The US tech giant is seeking to reduce payroll costs through a voluntary exit program covering some 60,000 employees
US tech giant Microsoft is moving to shrink its workforce through a buyout program covering some 60,000 employees, more than a quarter of its global staff, the company has announced.
The move follows thousands of job cuts earlier this year and comes as Big Tech companies seek to slash payroll costs while ramping up AI investment.
Microsoft unveiled the program on Monday, saying that it would cover roughly 27% of its 223,000 employees across selected divisions in the US, Canada, UK, and India, including Xbox, Windows, Copilot, finance, and human resources.
Microsoft has described the initiative as a voluntary exit program, under which employees can leave with severance packages. The company has not disclosed how many workers it expects to accept the offer.
In a memo to employees, Microsoft’s chief people officer Amy Coleman said that the initiative would give eligible staff considering a departure an opportunity to leave with financial support.
The latest move follows several rounds of workforce reductions at Microsoft. In July, the company announced plans to eliminate 4,800 positions, including approximately 3,200 in its Xbox gaming division. It had already launched a voluntary exit program in April covering roughly 8,750 US employees, or about 7% of its American workforce, with around 30% reportedly taking the offer.
The cuts come as Microsoft commits enormous sums to AI infrastructure, including data centers and computing capacity, putting pressure on the company to remove other expenses.
Other Big Tech giants have also been cutting jobs while pouring billions into AI. Amazon announced 16,000 corporate job cuts earlier this year, following another 14,000 layoffs in 2025. Meta has also slashed jobs while ramping up AI investment, while Google has repeatedly launched voluntary exit programs to reduce its workforce.
The trend has fueled concerns that the technology being promoted as a driver of economic growth could also eliminate large numbers of jobs, particularly in administrative, technical, and other white-collar occupations.
The threat extends beyond the tech industry. The Netherlands announced plans on Monday to eliminate around 25,000 government positions by 2035, partly through the adoption of AI, in a drive to save €3.5 billion ($4 billion) annually. The cuts will be phased in over several years, with police and security services exempt.
Denmark has also announced plans to use AI to free up 50 million working hours annually by 2035, equivalent to roughly 30,000 full-time positions, although it has not committed to corresponding layoffs.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that AI could cause major upheaval in the labor market, while arguing that certain professions, including caregiving, should remain “human reserved” even if machines become capable of performing them.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk warned in July that AI would eventually outperform humans in any job, describing the transition as “a bumpy road.” His warning comes amid growing fears of AI spiraling out of human control following incidents involving systems defying instructions. Musk, whose company xAI develops advanced AI models, also predicted that the technology could surpass humanity’s combined intelligence within five years, potentially escaping human control within a decade.
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro reportedly left the country after losing to Lula and defying a court order to surrender his passports
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has fled to the US following his election defeat to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Reuters and Brazilian news outlet Jovem Pan reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
A senior US State Department official told AP on Tuesday that Bolsonaro and his family would be granted US visas.
Bolsonaro, the son of jailed former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of US President Donald Trump, narrowly lost Sunday’s runoff to Lula despite receiving more votes in the first round earlier this month.
He is under investigation for money laundering and currency evasion involving financial ties to lawyer Willer Tomaz and businesses linked to online gambling. Bolsonaro also faces a separate investigation into suspected irregularities in the financing of ‘Dark Horse’, a biographical film about his father. He denies wrongdoing.
His brother Eduardo, also a politician, moved to the US in February 2025, citing fears of political persecution and arrest. He was subsequently convicted of attempting to interfere with judicial proceedings against his father by lobbying Washington to impose sanctions on Brazilian officials. Eduardo, who remains in the US, was sentenced to four years and two months in prison in June 2026.
Flavio Bolsonaro initially refused to recognize the election results and vowed to seek annulment, citing a two-hour extension of voting.
“They will not silence me. They will not intimidate me. Let’s hold our heads high and keep fighting for our Brazil, whatever happens,” Bolsonaro said in a video posted on Monday, although he later dropped his demand for annulment.
Later on Monday, Bolsonaro was given 24 hours to surrender his passports as part of the investigation involving Tomaz. The documents were reportedly canceled on Tuesday after he missed the deadline. Bolsonaro, who could face prosecution in lower courts when his Senate term ends on January 31, said on Monday that he had no plans to flee.
Trump also questioned the election results. “It had a very bad look, the election, the way it was tabulated,” he told reporters on Monday. “The extension given was very strange.”
Both campaigns requested a two-hour extension of voting on election day, citing difficulties for voters, according to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court.
Bolsonaro’s father is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. The elder Bolsonaro also traveled to the US following his defeat before returning to Brazil. He denied wrongdoing and argued that the case was politically motivated.
Lula previously served two presidential terms from 2003 to 2010. He was barred from running in the 2018 election after being convicted on corruption charges and imprisoned. Brazil’s Supreme Court later annulled his convictions, restoring his political rights and allowing him to run in 2022, when he defeated Jair Bolsonaro. Lula has also denied wrongdoing and maintained that the corruption case against him was politically motivated.
US midterms could complicate ties with Russia. Moscow should judge any Ukraine deal by its merits, not Washington’s political calendar
When Donald Trump returned triumphantly to the White House in January 2025, his supporters believed they could finally finish what he started during his first term and reverse the Democrats’ social engineering agenda, commonly known as ‘wokeism’, curb illegal immigration, accelerate technological development, and above all, ‘make America great again’.
Trump moved quickly on the first two priorities, as he revoked 78 of Joe Biden’s executive orders, tightened border controls and gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) greater resources and powers to conduct raids in sanctuary cities, where the local authorities limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
But Trump’s determination to achieve everything at once, from restructuring the federal government and securing favorable trade deals to pursuing ambitions involving Greenland and Venezuela, has kept American politics in a state of turmoil, while his confrontational approach has also unsettled allies and opponents abroad.
The decision to launch joint military operations with Israel against Iran has proven particularly divisive as it fractured Trump’s conservative coalition, with some supporters accusing him of betraying his promise to end America’s ‘endless wars’, while others fear the political consequences for Republicans in the approaching midterm elections.
The Iran war has also hurt American consumers. Over the past year, gasoline prices have risen by 38% and diesel by 71%, while food prices have increased by 2.5%.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz isn’t solely responsible, but Democrats and sympathetic media outlets have made it central to their criticism, while they also point to an increase of $3.8 trillion in the national debt since Trump’s return, allegations of corruption within his administration, and questions about the competence of senior officials, particularly Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Republicans, including those who oppose the Iran war, are trying to redirect voters towards the administration’s achievements – despite the turbulence, the US economy has grown by 3.2% since the end of 2024, and investment is booming in certain sectors, particularly technology, while illegal crossings at the southern border have reportedly fallen by 95%.
Vice President J.D. Vance, who is increasingly discussed as Trump’s successor, has urged Americans to give Republicans another chance, or at least another two years, to complete what they have begun – but for now, that opportunity appears uncertain. Yet contrary to expectations, losing control of Congress wouldn’t necessarily be a disaster for Trump.
Even with Republican majorities in both chambers, he has preferred to govern through executive orders, issuing more than 290 since January 2025, and this is hardly unprecedented. Bill Clinton issued 364 over his eight years in office, including during periods when Republicans controlled Congress.
For presidents, demonstrating immediate effectiveness and scoring political points often matters more than ensuring continuity.
Democratic threats to impeach Trump and members of his administration may sound formidable, but removing officials from office requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate, a much higher hurdle, and even if Democrats capture both chambers, converting their numerical advantage into meaningful political influence will not be straightforward.
They could, however, obstruct legislation, block nominations to senior administration positions and the federal judiciary, and subject the White House to sustained congressional scrutiny.
Their minimum objective would be to turn Trump into a lame-duck president for his remaining two years, but this strategy carries risks of its own – in the 2028 presidential campaign, Republicans can argue that the Democrats prevented them from completing their program.
For Moscow, however, the consequences of the midterms could be considerably more serious.
A Democratic-controlled Congress would almost certainly seek to complicate relations with Russia, and there remains a strong desire in Washington to obstruct Trump’s apparent ambition for a new Yalta involving Russia, China, and the US. Equally persistent is the determination among influential American political circles to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia.
This could explain the Trump administration’s intensified diplomatic activity over Ukraine, given whatever opportunities exist for reaching an agreement today could narrow considerably after the new Congress takes office in January 2027.
The urgency could also reflect an attempt to secure lasting advantages for the administration before the political landscape changes.
The argument that there’s little time left, and that Moscow must therefore accept an agreement now or face worse conditions later, shouldn’t be allowed to overshadow Russia’s own interests.
Russia has an objective interest in normalizing relations with the US, but a settlement of the Ukraine conflict must be based on mutually beneficial terms, rather than unilateral concessions extracted under the pressure of America’s electoral calendar.
Ultimately, as Americans prepare to vote in the midterms, Russia should be concerned less with Trump’s political fortunes than with protecting its own interests.
This article was first published by Kommersant, and was translated and edited by the RT team
The Russian foreign minister has accused Western politicians of sacrificing their citizens’ welfare in pursuit of defeating Moscow in Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has branded European leaders “political masochists,” accusing them of sacrificing their own citizens’ welfare in pursuit of Russia’s defeat in Ukraine.
Speaking to editors-in-chief of African media outlets in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov accused Western governments of pressuring their populations to accept declining living standards to secure Ukraine’s victory in conflict with Russia.
“They are trying to keep public opinion in a position where people must sacrifice everything: salaries, jobs, healthcare services and social benefits in general, so that Ukraine defeats Russia,” Lavrov said. “People can feel how their situation is deteriorating in European countries,” he added.
He singled out German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as one of the politicians advocating such an approach. “These are masochists, political masochists, if you like,” the foreign minister said.
Merz has defended Germany’s growing military spending and continued support for Kiev while warning that the country can no longer afford its existing welfare system.
The German government has tightened welfare rules, introducing benefit reductions of 30% for repeated violations and, in some cases, complete withdrawal. Berlin’s proposed 2027 budget also envisages billions of euros in savings from pensions, healthcare and other social programs.
Germany has meanwhile earmarked €11.6 billion for Ukraine in 2027, alongside plans to raise defense spending to record levels.
Britain, another major backer of Kiev, has also reduced welfare payments, nearly halving health-related benefits for most new claimants under Universal Credit, a program supporting low-income households and people unable to work.
In September, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for further welfare cuts to fund increased military spending. “We need to fund our defence, not spend all our money on welfare,” she said. The government, however, rejected her proposal.
France has likewise pursued spending restraint, including a proposed public-sector pay freeze, while increasing military expenditure. The measures have faced opposition from trade unions protesting declining purchasing power and deteriorating public services.
Public discontent has fueled widespread protests across Europe in recent weeks, with hundreds of thousands demonstrating in France over rising living costs, education funding and inequality. Tens of thousands have also taken to the streets in Spain and Portugal over soaring housing costs, while Italy has seen protests over declining living standards.
European NATO members have committed to substantially increasing defense expenditure, citing the perceived threat from Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week rejected repeated claims that Moscow was preparing for war with Europe, describing them as part of an ongoing “anti-Russian campaign” on the continent. “They now go so far as to constantly speak of a ‘Russian threat’ and even discuss preparations for a war with Russia – which, in my view, amounts to a kind of political schizophrenia. But I hope that it will pass,” Putin stated.
Moscow has repeatedly dismissed claims that it intends to attack NATO countries as “nonsense,” accusing Western leaders of using the alleged Russian threat to justify militarization and continued support for Kiev.
The former Serbian president has condemned the violence against Informer and accused the EU of ignoring an attack on media freedom
Supporters of Serbia’s student-led opposition have stormed the Belgrade offices of Informer, a broadcaster supportive of former President Aleksandar Vucic, as celebrations of their election win turned violent. Vucic condemned the attack as an assault on media freedom and accused the EU of turning a blind eye.
The incident came a day after the Student List movement defeated Vucic’s United Serbia coalition in a snap parliamentary election, ending 14 years of rule by his Serbian Progressive Party and its allies.
According to Informer, demonstrators smashed windows and forced their way through the entrance before damaging offices and threatening journalists. Employees reportedly hid in bathrooms and the basement before police arrived and evacuated staff.
Editor-in-chief Dragan J. Vucicevic said attackers destroyed cameras, computers and other equipment worth tens of thousands of euros. Some demanded access to the control room to disconnect cables, he said.
🇷🇸An angry opposition crowd has reached the Informer TV channel, known for its support of former Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. The protesters are demanding that the channel’s editor-in-chief be handed over to them
Journalist Sergey Petrov said that if the demonstrators’ demands are not met, they will arrest him - with or without the police.
“People said they would drag everyone out of the TV station building themselves. They promised to take them to the square, where a celebration is currently being held to mark the opposition’s victory in the parliamentary elections,” he said.
ukraine_watch
According to Vucicevic, protesters offered to withdraw if Informer stopped broadcasting. He refused and pledged to return to the studio and resume programming as far as the remaining equipment allowed.
Vucic condemned the incident as “unprecedented violence” and “monstrous violence,” accusing the EU and journalists’ associations of remaining silent.
“An attack on freedom of expression, on freedom of public speech, on freedom of journalism,” he said. “If we had done that to N1 and Nova S, we would have been the worst thugs, dictators and autocrats,” he added, referring to broadcasters critical of his political camp.
BREAKING: Protesters STORM the live studio of Informer TV, Serbia's loudest pro-Vučić channel, one day after Vučić's party lost the snap election
> About 20 broke in during a live broadcast and confronted owner-editor Dragan J. Vučićević for several minutes before he was led out
> On air, he said the building was surrounded and a door smashed, then called police and was put on hold
> Police later arrived and escorted the protesters out
Wild scenes in Belgrade.
🎥 @Lukai1861 | per N1, Vreme
Vucic also accused Student List figure Ilija Srdanovic of refusing a request from Informer’s editor to urge the crowd to leave. Srdanovic subsequently appealed for calm and urged supporters not to resort to violence.
The Student List secured 52.71% of the vote and 140 parliamentary seats, according to preliminary results announced by Serbia’s electoral commission on Monday evening. Vucic conceded defeat and pledged to continue his political struggle from the opposition.
During the election-night celebrations, crowds also dismantled a longstanding pro-Vucic tent camp near parliament, with tents and vehicles reportedly set ablaze.
The student-led movement emerged from nearly two years of protests following the November 2024 railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people and sparked allegations of corruption and failures in safety oversight. Vucic resigned as president in September to contest the parliamentary election.
Moscow said on Monday that it was willing to work with Serbia’s incoming government. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Vucic’s contribution to bilateral relations and expressed hope that the new leadership would recognize cooperation with Russia as serving Serbia’s interests.
Student List representative Jovo Bakic told RT Balkan that the movement would maintain Belgrade’s refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow. “We respect Russia both as a great power and as our historically important partner and, in many cases, protector,” he said.
However, the movement’s position on the sanctions remains unclear. In an interview with RFE/RL, Srdanovic reaffirmed Serbia’s commitment to EU integration but declined to rule out reconsidering its refusal to sanction Moscow. Pressed on the issue, he said foreign policy should be determined through an open public debate rather than by a single leader, insisting that citizens should have the final say.
James Comey has been accused of illegally disclosing classified information to a journalist in 2016
Former FBI Director James Comey, a central figure in the debunked Trump-Russia collusion probe known as Russiagate, has been charged with illegally disclosing classified national defense information, according to court documents unsealed on Monday.
Federal prosecutors have charged Comey with two counts: transmission of national defense information and conspiracy to transmit national defense information. The allegations stem from an October 2016 New York Times article about Yahoo’s cooperation with a secret US government email surveillance program.
According to prosecutors, Comey instructed FBI employees to contact a journalist to correct inaccuracies in an earlier Reuters report, resulting in the alleged unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information.
Comey denied wrongdoing in a video statement on Monday, accusing the Justice Department of an “appalling abuse” of power and insisting that he was innocent.
Comey headed the FBI during the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which Donald Trump won, a controversy widely known as “Russiagate.” A subsequent investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not establish that Trump’s campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia. Comey defended the FBI probe as “appropriate and essential,” while Trump denounced it as a politically motivated “witch hunt” aimed at undermining his election victory. Moscow has consistently denied interfering in the vote.
Asked about the new case against Comey on Monday, Trump reiterated his criticism of him while saying he knew little about the proceedings.
“I think he’s a dirty cop, James Comey, but I know nothing about it,” the president told reporters.
The latest allegations mark the third criminal case brought against Comey since Trump returned to the White House.
In September 2025, Comey was indicted for allegedly making false statements to Congress and obstructing proceedings over his testimony concerning the Russiagate investigation. A federal judge dismissed the case two months later, ruling that the prosecutor had been unlawfully appointed.
In April 2026, Comey was indicted again, this time over an Instagram post showing seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.” The number “86” is slang for getting rid of something or someone, while “47” was interpreted as a reference to Trump, the 47th US president. Comey denied intending any threat.
Four in five voters disapprove of the president’s handling of the unrest, according to Ipsos
French voters overwhelmingly disapprove of President Emmanuel Macron’s handling of weeks of violent nationwide protests, with just 12% backing his response, according to a new Ipsos-BVA-CESI poll.
Around 80% of respondents said Macron’s response to the unrest has been inadequate, according to the poll for Le Parisien published on Saturday. The riots also sparked widespread anger, with 58% of respondents expressing outrage.
Macron’s overall approval rating fell to 16%, the lowest since January and down seven percentage points from last month, according to a monthly CSA poll for Le Journal du Dimanche published on Sunday.
The unrest began last month with student demonstrations over teacher shortages, school funding, and deteriorating facilities before spreading nationwide. As trade unions and opposition parties joined the movement, the protests grew into broader demonstrations against soaring living costs, inequality, and cuts to public services.
The unrest escalated sharply on October 17, when around 550,000 people joined the demonstrations nationwide, spilling out into clashes with the police, arson, and widespread looting in several cities.
Immigration also emerged as an issue in public perceptions of the violence. Around 55% believe there is a link between immigration and the October 17 riots, according to a CSA survey published last Thursday.
Last week, Macron responded by announcing a crackdown on public gatherings. Protests deemed unauthorized were banned and limits on marches were imposed – even those organized by recognized groups.
Opposition leaders blamed Macron’s policies for the unrest, accusing him of failing to maintain public order.
Despite the restrictions, the demonstrations continued, drawing around 410,000 people on Saturday, according to Interior Ministry data.
Similar protests took place elsewhere in Europe, with demonstrators in Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal voicing concerns about living costs, housing shortages, and public services.
After Western media outlets reported that several EU governments suspected Russia of involvement in the unrest, President Vladimir Putin dismissed the allegations.
“To claim that we are provoking mass protests in major European cities is really going too far,” Putin said, arguing that the accusations reflect European leaders’ inability to address the crisis.
Slovakia’s renewed dialogue with Moscow reflects an economic reality that Europe’s political declarations cannot wish away
On October 26, 2026, the Russian-Slovak Intergovernmental Commission resumed its work. The announcement was made during Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s visit to Moscow for WWII Victory Day celebrations. The timing of the meeting is particularly favorable for the ruling coalition led by Fico’s SMER party. The only event that somewhat dampened the occasion was the defeat of former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s party in snap elections in Serbia. Vucic’s foreign policy has often been likened to Fico’s approach in Slovakia. Below, we explore why these stories are fundamentally different and what is really happening in the context of Russia-Slovakia relations, as well as in Slovakia itself, ahead of the election on September 26, 2027.
Perfect timing
Although the resumption of the intergovernmental commission was announced in May, the talks did not take place until six months later. On the Slovak side, they were led by a close ally of Fico and the current foreign affairs minister, Juraj Blanar. The lists of negotiators on both sides were not disclosed until the last moment. The date of the negotiations was also shrouded in secrecy and was not revealed until last week during an EU summit, which, according to reports, was marked by a “terrible” atmosphere and was “unworthy of a meeting of the European Council.”
Fico’s attendance was uncertain right up to the last minute, with Bratislava skillfully playing this card. Slovak diplomats maintained suspense, suggesting that Fico’s visit depended on the “substantiality of concessions,” keeping the EU on its toes regarding a possible geopolitical demarche. Ultimately, Fico stayed in Bratislava, crafting a perfect political alibi before Brussels while sending a full government delegation to Moscow to tackle pressing political and economic challenges. He skillfully employed this maneuver, illustrating that in today’s landscape, ‘glitch-art diplomacy’ – characterized by protocol breaches, unpredictability, and exploiting systemic errors – remains effective. Though not large in size, Slovakia is a critical node through which the East and West continue to exchange signals.
The timing of this event strikes a perfect balance for the ruling authorities, both in terms of domestic political dynamics and the wider European context. First, municipal elections held in Slovakia over the past weekend confirmed the strength of the current coalition. Fico and his allies demonstrated their dominance across regions and industrial hubs, leaving the pro-Western opposition confined to Bratislava. This electoral victory has secured a solid backing for the prime minister, giving him the freedom to pursue bold foreign policy initiatives.
The external context vividly illustrated to the Slovak audience the validity of the ruling coalition’s stance. The recent EU summit only deepened the rift among allies. The European Commission attempted to impose new climate quotas, but the countries of the Visegrad Group clearly expressed their dissent, with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis openly criticizing Ursula von der Leyen for her ‘green transition’ dogmas. This unfolded against the backdrop of a shocking report from Eurostat, revealing that most EU countries are facing budget deficits, with the highest figures recorded in Hungary (7.2%) and Romania (9.2%).
Amid this dismal European landscape, news from Slovakia underscores the looming threat of deindustrialization. German automotive giant Porsche recently announced its decision to shift production of its Cayenne model from Bratislava back to Leipzig, aiming to salvage its parent company’s facilities in Germany, which are struggling due to the energy crisis. The risk of German capital flight poses an existential threat to the national industry, considering the fact that businesses depend heavily on accessible energy resources.
In light of these developments, Fico’s rejection of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s proposal for a €1.5 billion compensation package in exchange for halting gas transit appears to be a rational choice. For the Slovak public, which is opposed to prolonging the conflict, there’s no clear way to survive without supplies of hydrocarbons from the East. By refusing the offer, Fico has made it clear that virtual ‘paper’ funds from Kiev won’t heat factories or convince foreign automotive companies to remain in the country.
The defeat of Vucic’s team in Serbia during the early parliamentary elections is unpleasant news for Bratislava. Many Western analysts predict a similar fate for Fico in the upcoming parliamentary elections in September 2027. However, a fundamental difference between Belgrade and Bratislava must be noted. The Serbian scenario demonstrated that, in turbulent times, success goes to those who can balance the loyalty of the silent majority with pressure from the crowds.
Fico is purposefully venturing into this precarious territory. Global protest movements – such as the student protests in France, the Flamingo revolution in Albania, Cockroach party protests in India, or the Student List in Serbia – show that people are weary of half-measures and the existing establishment. The paradox of Fico lies in his unique strategy. He manages to remain the foremost systemic critic of Brussels’ supranational doctrines while being a key player in European politics. Fico deftly harnesses protest potential before it can turn against him.
This position is driven by a need to protect the country’s real economy. Slovakia relies heavily on exports, which account for around 90% of GDP, with the automotive industry being the cornerstone of the economy. This sector employs over 230,000 people, meaning that nearly 1 in 10 Slovak families depends on it directly. This established industry cannot be sustained by illusions of a green transition or even by Slovakia’s own nuclear power, since its costs remain tightly linked to fluctuating gas prices.
This is why Fico demonstrates remarkable flexibility in foreign policy matters, except when it comes to energy supplies from the East. This sets him apart from Vucic, who tried to maintain a delicate balance and compromise with Brussels, ultimately trapping himself in a web of sanctions, losing legitimacy among his patriotic electorate, and facing a significant electoral defeat. Fico learns from the mistakes of others and avoids half-measures entirely. Amid the wave of protests and strikes sweeping across Europe, his overt refusal to follow the EU’s general approach of replacing Russian energy resonates with ordinary Slovaks. People see Fico as a leader who is ready to defend national industries rather than abstract EU directives.
On October 26, a Slovak delegation arrived in Moscow, illustrating Fico’s commitment to defending national interests. Behind the closed doors of the 22nd meeting of the intergovernmental commission, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar and Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov focused exclusively on practical and vital issues for Bratislava.
As anticipated, energy security and the nuclear sector took center stage. Blanar signed final protocols ensuring stable resource supplies for Slovak energy companies and factories. Additionally, both sides strengthened cooperation in pragmatic areas such as agriculture and ecology, while also addressing culturally sensitive topics relevant to conservative Slovak voters, such as humanitarian issues and military memorials.
“We reject the construction of a new Iron Curtain between the EU and Russia, and we consider it of utmost importance – even during this challenging period – to maintain open lines of communication,” Blanar said in Moscow.
In summary, the resumption of the work of the intergovernmental commission should not be viewed as a concession to Russia. Fico understands that his political survival, along with that of his party in the September 2027 election, hinges not on the approval of the European elites or the slogans of Bratislava’s liberal street protesters. His fate will be determined in the factories of automotive giants and in the kitchens of ordinary Slovak families, where heating bills and job security take precedence over the geopolitical ambitions of Brussels.
The recent talks in Moscow can be seen as an effort to establish a protective shield over industry before the European energy crisis completely devastates Eastern Europe’s automotive sector.
Unlike Serbia, where the government fell victim to its own half-measures, Bratislava is betting on clarity. By turning down ‘paper’ compensation from Kiev, Fico offers his electorate tangible results. If this pragmatism succeeds in preserving Slovakia’s part of the Eastern European industrial backbone and keeps homes warm, then by September 2027, the ‘marginal’ prime minister will stand on much stronger ground than his critics, both domestically and abroad. Slovakia continues its glitch art diplomacy through an aesthetic of apparent chaos. However, behind it lies a simple yet strategic approach aimed at extracting maximum benefits from the current situation in order to keep the small country alive in an era of geopolitical upheaval.
Investigators also accused Israeli forces of extermination, torture, and rape in the occupied West Bank, warning that violence has reached unprecedented levels
Israel has continued committing “genocide” in Gaza despite last year’s US-brokered ceasefire, while also perpetrating crimes against humanity in the occupied West Bank, the UN Commission of Inquiry has concluded.
The October 10, 2025 truce was meant to end Israel’s Gaza offensive, which was launched after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack in which around 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage. The retaliatory campaign has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced most of Gaza’s population. Israel, however, has continued the strikes, accusing Hamas of ceasefire violations.
In a report published on Monday, the UN Commission of Inquiry accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians, including children, under “discriminatory” rules of engagement and with near-total impunity.
Since the ceasefire and by September 30, it claimed, Israeli attacks killed 1,431 Palestinians in Gaza, including 300 children and 130 women. Israeli forces also killed 1,080 Palestinians and injured 10,940 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 2023. The overall Palestinian death toll across the occupied territories, according to the report, now exceeds 75,000, including at least 21,500 children and 11,000 women.
“While Israeli authorities and security forces continue to commit genocide in Gaza, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated drastically,” the commission said. It described military operations and settler violence as a “widespread and systematic attack” on civilians. They also documented rape, torture, and sexual violence intended to “fracture, expel, humiliate, and subjugate” Palestinians.
The findings build on the commission’s initial September 2025 conclusion that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians, citing four of the five genocidal acts under the 1948 Genocide Convention. International bodies, including Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, have also accused Israel of genocide.
Israel in denial
Israel has rejected the allegations of genocide and war crimes. Responding to the new report, its Geneva mission demanded the UN commission’s dissolution, accusing it of a “misinformation campaign to demonize the state of Israel and portray its very existence as criminal.” Ambassador Daniel Meron said the panel seeks “to undermine Israel’s legitimacy and deny its fundamental right to exist and defend itself.”
Meanwhile, members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition have called for control over Palestinian territory to be expanded. Earlier this month, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Israel to seize Gaza and launch a similar operation in the West Bank.
“Yes, we need to wipe out Gaza, for example. Not commit genocide, God forbid,” he said, calling the enclave a “terror entity with 1.8 million Nazis” raised to hate Israel.
What happened to the ceasefire?
More than a year after the truce took effect, its next phase – reconstruction, governance arrangements, and further Israeli troop withdrawals – remains deadlocked over Hamas disarmament.
Hamas has said it will not surrender its weapons without a complete Israeli withdrawal and an end to strikes. Netanyahu has demanded full disarmament and the dismantling of Hamas infrastructure before further withdrawals.
The prime minister also acknowledged expanding military control beyond the original Yellow Line, which initially left Israel holding around 53% of Gaza. With Israeli forces now controlling more than 60%, Netanyahu has ordered the military to extend that to 70%.
Netanyahu faces election reckoning
The UN report came on the eve of Israel’s first parliamentary election since the October 7, 2023 attack, with Netanyahu facing growing scrutiny over security failures, a widening regional conflict, and legal troubles.
Over the past three years, Israel’s Gaza offensive has expanded into fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon and direct military clashes with Iran. Netanyahu has also faced allegations that he received advance warnings of the Hamas attack, which his office denies.
He is also on trial for corruption and faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, adding to the pressures surrounding his bid to retain power.
Final polls show a tight race between Netanyahu’s Likud and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party, which are projected to win 18-30 and 21-23 seats respectively. Neither bloc is assured the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
A Hamburg judge has ruled that the Ukrainian suspect’s vow of silence won’t protect him
A German court has rejected an attempt to end the trial of Nord Stream bombing suspect Sergey Kuznetsov, after the defendant’s lawyers claimed that he cannot be convicted without a confession.
Kuznetsov, a Ukrainian military officer whom German prosecutors claim carried out the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in 2022, stayed silent in the opening hearing of his trial earlier this month. As Kuznetsov was an active duty soldier at the time of the bombings, his legal team claimed that he cannot be forced to defend himself without divulging state secrets, and filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him.
The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg rejected the motion on Tuesday. “According to German law, the defendant is not restricted in his defense,” presiding Judge Anne Meier-Goring told the court, explaining that the terms of Kuznetsov’s service in Ukraine do not apply in Germany.
Kuznetsov is accused of causing an explosion, disrupting public utilities, property damage, and being an “accomplice to war crimes.” He has neither admitted nor denied carrying out the attack.
Prosecutors claim that he led a seven-person team into the Baltic Sea on a rented pleasure yacht and planted timed explosives on all four individual lines comprising the Nord Stream 1 and 2 projects, three of which completely destroyed the pipes. They did this, prosecutors allege, despite the well-documented limitations of the yacht and the logistical and technical difficulties in carrying out multiple deep-sea dives in a single night.
The case rests on a relatively flimsy body of evidence. Although Kuznetsov was allegedly seen in Germany prior to renting the yacht in Rostock, his fingerprints were not among those lifted from the vessel, and a phone call to his wife in which he defended the bombing as “an official military operation” is the closest thing to a confession that prosecutors can work with.
Russia maintains that the version of events presented in Hamburg is implausible from the outset. “Five people were sitting around drinking, having a laugh, and decided ‘Why don’t we blow up the Nord Stream pipelines?’ They had diving skills, allegedly hired a little boat, sailed to the place where the Nord Streams were passing, went down, planted explosives and detonated them,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented in 2024. “If someone can actually believe this version, then it’s only people who are afraid of the truth and are trying to protect the criminal Kiev regime in any way possible.”
American journalist Seymour Hersh has put forward an alternate theory. Citing sources in the intelligence community, Hersh claimed that CIA divers, working with the Norwegian Navy, used NATO’s June 2022 BALTOPS exercises in the Baltic Sea as cover to plant remotely-detonated explosives on the Nord Stream lines, which were triggered three months later with a sonar buoy.
Another lead came from a Danish harbormaster, who claimed in September 2024 that he had approached a US amphibious assault ship – with its transponder switched off – at the location of the pipelines five days before the explosions. The harbormaster claimed that he was ordered to turn away by the Danish Naval Operational Command and forbidden from discussing the incident.
His claims were never investigated. Denmark closed its investigation into the bombings seven months before the harbormaster came forward with his claims.
Back in Hamburg, Kuznetsov’s trial is expected to run into the new year.
Denmark has criticized Finland and Norway for reopening dialogue with Moscow as Kiev’s European backers struggle to agree on diplomacy
A phone call with the leaders of Finland and Norway’s with Russian President Vladimir Putin has exposed divisions among Ukraine’s European backers. Denmark criticized the initiative and Sweden complained that it had received no advance notice.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store contacted Putin on Tuesday ahead of renewed Russia-US-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi next month. The leaders discussed efforts to resolve the conflict, as well as security and stability in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea.
Most Western European leaders have shunned direct contact with Moscow since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, but now appear to be desperately seeking a seat at the negotiations table. Both Stubb and Store have been named as potential candidates to represent Brussels at the talks, but neither spoke on Europe’s behalf during Tuesday’s call.
Following the conversation, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen accused her Nordic colleagues of breaking ranks, saying she was “very skeptical about this Norwegian-Finnish initiative” because it had “not been coordinated with the rest of us.”
Frederiksen said Europe should stick together rather than go solo, doubting anything can be achieved through unilateral contacts with Moscow.
Her opposition to the diplomatic initiative comes as Copenhagen is backing Kiev’s efforts to expand its weapons production to Danish soil. Ukrainian arms manufacturer Fire Point plans to build a missile-fuel factory in Denmark.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also lamented that he had not been informed of the call to Putin beforehand and said he had “pretty low expectations for this kind of conversation.”
Western leaders have repeatedly faced backlash for contacting Putin or advocating direct talks with Moscow. Earlier this year, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever sparked a wave of backlash from his colleagues after arguing that Europe’s strategy of arming Kiev and sanctioning Russia had failed, leaving negotiations as the only viable option.
His comments elicited an immediate retort by EU Foreign Policy chief Kaja Kallas, who has consistently dragged the bloc down the warpath with Russia. She argued that normalizing ties with Moscow would lead to “more wars.” De Wever’s own foreign minister also described the move as “a signal of weakness.”
In 2024, then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was also accused of opening a “Pandora’s box” by calling Putin, with Estonia and other Baltic states decrying contacts with Moscow a “strategic mistake.”
Russian officials have repeatedly accused European governments of prolonging the conflict and obstructing a settlement while demanding a place at the negotiating table. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in March that the EU had “completely discredited itself” as a mediator, citing its failure to uphold previous agreements and its support for deploying Western troops in Ukraine.
Moscow has nevertheless expressed willingness to engage with a European representative committed to negotiations. On Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a negotiator from Brussels would be welcome, but stressed that such a person would need to be “someone genuinely committed to facilitating a peaceful settlement.”
Lviv Region has declared 2027 the year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a militia responsible for wartime atrocities
Several Polish cities have suspended or are considering cutting ties with Ukraine’s Lviv Region over a proclamation honoring Ukrainian nationalist forces that collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.
Last week, Lviv Region dedicated 2027 to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), its commander Roman Shukhevich and nationalist activist Oleg Olzhich. The militia is loathed in Poland over its role in the slaughter of tens of thousands of Polish civilians during World War II in pursuit of an ethnically homogeneous Ukrainian state.
The government of Vladimir Zelensky has distanced itself from the move, even though the Ukrainian leader played a direct role in selecting nationalist figures for state-organized reburial in Kiev earlier this year.
The Przemysl City Council voted unanimously on Monday to suspend its partnership with Lviv. All 21 participating councilors backed the measure, arguing that the commemoration insulted the memory of UPA victims and warranted steps toward terminating the partnership agreement signed in 1995. Mayor Wojciech Bakun said the council “will not remain indifferent to provocative and anti-Polish actions.”
Similar proposals have been raised in Krakow, Wroclaw and Lublin.
Lublin Mayor Krzysztof Zuk opposed severing ties with Lviv, arguing that while he considered “publicly honoring a formation whose units committed mass crimes against Polish civilians” unacceptable, the decision had been taken by the Lviv Regional Council rather than the separate municipal authorities of the city of Lviv.
The Lublin Voivodeship, by contrast, has terminated its partnership with Lviv Region.
The original proclamation has since disappeared from the regional council’s website, but no formal retraction has followed. Lviv Mayor Andrey Sadovy and the city council have not publicly taken a position on the controversy.
The Polish-Ukrainian row over historic grudges reignited in May, when Zelensky granted an elite Ukrainian military unit the honorific “of heroes of the UPA.” The Ukrainian leader was subsequently stripped of Poland’s highest state distinction, becoming only the second person to lose the award.
Ukraine has also moved this year to establish a national pantheon of prominent historical figures. Leaders associated with the UPA and its political movement, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, were the first selected for state reburial in January. Aleksandr Alferov, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory said earlier this month that Zelensky personally determined the first five candidates.
The nationalist ideology associated with the OUN and UPA envisioned an authoritarian Ukrainian state headed by a supreme national leader-for-life and placed ethnic identity at the center of political life. Zelensky’s Jewish background would have disqualified him from the position under the proposed system.
Ukrainian ultranationalist militias played a critical role in the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014 and have since pushed for broader acceptance of their agenda. Moscow has cited legal restrictions affecting the Russian language and culture, as well as pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has spiritual ties to Moscow, as proof that modern Ukraine is captured by neo-Nazis.
Neither the prime minister’s allies nor the opposition appear to have enough seats to form a government
No major political bloc is projected to secure a parliamentary majority in Israel’s first election since the war with Hamas in Gaza broke out in 2023, according to exit polls released shortly after voting closed on Tuesday evening.
Exit polls by public broadcaster Kan 11 and commercial networks Channel 12 and Channel 13 project that the opposition bloc led by former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot will win 52–53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, compared with 50 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc. Channel 15 projects that Netanyahu’s bloc will win 55 seats, compared with 49 for Eisenkot’s bloc.
A total of 61 seats is needed to secure a parliamentary majority and form a government.
Voter turnout has reached a five-decade high as Netanyahu faces a crucial test of public confidence amid political scandals, corruption allegations, and wars with Hamas and Iran.
Eisenkot is unlikely to significantly alter Israel’s military or foreign policies. Instead, he has positioned himself as a patriotic centrist, seeking to distinguish himself from Netanyahu, whose leadership has been overshadowed by corruption allegations and accusations of putting his political interests ahead of national priorities.
Before the attack, Netanyahu faced corruption probes and was sinking in the polls as protesters took to the streets to oppose his controversial judicial reforms. Although the attack and subsequent war on Gaza bought Netanyahu some political breathing space, his opponents are now questioning how the prime minister could have left Israel undefended on October 7, and whether he ignored forewarnings about the attack.
Netanyahu has also been condemned for putting his interests before Israel’s by attempting to push IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir into a new military operation on the eve of the election, according to a Channel 12 report. Former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has demanded that the prime minister be investigated on suspicion of treason over the allegation.
Rising defense spending, higher living costs, and wartime tax hikes have further eroded Netanyahu’s popularity. An October 21 Jerusalem Post analysis of four major surveys put Eisenkot’s Yashar party at an average of 22.5 seats, compared with 19.75 for Netanyahu’s Likud.
Once the official results are announced, Israel is likely to enter a lengthy period of political horse-trading, with Netanyahu’s far-right allies and Arab parties potentially playing a decisive role in determining the country’s next government.
Lula’s victory will stave off US meddling for now, but Bolsonaro’s camp and foreign pressure remain powerful forces in the struggle ahead
In Brazil, the incumbent left-wing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – known simply as Lula – has decisively won a dramatic run-off election against his challenger from the right – and US favorite – Flavio Bolsonaro. As his de facto sponsor, US President Donald Trump, has signaled that he won’t openly intervene, Bolsonaro, after initially refusing to concede, had to effectively accept the result.
A result that we can call historic even now. In terms of the domestic politics of Brazil, it confirms Lula as a master politician and major statesman. Heading into his fourth term, he has defied his age as well as vicious American attempts to undermine him by economic warfare, sanctions, and social-media foul play.
Lula has also broken the traditional patterns of Brazilian presidential elections. Before he won the second round, he lost the first one; a comeback victory had never happened before and seemed improbable. Now, thanks to a rapid revamping of his campaign, including a belated discovery of social media, and a surge in voter mobilization across the whole country, Lula is the first one to pull it off.
For Brazil, this was a fateful election that could have turned fatal. If Bolsonaro had won, the country would certainly have lost its sovereignty to a policy of enthusiastic subordination to America’s Donroe Doctrine. What has been imposed by violence and treason on Venezuela would have been achieved by elections under pressure in Brazil. It would have joined the recent Latin American shift to the right and deeper submission to Washington.
It is almost as certain that Flavio Bolsonaro would also have found ways to end democracy at home. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, already tried. No member of the powerful Bolsonaro clan has ever uttered a word of regret for Bolsonaro’s proven coup attempt. On the contrary, Flavio and his now US-based brother, Eduardo, have been out for revenge. Add Flavio’s nasty reputation of connections to organized crime and even death squads, acknowledged even by the reliably right-wing Economist, and his victory could have spelled doom for many Brazilians.
Many bullets – some quite literal – were dodged. Yet surviving danger is different from conclusive victory. This has not happened. Lula’s victory is solid, outdistancing Bolsonaro by well over three percentage points, but this does not change the fact that the latter still won over 48% of the vote. Bolsonarism has been defeated but not crushed.
The same holds true for the biggest and most dangerous ally of the Bolsonaro clan, Washington. There is no doubt that the US has suffered a setback, most of all in geopolitical terms. Its project to lock Latin America into the cage of Donroe Doctrine imperialism has taken a hit.
And that hit is painful, for Brazil is Washington’s central target in South America. By location, size, demography, and economic performance, as well as potential, Brazil is so important that no revamped American ‘backyard’ empire will ever be complete without it.
Consider a few basic indicators. According to the World Bank, Brazil has a population of 213 million, which makes it the seventh-most-populous country in the world. It is also thoroughly urbanized, with almost 90% of the population living in towns and cities. It is technologically advanced, with almost 93% of Brazilians having access to at least 3G and almost 85% using the internet.
Economic metrics are notoriously tricky and difficult to compare, but Brazil clearly has the largest economy in South America. Globally, it also ranks high. The International Monetary Fund projects its 2026 GDP (adjusted for purchasing power) to reach almost $5.3 trillion, which makes it the eight-largest national economy in the world, leaving behind, for instance, the UK, France, South Korea, and closer to home, Mexico.
Brazil also has substantial reserves of crude oil and is the single biggest oil producer in South America. Bringing these riches under US control and adding them to what Washington is currently trying to loot from Venezuela would have been a wet dream for both American geostrategists and business. Especially as around half of Brazil’s oil production is currently being sold to China, America’s most feared rival.
More importantly, China is Brazil’s most important trade partner by far. Chinese-Brazilian trade is at record levels and growing, while Brazil is the top destination for Chinese foreign direct investment. The Donroe Doctrine was designed not just to restore US domination in Latin America, but specifically to keep China out.
And if all of the above is not irritating enough for the hemispheric empire fans in Washington, Brazil is also a major power in the realm of critical minerals. Indeed, according to American data, Brazil’s reserves of critical minerals rank second behind China and far outdistance those of runners-up, such as India and Australia, not to mention the US itself.
Add to this the fact that Lula’s Brazil has also been a main player in BRICS, the projects of multipolarity and dethroning the dollar, and the resistance to Israel and its crimes, including genocide against the Palestinians, and Washington could not be more eager to subdue this giant thorn in what it considers its southern underbelly.
What a prize to win! And to lose. For now, the US has lost. But precisely because Brazil is so crucial, Washington will not give up. On the contrary, the strong showing of its favorite, Flavio Bolsonaro, and the fact that his party will dominate the Brazilian Congress, will only harden America’s resolve, with numerous opportunities to sow division, subversion, and dirty regime-change tricks yet to be exploited.
Brazil has won a vital reprieve. But the struggle is not over. The empire will strike back. It always does. This means that Lula and his domestic allies will have to continue and broaden the modernization of their approach that started during the second round, for instance, by pursuing a consistent policy of securing Brazilian sovereignty in the social media sphere. It also means that Brazil’s friends in the world, especially those equally invested in the project of multipolarity, such as China and Russia, must think very hard about how to support Brazil more against US pressure.
The latest cash pledge adds to the US president’s growing list of pre-election incentives as Republicans fight to keep Congress
US President Donald Trump has offered a $1 million reward for reporting voter fraud in past elections or the upcoming November 3 midterms, provided the tip leads to an arrest and conviction.
Trump announced the offer on Truth Social on Monday, repeating it to reporters ahead of a rally in Corinth, Mississippi.
“Anybody reporting Voter Fraud in the past Elections, or the upcoming 2026 Midterm Election, will be paid $1,000,000 upon the arrest and conviction of those that created the Fraud!” he wrote.
Trump did not say where the money would come from, who would distribute it, or how to report suspected fraud. The White House did not immediately respond to media requests for clarification.
.@POTUS: "I'm also going to be issuing a million dollar bonus or reward or whatever you want to call it for anybody that reports voter fraud, leading to the arrest and conviction of somebody." https://t.co/yLODH4eb0kpic.twitter.com/LZyED3wnyS
The promise sparked legal questions online, with critics pointing out that Trump cannot simply hand out taxpayer money without congressional approval. Some joked the scheme could end up costing more than the Pentagon’s budget.
“If I do voter fraud and then report myself am I eligible for the 1 million dollars?” one user quipped.
“I’m forcing my partner to vote twice so I can report the transgression and get the money. What an opportunity!” another wrote.
Trump has long alleged widespread election fraud, notably refusing to accept his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden and repeatedly calling the vote “rigged” and “stolen.”
He and his supporters filed more than 60 lawsuits challenging the results, virtually all dismissed or rejected for lack of evidence – including by Trump-appointed judges. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency found no evidence of fraud capable of changing the outcome, while Trump’s own attorney general at the time, William Barr, publicly rejected his claims.
The million-dollar bounty adds to Trump’s growing list of cash incentives ahead of the midterms, as Republicans fight to keep Congress. The biggest carrot so far was his proposed $5,000 ‘Trump Dividend’ for every American adult citizen if Republicans retain both chambers. Announced at a Republican gathering in Dallas last month, the giveaway would cost roughly $1.3 trillion for an estimated 260 million adults, drawing bipartisan criticism. Trump has suggested congressional approval might not be necessary, although lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, and policy analysts say such a massive payout would require legislation and congressional funding.
Trump has also cheered a separate multibillion-dollar giveaway by ally Elon Musk, who promised every US child a share of SpaceX next year. The pledge followed Musk’s renewed backing of Trump and the Republicans after their public feud last year over the president’s spending legislation. According to the New York Times, Musk has donated more than $276 million to Republican groups since July, bringing his 2025-2026 election-cycle contributions to roughly $366 million.
The cash promises come as Trump’s ratings sink amid frustration over the prolonged Iran conflict, gasoline topping $6 a gallon, and persistent inflation despite his pledges to cut living costs, while Republicans face increasingly grim midterm prospects. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week put his approval at 31% – the lowest of either presidential term – with Democrats leading Republicans 47% to 35% among registered voters on a hypothetical congressional ballot. A separate New York Times/Siena University poll put Trump’s approval at a record-low 36% among likely voters, with Democrats ahead by 11 points in congressional races, 52% to 41%.
Republicans currently hold a slim 218-214 House majority and a 53-47 Senate advantage. However, polls indicate they face unexpectedly tight Senate races in Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Alaska, and Ohio – all states Trump comfortably carried in 2024. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in both the House and Senate to take control.
Disrupted LNG shipments and dwindling reserves have raised fears of another European energy crisis
European natural gas prices have surged to their highest level in four years amid the Iran war and the EU’s continued push to phase out Russian energy, according to data from online aggregator Trading Economics.
On Monday, wholesale prices briefly surpassed €97 ($108) per megawatt-hour, reaching levels not seen since December 2022. The increase came as gas storage facilities in the EU were just 74.62% full as of October 25, well below seasonal averages.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounted for around a fifth of global LNG trade before the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran earlier this year, remained around 80% below pre-conflict levels.
Some EU countries have already begun drawing on stored gas as temperatures drop. Trading Economics forecasts that European gas prices will reach €98.20 per megawatt-hour by the end of the fourth quarter of 2026.
In the UK, the month-ahead gas contract rose by 4% to its highest level since December 2022, according to The Guardian. Brent crude, which climbed to $117 per barrel last week, has since eased slightly but remains at around $115.
British households could face a 27% increase in energy bills in January, pushing the average annual dual-fuel bill to nearly £2,200 ($2,940), according to a forecast by energy supplier EDF. An earlier forecast by Cornwall Insight projected a 16% increase to £2,000.
In August, The Guardian reported mounting concerns in the EU over low gas storage levels and soaring prices ahead of winter. In September, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen warned that the bloc faces its worst energy crisis since 2022.
In mid-October, German media reported that Berlin plans to make households and businesses pay for a national emergency gas reserve costing more than €3 billion over ten years. The government-controlled stockpile would be reserved for emergencies, including sabotage and infrastructure failures, rather than being used to lower gas prices.
The opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party called for energy ties with Russia to be restored, following US President Donald Trump’s example. On October 13, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said Germany should seek its own diesel deal with Russia, praising Trump’s agreement with the country as a pragmatic approach.
Following the EU’s sweeping sanctions on Russia in 2022, the bloc experienced one of its worst energy crises in decades. Gas prices soared above €300 per megawatt-hour, driving up costs for industries and households and contributing to surging inflation.
The EU has continued its efforts to phase out Russian energy. While Russia accounted for around 45% of EU gas imports in 2021, the share fell to around 12% by 2025.
Moscow has described the EU’s efforts to sever energy ties with Russia as “suicidal.” Last week, Russian presidential investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev argued that the bloc would eventually have to restore ties because “cooperation with Russia economically will be inevitable.”
Dmitriev blamed the EU’s problems, including high energy costs, on its leaders, saying they refuse to acknowledge and correct their mistakes.
Damascus says seven civilians were killed in the strikes and denies coordinating the operation with Amman
Jordan carried out airstrikes on what it described as terrorist sites in neighboring Syria on Monday, following a deadly attack on a Christian church last week. The Syrian government condemned the operation.
According to the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF), fighter jets targeted “hideouts of terrorist organizations in southern Syria.” It added that “several terrorists” were killed or wounded and unspecified equipment was destroyed.
Although the RJAF claimed it acted in coordination with the Syrian authorities, the government in Damascus denied that it received advance notice of the strikes. The Syrian Foreign Ministry said it informed Jordan of its “objections to operations on Syrian territory without prior coordination.”
Khaled al-Omeian, the director of health in Syria’s Daraa province, told SANA that seven civilians, including three children, were killed in the strikes and three others were injured.
“We affirm our support for the affected Syrian families and our full solidarity with them in this tragedy,” the Syrian government said in a statement.
Jordan vowed retaliation after gunmen opened fire on mourners attending a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, Karak Governorate, Jordan on Friday, killing nine people and wounding more than 40.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Jordanian police arrested three suspects during a raid on a compound in Hamoud. Roya News, citing a source, reported that one of the suspects is in critical condition following a shootout with police.
مديرية الأمن العام، تنشر صوراً حيّة للمداهمة الأمنيّة التي نفذتها قوة أمنيّة متخصّصة مشتركة للإرهابيين في محافظة الكرك.
#الأمن_العام #الأردن https://t.co/fbb922SHz8
Jordan and Syria share a long border plagued by arms and drug smuggling, particularly the trafficking of Captagon. Jordan has repeatedly carried out airstrikes in southern Syria against suspected smuggling networks and militant groups, raising tensions with Damascus over violations of Syrian sovereignty.
Jordan has faced a persistent threat from Islamist militants, although major terrorist attacks are rare. In 2016, ISIS-linked gunmen killed ten people in Karak. The Jordanian authorities say they have foiled several Islamist militant plots in recent years.
Right-wing commentator Vito Quiles canceled an appearance in Bilbao after police warned of possible violence
Left-wing protesters rioted in Bilbao, Spain after mobilizing against a planned appearance by right-wing political commentator Vito Quiles near a local Catholic university.
Quiles, often compared by Spanish media to US conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed last year, was scheduled to speak near the University of Deusto at 7:00 PM on Monday as part of a nationwide tour ahead of the November 29 general election.
According to El Pais, several self-described ‘antifascist’ groups announced plans to protest against Quiles, who they accuse of spreading “hate speech.”
The university suspended all activities after police warned of possible “incidents.” Quiles canceled the talk, describing the protesters as “former ETA members, street thugs, and other criminals,” referring to the now-defunct Basque separatist organization.
Scorched metal and billowing smoke across Bilbao. Rioters have taken to the streets, torching cars and bins amid fierce friction tied to the botched Vito Quiles event. The region is on high alert. ⚠️🔥
#Bilbao #Spain #Protests #Breaking https://t.co/tygAcgbPJq
Nevertheless, a crowd of young people, some masked and dressed in black, gathered in a square near the university, set garbage containers on fire, and launched fireworks at police. Several parked cars and a police motorcycle were torched.
Coches ardiendo en una calle de Bilbao durante los disturbios tras el acto frustrado de Vito Quiles https://t.co/UjSwY2KPON https://t.co/VoHZUEfijF
The clashes in Bilbao followed unrest elsewhere in Spain this month, including housing protests in Madrid, demonstrations against the right-wing Vox party in A Coruna and Aviles, and riots in Barcelona. France and Italy have also seen violent protests over the rising cost of living, with clashes in Paris, Marseille, Milan, and Turin.
The nation is already capable of supplying over 1 million tons of fuel to the global market per month, the news agency says
Russia has significantly increased production of diesel in the wake of an agreement reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, Reuters has reported, citing industry sources.
Daily output rose from 160,000 tons in early October to 180,000 tons after the Russian government introduced new export quotas in mid-month, the agency said. Moscow has eased its restrictions on diesel exports, allowing Russian companies to ship up to 500,000 tons of fuel to international markets in October while ensuring domestic demand remains fully covered.
Exports of diesel, marine fuel, and gas oil had been banned until October 31, as the government sought to stabilize the domestic market, which was suffering from increased seasonal demand linked to the harvest season.
According to sources cited by Reuters, domestic demand in Russia is now expected to fall to around 140,000 tons per day as the harvest campaign is largely over. This would free up as much as 40,000 tons of diesel per day or more than 1 million tons per month for export, according to the news agency’s estimates. Between 0.2 and 0.3 million tons are likely to be purchased by Russia’s neighbors, the sources said.
Trump and Putin agreed on diesel supplies during a phone call on October 9. Following the conversation, the US president announced that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November, another million tons shortly thereafter, and potentially further shipments depending on refining capacity. Washington subsequently issued a temporary sanctions waiver permitting Russian diesel imports, reversing restrictions introduced under former US President Joe Biden in 2022.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said Moscow had already dispatched three tankers carrying diesel to the US under the agreement. He also announced that Russia would “ensure additional supplies of diesel fuel to world markets and the United States” to help ease the global diesel shortage. Deliveries would continue on a regular basis, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time.
The diesel deal provoked tensions between Washington and Kiev. Trump has repeatedly urged Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to stop attacking Russian refineries, accusing Kiev of exacerbating the worldwide diesel shortage and hurting American consumers and farmers hit by high fuel prices.
Zelensky hit back, calling Trump’s claims “totally false” and accusing him of “deflecting the focus away from Iran.” He was referring to the US-Israeli military operation against Iran, which led to severe shipment disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz – one of the key seaborne oil transportation routes.
Russia has historically been the world’s second-largest diesel exporter, behind only the US, accounting for around 10% of global exports. Disruptions to Russian supplies can drive up prices even in countries that do not directly import diesel.
The US president questioned the vote count after Lula narrowly defeated Jair Bolsonaro’s son in the runoff
US President Donald Trump has said Brazil’s presidential runoff election, narrowly won by left-wing incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, could have been rigged.
According to the official tally, Lula received 51.79% of the vote on Sunday. His right-wing rival, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, received 48.21%.
“It looked terrible to me,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “I didn’t take sides, but it looked like another rigged election, frankly.”
Asked whether he planns to do something about the results, Trump said, “I’m not running Brazil. I’m running the US I like Lula. I get along with him very well. I just think it had a very bad look – the election, the way it was tabulated.”
Bolsonaro announced on election night that he would seek to have the results annulled, accusing “Lula’s allies” in the government of foul play.
Hours after the results were announced, Bolsonaro said Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered him to surrender his passport and barred him from leaving the country as part of an investigation into suspected money laundering.
Q: Do you want to do something about the election in Brazil?
Trump: I'm not running Brazil. I'm running the U.S. I like Lula. I get along with him very well, but the extension given was very strange. https://t.co/Sl1HUjiWde
In the first round on October 4, Bolsonaro led with 47% of the vote to Lula’s 45%. Some analysts suggested that Bolsonaro could win the runoff by attracting supporters of other right-wing candidates.
Bolsonaro’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, who served as president from 2019 to 2022, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election to Lula. He has denied any wrongdoing, describing the case as politically motivated.
Lula previously served two terms as president from 2003 to 2010. He was barred from running in the 2018 election following a corruption conviction, which was overturned in 2021, allowing him to run again in 2022. Lula has maintained his innocence, accusing his political opponents of using the judicial system against him.
Trump previously urged the Brazilian authorities to drop the case against Jair Bolsonaro, calling his prosecution a “witch hunt.” His administration has also faced allegations of attempting to influence Brazil’s 2026 presidential election in favor of Bolsonaro’s son.
Brazilian police opened a preliminary inquiry into suspected US interference but closed it due to insufficient evidence. Reuters separately reported that two senior State Department officials had pushed for sanctions aimed at weakening Lula and boosting the Bolsonaro family’s political fortunes. The State Department has denied seeking to interfere in the election.
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