Sunday, 5 October 2025

Ukraine updates: Russian air assault kills 5, Zelenskyy says: more than 50 missiles and about 500 attack drones launched at Ukraine overnight (LINK) 5 October 2025

Czech Republic: Billionaire populist Andrej Babis' party wins parliamentary election but short of an overall majority (LINK) 5 October 2025

Al Jazeeera: Russia-Ukraine war list of key events, day 1,319 (LINK) 5 October 2025

— At least two people were killed and two others injured after Russia launched a drone and missile attack overnight in Ukraine's Lviv region. One person was killed and about 30 others injured after two Russian drones struck trains at a station in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region.

— French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed, while his Ukrainian colleague Hryhory Ivanchenko was injured after a Russian drone attack struck the town of Druzhkivka in the Donbas region, one of the front lines of the three-and-a-half-year war, the Ukrainian military said. Polish and allied air defences have been deployed to secure the country’s airspace, its military said, as Russia launched new deadly air strikes on neighbouring Ukraine.

— Danish Defence Intelligence Service director, Thomas Ahrenkiel, has accused Russia of risking unintended escalation, with its warships repeatedly sailing on collision courses with Danish naval vessels, aiming weapons and disrupting navigation systems in Denmark's straits that connect the Baltic Sea to the North Sea.

— International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has called on Russia and Ukraine to show the "political will" required to keep the area around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant safe to allow the external power line to be reconnected to the facility. The facility has been cut off from external power since September 23, making it more complicated to cool the reactors, while compromising nuclear safety.

— A senior Ukrainian intelligence official has accused China of passing on satellite intelligence to Russia to enable Moscow to better launch missile strikes inside Ukraine. The International Civil Aviation Organization has rebuked Russia for disturbances to critical satellite navigation systems that they say violate international rules, as the United Nations aviation agency’s assembly concluded in Canada.

Israel strikes Gaza after Trump calls for stop to bombing. The attacks came after Hamas said it has agreed to release all Israeli hostages and expressed willingness to negotiate through mediators on Trump's peace plan (LINK) 4 October 2025

Guardian UK: Israel accused of detaining Greta Thunberg in infested cell and making her hold flags (LINK) 4 October 2025

— In an email sent by the Swedish foreign ministry to people close to Thunberg, and seen by the Guardian, an official who has visited the activist in prison said she claimed she was detained in a cell infested with bedbugs, with too little food and water.

Trump authorizes National Guard in Chicago as judge temporarily blocks his plan to deploy federal troops in Portland (LINK) 5 October 2025

Federal prosecutors charged two Chicagoans, including a woman shot by federal agents, with ramming a vehicle driven by an U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on Saturday morning, sparking a heated confrontation between residents of the Southwest Side neighborhood and federal agents. (LINK) 5 October 2025

TikTok star Aurélien Fontenoy cycles up Eiffel Tower in world record time: 686 steps in 12 minutes and 30 seconds, smashing the previous record set by Hugues Richard in 2002 by nearly seven minutes (LINK) 5 October 2025

OPEC+ to raise oil production by 137,000 barrels per day in November (LINK) 5 October 2025

Barbados, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica and other Caribbean countries see skyrocketing tourism growth in 2025 (LINK) 4 October 2025

Before and after images of Rhône Glacier and others show glaciers vanishing before our eyes (LINK) 5 October 2025

Saturday, 4 October 2025

Trump calls on Israel to stop bombing Gaza as Hamas agrees to negotiate release of hostages (LINK) 4 October 2025

Iran executes 6 death-row inmates alleged to carry out attacks for Israel (LINK) 4 October 2025

Fox: Trump appeals judge's order blocking Portland troop deployment (LINK) 4 October 2025

Thousands of passengers stranded in Ireland, France, Denmark, UK, and more as SAS, Swiss, Air France, KLM and German airlines cancel over 174 flights across key airports including Amsterdam, London, Paris and Berlin (LINK) 4 October 2025

Japan poised to get first female PM after Sanae Takaichi wins ruling party leadership: Margaret Thatcher admirer beat her more moderate rival to become leader of Liberal Democratic party (LINK) 4 October 2025

Pope Leo XIV attends swearing-in of Swiss Guard, first for a pope in nearly 60 years (LINK) 4 October 2025

Friday, 3 October 2025

Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), the UN's carbon neutrality programme for the banking sector, says it will cease its activities. Swiss bank UBS withdrew last August (LINK) 3 October 2025

— The NZBA, introduced in 2021 under UNEP's FI, aims to push banks toward tangible actions that shrink the carbon impact of their loans and investments, positioning them as pivotal players in moving toward a carbon-neutral economy.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announce bombing of another boat in the Caribbean near Venezuela, claiming it was trafficking drugs. "Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike, and no US forces were harmed in the operation." Critics say the strikes violate federal and international law (LINK) 3 October 2025

Hegseth fires U.S. Navy secretary's chief of staff (LINK) 3 October 2025

FBI agent fired for refusing James Comey perp walk for media (LINK) 3 October 2025

U.S. Supreme Court again allows Trump to strip protections from some 300,000 Venezuelan immigrants: justices disagreed with lower-court judges who said the administration broke the law (LINK) 3 October 2025

— Without detailed reasoning the Supreme Court noted that the situation surrounding the judge's ruling had not significantly changed since May, when a similar preliminary order was blocked. The immigrants had been granted legal safe-haven status in the United States due to worsening economic and political conditions in Venezuela, allowing them to live and work in the U.S.

Live-streaming journalist deported to El Salvador after months in ICE custody (LINK) 3 October 2025

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's attempted assassin sentenced to 8 years in prison (LINK) 3 October 2025

— Sophie Roske, 29, hoped to kill the conservative justice before he could overturn Roe v. Wade, spending weeks researching and purchasing weapons.

US military kills senior al Qaeda-affiliated attack planner (LINK) — ground.news: 13 media reports (LINK) 2 October 2025

Sean 'Diddy' Combs sentenced to more than 4 years in prison for prostitution-related crimes (LINK) — ground.news: 717 media reports (LINK) 3 October 2025

U.S. Department of Homeland Security approves Florida for a $608 million 'Alligator Alcatraz' reimbursement (LINK) 3 October 2025

— The reimbursement process potentially exposes the state of Florida to being forced to unwind operations at the remote facility for a second time because of a federal judge’s injunction in August. The Miami judge agreed with environmental groups who had sued that the site wasn’t given a proper environmental review before it was converted into an immigration detention center and gave Florida two months to wind down operations.

Des Moines school district says it will pursue legal action against consulting firm after superintendent detained by ICE (LINK) 3 October 2025

Fox News: DHS reveals extensive criminal history of former Des Moines superintendent who was arrested, in US illegally: Homeland Security officials say Ian Roberts built a long criminal record while living in the U.S. illegally, with arrests for narcotics and firearms possession — (LINK)

Trump charts path to total control amid government shutdown (LINK) 3 October 2025

The shutdown meant no U.S. jobs report. Other reports suggest the labour market just plodded along in September. (LINK) 3 October 2025

15,000 churches could close this year amid religious shift in U.S.: megachurches spread influence but fewer Americans going to church (LINK) 3 October 2025

— A record number of Americans (29%) are identifying as religiously unaffiliated. 62% identify as Christians — down from 78% in 2007, according to the Pew Research Center.

2 Manchester synagogue attack victims, including 1 who died, were hit by police gunfire, police say (LINK) 3 October 2025

— Police alleged that Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a vehicle into a crowd outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue early on Thursday 2 October. Three additional suspects — two men and a woman — were also taken into custody and arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, police said. Al-Shamie's family released a statement condemning "this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians".

U.S. Internet climbing influencer Balin Miller, 23, dies live-streaming El Capitan ascent as horrified fans watch fall (LINK) 3 October 2025

— He fell while reportedly attempting to recover gear snagged on the rock face.

Delta, United, and American Airlines phase out key loyalty perk: some 1st-class upgrades in U.S. now only $26 for all (LINK) 3 October 2025

If Earth had not collided with Theia 4.5 billion years ago to create the moon, you would not be reading this, say Berne scientists (LINK) 3 October 2025

— Scientists timed Earth's early formation using a short-lived radioactive marker, manganese-53, which decays into chromium-53. Using this chronometer, the team reached age estimates with an accuracy better than one million years – razor sharp for the dawn of planet-building. Without the delivery of a crucial payload of water and other ingredients, Earth could have remained a rocky world with little water, even while orbiting within the Sun’s so-called habitable zone. Publication in Science Advances, 1 August 2025.

Thursday, 2 October 2025

Developing countries chart new trade strategies: by deepening South-South cooperation, developing economies are building resilience and creating new opportunities amid global uncertainty (LINK) 2 October 2025

— The 33rd session of the Committee of Participants (COP) of the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) was held in Geneva on 25 September. GSTP member countries account for 20.5% of global goods imports: about $5 trillion in demand within a combined $18 trillion market. By tackling tariffs and non-tariff measures, the GSTP enables its members to diversify, build resilience, enhance predictability and forge inclusive trade partnerships at a time when external shocks and policy uncertainty disproportionately hurt economies with limited market power. The agreement has been in force since 1989, covering 42 developing countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. The committee meeting paves the way for the GSTP Ministerial Meeting slated for 22 October during the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16), where 195 member States will come together to reimagine a broader path to development through key enablers including trade.

An NGO side event at the United Nations Geneva marked Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, stressing education in non-violence to prevent human rights abuses. (LINK) 2 October 2025

U.S. Government shutdown continues as White House weighs "thousands" of layoffs (LINK) 2 October 2025

— Trump posted earlier Thursday that he met with Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to "determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday the cuts could number in the thousands. That's unusual since federal workers are usually either sent home or told to work without pay during shutdowns, and aren't permanently laid off.

Trump asks 9 colleges to commit to his political agenda and get favorable access to federal money (LINK) 2 October 2025

Gov. Newsom says he'll 'instantly' cut funding at California colleges that sign Trump pact (LINK) 2 October 2025

Bari Weiss,-wing anti-trans queer woman, "given the keys to CBS News" (LINK) 2 October 2025

— Weiss will take on the newly created role of editor in chief of CBS News. "A commentator-turned-entrepreneur, with no experience in television, will soon direct one of the nation's largest newsrooms." Weiss, now 41, became a household name in 2020 when she resigned from The New York Times with a viral letter denouncing the paper's "illiberal environment".

Israel dismantles 44-strong Gaza humanitarian flotilla — but one boat sails on (LINK) 2 October 2025

Munich Airport closed for almost 7 hours after wave of drone sightings, officials say (LINK) 2 October 2025

Myanmar's military says it recaptured Kyaukme, a key district capital in Shan State, from ethnic rebels on 1 October (LINK) — ground.news: 9 media reports (LINK) 2 October 2025

'Weakness in face of terrorism': Netanyahu notes UK's failings after Manchester attack on synagogue (LINK) — ground.news: 6 media reports (LINK) 2 October 2025

— Israeli President Isaac Herzog filed a letter to King Charles III just days prior to the attack, expressing concern about the “rise of antisemitism” in the U.K. and its impact on Jewish Brits. An unidentified suspect reportedly carried out the "marauding terror attack" on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall by ramming his car into the temple and stabbing congregants outside. Two people were killed and several more were injured.

Switzerland's family-doctor shortage continues to worsen (LINK) 2 October 2025

Vatican's Swiss Guard debuts new uniform (LINK) 2 October 2025

— The new non-ceremonial uniform will be for events outside the Vatican, such as embassy parties and official dinners. This uniform, featuring a yellow and white striped belt and gold buttons, is a revival of a style worn by the guards up until the 1970s. Visitors to the Vatican will still see the guards in their traditional Renaissance-style ceremonial uniforms. More than two dozen new recruits will be sworn into the Swiss Guard this Saturday, following the election of Pope Leo XIV. The Swiss Vatican Guards were stablished in 1506 to guard and protect the pope and his official residence, the Apostolic Palace, as well as cardinals who gather during the papal conclave.

Witkoff's son plans to tokenize Trump family real estate, including Trump Tower Dubai (LINK) 2 October 2025

How Jane Goodall changed our view of chimps (and humans) forever (LINK) 2 October 2025

— In the space of one woman's lifetime, the study of animal tool use has grown from a single blade of straw to a bouquet of functional objects — used by monkeys, crows, dolphins, orcas, humpback whales, and even bees and other insects. Tool use is no longer considered a defining human trait. Nor is cultural transmission.

DOJ calls for delays to Kilmar Abrego Garcia's case due to shutdown (LINK) 2 October 2025

Wednesday, 1 October 2025

Russia does not recognize return of UN sanctions on Iran (LINK) 1 October 2025

Israel intercepts Gaza flotilla, detains Thunberg and others, says 'she and her friends are safe' (LINK) 1 October 2025

Ethiopia church scaffolding in Amhara collapses, killing 36 and injuring 200 (LINK) — ground.news: 87 media reports (LINK) 1 October 2025

Carnegie Endowment: As the Ukraine war approaches the four-year mark, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Russia to make ends meet, and the budget looks more and more like a compromise between the war camp and economists. The former got their 8 percent of GDP for defence and security, while the latter got the least inflationary way to pay for it. Footing the bill will be the Russian people, who face further tax hikes. (LINK) 1 October 2025

Pope Leo XIV says 'inhuman treatment of immigrants' in the U.S. isn't 'pro-life' on 1 October in response to questions from reporters who gathered outside of his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo (LINK) 2 October 2025

— "I would reject there is inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States under this administration," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House on 2 September. "There was, however, significant, inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants in the previous administration as they were being trafficked and raped and beaten, in many cases killed over our United States southern border."

UK government resumes row with Apple by demanding access to British users' data (LINK) 1 October 2025

'Alternative Nobel Prize' (Right Livelihood Award) goes to Pacific climate activists: activists from Myanmar, Sudan and Taiwan were also honored (LINK) 1 October 2025

Trump administration cancels nearly $8 billion in climate funding to blue states (LINK) 1 October 2025

Former Des Moines superintendent who was detained by ICE federally charged with being an "illegal alien in possession of firearms". (LINK) 1 October 2025

Drone strikes shut 38% of Russia's oil refineries, gasoline output falls 1 million tons (LINK) 1 October 2025

FBI cuts ties with Anti-Defamation League amid conservative backlash over description of Charlie Kirk. (LINK) 1 October 2025

— In a brief statement, Patel singled out the ADL’s associations with former FBI Director James Comey, a strident critic of President Donald Trump who was indicted last week on charges of obstruction and lying to the US Congress. FBI Director Kash Patel made the announcement on Wednesday after prominent conservative influencers, including Elon Musk, pounced on the ADL's inclusion of the murdered right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in its "Glossary of Extremism and Hate". Patel said Comey had written "love letters" to the ADL and embedded agents within the group, which he accused of running "disgraceful ops spying on Americans". Patel did not elaborate on, or provide evidence for, his claims.

Elon Musk becomes first person worth $500 billion, Tesla CEO's wealth is now larger than Palantir, Alibaba (LINK) 1 October 2025

Four Caribbean nations to allow citizens to move freely without visas, work permits: Barbados, Belize, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (LINK) 1 October 2025

Hurricanes Imelda and Humberto set a new record after dancing together in the Atlantic (the Fujiwhara effect): closest two Atlantic hurricanes have come in at least the past 60 years: 750km (LINK) 1 October 2025

Swiss glaciers shrank 3% this year, the fourth-biggest retreat on record (LINK) 1 October 2025

AI browsers are everywhere right now, but this is the only one worth using: Brave with Leo (LINK) 1 October 2025

AI-generated actor Tilly Norwood sparks outrage in Hollywood as Dutch creator seeks representation (LINK) 1 October 2025

90s slang words that are totally outdated (LINK) 1 October 2025