Top World News
Airstrike kills at least 22 people near Yemen's capital, Houthi official says
Airstrikes in a town near Yemen's capital, Sanaa, have killed 22 people and wounded 30 others, mostly women and children, according to a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry
Strait of Hormuz could reopen as part of Qatari plan for Iran nuclear inspections
Trump still considering new assault on Iran nuclear sites – though threats less credible after Vance remarksQatar, the lead mediator in the US-Iran conflict, is seeking to persuade Tehran to allow UN nuclear weapons inspectors to visit Iran’s bombed nuclear sites, including those housing the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.Iran would not be required to make any commitment that the stockpile would be removed from the country, with other options on the table, including reducing the uranium content by down-blending it. Continue reading...
Italy's Meloni blames pro-Russian hackers for leak of foreign minister's data on the dark web
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says his personal data has been leaked on the dark web, exposing him to threats and intimidation
US midterm results may help unite Israeli coalition to unseat Netanyahu
Democrats’ sweep could urge Israel’s divided opposition to join forces and remove prime minister closely allied with TrumpThe Democrats’ sweep of Congress may make it easier for Israel’s splintered opposition to overcome deep internal divisions and form a coalition government, by increasing the urgency of unseating Benjamin Netanyahu, who has associated himself so closely with Donald Trump’s Republicans.But as Israel took stock of the results, there was also a sense that the elections marked a longer-term shift in US politics that will make the job of any new Israeli leader far more difficult. Continue reading...
Ousted Paraguay president under house arrest after banking crisis leaves 60% of country unable to access accounts
Santiago Peña was detained minutes after he was impeached by Congress, as protesters took to the streets demanding answers after the suspension of the Ueno bankParaguay’s rightwing president has been placed under house arrest minutes after he was impeached by Congress, amid a severe crisis that left more than half the country’s population unable to access their bank accounts.Santiago Peña is being investigated about allegations he used his political influence to favour a bank that expanded exponentially under his government and was suspended this week after irregularities. Continue reading...
Global stocks fall amid ‘big worries over AI’ after Democrats’ midterms triumph
Asian and European markets follow US tech rout with many analysts predicting more waves of selling to comeEuropean and Asian stock markets fell sharply on Friday after the Democrats’ decisive victory in the midterms triggered a rout in US tech stocks a day earlier.A sell-off on Wall Street on Thursday was followed by sharp falls in Asian stock markets on Friday. The investor sentiment then reached London, where the market was, at one stage, poised for its worst day since March. Continue reading...
Melania Trump torched over ‘disgusting spectacle’ with accused child abductor
First lady Melania Trump faced a torrent of outrage after lavishing praise on a Kremlin official whose past has haunted Ukrainian families.Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian representatives at the White House on Thursday, where she thanked Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova, saying her "dedication brings hope and dignity to those devastated by war," according to a video posted by journalist Aaron Rupar.Ukraine's security service accused Lantratova in 2024 of helping deport children from occupied Kherson to Russia, the Ukrainian news outlet Babel reported.The gathering followed a humanitarian ceasefire in the occupied city of Oleshky that the White House credited Melania with helping broker, the Associated Press noted.BBC local radio correspondent Euan MacDonald laid out the international penalties and Ukrainian charges Lantratova faces, asking if Melania was seriously thanking Lantratova, "who is under international sanctions by the EU, US, UK, and other nations, and who has been charged in absentia in Ukraine for her alleged role in facilitating the unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied territories to Russia?""What a disgusting spectacle," MacDonald blasted. "Shame on America."Nicolas Tenzer, a French foreign policy expert, similarly pointed out that Melania was "praising a person sanctioned by the EU, the UK, Ukraine...and the US for her active role in the deportation and forced russification of Ukrainian kids."Former U.S. ambassador Luis Moreno echoed the ire, lamenting, "You know, all kidding aside. FLOTUS not only invited this war criminal who kidnaps Ukrainian children to Russia, into the White House, but she's honoring and praising her. Beyond disgusting."Branislav Slantchev, a political science professor at the University of California San Diego, turned his fire toward the Trump administration for cozying up to Moscow."This entire f— administration is trying to normalize relations with the war criminals who created the humanitarian disaster these two are now 'solving,'" Slantchev railed.Retired NASA astronaut Terry Virts, a former International Space Station commander who now comments on politics, declared that "the Trump family and MAGA admiration of Russia and Putin is one of the most disgusting episodes in American history."
Melania blows up Trump’s Russia brag with celebration of ‘sophisticated ceasefire’: report
First lady Melania Trump hosted a White House event on a Russian-occupied city’s ceasefire without mentioning President Donald Trump, the Daily Beast reported.The Thursday gathering marked a temporary, localized truce in Oleshky that ended Nov. 1. The Daily Beast reported it let humanitarian aid reach the city and covered the departure of roughly 800 people across six days, and the event came as the president has not made good on his claim that he could end the war in Ukraine on his first day back in office.Melania Trump said she was involved at each stage of what she called a “sophisticated ceasefire,” including reviewing roads and evacuation routes. The Beast said she learned of the crisis in September and served as the sole go-between.Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev credited her with a key coordinating role and said Vladimir Putin personally issued the needed instructions. He added that Putin appreciates the president’s peacemaking effort. Ukrainian politician David Arakhamia praised her work, and ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets gave her the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Class, on behalf of President Volodymyr Zelensky.She said the truce would not have happened without Putin or Zelensky and that their cooperation sets a “meaningful precedent.” She gave officials letters to carry to both leaders.Nobody in the room acknowledged Putin’s invasion caused the crisis, The Beast noted.Melania's role in the ceasefire agreement has been questioned by some observers, who point out that the Pope was involved in ceasefire discussions for Oleshky before Melania's involvement was ever publicly acknowledged.
Hollywood star turned MAGA pundit Russell Brand convicted of rape: report
Hollywood star turned right-wing commentator Russell Brand has been convicted of rape and sexual assault by a London jury.Jurors at Southwark Crown Court returned guilty verdicts Thursday on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, TMZ reported. The jury found him not guilty of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. Brand, 51, had denied all the charges.The judge signaled that prison time is all but certain. “Obviously a custodial sentence of some length will result,” the judge told Brand after the verdict. He is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.Best known for Hollywood comedies like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Get Him to the Greek," Brand reinvented himself in recent years as an online commentator popular on the right, building a massive following with anti-establishment videos. Deadline described him as a “MAGA outrider,” and after he was charged last year, Fox News host turned podcaster Tucker Carlson called on the Trump administration to “rescue” him from what Carlson called “political and absurd” charges.The trial featured testimony from several women who accused Brand of sexual misconduct, according to TMZ. One accuser, recalling an alleged 1999 assault, described his behavior as “lizard-like.” Another told jurors that after Brand raped her, he said he wanted to “push [her] further.”During the trial, the judge ordered a not-guilty verdict on one count of indecent assault, and prosecutors then brought a new charge of attempted indecent assault, on which the jury acquitted him.TMZ reported that Laura Brand, his wife, backed him throughout the proceedings and took the stand in his defense. She described him as a wonderful father and an “amazing, attentive husband.”
British healthcare worker with Ebola evacuated from DR Congo to UK
Patient is in stable condition and will be transferred to a specialist ‘high consequence’ infectious disease unitA British healthcare worker with Ebola is being evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the UK for medical treatment, it has been confirmed.“A British citizen currently in the DR Congo has tested positive for Ebola,” a spokesperson for the UK government said in a statement on Wednesday. “The UK has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated … The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.” Continue reading...
GOP trolled by Iran after major election debacle: 'We endorse this message'
The massive electoral wipeout Republicans suffered on Tuesday did not go unnoticed by Iran’s leadership.According to Politico, Tehran took a victory lap as voters dealt a resounding blow to President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.“Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message,” Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X as the results came in.Ghalibaf, who has played a prominent role in negotiations to end the monthslong war, also threatened retaliation if Washington resumes all-out fighting, Politico is reporting.“If the US govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare,” he wrote.Tehran had been anxiously watching the midterms for weeks. According to Politico, Iranian negotiators reportedly even stalled recent talks to keep gas prices high and fuel voter frustration with the Trump administration over affordability.Iranian state media also had a field day as Democrats flipped both the House and the Senate, according to the report.“War on Iran Emerges As Major Factor in Republicans’ Midterm Defeat,” read one headline from Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.State-run IRNA led with a headline announcing a “heavy defeat for Trump and his supporters,” citing “an unprecedented level of dissatisfaction with US President Donald Trump,” driven in large part by the war.Some anti-war voices in Washington also declared the vote a win for Tehran, Politico also reported.“The Democrats didn’t win the midterms,” wrote Trita Parsi, co-founder of the anti-interventionist Quincy Institute. “Iran did.”
Fox anchor revolts against Trump for giving in to Israel critics: 'Our number-one ally!'
Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade took to Fox Business Tuesday to question President Donald Trump’s supposed decision to “cut off” all U.S. aid to Israel by the end of this year, accusing the president of giving in to the demands of some Democrats.Earlier on Tuesday, Trump ignited an international firestorm after claiming that he’d reached an agreement to end all U.S. aid to Israel within the next two months, potentially putting the roughly $4 billion in annual U.S. aid to Israel in jeopardy. Talks on phasing out such aid have been underway for months, but they’ve centered on a 10-year phaseout, not a cutoff by the end of 2026.“[Trump] went on to say the $4 billion, we’re gonna be cutting off to not give the Democrats a talking point... I don’t know,” Kilmeade said, speaking with Fox Business’ Stuart Varney. “I know their GDP is growing at a pretty good rate, and I know that economically they’ve been a miracle story even while fighting this war for the last four years, but I have no idea why you would give in to Democrats who want to cut off aid to Israel, our number-one ally in the region!”Varney echoed Kilmeade’s alarm, taking it a step further.“He seems like he is accommodating the anti-Israel feeling that is clearly growing in this country — and the president is accommodating it on Election Day!” Varney said.The announcement reportedly caught Israeli officials by surprise. The Israeli Finance Ministry, according to Fox News’ Jonathan Hunt, reporting live Tuesday from Tel Aviv, Israel, said it was “entirely unaware of any intention by the U.S. to cancel that $4 billion in aid.” Israeli politician Yair Golan said Trump’s announcement was a “severe blow to Israel’s security and the quality of life within the country.”“It really caught me by surprise,” Kilmeade continued. “And I’ll tell you, I have no patience for any antisemitism in this country and any anti-Israel sentiment. They’re not perfect, but they’re a democracy and they’re our ally and they’re literally surrounded by enemies — they have no choice!”
