News of the World
09-28-2025, 08:11 AM
USA
Quote:The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to rule on the president’s executive order which said the children of illegal migrants and those on short-term U.S. visas should be denied American citizenship, after it was ruled unconstitutional by lower courts.
Newsweek contacted the Department of Justice and the White House for comment on Saturday via online inquiry form and email respectively.
Why It Matters
President Trump signed an Executive Order titled "PROTECTING THE MEANING AND VALUE OF AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP" on January 20 just hours after his second presidential inauguration, showing the importance of the issue to his administration.
With Republican control over both chambers of Congress, the courts have emerged as one of the main impediments of the Trump administration, which has suffered legal defeats on subjects including sanctions on International Criminal Court employees, and a bid to strip Haitian migrants of legal protection. However the Supreme Court, which currently has a conservative majority, could be more favorable.
What To Know
On Friday Solicitor General D. John Sauer submitted a petition to the Supreme Court asking them to hear arguments on the legality of his birthright citizenship executive order early next year, potentially leading to a June ruling.
The move comes after a series of lower courts ruled the Executive Order violated the 14th Amendment, and was thus unconstitutional.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to limit, but not end, the power of lower courts to obstruct the Executive Order in a procedural case, but it has not ruled on the merits of birthright citizenship itself.
Birthright citizenship has widely been regarded as a constitutional right, with only a few exemptions, since the 1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark ruling, concerning the son of a Chinese immigrant.
In July, following the Supreme Court’s procedural ruling, a federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the decision by a Seattle judge which blocked Trump’s birthright citizenship policy nationwide in a case brought by a coalition of Democratic states.
That month also saw a New Hampshire judge bar enforcement of Trump’s Executive Order in response to a lawsuit submitted by the American Civil Liberties Union. The Trump administration is appealing both rulings.
Quote:The White House has hit out at the United Nations (U.N.) following what it called a "disturbing set of failures" which allegedly involved a Trump administration official being assaulted in the body’s New York headquarters on Thursday.
The victim, said to work in a supporting role for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHH), told the network they were subject to a ten-minute ordeal during which she attempted to hide in a bathroom stall.
Newsweek contacted the U.N. for comment via email, and the DHH by press inquiry form, on Saturday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Thursday’s incident came after President Trump faced what he described as "triple sabotage" during his visit to the U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday to deliver a speech. This saw an escalator abruptly come to a stop as the president and first lady stepped onto it, which Trump described as "absolute sabotage" though U.N. officials insisted it was a "built-in safety mechanism."
Trump also said during his address the teleprompter wasn’t working and that there were problems with the sound in the auditorium. Following his second presidential inauguration in January Trump withdrew the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council.
What To Know
On Friday in a post on X, Anna Kelly, the White House’s deputy press secretary, wrote: "Yesterday, a Trump administration official was assaulted by a deranged leftist at the UN. This is part of a disturbing set of failures by the U.N. after their sabotage of President Trump. The U.N. must answer for this pattern of concerning incidents."
Her post linked to a Fox News article in which the network said it had spoken to a DHH official who said they were attacked on Thursday afternoon in the U.N. headquarters.
Speaking to the network the official, who wasn’t named, said she was walking along a corridor in the U.N. building when a woman began verbally abusing her and shining a light in her face. The official said the woman called her a "fascist" and a "Nazi" and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans while filming her.
According to the official, she retreated into a bathroom stall for safety, which the woman tried pushing open before filming over the door and screaming. She allegedly then waited outside the bathroom and continued berating the official once they had left. Overall the incident lasted 10 minutes according to the official.
Quote:President Donald Trump on Saturday announced in a post on Truth Social that he has directed his administration to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon, as part of his effort to crackdown on crime in major cities across the nation.
Newsweek reached out to the Portland mayor's office by email on Saturday morning outside of normal business hours for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump has highlighted the importance of security and the need for law and order during his second administration, initiating the largest mass deportation operation in United States history, and deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to assist in various law enforcement and immigration efforts.
Trump has previously discussed potentially deploying troops to several different locations, all of which are Democrat-run cities, including Chicago to assist in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations or to Memphis, Tennessee, to deal with the highest homicide rate in the country, or even back to California or down to New Orleans.
This week also marked a major escalation in the administration's fight against what it describes as political extremism in the country following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and an attack on a Dallas ICE facility this week, as Trump announced that he would designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
What To Know
Trump decided that his next major focus would be to tackle "war ravaged" Portland, announcing on Truth Social his intent to deploy troops to the city.
"At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists," he wrote. "I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
This week, the president issued an executive order that designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, which allows him to expand the tools available to his administration to pursue the group, which he labeled as "a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of laws."
He has also expressed his distaste for Portland, telling reporters during a press gaggle in the Oval Office last week that "out of control and crazy people" lived in the city. He also at one point earlier this month said that living in Portland was "like living in hell."
Quote:On Friday President Trump announced that all government documents related to American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart will be declassified, sparking criticism from commentators and Democratic politicians on social media that a similar move hasn’t been taken with the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment on Saturday via email outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
President Trump said he would release files held by the government related to convicted sex offender Epstein ahead of the 2024 presidential election. However he has since backtracked, describing the case as “the Democrat Epstein Hoax,” sparking anger from some of his supporters.
Trump is likely to face continued pressure to release all Epstein files held by the government, though the Department of Justice has insisted that there is no “client list” of those implicated in the disgraced financier’s activities as had been widely alleged.
What To Know
In a post on his Truth Social website on Friday Trump said he was “ordering my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her.”
The president said he has been “asked by many people” to take such a step and noted Earhart disappeared in 1937 over the Pacific Ocean while trying to become the first person to circumnavigate the Earth.
However on X a number of prominent figures questioned why Trump had decided to release the Earhart files rather than the Epstein files.
Quote:President Donald Trump joked that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “knows about rigged elections better than anybody” during a meeting between the two leaders at the Oval Office on Thursday.
“We’ve been friends for a long time, actually, even for four years when I was in exile, unfairly, as it turns out—rigged election. You know, he knows about rigged elections better than anybody,” Trump said while gesturing towards the Turkish president.
Why It Matters
Trump and Erdogan’s meeting at the Oval Office comes as the two countries seek to rekindle relations after years of distance under the Biden administration.
Trump’s comment about rigged elections referenced concerns about democratic backsliding in Turkey, which had caused the Biden administration to keep Erdogan at arm’s length.
What To Know
Trump’s Erdogan remarks were also a reference to the Turkish leader’s two decades in power, during which he has faced persistent criticism for eroding democratic institutions and curbing press freedom.
International observers have often raised concerns over the fairness of Turkey’s elections, citing the intimidation of opposition leaders and government pressure on the media.
Trump’s joke about suspect elections also repeated his long-held baseless claims that the 2020 election that put Joe Biden in office was rigged.
During the meeting Trump said about Erdogan: “This is a tough man. This is a guy who’s highly opinionated. Usually, I don’t like opinionated people, but I always like this one.”
Trump has long described Erdogan as a friend, praising him for being “very smart” and a “tough leader.” The American president has often voiced admiration for strongman leaders around the world.
Erdogan’s primary goal with the Oval Office meeting was to regain access to the U.S. F-35 fighter jet program, from which Turkey was suspended after purchasing Russia’s S-400 missile defense system.
Trump did not commit to this, but said: “I think you’ll be successful with buying the things you’d like to buy.”
He also noted that the “best thing” Erdogan could do would be to not buy oil and gas from Russia.
The author of that article calls the alleged rigged elections in the US a baseless claim. I wonder why people would ever dare to sign an affidavit and make depositions or face the state congresspeople as witnesses of strange events that had to be denounced. I mean, if you know it's a blatant lie, why would they care so much about it and take unnecessary risks? Or why were some local poll workers recorded while they were ADDING and PROCESSING some extra paper ballots to the Dominion machines or other systems in place? Or is it normal to hide some sort of black travel cases under desks and other places and unveil them ONLY AFTER some of the workers had left the facilities under pressure from the former?
One thing is to call it yet to be proven in court and another one to simply dismiss it as baseless.
Quote:President Donald Trump will meet with the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Monday, just one day before the federal government faces a potential shutdown.
The Oval Office meeting will include House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to a White House official and sources familiar with the planning.
Why It Matters
The meeting represents a significant shift in strategy, as Trump had previously been reluctant to engage with Democratic leadership during the current funding standoff. The decision comes as Congress faces a Tuesday deadline to pass a spending measure or trigger a government shutdown.
This high-stakes meeting could determine whether the federal government continues operating beyond Tuesday.
A shutdown would disrupt federal services, potentially affecting everything from national parks to federal employee paychecks. The timing is particularly critical as both parties have been locked in a political standoff for days, with neither side showing willingness to compromise on key provisions.
What To Know
Democrats have refused to support a Republican-proposed seven-week funding extension without additional healthcare provisions. They are demanding an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that help low- and middle-income Americans purchase insurance, as well as reversing Medicaid cuts included in earlier GOP tax legislation.
Republicans have labeled these demands as "nonstarters" and prefer to address healthcare issues separately from government funding. The GOP position calls for a straightforward extension of current funding levels without additional policy riders.
Earlier this week, both Johnson and Thune had advised Trump against meeting with Democratic leaders, suggesting such discussions would be unproductive until Democrats agreed to pass basic funding measures. Johnson specifically told Trump that Democrats should complete "the basic governing work of keeping the government open" before any presidential meeting.
Quote:A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, has indicted former FBI Director James B. Comey Jr. on two felony charges tied to testimony he gave before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020.
The indictment, unsealed on September 25, charges Comey with making false statements to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding—both punishable by up to five years in prison.
Comey, the first former FBI director to face federal indictment for testimony to Congress, declared his innocence and said: "Let’s have a trial."
Newsweek contacted both Comey, via his attorney, and the Department of Justice for comment via email outside of normal office hours on Friday.
Why It Matters
The indictment matters well beyond James Comey himself. At its core, the case tests whether Congress can rely on truthful testimony from senior officials and whether the Justice Department can enforce that obligation free from political pressure. Prosecutors must prove not only that Comey misled lawmakers but that he did so knowingly—a high legal bar.
How the charges are handled will signal the strength of congressional oversight, the independence of federal prosecutors, and whether criminal law can be applied even-handedly when political stakes are high.
What To Know
The Charges In The Indictment
The indictment stems from Comey’s sworn appearance during a Judiciary Committee hearing on the FBI’s handling of investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election and related matters. Prosecutors allege that Comey knowingly misled senators on two points.
First, the government claims Comey falsely denied authorizing anyone at the FBI to act as an anonymous source to the media regarding an investigation. According to the charging document, he "did willfully and knowingly make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement … by falsely stating to a U.S. Senator … that he had not ‘authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports’ regarding an FBI investigation concerning Person 1." The indictment asserts that Comey had, in fact, directed another FBI official to speak to reporters.
Second, prosecutors allege Comey obstructed Congress by making "false and misleading statements" that aimed to impede the committee’s inquiry into the FBI’s actions before and after the 2016 election.
A third proposed count—"Obstruction of a Congressional proceeding (18 U.S.C. § 1505)”—was rejected by the grand jury. Court records show jurors did not find sufficient evidence on that point, an uncommon but lawful outcome in grand jury proceedings.
Quote:One of the detained migrants injured during Wednesday’s shooting at an ICE detention facility in Dallas, Texas, is currently in a critical condition according to his family.
Speaking to Spanish language outlet KUVN-DT, Univision 23, the brother of Miguel Ángel García Medina, a Mexican national, said he was "in very bad shape" in hospital and that doctors had talked about disconnecting him from life support machinery.
Newsweek contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment via email on Saturday outside of regular office hours.
The Context
On Wednesday 29-year-old Joshua Jahn opened fire at a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility killing one detainee and seriously injuring two others, before taking his own life. On Thursday FBI Director Kash Patel said Jahn had left behind a note saying he wanted to "give ICE agents real terror."
The shooting takes place against the backdrop of concerns over rising political violence after prominent conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a Utah college campus on September 10. In June Minnesota Democratic state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot dead in a separate incident.
What To Know
Speaking to Univision, Gutiérrez said his brother García Medina had been shot in the neck, stomach, back and side during Wednesday’s shooting.
He added that since the attack García Medina, a house painter who spent the past two decades in the United States, was in hospital in a serious condition and had undergone at least two surgeries.
Gutiérrez commented: "His wife tells me—because I don’t talk with the doctors—that he is in very bad shape and they want to disconnect him, because he is only living on machines; the machines are what is keeping him alive."
He said his brother was originally from San Luis Potosí in central Mexico and that their mother had been deported from the U.S. a couple of months ago, and has been speaking to lawyers about reentering the country to visit her son since the shooting. Gutiérrez said he did not know why his brother was in ICE detention at the time of the shooting.
Quote:President Donald Trump has authorized the use of troops to protect Portland, Oregon, and any Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities that are “under siege from attack by Antifa.”
Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday morning to announce the action, which comes at Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s request.
“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” Trump wrote.
He emphasized that he is “authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
Trump designated Antifa a terrorist organization on Monday with an executive order on the heels of the assassination of Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk on September 10.
One inscription of an unfired shell casing of accused Kirk Assassin, Tyler Robinson, read, “O Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao,” per Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT), an apparent reference to the Italian song “Bella Ciao” idolized in Antifa circles. Another casing inscription read, “Hey Fascist! Catch!” per Cox.
During an executive order signing event on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance highlighted a violent anti-ICE riot in Portland over the Summer that led to the siege of an ICE building.
“I believe it was in Oregon where you had a federal building where there were men in black ski masks who were committing acts of violence, who were shutting down a government building,” Vance said.
“These are paid people. This is organized,” Vance added. “They’re committing acts of political terrorism on American soil, and it’s time we had a government that looked out for the American people rather than the people who are committing violence against the American people.”
Trump indicated the federal government would soon be stepping into Portland to restore order.
“These are crazy people, and they’re trying to burn down buildings, including federal buildings,” Trump said.
“But we’re going to get out there, and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland that are doing that. They’re professional agitators and anarchists. They’re actually anarchists,” he went on to add.
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized NATO's "weak reaction" to a series of alleged Russian airspace violations in recent weeks.
“They have to shoot down everything,” Zelensky said in an interview with Axios. "If the jets are in your space, you have to block it." He said some NATO allies are fearful of Moscow's response because "Russia is crazy."
Newsweek has contacted NATO for comment.
There is a growing risk of a direct clash between NATO and Russia, which both have devastating arsenals of nuclear weapons. The Kremlin has described NATO as at war with Russia over Ukraine, though neither side has formally declared war on the other.
NATO is providing Ukraine with materiel and training for its ongoing defense against Russia's invasion, launched in February 2022.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said he thinks NATO allies should shoot down Russian aircraft that violate their airspace. The Russian incursions are seen by NATO as a provocation and a test of the strength of the alliance.
“Statements that Russian aircraft should be shot down are at the very least reckless and irresponsible,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, originally in Russian, state news agency RIA reported.
Trump Demands More Action From Europe
Trump, who is trying to broker peace, has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin's continuation and intensification of the war in Ukraine, even after the two leaders met for a summit in Alaska. He is urging European allies to increase tariffs and sanctions on Russia and its key strategic partner, China, to add pressure on Moscow to end the war.
Trump said the U.S. will follow the Europeans' lead on both. He is also urging European nations still buying Russian oil and gas, namely Hungary and Slovakia, to stop.
Quote:The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has gone several days without external power, stoking safety concerns over overheating and a possible meltdown.
Newsweek has reached out to the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministries for comment via email on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Zaporizhzhia, which is Europe's largest power plant, has been under Russian control since early March 2022. It was one of the first sites to be seized by Russian forces in Russian President Vladimir Putin full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, which was launched years after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.
The outage is the longest recorded during the war, and has raised concerns about nuclear safety.
Russia has since claimed parts of Ukraine, with Kyiv and nations within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) seeking to defend the country's territorial integrity. The over three-years long war has displaced millions and killed large numbers of civilians and soldiers.
What To Know
“As a result of Russian actions, the Zaporizhzhia NPP has been without power for the fourth day. This is the plant’s tenth blackout caused by the Russians,” Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs, said in a Saturday X post. The Associated Press reported that external power was cut for its fifth day.
The six-reactor facility requires energy for cooling and safety systems, with the United Nations reporting the final power line was cut on Tuesday.
Cooling is necessary to prevent potential nuclear meltdowns. Some have warned of a potential similar outcome as the Fukushima meltdown, which occurred in 2011 after a tsunami and earthquake hit Japan, if the plant is properly connected to external power.
Before the war, when the plant was operational, it provided around one fifth of Ukraine's electricity.
The AP reported that Russian Telegram channels said there are diesel fuel reserves on site to continue ongoing operations of the plant. Jan Vande Putte, a radiation and nuclear energy specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine, told the outlet that "emergency diesel generators are considered the last line of defense, used only in extreme circumstances.” External power to the plant has been cut a couple times during the war, with this being the longest period of time.
Ukrainian officials and allies have said that Russian shelling resulted in the plant’s lack of external power, however, Russia has not confirmed that.
Quote:COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – The Danish defense ministry said Saturday that “drones have been observed at several of Danish defense facilities” overnight Friday into Saturday. The renewed drone sightings come after there were several drone sightings in the Nordic country earlier this week, with some of them temporarily shutting down Danish airports.
The Danish defense ministry did not say where exactly the drones were seen, but several local media reported that one or more were seen near or above the military Karup Air Base.
Danish public broadcaster DR reported that there were drones in the air both inside and outside the fence of the air base at around 8 p.m., quoting Simon Skelkjær, the duty manager at the Central and West Jutland Police.
DR said that for a period of time the airspace was closed to civil air traffic, but that did not have much practical significance as there is currently no civil aviation in Karup.
The repeated unexplained drone activity, including over four Danish airports overnight Wednesday into Thursday and a similar incident at Copenhagen Airport, has raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid suspected growing Russian aggression.
The Copenhagen drones grounded flights in the Danish capital for hours on Monday night.
[X Post]
The goal of the flyovers is to sow fear and division, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said Thursday, adding that the country will seek additional ways to neutralize drones, including proposing legislation to allow infrastructure owners to shoot them down.
For the upcoming European Union summit next week, the Danish defense ministry confirmed on X that the country’s government had accepted an offer from Sweden to “lend Denmark a military anti-drone capability,” without giving further details.
In neighboring Germany, several drones were reported in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which borders Denmark, from Thursday into Friday night.
The state’s interior minister, Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, said that “the state police are currently significantly stepping up their drone defense measures, also in coordination with other northern German states,” German news agency dpa reported. She did not provide any further details, citing the ongoing investigations.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that in regard to frequent attacks on infrastructure and data networks, “we are not at war, but we are no longer living in peace either.” He did not allude to a certain country as the actor behind those attacks.
“Drone flights, espionage, the Tiergarten murder, massive threats to individual public figures, not only in Germany but also in many other European countries. Acts of sabotage on a daily basis. Attempts to paralyze data centers. Cyberattacks,” he added during a speech at the Schwarz Ecosystem Summit in Berlin on Friday, dpa reported.
What became known as the “Tiergarten murder” in Germany refers to the case of Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted of the Aug. 23, 2019, killing of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and later claimed asylum in Germany. Krasikov was returned to Russia as part of a massive prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia in 2024.
Quote:Detection capabilities with radars and acoustic sensors must be part of plans for a "drone wall" in Eastern Europe to thwart the threat posed by Russia, the EU’s defense commissioner has said.
Andrius Kubilius warned that Russia "is testing EU and NATO" following reports of airspace violations by Moscow’s drones in Estonia, Poland, Romania and Denmark, as he described the challenge of a defensive system that works at long distances.
Karl Rosander, CEO of Nordic Air Defence, a technology developer, told Newsweek that an EU drone wall would be a coordinated, multilayered network designed to detect, track, and intercept unauthorized drones.
Why It Matters
Russian drone incursions across EU and NATO airspace have focused European leaders on how to defend against the growing hybrid threat posed by Moscow which is accused of testing the alliance’s resolve.
The EU is moving forward with a drone wall as part of an initiative called Eastern Flank Watch and while it has not revealed further details, there will need to be agreement among member states over its funding and its technical specifications.
What To Know
The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, announced Friday its commitment to building a drone wall to protect Europe against Russia, after airspace violations by drones which it accuses Moscow of launching.
EU defense commissioner Kubilius said that Europe needed to develop better capabilities to tackle drones but admitted a drone shield could take a year to build.
He said that priorities for the project would include boosting detection capabilities such as radars, acoustic sensors and other equipment which would need to detect all drones, including smaller aircraft flying at low altitudes.
Rosander told Newsweek Saturday that a network of sensors would be deployed across the border to spot incoming drones, which could be a multifaceted detection system including radars, infrared cameras as well as acoustic and radio frequency sensors.
Once a drone is detected and tracked, the system would need to deploy various "effectors" to neutralize the threat and these capabilities are expected to be modular and scalable, Rosander said.
Public spaces against drones need a more sophisticated solution than just ‘shooting them down’ and using missiles and ballistics to take them out in proximity to fuel tanks, roads and houses only heightens risk, he added.
"Kinetic interception physically takes out the drones in a safer way," Rosander said, "the force of the interceptor missile physically disables the drone, knocking it out of the sky. Other alternatives at their disposal could include deploying nets."
Over the last month, drones have been detected in Polish, Romanian, Danish and Norwegian airspace.
Also, NATO dispatched fighter jets after three Russian MiG-31s aircraft loitered in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes although Moscow said they had remained in international airspace.
Meanwhile, Denmark and Norway have closed airports this week in response to drones in incidents in which the Kremlin has denied involvement.
This has shifted the debate about how to ensure air defenses, which had been built for missiles and manned aircraft, can deal with cheap disposable drones.
Siete Hamminga, CEO of Robin Radar, a Dutch radar firm, told Newsweek that the drone incursions that shut down Danish airports showed that civil aviation was a frontline target. "Europe must start treating its skies as contested airspace, even at home, and invest in the protection needed to keep them secure."
INTERNATIONAL
Quote:Police are investigating after an apparent death threat was daubed onto the wall of a Turin railway station during an hours-long occupation of the interchange by anti-Israel activists, the latest manifestation in a days-long action by Antifa and other left-wing groups in support of Palestine.
The Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni said she was honoured to be compared with assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk after Palestine protesters wrote “Meloni: Come Kirk” [‘Meloni: Like Kirk’] on the wall of Torino Porta Susa station in Turin.
The threat is particularly insidious given Italy’s long history of political violence including the ‘Years of Lead‘, which has been particularly acute by general European standards over the past half-century, and the recent political assassination of Charlie Kirk in the United States. Police are investigating the signal, reports Corriere Torino.
Meloni herself disregarded the implied threat. She said in response: “They wrote it as a threat. But those who live on hatred and intimidation will never be like Charlie Kirk, because they do not know the value of dialogue, confrontation, and democracy.”
The Prime Minister said she felt “pride” in being compared to Kirk and said those who promised violence “will always remain prisoners of violence. We will continue to walk free, strong in our ideas.”
Regional politicians in the Turin area decried the threat. Alberto Cirio, President of the Italian state of Piedmont of which Turin is the largest city, said: “The blockades in Turin , the damage, and the threats against Prime Minister Meloni, to whom I extend my full solidarity, are unacceptable. Everyone is free to peacefully express their opinions, but this can never go beyond respect for the rules and the law.”
His deputy, the Vice President of Piedmont said the threats were cowardly and an affront to the whole Italian political system. She said: “Calling for the death of a political opponent is not dissent: it is barbaric. And it is an insult to millions of citizens who believe in freedom and the strength of democracy. Anyone who thinks they can affirm an idea through hatred has already condemned it to defeat.”
Quote:LONDON (AP) – Russia is selling military equipment and technology to China that could help Beijing prepare an airborne invasion of Taiwan, according to an analysis of leaked Russian documents by a U.K.-based defense and security forum.
The Royal United Services Institute’s analysis is based on around 800 pages of documents, including contracts and lists of equipment to be supplied by Moscow to Beijing, from the Black Moon hacktivist group, which previously published some of the documents online. It does not identify its members but describes itself in a manifesto as opposed to governments that carry out aggressive foreign policy.
The authors of the RUSI report shared some of the documents with The Associated Press and say they appear to be genuine, although parts of the documents may have been omitted or altered. AP is unable to independently verify their authenticity.
The mix of completed and apparent draft Russian documents reference meetings between Chinese and Russian delegations – including visits to Moscow – and payment and delivery timelines for high-altitude parachute systems and amphibious assault vehicles. They suggest that Russia has begun work on the products to be delivered but don´t contain direct evidence from the Chinese side that Beijing has paid any money or received any equipment.
While the authors argue the equipment could be used to invade Taiwan, under Xi Jinping China has embarked upon a broad modernization program of its armed forces with the goal of transforming it into a “world-class” military by 2050.
High ranking U.S. officials have suggested Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered his military to be prepared for a possible invasion of Taiwan as early as 2027. Beijing claims the self-governing democracy is rightfully a part of China and has not ruled out seizing the island by force.
The documents don’t mention Taiwan directly, but the analysis by the London-based institute suggests the deal would help China gain advanced parachuting capabilities that it would need to mount an invasion, potentially speeding up a timeline.
It´s not certain that China has decided to invade Taiwan, but access to Russian equipment and localized training in China means Beijing will be better equipped for a potential invasion, Danylyuk said.
“The Chinese school of airborne landing is very young,” he said, suggesting Moscow´s assistance could help speed up China´s airborne program by about 10 to 15 years.
Quote:Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian, who is subservient to “supreme leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, spent much of his Wednesday meeting with European leaders, pressuring them not to implement “snapback” measures that would restore sanctions on his country over its illicit nuclear development.
Iran, the world’s premier state sponsor of terrorism, has alarmed the world with a dramatic increase in nuclear development activities, particularly nuclear enrichment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution condemning Iran in June for violating its international law commitments with its uranium enrichment, the first time in 20 years the U.N. nuclear agency had done so.
Since then, the remaining members of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known commonly as the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, have begun the process of reimplementing sanctions on Iran lifted by the JCPOA. The “snapback” provisions in the agreement allow for the restoration of such sanctions in the event that Iran violated the provisions of the agreement.
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Iranian state media reported extensively on Pezeshkian’s meetings with various European leaders, many of them not parties to the JCPOA, and his lobbying for them to pressure the relevant countries not to sanction Iran. In multiple meetings at the United Nations in New York, Pezeshkian reportedly made the case that any dialogue with European states would not be “meaningful” if the snapback sanctions return and Iran faces consequences for its actions.
“We welcome diplomatic talks to resolve the [nuclear] issue, but naturally, if the snapback [mechanism of sanctions] is activated, dialogue will no longer be meaningful,” Pezeshkian told Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter on Wednesday, for example, according to the Iranian propaganda outlet PressTV.
“Iran is ready to have this issue verified within the framework of international laws and its rights,” he allegedly added. Separately, in a meeting with European Union bureaucrat António Costa, Pezeshkian said that “Tehran is ready for dialogue and understanding to resolve issues and remove obstacles and concerns with the aim of preventing the escalation of differences.” He reportedly blamed any threat to the JCPOA on “those who failed to honor their obligations as per the JCPOA and withdrew from the deal,” presumably referring to Trump.
The Iranian Tasnim News Agency similarly reported on Pezeshkian’s remarks in a bilateral meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, another European country not party to the JCPOA.
“Pezeshkian emphasized that if the snapback mechanism is triggered, negotiations would lose their significance,” Tasnim reported. “He stated that Western countries should demonstrate their commitment to their obligations for any meaningful understanding to emerge, adding that the current situation has arisen due to the West’s failure to uphold its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.”
Any concerns about Iran’s illicit uranium enrichment, he reportedly added, was the product of “misleading propaganda from the Israeli regime,” without elaborating.
In reality, concerns about Iran’s uranium enrichment are the product of extensive attempts by the IAEA to oversee the Islamist regime’s activities. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi publicly protested Iran’s intransigence in working with his agency for months, culminating in a report to the IAEA’s board in June in which Grossi revealed that Iran was actively blocking the agency’s work.
“Unfortunately, Iran has repeatedly either not answered, or not provided technically credible answers to, the Agency’s questions. It has also sought to sanitize the locations, which has impeded Agency verification activities,” he revealed, referring to sites where Iran was engaging in nuclear research.
The sites, he concluded, were likely “part of an undeclared structured nuclear program carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities used undeclared nuclear material.”
Gladly, the UN didn't listen to the Iranian president.
Quote:The United Nations Security Council adopted “snapback” sanctions on Iran on Saturday, due to the regime’s refusal to cooperate on nuclear monitoring, restoring sanctions to where they were before President Barack Obama’s deal.
The “snapback” provisions of the deal were thought to be toothless, since it was difficult to envision a situation in which European nations would back U.S. demands to restore sanctions on Iran.
But President Donald Trump’s strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities at the end of Israel’s 12 Day War with Iran set events in motion, with Iran pulling out of monitoring commitments and the world understanding the risks.
The Associated Press reported:
The United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran early Sunday over its nuclear program, further squeezing the Islamic Republic as its people increasingly find themselves priced out of the food they need to survive and worried about their futures.
The sanctions will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran, and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures. It came via a mechanism known as “snapback,” included in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, and comes as Iran’s economy already is reeling.
Iran’s rial currency sits at a record low, increasing pressure on food prices and making daily life that much more challenging. That includes meat, rice and other staples of the Iranian dinner table.
As Breitbart News reported last month, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom set the snapback sanctions in motion. Russia and China, which would normally veto sanctions to protect Iran, cannot do so under the terms of the Iran nuclear deal originally adopted by the Security Council in 2015.
The AP adds that Iran faces economic instability and that it has executed more people in the past year than in the previous three decades.
Obama originally argued that the “snapback” sanctions would prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
That was never true: Iran pursued nuclear weapons, regardless, and might have achieved them had Trump not bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities. Now, with Iran defying the world, the sanctions have indeed snapped back — after military action, not before, and with an effect likely not anticipated by the Obama administration when it negotiated the deal.
Quote:The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Friday that China is leading the effort to prevent the United States from regaining control of Bagram air base in Afghanistan.
The SCMP reported that Yue Xiaoyong, special envoy to Afghanistan from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, held a meeting with delegates from Russia, Pakistan, and Iran on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City on Thursday.
After the meeting, the four nations issued a joint statement urging “respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.”
The statement opposed military bases controlled by anyone the four signatories blamed for the “current situation,” which primarily means the United States. China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran did not seem inclined to limit themselves from establishing a military presence in Afghanistan, if they so desired.
The airfield at Bagram was constructed by the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It became a key element of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. The U.S. took control of the long-abandoned facility in 2001, after overthrowing the first Taliban government.
American forces refurbished and expanded the base, providing it with enough runway space to handle large cargo planes, a prison complex, and various amenities, including fast-food restaurants.
President Donald Trump has been strongly critical of his predecessor Joe Biden for abandoning Bagram during Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in July 2021. Senior military leaders told Congress they strongly advised Biden to retain control of Bagram and conduct evacuations from there, rather than the more vulnerable Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Terrorists bombed the Kabul airport during the chaos of Biden’s withdrawal, killing over 100 people, including 13 U.S. service members.
During his trip to the United Kingdom last week, Trump said he wanted the United States to regain control of Bagram, and he was not shy about explaining why.
“One of the biggest airbases in the world, we gave it to them for nothing. We’re trying to get it back, by the way, okay? That could be a little breaking news. We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back,” Trump told reporters. By “they,” he meant the Taliban junta that took control of Afghanistan after Biden’s withdrawal.
“But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So a lot of things are happening,” he said.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” Trump warned in a subsequent post on Truth Social.
Bagram is about 43 miles from Kabul, and about 500 miles from Afghanistan’s border with the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China. Among the facilities located in the XUAR is China’s secretive nuclear weapons testing facility at Lop Nur.
Trump later told reporters aboard Air Force One that Bagram was “one of the most powerful bases in the world in terms of runway strength and length.”
“You could land anything there,” he said.
Trump made his comments a few days after White House envoy Adam Boehler had a meeting with Taliban officials. The Taliban praised the meeting as a sign that Washington has “opened its doors to Kabul.”
Taliban Foreign Ministry official Zakir Jalaly quickly dismissed the idea of giving Bagram back to the United States, however.
“The Afghans have not accepted a military presence in history, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement, but the door is open for further interaction,” he said.
Quote:Troops from Thailand and Cambodia have engaged in the first clashes since a ceasefire between the neighbors that was backed by President Donald Trump only weeks ago.
Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged fire and launched grenades in northeastern Thailand less than two months after the peace deal was struck on July 28, according to reports.
The increase in tensions over the last few days appear to violate the deal's spirit, although neither side has officially declared the ceasefire void.
Newsweek has contacted the Thai and Cambodian foreign ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
A long-standing dispute between the countries which share a 500-mile land border, largely mapped by France when it ruled Cambodia, was reignited in May after an exchange of gunfire that killed a Cambodian soldier.
This escalated into clashes in July before talks in Malaysia led to a ceasefire on July 28 which Trump claimed credit for as he touted the impact of sanctions' threats. Renewed clashes between the countries point to a breach of the peace terms which had been touted by the U.S. president as a sign of his ability as a dealmaker.
What To Know
Much like the previous clashes earlier in the year, both sides have made accusations and counter accusations about renewed hostilities on the border.
Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said Saturday that Cambodian soldiers had fired into the Chong An Ma area in Ubon Ratchathani province, prompting the Suranaree Task Force that maintains border security to be placed on high alert, Bloomberg reported.
He said the Thai side responded "in accordance with the ceasefire measures" without specifying further, adding in his X statement that the task force "is prepared and has ordered retaliatory fire as needed."
There were later reports of a brief exchange of small-arms fire, with no casualties reported on the Thai side, the Bangkok Post reported.
Meanwhile, Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Facebook that at 11.52 a.m. local time, Thai military forces had initially fired small arms and mortar rounds on its An Seh military base.
The statement added that the Cambodian Army were ready to protect the land’s natural state but that it was committed to respecting and implement the ceasefire agreement struck in July.
The Bangkok Post reported that officials in Nam Yuen district, where Chong Arn Ma is located, warned the public to prepare for their evacuation if the situation deteriorated.
Maly Socheata, spokesperson for the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense, said Cambodian forces had exercised restraint, according to the Phnom Penh Post.
The ceasefire struck on July 28 in Kuala Lumpur will continue to hold, because actions by both countries are tied more to domestic politics than direct military confrontation, Channel News Asia reported on Friday.
Dulyapak Preecharush, an associate professor of Asian Studies at Thammasat University in Bangkok told the outlet that the tensions and protests along the border partly reflect local grievances and the revival of nationalist issues, rather than a direct move toward military confrontation between the two sides."
Quote:The president of Colombia has responded to the move to revoke his U.S. visa after he called for soldiers to defy Donald Trump.
Gustavo Petro posted on X, "I don't care," in response to the cancellation of his visa on Friday which is likely to further strain relations between Washington and Bogotá.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department for comment.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration's decision to revoke Petro's visa and the Colombian president’s response shows the deterioration of ties between the countries amid divisions over U.S. foreign policy, especially related to the Middle East and Latin America.
What To Know
In an X post on Saturday, Petro disparaged the decision by the U.S. State Department to revoke his U.S. visa while he was in the country where he attended the United Nations General Assembly.
He said that he had arrived back in Bogotá, and no longer had a visa to travel to the U.S, but added, "I don't care."
Petro said that he did not need a visa but an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization), referring to the U.S. visa waiver system, because he is not just a Colombian citizen, but also a European citizen. He added that he considered himself "a free person in the world" and that every person on earth must be free.
Petro had his visa revoked after comments he made to a crowd outside the U.N. headquarters about Palestine when he called for "all the soldiers of the army of the U.S. not to point their rifles at humanity."
In the clip which was posted on social media, Petro can be heard saying, "disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity."
Later Friday, the State Department said that Petro’s visa would be revoked "due to his reckless and incendiary actions" in urging U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence.
Colombian media had reported that Petro had already departed the U.S. when the State Department made the announcement.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
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My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
