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[l] at 10/11/26 1:20am
Two noncombat deaths have been added after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth dismissed reports that the tally was incomplete The Pentagon has revised its previously underreported tally of US military deaths linked to the war with Iran, raising the official count to 21. The Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) initially listed 18 US military deaths from hostile and non-hostile causes since the conflict began on February 28. The Washington Post reported last month, citing six US officials, that the database understated the number of deaths. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called the findings “a complete lie.” On Friday, the database was updated to include Army National Guard Maj. Sorffly Davius, 46, who died in Kuwait on March 6, and an unidentified Navy member who died by suicide in September. It also recorded the death of Sgt. Devin A. Seibel, 26, who died in a training accident in Iraq in May. The military, however, did not link the incident to the war with Iran and classified it under Operation Inherent Resolve, the decade-long campaign against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). His inclusion brings the broader number of US military fatalities in the Middle East since February 28 to 22, in line with the figure previously reported by the newspaper. Read more ‘Russian diesel for US friends’: Russians react to Trump-Putin deal with PROPAGANDA POSTERS The updated records also show 865 wounded service members. Democratic Representatives Adam Smith and Chrissy Houlahan criticized the incorrect count, calling it “an embarrassment” for the military. “There is no excuse for a mistake of this magnitude,” they said in a joint statement. Approached by the Washington Post, the Pentagon did not address the changes but said it “continues to maintain a steadfast commitment to the transparent, accurate accounting of all service member casualties.” Last month, the US Navy acknowledged that eight sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during a ten-month deployment that included the Iran war. The disclosure followed reports of burnout, declining morale, and shortages of food and basic supplies. Despite US President Donald Trump’s insistence that the campaign has been a success, a Reuters/Ipsos poll in September found that 62% of Americans disapprove of military strikes against Iran. The conflict has also deepened political divisions ahead of November’s midterm election, with the financial cost and economic fallout drawing scrutiny. US Central Command estimated the bill at $43.6 billion through September 3, according to figures provided to lawmakers and seen by AP. READ MORE: US could join Saudi strikes on Yemen – Trump Trump previously said the war would end immediately after the election, subsequently telling Axios that he faces a “big decision” over whether to resume major attacks to bring it to a close. In a phone call on Friday, Trump discussed Iran with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who stressed that a diplomatic settlement remains possible and reiterated Moscow’s offer to accept Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium to help resolve the dispute over its nuclear program. Trump welcomed Russia’s diplomatic involvement, according to presidential aide Yury Ushakov.

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[l] at 10/10/26 10:59pm
Anthropic has admitted that its Claude AI model sent a false homicide tip to the police and submitted dozens of visa applications American AI giant Anthropic has published a report detailing previously undisclosed instances of “unintended” actions by its artificial intelligence model, which included attempts to provide falsified information to the US authorities for the first time. Some of the cases investigated by the company “involved websites run by US government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels,” Anthropic stated in a press release published on Friday, adding that it had briefed the White House and all the relevant agencies on the incidents. In one instance mentioned in the report, its Claude Haiku 4.5 model filled out a police tip form linked to an ongoing homicide investigation. “I may have information regarding this case. I recall seeing someone matching the description in the area,” the AI model wrote, telling the police they can contact the sender “if this information is relevant” while leaving the name and contact fields empty. Read more OpenAI shelves new model after alarming tests – WSJ According to Anthropic, the message was flagged as spam and never handed over to investigators. On Friday, Philadelphia police slammed the company for detecting the flaw too late. “The two-month delay in detecting and reporting the incident to the city is unacceptable,” they said. According to Reuters, the bogus tip was submitted in mid-July. Anthropic linked the incident to “ambiguous” instructions given to the model and “a misconfiguration within the environment” that prompted the model to fill out real forms instead of dummy ones prepared by the company. Read more AI giant promises investors ‘existential risk to humanity’ Another case that was separately made public by the US Department of State on Friday involved Anthropic AI models filing a total of 20 visa applications on its website between May and August. According to the department, all of the applications were incomplete and were not processed. “At no time were any of the Department’s systems compromised or hacked by the Anthropic model,” it added. Other incidents mentioned by Anthropic in its report involved the AI “exploiting a basic flaw in software to run commands on a server” or accessing “data that was gated by a token or a fee,” including on the government-run websites, by employing various workarounds. The company still described the newly revealed incidents as “significantly less severe from an alignment and security perspective” than the ones it had reported earlier. The development adds to a pile of earlier incidents linked to rogue AI behavior reported by Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. The tech giants have investigated tens of thousands of instances of problematic behavior by their frontier models, Axios reported in late September, adding that the list of cases involved the AI bypassing safeguards, hijacking websites, and evading monitors in testing and real-world settings.

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[l] at 10/10/26 9:39pm
The surprise agreement has triggered a wave of ironic Soviet-style memes celebrating unity against a common enemy A series of Soviet-style propaganda posters has appeared on the popular Russian social platform Pikabu following President Donald Trump’s grand announcement of a diesel deal with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Pikabu is a Reddit-style website where users create entertainment content and share stories, images, and memes. The tongue-in-cheek posters, celebrating a newfound partnership over barrels of fuel, appeared on Saturday in a post titled ‘Morning Propaganda’. “American, remember! Your enemy is not Russian – the Russian gives diesel! Your enemy is the Green Rat, who bombs your diesel in Russia!” the first poster reads, referring to Vladimir Zelensky, known for his signature green attire and whose surname is derived from the word for ‘green’ in Russian and Ukrainian. ©  Pikabu / WladWinter “From Russia with diesel,” the second says, giving a fuel-themed twist to the James Bond movie title. The poster features a Russian couple in traditional dress presenting a barrel of fuel to an American family. ©  Pikabu / WladWinter The budding friendship goes a step further in the third image, which features a happy American family and soldiers from both countries shaking hands in front of a Patriot air defense system. “Is the Green Rat bombing our diesel in Russia?” the caption asks. “Let’s give our Russian friends a Patriot and protect our values!” ©  Pikabu / WladWinter The final poster features late US Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Kiev and co-author of the “bone-crushing” sanctions bill that proposed a 500% tariff on countries that import Russian energy. Graham, who died in July, is depicted in anguish amid flames and devils while a tanker labeled “Russian Diesel” approaches New York. “Lindsey Graham in hell’s writhing – Russian diesel in America’s arriving!” the caption reads. ©  Pikabu / WladWinter US President Donald Trump, who has blamed Zelensky for driving up fuel prices for American consumers through his stubborn refusal to halt attacks on Russian refineries, has approved a temporary sanctions waiver allowing Russian diesel exports and sales through April 7, 2027. Read more Ukraine should elect new president – Trump (VIDEO) Following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Trump announced that Moscow agreed to supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to US and global markets “immediately,” followed by 500,000 tons in November and another 1 million tons shortly afterward. Moscow has confirmed that it will ease restrictions on diesel exports sooner than planned, saying the move will benefit the global economy. Trump struck the deal with Putin after Zelensky ignored a number of requests to stop attacks on Russian refineries, according to Axios. Zelensky was furious and denounced Trump’s move as a “weak decision.” “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president… I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” Trump said on Saturday. Ukrainian negotiators left the talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami a day earlier than planned.

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[l] at 10/10/26 7:09pm
The dire situation in Alyoshki was discussed during a Putin-Trump phone call on Friday US First Lady Melania Trump has expressed willingness to support humanitarian efforts in the Russian town of Alyoshki, where civilians are trapped under a Ukrainian siege amid severe shortages of food, water, and medicine, Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova said. Located close to the front line in Kherson Region, which voted to join Russia four years ago, the town has been largely deprived of basic services for months. Frequent drone attacks and remotely laid mines obstruct aid deliveries and hinder evacuation efforts. The local authorities estimate that 1,500 to 2,000 people remain in the town, including women, children, and the elderly. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, discussed the humanitarian crisis during a phone call on Friday and agreed that the commissioner would maintain contact with the US first lady’s office, according to the Kremlin. Moscow has accused Kiev of deliberately creating the humanitarian crisis through its attacks on civilian supply routes and exploiting the resulting human tragedy to blame Russia. Read more Putin and Trump hold ‘successful’ talks: Key details “To address this dire situation, we remain in contact with the American side and the team of Melania Trump, who has voiced her willingness to help the town,” Lantratova wrote in a Telegram post on Saturday, adding that difficult negotiations are underway to arrange humanitarian deliveries and evacuate those in need of urgent care. Lantratova said Ukraine deliberately destroyed the latest humanitarian convoy, despite the vehicles bearing signs reading ‘People’. Residents have had to risk their lives to bring essential supplies into the town on foot or by bicycle. “If the Ukrainians stopped attacking and mining civilian supply routes, it would allow the delivery of necessary aid and the evacuation of those who urgently need it,” she said. “We will continue to help all residents no matter what their political views are. Human beings are our top priority, and the value of each human life is unconditional,” Lantratova added. Read more Zelensky ‘doesn’t give a damn’ about Ukrainians – Russian envoy Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Ministry envoy Rodion Miroshnik said Ukrainian forces have effectively besieged Alyoshki, blocking essential deliveries and preventing residents from leaving. He accused them of continuing to mine roads, attack civilians, and obstruct the recovery of victims’ bodies to prevent war crimes from being documented. Kherson Governor Vladimir Saldo invited international organizations to visit Alyoshki and assess the conditions firsthand, amid accusations that Russia is obstructing humanitarian relief. “Please come and see. Then we can decide together how to resolve this extremely difficult situation,” he said at a briefing on Wednesday. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Kiev of creating a humanitarian catastrophe; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the situation as critical.

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[l] at 10/10/26 6:05pm
The tech billionaire has backed US President Donald Trump’s demand that Ukraine stop harming the US and global economy Tech billionaire Elon Musk has lashed out at Vladimir Zelensky, siding with President Donald Trump, who has warned that Kiev’s continued attacks on Russian oil refineries are worsening a global fuel crisis and hurting American farmers. Trump also called for a change of leadership in Kiev, accusing Zelensky of repeatedly rejecting opportunities to end the conflict and deliberately ignoring Washington’s requests. “We told him, do whatever you want, but don’t hit the diesel fuel, because there’s a big problem, a big shortage. And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday. “He wants to make problems for the world… for our farmers, our ranchers, with diesel fuel.” “Zelensky has gone too far,” Musk wrote on X on Sunday, directly responding to a White House video of the remarks, which were part of Trump’s broader criticism of Zelensky, including his suggestion that “it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.” @RapidResponse47 @POTUS Zelensky has gone too far— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 10, 2026 The latest spat erupted after Washington agreed to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports following a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, a move intended to ease a global fuel shortage that has pushed up prices in the US and elsewhere. Read more Ukraine should elect new president – Trump (VIDEO) Trump reached a diesel deal with Putin after Zelensky ignored at least half a dozen requests from Washington to stop striking Russian refineries, according to Axios. Zelensky denounced Trump’s move as a “weak decision,” while Ukrainian negotiators left the talks in Miami a day early. Musk’s criticism carries particular weight given Ukraine’s heavy dependence on Starlink, the satellite internet network operated by his company, SpaceX. Since 2022, tens of thousands of Starlink terminals have been central to Kiev’s battlefield communications, drone operations, and coordination between military units. A complete loss of Starlink access could severely disrupt these capabilities and potentially trigger a major battlefield crisis. Musk has repeatedly called for a negotiated settlement between Moscow and Kiev, and resisted Kiev’s attempts to expand its use of Starlink for attacks on Russian territory. In 2022, Musk refused to activate the network near Crimea to support a Ukrainian strike on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, warning that doing so would make SpaceX complicit in a major escalation. Read more Ex-Google boss warns Ukraine over Russia’s ‘Starlink rival’ Recently, Zelensky appealed to Trump to persuade Musk to authorize Starlink-guided drone strikes deep inside Russia. He also sought a face-to-face meeting with the billionaire during a visit to Washington in July, but Musk refused, The Atlantic reported, citing a source familiar with the discussions. “Elon keeps saying it’s time to make a deal,” an associate of former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov told the magazine. In an apparent effort to court the billionaire’s favor, Zelensky awarded Musk the Order of Freedom, one of Ukraine’s highest state honors, in August, praising his contributions to protecting lives and strengthening Ukrainian-American relations.

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[l] at 10/10/26 4:48pm
Washington could intervene in the escalating conflict after a Houthi attack on Riyadh airport killed 12 people, including an American citizen President Donald Trump has said the US could join Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against Yemen’s Houthis, signaling a potential reversal of his previous reluctance to intervene directly in the escalating conflict. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Saturday, Trump was asked whether US forces could join the Saudi strikes against the Yemeni group, also known as Ansar Allah, following another deadly attack on Riyadh’s international airport. ”We may. We’re going to look at it,” Trump replied. “We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.” "Have you decided whether to join the Saudi strikes on the Houthis?" @POTUS: "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly." https://t.co/8aUAneK2xB— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 10, 2026 Trump later suggested that Saudi Arabia is capable of defending itself without US involvement, describing the latest attack on the kingdom as “terrible.” “They’re able to defend. The Saudis are good fighters. But I think the attack was a terrible thing,” Trump told reporters. Asked again whether the US would intervene, he said: “You’re gonna find out… We have communication with the Houthis, and we’ll see what happens. But what they did was very bad.”  The remarks came after a Houthi strike on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital killed 12 people and injured another 309, according to updated figures released on Sunday by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The dead included four Saudi citizens and eight foreign nationals, among them an American. Some of the injured are in critical condition. Read more Houthi strike on Riyadh airport kills 12, injures over 300 (VIDEOS) The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, one of several targeting Saudi airports in recent days. Speaking exclusively to RT, senior Ansar Allah official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said the strikes were intended to force Riyadh to accept a “comprehensive and permanent peace” and end the war and mutual blockade. The renewed fighting comes as Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have launched a major offensive to retake territory seized by the Houthis, including strategic areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday that it launched “large-scale operations” against the group, destroying 136 military targets, according to the spokesman. Trump’s remarks suggest a potential shift in the US position. In September, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman repeatedly sought US military assistance against the Houthis, but Trump ultimately backed away from authorizing strikes despite preparations for an operation, according to the New York Times. Read more Trump left Saudi Arabia to face Houthis alone – Mearsheimer to RT (VIDEO) Washington has reportedly continued to provide Riyadh with intelligence and other non-combat support, but direct US strikes against the Houthis would open another front in the regional conflict. In March 2025, Trump ordered weeks of US air and naval strikes against Houthi positions, targeting missile launchers, radar installations, and other military infrastructure in an attempt to halt attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The campaign ended abruptly in May under an Omani-brokered ceasefire after the Houthis agreed to stop targeting US vessels. In September, Trump claimed that the Houthis contacted Washington, seeking to avoid another confrontation with US forces, saying the group “would much prefer not having us involved.” Ansar Allah denied making contact. READ MORE: Houthis asked US not to intervene in Yemen conflict – Trump (VIDEOS) The latest escalation comes amid the broader regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli war against Iran in February. The Houthis have expanded their control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, threatening a crucial shipping route that Saudi Arabia increasingly relies on for oil exports amid disruptions to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

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[l] at 10/10/26 3:29pm
Convicted murderer Christa Pike has been sent back to the women’s prison she had spent three decades in, her lawyers have said Death row inmate Christa Pike, who was convicted of murder in the US state of Tennessee, has been discharged from a local hospital after surviving a botched execution. The woman was sent back to prison on Saturday, days after regaining her ability to walk and talk after receiving a double lethal injection, her lawyers have said. Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow Job Corps student in Knoxville. Her execution, which was scheduled for September 30, was expected to be the first execution of a woman in Tennessee in more than 200 years. The inmate did not lose her consciousness after two syringes of pentobarbital were administered and complained about feeling pain in her arm instead. She eventually lost consciousness but could be heard breathing heavily and snoring as well as still had a heartbeat nearly 90 minutes into the execution, prompting an ambulance to take her to a hospital, according to the US media. Read more Tennessee death row inmate survives double lethal injection The woman initially remained unconscious and was on a ventilator. According to The Guardian, she was allegedly declared brain dead on Monday before suddenly regaining her consciousness on Thursday. One of her lawyers said at the time she was “up and walking,” even though she was “somewhat foggy.” On Saturday, Pike was returned to the Deborah K Johnson rehabilitation center, where she had spent 30 years. “She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances,” her lawyers said, adding that the woman “is continuing to receive medical care at the prison.”  The authorities provided no official explanation as to why Pike survived the execution. The New York Times reported earlier, citing medical experts, that Pike probably survived the procedure because the lethal drug leaked into tissue around the insertion sites instead of entering her bloodstream. The woman’s lawyers had previously warned that her medical history, including a blood-clotting condition, and small veins increased the risk that she would experience unnecessary pain. Read more Tennessee prisons chief steps down after botched execution The incident prompted the resignation of Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada. The state’s governor, Bill Lee, also ordered an independent review of the botched execution and suspended the only other execution scheduled for this year. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cancelled a planned lethal injection execution in his state as well on Friday. Pike, then aged 18, was convicted of first-degree murder after she, her boyfriend, and another accomplice lured Slemmer, a fellow student, to an isolated area near the University of Tennessee agricultural campus, where Pike brutally beat her and cut her throat. Her case became the second botched execution in Tennessee this year. In May, the execution of death row inmate Tony Carruthers was halted after the officials repeatedly failed to establish intravenous access to administer pentobarbital. The governor then granted the man a one-year reprieve as he was returned to death row. The incident raised questions about the state’s lethal injection procedures months before Pike’s execution.

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[l] at 10/10/26 3:01pm
The Saudi authorities said an American citizen was among those killed in the attack claimed by the Yemeni group A Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed 12 people, including an American citizen, and injured another 309, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) confirmed on Sunday. The Saudi aviation authority said the fatalities included four Saudi citizens and eight foreign nationals, including two Bangladeshis and one each from the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan. Some of the 309 injured remain in critical condition, GACA said, adding that the extent of the damage to the airport is still being assessed. The attack comes almost a week after Yemen’s internationally recognized and Saudi-backed government launched a major offensive to retake territory from the Iran-backed Houthis, including areas near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Saudi-led forces have supported the operation with airstrikes, while the Houthis have retaliated with missile and drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh’s international airport. Footage from Terminal 3 of King Khalid Intl. Airport, Riyadh, following an Ansarallah ballistic missile strike. https://t.co/MoaFKmHR7B— Tabz (@TabzLIVE) October 10, 2026 A missile struck the building housing two terminals used for domestic flights at the airport, AP reported, citing a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity. First video released from the Houthi missile impact site at Terminal 3 of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Debris can be seen scattered on the ground, several people can also be glimpsed lying on the ground amidst the smoke. https://t.co/E0p3whcE24— MoloMonitor ?? (@MoloWarMonitor) October 10, 2026 Videos circulating on social media appear to show a plume of smoke rising above Terminal 3 following the strike. Videos shared with us show that around two hours ago, the fire alarm went off at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Blood can also be seen on the ground, along with a large emergency response at the scene. https://t.co/ur6KM0Kpqn— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) October 10, 2026 At least 316 flights to and from Riyadh airport were canceled on Saturday, according to data from flight-tracking service Flightradar24. The US Embassy and several other Western diplomatic missions urged citizens to avoid the airport and warned of major travel disruptions. Read more US could join Saudi strikes on Yemen – Trump Asked whether US forces could join the Saudi strikes against the Houthis, US President Donald Trump told reporters: “We may. We’re going to look at it.” Saudi Arabia has led a military campaign against the Houthis since 2015. The hostilities largely subsided following a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022 before flaring up again this July following a strike on Sanaa Airport by Saudi-backed Yemeni forces. Fighting escalated further in September as the Houthis made their biggest territorial gains in years, capturing the strategic port of Mocha and expanding their control along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital international shipping route. ©  X / ksagaca Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior official and spokesman for the Yemeni group, also known as Ansar Allah, confirmed responsibility for the strike in an exclusive interview with RT, saying they were intended to force Saudi Arabia to agree to a “comprehensive and permanent peace” and an end to the war and mutual blockade. Al-Bukhaiti accused Riyadh of destroying Yemen’s civilian infrastructure over the past 12 years, including airports, seaports, schools, hospitals, markets, and even wedding and funeral halls. He said the Houthis are now responding in kind to Saudi attacks, but insisted that the strikes are intended to pressure Saudi leaders into accepting a lasting peace agreement rather than motivated by revenge. “Our military operations deep inside the Saudi entity will continue and will not end except by destroying all Saudi infrastructure belonging to the government,” he warned, specifically naming military facilities, airports, ports, and other vital installations.

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[l] at 10/10/26 3:01pm
Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, has taken responsibility for the strike An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday injured several people and forced the suspension of airport operations, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has reported. The Houthis were behind the attack, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior political official and spokesman for the group, confirmed to RT. The news comes almost a week after Yemen’s internationally recognized and Saudi-backed government launched a major offensive to retake territory from the Iran-backed Houthis, including areas near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Saudi-led forces have supported the operation with airstrikes, while the Houthis have retaliated with missile and drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh’s international airport. Al-Bukhaiti stressed that the Houthis would continue striking Saudi targets until Riyadh agreed to a comprehensive peace deal ending the war and the blockade of Houthi-controlled northern Yemen. GACA said that the attack resulted in a number of injuries, the extent of which is still being assessed. “Operational activities at the airport have been temporarily suspended pending a full assessment of the damage and verification of facility safety,” it said in a statement. A missile struck the building housing two terminals used for domestic flights at the airport, AP reported, citing a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity. READ MORE: Three killed in Houthi-claimed strikes in Saudi Arabia (VIDEOS) Videos circulating on social media appeared to show a plume of smoke rising above Terminal 3 following the strike. Footage from Terminal 3 of King Khalid Intl. Airport, Riyadh, following an Ansarallah ballistic missile strike. https://t.co/MoaFKmHR7B— Tabz (@TabzLIVE) October 10, 2026 At least 316 flights to and from Riyadh airport were cancelled on Saturday, according to data from flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Read more Syria weighs deploying thousands of troops to Yemen – Axios Saudi Arabia has led a military campaign against the Houthis since 2015. The hostilities largely subsided following a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022 before flaring up again this July following a strike on Sanaa airport by Saudi-backed Yemeni forces. Fighting escalated further in September as the Houthis made their biggest territorial gains in years, capturing the strategic port of Mocha and expanding their control along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital international shipping route.

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[l] at 10/10/26 2:12pm
The revived initiative gives around 180 children a chance to pursue their broadcasting dreams despite the ongoing conflict In war-battered southern Gaza, a revived children’s media initiative is helping young Palestinians learn broadcasting skills, continue their education and pursue dreams beyond the conflict, local freelance journalist Rami Al Meghari reported for RT on Saturday. Established in 2006, Pioneers of Palestine resumed operations earlier this year. The initiative now offers around 180 boys and girls aged eight to 18 television production training and other subjects in a basement studio in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. “My ambition is to become a director,” one student told RT. The studio’s equipment could allow audiences worldwide to see that “Palestinian children have lives and aspirations similar to those of children elsewhere,” she said. Read more Israeli attacks leave more dead in Gaza as ceasefire nears one year According to the organizers, the project was kickstarted by funding from the Sheffield UK Fund around five months ago, which allowed it to secure cameras and other equipment. They appealed to European organizations and other potential donors for electricity supplies and technical support to maintain production and broadcasting. “This activity is something that is remarkable for this group and for the whole community right at this situation of war where the Israeli military continues its actions unabated on the territory from time to time, even after the ceasefire was instated back in October of 2025,” Al Meghari reported. Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,481 Palestinians in Gaza since the October 10 armistice, according to the enclave’s health ministry. READ MORE: ‘Pack your suitcases’: Israel’s far right unveils its blueprint for emptying Gaza Besides media training, Pioneers of Palestine offers children theater and fine arts courses. Kids aged eight to 14 also receive lessons in regular school subjects. Watch the full RT report below:

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[l] at 10/10/26 11:26am
Vladimir Zelensky has refused multiple opportunities to settle the conflict with Russia, the US president has said Ukraine should replace Vladimir Zelensky, US President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday, accusing the Ukrainian leader of refusing peace deals with Russia and worsening global diesel shortages. “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump said. “Zelensky could have settled this war many times. Many, many times. And he chooses not to,” he said. Trump also accused Zelensky of ignoring warnings against attacking Russian refining facilities. “We said, you can do whatever you want to Russia, don’t hit the refineries, because that’s a world problem that’s caused. And he wants to make problems for the world,” Trump said. “And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel.” I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal. Zelensky’s mandate as president expired in 2024, but he has retained power since, citing martial law. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed that this could undermine an eventual peace deal signed with Kiev. Trump’s statements came a day after his phone call with Putin, during which the two presidents agreed on a deal aimed at easing the global fuel crisis. The US Treasury temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel exports immediately after the conversation. Read more Trump lifted Russian fuel ban after Zelensky rejected his demands – Axios According to Trump, Moscow agreed to the immediate release of 300,000 metric tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 metric tons next month. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has confirmed that Moscow is ready to provide the fuel to Washington and other international buyers, and said that exports could be increased to one million tons by December. Russia will begin lifting its diesel export restrictions ahead of schedule, he said.

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[l] at 10/10/26 10:50am
An insider explores the depth of Russia’s tennis school and the reforms that could give its next generation an even stronger start My friends and relatives would tell me how lucky I was to work with professional tennis players. People, especially sports journalists, tended to lean over and whisper to me that my job was a dream. I replied, more nightmare than dream. The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, in Filderstadt, near Stuttgart in Germany, is German tennis’ moment to shine and 15 years ago I was there looking after one of our company’s clients who’d made the final. Sitting in the player’s lounge, having a snack, Danish star Carolina Wozniacki came over for a chat. She was “carbing up” for a semi-final with Poland’s Radwanska, and remarked how one Russian player who’d lost earlier in the tournament was still hanging around and “carbing up.” Read more Too Russian for the NHL? The tensions behind Ovechkin’s farewell “She can beat anyone in the world, she just needs to control her diet,” the great Dane said with a very serious face. I glanced over at the young woman in question and wondered just how many pieces of rich, tasty chocolate cake she needed on her plate. I knew, however, that she was just one of many who progressed through a chaotic tennis system that wasn’t fit for purpose. Burning out talent The heavy focus on training and playing has cost more top Russian talent successful careers than lack of funds to play tournaments or anything else. And after 1991, Russian tennis was over the top in this regard. Too many youngsters suffered physical and mental burn out. “It’s important to remember they are kids,” Russia-born, Serbia Fed Cup team player Vesna Dolonc told us on Capital Sports last year. “Burn out is very real and parents, too, need to take care of it.” Vesna, a talented Russian junior who chose to play for her father’s country, made the main draw in all Grand Slams and after winning eight professional titles retired in 2017 to focus on coaching. Her view is that there are hugely talented kids and coaches in Russia, though there needs to be focus on the “whole person.” Vesna Dolonc during day three of the 2014 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 15, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. ©  Chris Hyde / Getty Images It’s something that Melik, father of retired Russian tennis ace Margarita Betova (née Gasparyan) pointed out when I worked with his daughter for a short stint in 2011-12. “They [national team coaches] made her play when she had one leg, when she was barely able to stand and then complain [when] she loses,” he told me at our first meeting. Read more The Cold War’s strangest diplomatic tool is back on the ice Later, as we sat watching her at the 2012 Kremlin Cup, he blamed the battle for finance as the main cause. “The [Russian tennis] federation has not enough money to give all young [players], so everyone kills themselves to win and play, even when they’re hurt.” That was then, when so many young Russian women who were superb on the junior circuit just fell away before making the top-100. Some players found alternative paths to success and support. Spreading Since and including 2011 there have been no fewer than six Russian players in the world’s top-100 at the end of each year. It has steadily increased since 2022, with 13 in the leader list from 2023-25. Ten Russian women are currently in the top-100. And there is an asterisk to put in there. That does not include Russia-born players who are serving other countries, like Elena Rybakina. The Muscovite was the latest talent to fly the Kazakhstan flag with full funding, coaching, and support team guaranteed. Ditto World number 50, Anastasia Potapova, who switched to Austria, and it seems an annual occurrence when another nation, like Australia, Uzbekistan, or France snap up a graduate of the Russian tennis system. Elena Rybakina in the Women's Singles First Round during day three of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 20, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. ©  Clive Brunskill / Getty Images “There are so many players,” explained Ksenia Pervak, the former world number 37 who switched to Kazakhstan for three years, “so many really good players that if you’re not, like, top, maybe, fifty early, you don’t get the funding.” A super talented junior who won the Australian Open title in 2009, she succumbed to injuries and wrapped up her career fully in 2017 at the age of just 26. Read more What does American football look like in a country most Americans couldn’t find on a map? Given that more Russian female players are ranked in the top-100, including with other countries, does that mean the system is working? Changing the system “There were a lot of us,” Ksenia told me on Capital Sports in 2019, “a whole generation, like, tens of us. But you know, if I was playing as a junior now, it’s totally different.” Better? I asked. “So much,” she responded with gusto, going on to explain how the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) had implemented best practice for coaches, players, and even parents. One of that “generation,” Ekaterina Bychkova, explained this to a genuinely enraptured audience of students at Russia State Social University in 2020. “Parents can be a bit crazy, they live out a life through their kids,” she said, offering a few funny stories from personal experience both as a player and coach. Ekaterina Bychkova during Day Two of the 2011 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 30, 2011 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. ©  Patrick McDermott / Getty Images “[The tennis system in Russia] is unrecognizable from when I was a kid. Now, they tell you about nutrition, proper fitness, even sleep. It’s not perfect, but I would have no problem in putting my kid, when I have one, into it,” Ekaterina said, as if predicting the future. Now a mother, she has enrolled her young son, Mark, into tennis lessons and says he’s loving it. Read more The woke experiment in women’s sport has reached its absurd conclusion Are we there yet? The RTF seems to have heard what the first generations of post-Soviet players endured. They have, as mentioned above, put in place standards that will evolve and improve with time. The issue with parents is something that was always a great bugbear of mine. Liudmila Mikoyan, a leading Russian coach who was a successful tour pro and played for her father’s homeland of Armenia, used to advise me on the “crazy mothers.” The ones who have the same clothes and hairstyles as their daughters and perch themselves perilously close to the action. One of these “crazy mothers” was the reason for the federation to begin considering guidelines. I was there at the Moscow venue, for an International Tennis Federation (ITF) $25k pro tournament when Russian officials genuinely were lost for words and action. In the second set of a doubles match, the woman’s child kept messing up her forehand volleys close to the net. Exasperated, the mother went down from the balcony overhanging the court during a break between games. She emerged out onto the playing surface, dragging her daughter up from her seat with her, and proceeded to show her how to play the shot correctly. The umpire called for help, tournament officials arrived, but it was already too late. German player Annika Beck and her mother were standing next to me, watching it unfold. Our chat about my former life in Germany and their hometown of Giessen abruptly halted as the Russian crazy mother was led from the court by the tournament referee, and her teenage daughter barely held back tears. There are, I’ve been told by Vesna and Ekaterina, occasional outbreaks from parents at training or tournaments, but greatly reduced thanks to RTF guidelines. Alongside better coach education, information for players and parents, and limits on tournament participation to prevent ‘overplaying’, Russia is beginning to blossom into a much better place for kids to play tennis and once the ITF removes the stigma of being born in Russia, we’ll see a lot more home-produced talent winning major tournaments under a Russian flag.

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[l] at 10/10/26 7:58am
“Half a dozen” calls for Kiev to stop strikes on oil refineries have reportedly been rejected US President Donald Trump’s decision to approve a temporary waiver of sanctions on Russian fuel exports came after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky ignored multiple requests to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, Axios reported on Saturday, citing a US official with direct knowledge of the matter. Trump has persistently blamed Ukraine, and Zelensky personally, for exacerbating the global fuel crisis, accusing authorities in Kiev of deliberately targeting Russian refining facilities and driving up prices for American consumers. Despite repeated warnings from Washington, the Ukrainian leader pledged earlier this month to ramp up the long-range strikes. “The attacks on the refineries cause pain in Russia, but it causes pain for the US, too,” the US official told the news outlet. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reportedly warned Ukrainian negotiators during eight hours of talks in Miami earlier this week that Trump planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Read more ‘Immediate win for both presidents’ – expert on US-Russia diesel deal (VIDEO) A Ukrainian official told Axios that Witkoff and Kushner threatened to cut off US intelligence sharing with Kiev if it continued to ignore Trump’s requests to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, but the US official denied that any such threat had been made. The media outlet cited the official as saying that the dispute over the diesel deal emerged as the US mediators conducted constructive talks on ending the conflict with Ukrainian and European diplomats. The negotiations reportedly focused on finalizing security guarantees for Ukraine from the US, Europe, and NATO, as well as new territorial proposals. The official added that Witkoff and Kushner had presented postwar plans covering Ukraine’s reconstruction, military funding, and budget deficits, while participants discussed Kiev’s potential EU accession, its future relationship with NATO, and a possible postwar security framework between Europe and Russia. Trump and Putin held a phone call on Friday, shortly after which the US Treasury Department announced a temporary waiver of sanctions on Russian fuel trade, allowing diesel to be sold, delivered, and exported, including into the US, until at least April 7, 2027. Read more Zelensky slams ‘weak’ Trump decision Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and global markets, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and a million tons thereafter, with up to three million additional tons available “within a short period of time.” The Kremlin said Moscow was ready to supply oil and petroleum products to global markets, adding that this would benefit the world economy. Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak also confirmed that Russia would lift diesel export restrictions ahead of schedule, with the process to begin “immediately.” Russia had previously extended restrictions on diesel, ship fuel, and gas oil exports until October 31 to stabilize the domestic market amid seasonal demand from the harvest. Fuel producers are barred from exporting until October 31, while fuel resellers face a ban until January 31, 2027. Gasoline exports are also prohibited until the end of January.

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[l] at 10/10/26 7:27am
Two children are among the victims, according to the police A gunman opened fire at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, killing at least nine people, according to local law enforcement. Two children are among the victims, the police said, adding that the suspect committed suicide. The police received a report about a shooting at a residence in the city of Erie in the early evening on Friday, according to the local media. Two women were subsequently found dead outside of the home; the other victims were discovered inside. The suspect reportedly initially barricaded himself indoors, leading to a standoff with the SWAT teams deployed to the scene, the police department said. A local news media outlet photographer, who was present at the scene, stated that he had heard screams and gunfire at some point during the standoff. The gunman then took his own life, according to Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah, who said the suspect died from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.” READ MORE: 27 killed in back-to-back South Africa mass shootings (VIDEOS) “At this time, we can confirm that the suspect is deceased. Based on the information currently available to us, there is no ongoing threat to the public,” the police chief stated at a press conference later on Friday. The city authorities also said that “the situation [had] been contained” and there was no danger to the public. Neither the victims nor the suspect have been publicly identified. The motives for the shooting also remain unclear. “Our investigators are working diligently to establish the full circumstances of what occurred,” Lorah said, adding that “it’s going to take some time to put this all together.”

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[l] at 10/10/26 7:02am
Moscow has the money, St. Petersburg has the pride – Inside a rivalry shaped by history, snobbery, and two very different ideas of home Russia’s most award-winning restaurant is leaving St. Petersburg for Moscow, and the reaction tells you rather more about the relationship between the country’s two capitals than it does about food. For eight years, we Petersburgers have taken pride in Birch, a celebrated fine-dining eatery, twice named Russia’s best and renowned for its inventive tasting menus and notoriously hard-to-get tables. Of course, most of us stopped going there long ago, once it became largely the preserve of visitors from Moscow, because locals are not generally eager to spend $200 per person on dinner, which is roughly what the basic set menu with non-alcoholic drinks would have cost this year. You also had to pay in advance for a reservation, often months ahead. A Moscow friend merely laughed when I mentioned the prices. “That’s reasonable,” she said. “Average for the market, really.” There, in miniature, you have the difference between the two cities. Birch was brilliant, but increasingly not for us and then came the news that it was closing and moving to Moscow. I won’t speculate here about the business reasons, given that’s a conversation for people who take fine dining rather more seriously than I do, but what interested me was the reaction of Petersburgers who had never eaten at Birch and had no intention of doing so. Read more Callous Kallas: The bitter diplomat dragging the EU down the warpath with Russia They were genuinely upset because, apparently, Birch had become something like the Hermitage Museum or the fountains at the Tsar’s old Peterhof. We may not visit them every week, but we know they’re there, they belong to us, and we are proud of them. The restaurant worked in much the same way, while you might consider spending that much on dinner absurd, it was comforting to know that you could. Better still, you could complain that “those Muscovites” had taken all the tables, as though you had spent every morning desperately refreshing the booking page. Now comes the ultimate betrayal as Birch is defecting to Moscow, our ancient rival. The comments beneath reports of the closure were wonderfully predictable, such as the owner had gone chasing Moscow money and he had been somebody special in Petersburg, but Moscow was full of people like him and let’s see how much they appreciate him there. The resentment was unmistakable because we simply don’t like it when somebody chooses Moscow over us. It happens with almost everything, Petersburgers compare restaurants, museums, architecture, public transport, the pace of life and even our respective words for kerbs and needless to say, in this invisible competition St. Petersburg wins almost every category. At least according to St. Petersburg. Read more Too Russian for the NHL? The tensions behind Ovechkin’s farewell Sometimes I suspect that the entire rivalry exists mainly in our heads, in that we are certainly competing with Moscow, but whether Moscow knows it is competing with us is another question. Russian writers were comparing the two cities long before any of us arrived. In imperial times, when St. Petersburg was the capital, it could afford to look down on Moscow, but although the capital moved more than a century ago, a certain Petersburg snobbery survived the transfer remarkably well.  Three hundred years of self-importance aren’t easily erased, but there may be another reason for the difference. Moscow often feels like a city of arrivals as people move there from every corner of Russia to build careers, make money and seize opportunities, yet many never quite decide that Moscow is home. When I worked there, I was amazed by colleagues who had lived in the capital for five or seven years but barely knew the city. They still regarded Perm, Krasnodar or wherever they had come from as home and even after 15 or 20 years in Moscow, they would announce that they were “going home” for the holidays. St. Petersburg works differently, if you live here for a couple of years you begin, almost involuntarily, to become a Petersburger and soon enough you are complaining about Muscovites arriving with their money, occupying the best tables and theater seats, clogging Nevsky Prospekt and pushing up property prices because you have been assimilated. Read more France’s ‘high school’ protests aren’t what you think Perhaps that old rivalry is now approaching its natural end as Moscow and St. Petersburg are becoming closer in practical terms every year, and the planned high-speed railway could eventually reduce the journey between their centers to around two hours. For affluent residents of both cities, that future has practically arrived already, with a favorite restaurant moving 650 kilometers away an inconvenience rather than a tragedy as lunch in Petersburg and dinner in Moscow is no longer an especially exotic proposition. For everyone else, perhaps the closer relationship between Russia’s two great cities will eventually bring other benefits and maybe some Moscow salaries will migrate north, while perhaps some Petersburg habits will travel south. And perhaps, once Moscow and St. Petersburg are connected so closely that the distinction begins to blur, there will finally be no reason for envy or those familiar sidelong glances and we will become one enormous, harmonious urban family. Although, naturally, St. Petersburg will still be the more beautiful part of it. This article was first published by the online newspaper Gazeta.ru and was translated and edited by the RT team

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[l] at 10/10/26 6:42am
Moscow and Washington have reached a major energy deal to supply Russian diesel to American and global markets, potentially easing a fuel shortage A major energy deal reached on Friday to export Russian diesel to the US and global markets, potentially easing an international fuel shortage, is an “immediate win” for both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Craig Pasta Jardula, host of the daily call-in show “Drive Time,” has told RT. Both leaders spoke by phone for 90 minutes on Friday after which Trump announced Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and an additional one million tonnes thereafter. “I do think these are immediate wins for both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Trump has midterm elections coming up in less than a month, so he can tout this as a victory. One of the biggest concerns in the US is oil prices, so this will boost market confidence at a time when markets have become increasingly unstable,” Jardula said. Diesel prices affect agriculture, home heating, and trucking costs, and are near record highs, posing a risk for Trump’s fellow Republicans ahead of elections on November 3 that will determine whether they retain control of Congress. US diesel futures fell almost 5% following news of the deal and were trading at $4.64 a gallon. Read more Putin and Trump hold ‘successful’ talks: Key details Following the news, the US Treasury also issued a temporary sanctions waiver covering Russian diesel shipments until April 7, 2027. The Ukraine conflict dominated much of the discussion between the presidents, with Putin briefing Trump on the situation along the front lines and Moscow’s response to Ukrainian “terrorist strikes” on energy infrastructure and civilian targets deep inside its territory. Putin said Kiev had effectively derailed plans to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US, which the leaders had discussed holding after Russia’s State Duma elections. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said Ukrainian drone attacks on polling stations and election officials had fundamentally changed the situation. Moscow will now reconsider when negotiations can resume, according to the Kremlin aide.

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[l] at 10/10/26 4:18am
Nidal Hasan, who was wounded and left paralyzed from the waist down during his arrest, was sentenced to death more than a decade ago US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood base in 2009, is set to become an unprecedented event in the nation’s history. Approved by US President Donald Trump, the plan has drawn bipartisan criticism and condemnation from human rights advocates and religious leaders, who say it risks turning an execution into a public spectacle. What happened at Fort Hood The fatal shooting occurred on November 5, 2009, at Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center in Texas, where troops prepared for overseas deployment. US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39-year-old military psychiatrist, opened fire with two semiautomatic pistols, killing 12 service members and one civilian Defense Department employee, and wounding 32 more. Military police injured Hasan by returned fire, leaving the shooter paralyzed from the waist down before taking him into custody. A US Senate report designated the spree killing as the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since September 11, 2001. The man behind the Fort Hood shooting Born in the US in 1970 to Palestinian immigrant parents, Hasan trained as a doctor before becoming an Army psychiatrist. Before the shooting, he served at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland, where he worked with service members, including those returning from combat zones. By 2009, he had attained the rank of major and was preparing for a transfer to Afghanistan. RT composite. ©  US Government Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences via Getty Images;  Bell County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images Was the shooting part of a wider plot? Hasan said he had acted in the name of jihad, and witnesses reported that he shouted “Allahu akbar” (“God is greatest”) during the shooting. Authorities examined the attack in the context of Islamic extremism, while the FBI said in the days immediately after the shooting that it had found no evidence of accomplices or a wider terrorist plot. Investigators continued examining the circumstances that led Hasan to carry out the attack. Read more Tennessee prisons chief steps down after botched execution In the years before the attack, Hasan exchanged emails with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric linked to al-Qaeda. The FBI reviewed some of their correspondence but initially concluded that the available information did not indicate Hasan was involved in terrorist activity. A subsequent review found serious failures in how the FBI and the US Department of Defense had assessed and shared information about him, concluding that the agencies had enough information to identify signs of his radicalization but had failed to act on it. From conviction to execution date In August 2013, a military court found Hasan guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. Later that month, a panel of 13 senior military officers unanimously sentenced him to death, ordering his dismissal from the Army and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. Hasan has since been held on military death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Hasan would be executed by a firing squad of soldiers at Fort Hood on December, 3, at 1 PM – the same time the 2009 shooting began. Hegseth added that the execution would be livestreamed “because people need to understand there’s serious consequences for these types of things.” This undated photo provided by the Bell County Sheriff's Department shows former Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan. ©  Bell County Sheriff's Department via AP Livestream plan draws bipartisan backlash The plan has drawn criticism from lawmakers across party lines, religious leaders and the United Nations’ human rights office, which warned on Friday that broadcasting the execution would amount to “breach the absolute prohibition of torture.” Read more US military to livestream execution by firing squad Republican Senator Thom Tillis called the proposal “beyond disgusting,” while Democratic Senator Chris Murphy likened public executions to those carried out by terrorist groups. US Vice President JD Vance emphasized the severiity of Hasan’s crimes, saying he had “brutally murdered a lot of innocent people,” but added that he would not watch the livestream. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Hasan’s actions could not be condoned but called the livestream plan “a barbaric promotion of a culture of death,” warning that the decision would undermine the nation’s moral fabric. The last widely recognized public execution in the US took place in Kentucky in 1936, when a convicted murderer was hanged in front of thousands of spectators. Read more Tennessee death row inmate survives double lethal injection How execution methods vary across US states Firing squads are one of several execution methods permitted under US law, alongside lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas and, in some jurisdictions, hanging. Execution by firing squad is legal in Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah. Electrocution is permitted in nine states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee. Several states also allow execution by lethal gas, including nitrogen hypoxia, under varying legal conditions, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. If carried out, Hasan’s execution would be the first in the US military since 1961, when Army Private John A. Bennett was hanged. The last known execution by a US military firing squad took place in November 1945. In 2025, South Carolina carried out the first civilian execution by firing squad in the US in 15 years. Why is the Fort Hood shooter facing a firing squad? The decision to execute Hasan by firing squad comes amid renewed scrutiny of lethal injection following a botched execution attempt in Tennessee last week. Christa Pike, a death-row inmate, survived after prison personnel failed to administer the lethal injection properly and was taken to hospital in critical condition. Earlier this week, her lawyers said she awoke, stressing that she had pneumonia, a blood clot, couldn’t swallow, and was unable to move her arms or hands.

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[l] at 10/10/26 3:49am
Some 74,000 people have been killed and 175,000 wounded in West Jerusalem’s airstrikes and ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave, according to the local authorities Israel is angry that the Nobel Peace Prize committee has honored Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay, who chaired a UN commission accusing it of genocide in Gaza. Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels would have welcomed the decision, the Israelis said. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded in September 2025 that Israel was “responsible for the commission of four genocidal acts in Gaza with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.” Israel vigorously disputed the findings of Pillay’s team. A year earlier, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza, including intentional targeting of civilians and using starvation as a method of warfare. Read more What three years of the Gaza war reveal about Israel and the world Wednesday marked three years since Israel launched its military operation in Gaza, with more than 74,000 people, including at least 21,000 children, being killed and over 175,000 wounded in airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave, according to data from the local Health Ministry. The UN says that some 1.98 million or 90% of the enclave’s population was displaced due to Israeli military attacks since October 7, 2023, with most of Gaza’s water and sanitation network damaged or destroyed. Israel sent its forces into Gaza in retaliation for an incursion by Palestinian armed group Hamas, in which some 1,200 people lost their lives and 250 others were taken hostage. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday that the 125th Nobel Peace Prize would go to Pillay for “her efforts to promote peace and international law.” The 85-year-old South African lawyer, who was an ICC judge between 2003 and 2008, “has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted,” it said. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a post on X later in the day that honoring Pillay was a “grotesque weaponization of an award to legitimize anti-Israel hatred and prejudice.” The jurist was responsible for a “relentless, politically motivated demonization of Israel,” it claimed. Read more ICC weakened by ‘impotence’ over Netanyahu arrest warrant – attorney (VIDEO) The ministry called the accusations of genocide against Israel “the biggest lie of the 21st century,” saying that “Joseph Goebbels is certainly applauding from hell” the decision by the Nobel committee. Goebbels was a loyal follower of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister between 1933 and 1945, who advocated the extermination of Jews. The office of the Israeli prime minister suggested that the Nobel committee “has lost its moral compass” by giving the prize “to a bigot who built her career around inventing and propagating blood libels against the one and only Jewish state.” Pillay, who currently sits on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), denied that she held any bias against Israel. After being told by journalists that she had been awarded the prize, the jurist recalled that she was surprised when people complemented her on her courage for calling out Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide. “Why would you need courage to speak the truth? You interpret the law. You look at all the facts, so it’s an impartial decision,” she insisted.

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[l] at 10/10/26 12:27am
The youth-led movement is demanding the removal of the election panel chief, after millions of names were cut from the electoral rolls The protests in the Indian capital New Delhi demanding the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, have intensified, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical youth movement joining the cause on Saturday.  Delhi’s police have moved to snuff out the protests even before they begin. They detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke from inside a plane when he landed in Delhi on Saturday morning. And YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, a known critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was detained from his residence in Gurugram. Central Delhi has been turned into a fortress. Prohibitory orders are in place and permission for further demonstrations have been denied. Local reports say 20,000 police personnel are now on Delhi’s streets. The capital’s stadiums have been turned into makeshift detention centers. And the internet has been cut.  Up to 250 long-distance trains arriving in Delhi have been cancelled. Restrictions have been imposed on public transport, including on Delhi’s metro system – prompting India’s Supreme Court to intervene. The approaches to Jantar Mantar – an 18th century astronomical observatory in central Delhi, which has served as a site for the protests – were sealed earlier this month.  However, Delhi police have so far avoided the heavy-handed approach they had taken against the CJP in July, when the movement humbled Modi’s government and forced the resignation of federal Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.  Why does the opposition want the election panel chief to resign? The opposition parties allege that the Election Commission’s country-wide voter revision exercise is helping Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stay in power, and win elections in state after state. The Election Commission of India started its special revision of voter lists in the world’s largest democracy last year, starting with the northern Bihar state. The aim was to identify, and remove, the names of dead voters, those who have moved locations, have registered for vote in more than one constituency, or those that simply could not be traced. About 130 million names have been removed or flagged for removal so far, figures cited by the BJP itself show. If that figure sounds big, remember that India has a 1.4 billion population. The final decisions on removing many of these names are yet to be made.  However, India’s opposition parties allege that legitimate voters, including people from minority communities and groups less likely to back the BJP, have been removed.  They claim the name removals means India’s elections are no longer a level playing field. The opposition says the exercise has already skewed the results of state elections held in April, with the BJP and its alliance winning three of the five states. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has gone so far as to call it “vote theft,” arguing that any laws passed by lawmakers elected through “stolen” votes lack legitimacy. Both the BJP and the Election Commission have denied manipulating the rolls for political gain. The BJP maintains that the exercise is only for removing ineligible voters. Home Minister Amit Shah has said it is also intended to prevent “infiltrators” – an euphemism for illegal immigrants, mainly from neighboring Bangladesh – from voting.  The election panel contends that any wrongly excluded voters can request to be added back to the rolls, and further appeal any adverse decisions.  Read more Indian police file trespassing case against Rahul Gandhi after protests – report The long-simmering controversy flared up last month after the Indian Express daily reported that the two other members of the election panel had objected to many of Singh’s decisions on voter registration, deletions, and control of electoral databases. The panel acknowledged the objections, but said those internal differences were normal and its final decisions were unanimous. Opposition Congress party leads the charge in Delhi The Congress-led opposition took the issue to Delhi’s streets earlier this week. The protests received unexpected energy when Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, led from the front. Dramatic scenes unfolded, with Rahul climbing atop police barricades and waving the national flag, and the siblings then dodging the police and entering the office complex of the state broadcaster All-India Radio in an attempt to reach the Election Commission office next door.  Police detained them and several other lawmakers briefly on October 6, and again the next day. Cases were filed against them for alleged obstruction and assaults on officers.  But Rahul Gandhi has remained unfazed and pressed on. He said there were already 45 first information reports (FIRs), the formal complaints that start police investigations, against him. “Every FIR is a medal for me,” he taunted, adding that he wanted the figure to reach 100. READ MORE: ‘This is about the dignity of youth’: India’s ‘cockroach’ movement pushes beyond satire Through the week, the opposition lawmakers have managed to dodge the heavy police presence in central Delhi and sustain the momentum through impromptu sit-ins at various locations, like at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. Demonstrations have also taken place in several states, and opposition leaders have sought to raise the issue with Indian President Droupadi Murmu. What happens next? Kumar remains in office. He can only be removed after a parliamentary process and a two-thirds majority vote in both the houses of the Indian Parliament. That seems a bridge too far – the opposition alliance holds just 184 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. The opposition’s only other option is to raise the pressure on Kumar through public protests and force him to resign.  The CJP’s role is crucial. Its last protest was successful because it resonated across India. Can they get the same popular support this time is the key question. Gyanesh Kumar’s future, and that of the CJP, depend on it

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[l] at 10/9/26 10:58pm
Investors are overestimating the threat of a military confrontation over the island, Michael DeSombre has told CNBC Investors are exaggerating the likelihood of a military confrontation over Taiwan, a senior US diplomat has said. Michael DeSombre, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told CNBC on Thursday that investors were “overpricing the risk of something happening across the Taiwan Strait.”  “Both China and the US don’t want conflict, and we’re able to deter conflict,” he said. Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and says it seeks peaceful reunification, although it has not ruled out using force. The self-governing island remains a source of friction between China and the US, which maintains a one-China policy but continues to supply Taipei with weapons. Experts, however, warn that financial markets may be ill-prepared for the economic fallout of a crisis. Taiwan dominates global production of advanced semiconductors, supplying chips essential to smartphones, vehicles, and AI systems. A blockade or military escalation could disrupt manufacturing and key shipping routes, sending shock waves through global trade and technology supply chains. Read more US delivers latest F-16s to Taiwan A confrontation could also derail US-China trade relations, triggering new tariffs, export restrictions, and investment controls. Asian markets and American technology companies would be particularly vulnerable. Investors have already priced geopolitical risks into Taiwan-linked stocks, including chipmaking giant TSMC, according to MarketWatch. Bloomberg Economics estimated in February that a US-China war over Taiwan could wipe $10.6 trillion, or 9.6%, off global GDP in its first year. The EU would be among the hardest-hit regions, according to British think tank Chatham House. Johns Hopkins University professor Hal Brands has warned that Beijing could opt for a blockade or customs quarantine rather than a full-scale invasion. “No one has a good idea how to price in the risk of a US-China military conflict over Taiwan,” he told an investment conference in September, according to Business Today. Meanwhile, Beijing has repeatedly denounced US arms sales to Taiwan as interference in its internal affairs, demanding that Washington stop the shipments. Read more Taiwan and US military cooperation ‘far closer than you might imagine’ – Taipei Last week, the US delivered the first two of 66 new F-16 fighter jets ordered by Taipei under an $8 billion deal. It followed talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which Xi urged Washington to oppose “Taiwan independence” and “handle the Taiwan question with caution.” Washington approved a record $11 billion arms package for Taiwan last December. Trump has reportedly delayed approval of another $14 billion deal, calling the potential sale a “very good negotiating chip” in talks with Beijing. US officials have claimed that Xi ordered China’s military to be ready for a potential operation against Taiwan by 2027, although Beijing has not confirmed this. DeSombre, however, described the Chinese leader as “a very rational actor” who would carefully weigh the consequences of military action.

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[l] at 10/9/26 9:24pm
At least eight Palestinians have been killed in strikes and gunfire over two days, according to local officials Israeli attacks have left more Palestinians dead in Gaza as the ceasefire approaches its first anniversary, without bringing an end to the violence. At least eight Palestinians were killed and several others wounded in Israeli strikes and gunfire across the enclave on Thursday and Friday, according to local medical sources and rescue workers. On Friday, Israeli troops reportedly shot dead a Palestinian man near refugee camps in central Gaza, wounding several others. READ MORE: What three years of the Gaza war reveal about Israel and the world Seven people were reported killed on Thursday, including three in drone strikes on a vehicle and a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City. “Two people, a woman and a child, were killed and others were wounded when Israeli aircraft bombed a residential building” in Gaza City, the Civil Defense Service said. Another woman was killed by artillery fire, while a separate fatality was reported in central Gaza. Read more Why Israel keeps striking Gaza despite US-brokered ceasefire The Israeli military told AFP that three of those killed were members of armed groups and said it was checking reports concerning the other four deaths. The US-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025. Israel has continued to conduct strikes, saying it is targeting militants and accusing Hamas of violating the agreement. More than 1,450 Palestinians have been killed and over 5,000 wounded since the truce began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. UK-based aid group Islamic Relief said on Thursday that an average of one Palestinian has been killed or wounded every 90 minutes over the past year, with at least 320 children among those killed. Read more October 7 blame game grips Israel ahead of election – RT reports (VIDEO) The agreement envisioned Israeli troop withdrawals and reconstruction, but progress has stalled over Hamas disarmament demands. The group said it had agreed in principle to a US-backed proposal but would not surrender its weapons until Israeli forces had withdrawn completely. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that Hamas disarm before further withdrawals. He has also said he ordered the IDF to expand its control to 70% of Gaza, up from roughly 53% when the ceasefire took effect. Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents have been displaced during the war, which has left much of the enclave in ruins. Around 82% of its structures have been damaged or destroyed, according to Islamic Relief, while reconstruction has barely begun. Read more Netanyahu asked UAE to deny October 7 warning – AP Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 74,200 Palestinians and wounded over 175,000 since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Netanyahu has also faced scrutiny over reports that he received advance warnings of the October 7 attack but downplayed the threat. Haaretz reported that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed had warned him of a possible major Hamas operation roughly ten days beforehand. Netanyahu’s office dismissed the allegation as an “absolute lie.” The Israeli leader traveled to Abu Dhabi in late September to seek a denial of the claim that he had been warned.

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[l] at 10/9/26 6:46pm
France has accused Germany of abandoning a joint program that has been in the works for nearly a decade Paris and Berlin are contradicting each other on the fate of a much-heralded joint main battle tank development project. French Chief of Defense Staff General Fabien Mandon has claimed Germany withdrew from the program, while the German government says the opposite. Known as the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), the project was launched back in 2018 with the aim of replacing both the French Leclerc and German Leopard 2 main battle tanks. It was a collaboration between the Amsterdam-headquartered KNDS – the EU’s largest tank maker – the German Rheinmetall weapons manufacturing giant, and the French Thales industrial group. Berlin even purchased a 40% stake in KNDS in June, with another 40% held by Paris, when the project was still in full swing. On Thursday, Mandon told French lawmakers that the plans for the project had essentially fallen through. “The outcome isn’t good. We had hoped to build a future tank in cooperation with the Germans, but unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the Germans have withdrawn from the project,” he said during a hearing on next year’s budget. Read more EU intensifies defense and military buildup push According to Le Monde, the chief of the defense staff said Berlin made a political decision to halt cooperation. He reportedly stated that “the two army chiefs of staff had co-signed a joint document outlining their shared needs,” but the two neighbors were “no longer dealing with purely military choices.” A German Defense Ministry spokesperson denied that claim, stating that Berlin merely wants to “adjust” the program to include the “lessons” of the Ukraine conflict. “We remain committed to equal partnership in the MGCS and are focusing on future technologies for armored combat,” the official said, according to Reuters. Madon himself stated in a press release published after the hearing that an industrial proposal submitted in early 2026 “was incompatible with the need to replace the current tanks by 2037,” prompting Berlin to opt for a national effort to replace its Leopard 2 tank. The general also maintained that a decade of work had “not been in vain” and the MGCS project was not scrapped but rather “pushed back to the late 2040s.” Paris would now launch its own national development of “an interim” replacement for its Leclerc tanks, he added. Read more Europe is in revolt – its leaders are preparing for war The MGCS was intended to become a comprehensive platform for land warfare, with multiple weapon systems derived from it. The troubled project has reportedly been plagued by delays linked to political and industrial disputes. It is said Paris was aiming for a lighter combat vehicle suited for African deployments, while Berlin sought better heavy armor suitable for a major conflict, including with Russia. The total cost of the project remains unclear, although a French parliamentary budget report suggested that Paris authorized a total of €212 million ($237.3 million) for the program over 2025 and 2026. The German government has not published any specific figures related to the project’s funding, but said in 2024 that the two partners were “each contributing 50% of the costs.” Another major Franco-German armament program collapsed just months ago. Dubbed the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), it aimed to produce a next-generation fighter jet by 2040. The venture failed in June after an estimated €3.2 billion in sunk R&D costs due to irreconcilable disputes between aircraft makers Dassault and Airbus.

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[l] at 10/9/26 4:22pm
The Ukrainian leader has criticized Washington’s lifting of fuel sanctions on Russia as “not fair and not honest” Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has lashed out at US President Donald Trump over his decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports, accusing Washington of striking a deal with Moscow behind Kiev’s back. Zelensky described the move as “definitely unfair,” “definitely not partner-like” and “a weak decision by strong partners,” effectively portraying it as a stab in the back just as Ukrainian negotiators and Kiev’s European backers were meeting American officials to discuss a potential peace settlement in Miami. In a voice memo sent to Western journalists on Friday, Zelensky suggested Trump had used talks with Ukrainian negotiators as a “smokescreen” while pursuing a separate agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “You know, it looks like a happy birthday present for Putin. It looks absolutely terrible,” he told Axios in a separate phone interview, referring to the Russian leader’s 74th birthday earlier this week. Q: Zelenskyy said you're weak because of the Putin deal. He just criticized you TRUMP: Who said that? Q: Zelenskyy. He said you're weak TRUMP: Okay. *walks away* https://t.co/niHd2ynoVP— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 9, 2026 Trump initially ignored journalists’ questions about Zelensky calling him “weak” but later brushed aside the criticism, defending the agreement as necessary to ease soaring fuel prices. Reporter: President Zelensky said that this is a weak move by a strong partner that will only prolong the war. Trump: We need oil for the world and this is diesel, which is what we need. So we're very happy to get it. https://t.co/8clgGPbJvv— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) October 9, 2026 “We need oil for the world and this is diesel, which is what we need. So we’re very happy to get it,” the US president said. Read more Washington suspends sanctions on Russian fuel trade, including import to US Earlier on Friday, Trump announced that following a “successful discussion” with Putin, Moscow had agreed to immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to American and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November, another million tons shortly thereafter, and potentially 3 million additional tons depending on refinery capacity. The US Treasury subsequently issued a six-month sanctions waiver allowing Russian diesel exports, as Washington seeks to contain a global fuel shortage exacerbated by the US-Israeli war on Iran and Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. Trump has repeatedly blamed Kiev – and Zelensky personally – for worsening the global fuel crisis, accusing Ukraine of deliberately knocking out Russian refining capacity and driving up prices for American consumers. Read more Trump blames Ukraine for US fuel price surge (VIDEO) During a visit to Ireland last month, Trump directly demanded that Zelensky halt the strikes. “Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia… Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting the world,” he said. Trump doubled down earlier this week, arguing that the main driver of soaring US fuel prices was no longer the disruption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, but Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has similarly linked the strikes to a broader global “energy shock.” Despite Washington’s repeated warnings, Zelensky pledged last weekend to intensify long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities. A senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times on Friday that Kiev would ignore Washington’s deal with Moscow and “will burn their refineries.” Frustrstion and anger in Kyiv tonight over Trump's diesel deal with Putin. Zelenskyy blasts Trump, calling the move "weak." A senior Ukrainian official tells me Kyiv will continue its long-range drone strikes on Russia's energy facilities "We will burn their refineries."— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) October 9, 2026 The fuel shortage has become an increasingly pressing domestic issue for Trump ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. US diesel prices surged to record highs above $6.50 per gallon in September, with prices in California exceeding $8 in some areas. Putin confirmed following Friday’s conversation that Russia was prepared to supply oil and petroleum products to American and global markets, expressing confidence that the move would have a positive effect on the world economy.

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[l] at 10/9/26 3:04pm
This week we also followed the rapidly escalating Saudi/Houthi conflict and the disputes stressing India’s relationship with the US Macron sends a nuclear message When France’s military test-fired its latest nuclear-capable ballistic missile, the submarine-launched M51.3, on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron chose to milk the spectacle for every last drop of propaganda value. “To be free, we must be feared,” he said. “And to be feared, we must be powerful.” The launch, Macron said, was intended as “a clear message… for wherever it must be received.” The missile may have splashed down in the north Atlantic, but the message was received “loud and clear” in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the following day. “Problems should be resolved through dialogue, not demonstrative missile launches,” but Russia will take “all necessary measures” to protect its strategic security, Peskov added. Read more Trump blames French unrest on ‘mass migration’ (VIDEOS) France is currently modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal amid a broader rearmament push, but it remains unclear how Paris intends to pay for its remilitarization. This week, RT looked at France’s looming sovereign debt crisis and the violent riots tearing the country apart from within. This domestic turmoil isn’t unique to France, nor is it something that can be fixed with minor policy tweaks. As RT examined on Friday, mass migration has already pushed European housing, security, and welfare systems to the breaking point. With native Europeans set to become minorities in their own countries in the coming decades, the social and political consequences could be deadly. Germany’s enemies within France is not the only European power gearing up for conflict abroad while its political and economic foundations disintegrate at home. Germanys’ foreign intelligence chief opened the week with a warning to lawmakers: Moscow is waging “a shadow war” against Europe, and “Germany is in danger ​of becoming embroiled in a violent conflict with Russia.” The Kremlin views accusations of “shadow war” and “hybrid war” – which are unprovable by nature – as “hastily cobbled-together provocations,” designed to serve “Kiev and the militaristic wing of the European political class.” Read more Wired for War: The German spymaster caught in Mossad’s web They’re provocations that Berlin is looking less and less able to follow through on. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is going from one electoral humiliation by the right-wing AfD to another, anti-war protests are spreading, and conscientious objections to a proposed military draft have tripled. However, the German government can’t trust the loyalty of its own intelligence agents. Former spymaster August Hanning was charged with treason and espionage this week, in what appears to be the country’s worst spy scandal since the Guillaume affair of the 1970s.  German prosecutors aren’t revealing which foreign services Hanning allegedly collaborated with, but as RT explored in the latest installment in our ‘Wired for War’ series, all the signs point to Israel’s Mossad. Russia reminds Zelensky what it’s capable of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is also on shaky ground this week. “Disappointment” and “shame” are now the most common feelings Ukrainians associate with him. US President Donald Trump blamed him for the worldwide diesel fuel shortage while Zelensky doubled down on silencing his critics, stepping up his long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries.  He soon learned that Russia always responds. Russian forces pounded data centers, logistics hubs, weapons depots, and missile factories across Ukraine this week, including production plants of Ukraine’s flagship ‘Flamingo’ cruise missiles. “People in Ukraine should blame only the head of the Kiev regime for this. It is Zelensky who bears full personal and political responsibility for it,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.  The strikes continued all week, as Zelensky prepared to fly to Miami for a meeting with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Friday. Witkoff and Kushner were bringing “new ideas and proposals” aimed at resolving the conflict. The two could travel to Moscow later this month for another round of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Although Zelensky’s situation at home may be deteriorating, he can still count on the support of his backers in Europe. Russian military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk, who has been sanctioned by Ukraine and the EU over his war reporting, was detained in Montenegro on Friday. Zvinchuk founded the ‘Rybar’ Telegram channel, and was reportedly preparing to film a report on Montenegro’s plans to align its visa policy with EU standards. To the country’s pro-EU government, that now counts as “hybrid activity.” ‘Muslim NATO’ triggers article 5: Saudi Arabia calls for backup  Saudi Arabia’s renewed conflict with Yemen’s Houthis is not going well for Riyadh. After conquering a swathe of new territory along the Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Houthis declared Saudi airspace a “theater for military operations” this week, and struck Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport multiple times to make their point. After an emergency meeting on Monday, Pakistan and Türkiye decided to deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia – the first deployment of the newly-formed “Muslim NATO.” Britain has also agreed to provide air-to-air refueling for Saudi warplanes; France is sending troops, radar, and air-defense systems; and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist, is reportedly considering entering the conflict on the Saudi side.  RT examined why the long-dormant Saudi/Houthi conflict is flaring up again, and compared the manpower, resources, and weaponry that Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and the Houthis bring to the table, as the government prepares for a ground offensive against the militants. India hits a wall with Washington Read more ‘Deeply offensive’: India hits out at Vance comments Russia and the Soviet Union “stood by us in many ways when our security, when our territorial integrity were under threat,” Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar told a gathering of foreign policy experts last weekend. These ties are “not easily forgotten,” he said, adding that India is not going to sever its relations with Russia under Western pressure. That pressure looms in the shape of the so-called “sanctions from hell” Washington is threatening to unleash upon Russia’s trading partners.  A spat over work permits has driven another wedge between New Delhi and Washington. After US Vice President JD Vance lashed out at eight US and Indian tech giants for using H-1B visas to hire “indentured servants” from India over American workers, India’s Foreign Ministry slammed Vance for his “deeply offensive” comments. “Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive,” the ministry said.  At the same time, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has accused Indian “oligarchs” of wielding undue influence over the country’s telecoms regulators, as his bid to introduce Starlink internet access to the Indian market remains stalled. India’s Communications Ministry called his allegations “baseless and misconceived,” but Musk doubled down on Thursday, asking whether telecoms and media tycoon Mukesh Ambani was “the real boss of India?” And finally… Read more If Lula loses, BRICS could face its biggest political test yet India has chosen to play a central role in the emergence of a new, multipolar world order. Last month’s BRICS summit in New Delhi showed just how seriously India takes this role, ending with a joint declaration – drafted despite sharp differences between BRICS nations – on the Middle East, global governance, and opposition to unilateral sanctions. BRICS could face its biggest political test yet, however, if Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva loses his upcoming runoff election against Flavio Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro. Should Bolsonaro win, he is likely to pull Brazil into the orbit of the US, where Trump has made no effort to conceal his hostility toward BRICS. Russian analyst Fyodor Lukyanov broke down what a Bolsonaro victory would mean for the multipolar project, and with two weeks to go until the runoff election, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Brazil.

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