutional support for such a change of pace within the ARD itself?

The reality is that a majority of Germans want an immigration moratorium and mass deportations. They strongly reject immigration for Muslim countries. The ARD and its sprawling staff remain categorically opposed to these concepts.

For an example of this, it is important to review the case of Julia Ruhs. Her case shows, along with the cancellation of her show, that reporting critically on immigration can lead to a witch hunt within the German public broadcasters. Remix News covered the moment she learned public broadcasters had dropped her show.

A female German journalist wanted to research the topic of gang rapes by migrants in Bavaria but was labeled "racist" and "right-wing" by her colleagues. Julia Ruhs, a high-profile television presenter, said it is still a "taboo" to research topics regarding why "certain population groups are more susceptible to committing sexual offenses." "That’s when I realized the whole editorial imbalance that when you dedicate yourself to such a topic." She added that it became an environment where she was told: "You’re not allowed to say that and you’re totally racist." Ruhs is currently at the center of a significant "Cancel Culture" and media sovereignty debate in Germany. She is often described as a rare conservative voice within the German public broadcasting landscape, which is frequently criticized for having a "left-green" bias. In 2025, Ruhs was chosen to host a new experimental debate format called "Klar," co-produced by the northern public broadcaster NDR and the southern BR. The show’s mission was to reach viewers who felt alienated by mainstream media by tackling sensitive topics like migration, Covid-19, and the farmers’ protests. After the first episode on migration, a massive internal wave of criticism hit. Approximately 250 NDR employees signed an open letter distancing themselves from the show, accusing Ruhs of one-sided and populist reporting. In September 2025, the NDR officially decided to drop Ruhs as a presenter for their portion of the show, citing a desire to move toward a "multi-moderator concept." Ruhs responded on social media, calling the decision a "disgrace" and claiming she was "too right-wing for the NDR." High-profile politicians like CSU’s Markus Söder (Bavaria) and Daniel Günther (Schleswig-Holstein) criticized the NDR for stifling diversity of opinion. While the NDR canceled her, the Bavarian broadcaster BR stood by her. New episodes of "Klar" are planned from the BR broadcaster for 2026.

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 18, 2026

Hager is aware of this problem to a large degree. He also cites police and local officials repeatedly describing persistent problems over migration. However, he is offering nothing more than a weak mea culpa on behalf of years of ARD reporting, which has gone to great lengths to whitewash the growing problems with mass immigration.

Most importantly, Hager does not address how the ARD actually plans to change its reporting and win back the trust of these voters. Additionally, he completely fails to confront the structural imbalance in who is hired, trained, and promoted, or the compulsory funding that insulates the system from market feedback.

Damage control without altering the underlying editorial incentives or the immigration positions of the favored parties is unlikely to restore broad trust from AfD voters. If he was serious about truly diverse representation in the public media, he would require measurable diversification of political backgrounds inside the newsrooms and reporting that treats migration outcomes – crime correlations, integration failures, fiscal costs, and local pressures – with the same rigor applied to other policy areas.

The post As AfD party soars, ARD public media chief’s admission that migration coverage in Germany was ‘probably not critical enough’ is not serious appeared first on Remix News.

The father-of-three was shot dead in an early morning attack while riding his motorbike to work

US envoy Witkoff presented Putin with proposals drafted by Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo earlier this week. What we know on day 1,702

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© Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

© Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

© Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

Exclusives

Military

Ukraine’s interceptor crews destroyed thousands of Russian aerial targets during Vivaldi. Jet-powered Shaheds remain a challenge. The battalion’s commander said its work prevented Russian forces from tracking Ukrainian troop movements and striking advancing soldiers.

Two nights, two occupied capitals, two telecom operators running on seized Ukrainian assets: drones go after Russia’s communications in Donbas. The strikes on Donetsk and Luhansk hit the companies the occupation built on Ukrainian telecom property it seized.

Intelligence and technology

Some of Ukraine’s artillery soldiers were TikTokers yesterday, ComBat Vision says. Their new plugin teaches them to aim. Ukraine needs gunners fast but gets less-prepared recruits.

Ukraine’s top war charity names only way to save $25,000 to $4 million each time cheap Russian jet-powered drone is shot down. Russia’s jet drones now behave like small cruise missiles, the foundation of volunteer Serhii Sternenko, believes.

Starlink slowdown makes Ukraine’s Shahed-hunting drone maker rethink air-launched interceptors. Its spokesman says other companies that lean harder on Starlink have voiced concerns, and points to interest in Europe’s Eutelsat.

Who capped Ukraine’s Starlink? “Ultimately POTUS,” Musk said. Ultimately Musk, reports now say. The Pentagon says it gave no order, and Ukraine’s drones were still losing their link above 160 km/h as of 20 October.

Nuclear safety risk grows: Russian-occupied nuclear plant’s cooling pond keeps sinking, Russia runs short of diesel and staff, Ukraine says. The occupied plant depends on a single external line, its fuel reserve has not been resupplied for months, and its cooling pond keeps dropping, according to Ukraine’s intelligence and the IAEA.

International

In Oslo, US pushes Zelenskyy toward deal with Russia again. Day later, in same city, Norway discusses arming Ukraine with more NASAMS missiles. As Washington eases pressure on Russia and leans on Kyiv, Ukraine’s European partners are moving the other way.

European Parliament vice president launches hunger strike demanding a truce and evacuation for Russian-occupied Oleshky. Pina Picierno is calling on associations, citizens, and national and local institutions to join her campaign for the Russian-held town in Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian strikes close plant of Ukraine’s biggest aid backer. Its 3,600 workers and millions in taxes now hang in balance. Russia is now hitting the German investment that helps keep Ukraine’s economy running.

Not just the grid: Russia struck a 24-story block, a university, and warehouses overnight, and four people are dead. Kyiv and Kharkiv Oblast counted the dead by morning, while hypermarkets burned and a hotel was damaged in other regions.

Political and legal developments

Her own city is under Russian fire, yet Kyiv woman urges killing Ukrainians among nearly 100,000 pro-Kremlin posts in two years. She faces up to 12 years. She is one of six pro-Kremlin agitators the Security Service has charged, accused of spreading hatred on the internet.

Norway bars deals with 33 more Russian financial institutions—and 22 more from India to Nigeria. The new rules also bar deals with Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and curb exports to 51 entities, some in China and Türkiye.

Russia resumes diesel exports to Türkiye, Brazil, after Trump lifts sanctions on fuel supplies, boosting Moscow’s war revenue – Reuters. Moscow has lifted its export ban, with US sanctions relief opening the way for renewed sales even as Russia continues to face domestic fuel supply pressures.

Read our earlier daily review here.

A woman accused of leaving her infant in a Sun Valley dumpster last year appeared in court on Wednesday.

A woman accused of leaving her infant in a Sun Valley dumpster last year appeared in court on Wednesday.