Europe Watch

The ruling party of the populist Czech prime minister leads in 1st round of Senate election– abcnews.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

The ruling party of the populist Czech prime minister leads in 1st round of Senate election– abcnews.com
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EXCERPT:

PRAGUE — A political group led by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš was leading Saturday in the Czech Republic’s first round of voting to fill one-third of the seats in Parliament’s upper house, the Senate.

With votes from more than 93% of polling stations counted, the centrist ANO (YES) movement led of the populist billionaire could have the most candidates, 13, advancing to next week’s runoffs.

ANO hopes to make gains in the 81-seat Senate, which is controlled by pro-Western opposition parties. Twenty-seven Senate seats are up for grabs.

Up to six candidates could reach the 50% threshold to win seats outright, none of them from ANO, according to the preliminary results released by the Czech Statistics Office. That could leave 21 seats to be decided in the runoffs between the top two finishers in each race.

Parliament’s lower house dominates the legislative process, but the Senate plays an important role in passing constitutional amendments and approving Constitutional Court judges.

Mom of Dead Russian Plague-Lab Worker Says ‘I Know The Truth’ — Denies Broken Test Tube Story– wltreport.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Mom of Dead Russian Plague-Lab Worker Says ‘I Know The Truth’ — Denies Broken Test Tube Story– wltreport.com
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EXCERPT:

No one is questioning whether or not the Russian lab handled the plague.

It’s CALLED the Anti-Plague Research Institute for a reason.  And locals just call it the ‘Plague Lab’.

But one woman is challenging the entire story about a broken test-tube that led to the death of at least one lab worker, along with the unverified reported rumors of a possible second death.

The mother of the the 28-year-old lab tech says that broken test-tube story is complete nonsense.

She’s not buying it, and she has a logical reason to back up her claim.  (We’ll get to that in just a moment.)

By the time reports started surfacing outside Russia there were already hundreds of people under quarantine, and local Russian media was being scrubbed of the initial reports that even mentioned the word ‘plague’.

Already, the debate about whether it was plague — or something else — had begun to take center stage in the story, as evidenced in this early NBC News report:

Five days after that report, and those questions still have not been sufficiently answered.

On Wednesday, even the World Health Organization refused to cover for Russia — though the Russians were saying they were fully cooperating with the WHO.

The World Health Organization said otherwise:

 

If you watched that video, the WHO also addressed the reports of a possible second victim they were attempting (unsuccessfully) to investigate.

Again, Russia wasn’t talking.

But days later, the World Health Organization still didn’t have all its questions answered.

In other words… Russia wasn’t talking. (I see a pattern emerging.)

Since then, the mother of Darya Shipilova, who worked in that plague-lab and died from SOMETHING, did start talking.

And what she said — while under quarantine herself — didn’t line up with the official Russian story.

But oddly enough, it did contradict one aspect of the early reports which said a broken test-tube had allowed plague to infect her daughter; which Russia has also denied.

However, Svetlana Shipilova still wasn’t letting Russian authorities off the hook, blaming them directly for her daughter’s death, according to this from the Telegraph:

The mother of a Russian scientist who died in a suspected plague leak has challenged reports that her daughter was infected after breaking a test tube containing plague bacteria.

Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old laboratory technician at the Siberian anti-plague research institute in Irkutsk, died early on Oct 2 after being taken to hospital in the nearby town of Shelekhov.

Her death, which is still shrouded in mystery, was attributed to infection with the “plague” by local officials and pro-government media in now-deleted posts. The Kremlin has dismissed the claims and denied imposing anti-plague measures.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) demanded that Russia answer questions about reports of a second, unconfirmed case of plague in Siberia and supply more information about the death of Shipilova.

The researcher’s mother, Svetlana Shipilova, herself a medical professional, told the Russian outlet Glubina that she did not believe the account circulating about her daughter’s death.

“I know the truth,” she said. “I’m having to fend off stupid acquaintances who believed all this – the clever ones didn’t believe it, of course.

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“Not even all medical professionals understand it’s impossible to break a test tube like that,” she continued. “Even if you fling it at the wall. Only an amateur could say something like that.

“Even hypothetically, you simply can’t spill what’s inside or break the tube – they’re that well protected.”

She also told reporters: “They simply let my daughter die.”

Although officials have not publicly confirmed the reports, accounts shared widely in local media suggested that the younger Shipilova had become infected with pneumonic plague after being exposed to the highly infectious pathogen in a lab mishap. (Emphasis added.)

Unfortunately, that is where this story once again grows cold.

Just yesterday, Reuters essentially summed up the most recent update from the World Health Organization with this short headline:

In other words, Russia STILL isn’t talking.

And even though Daria’s mother was talking — she didn’t really give the DETAILS of what she says she knows.

She obviously didn’t buy the broken test-tube idea, and had some solid personal experience and knowledge about test-tubes to back up her claim.

But so far we’re left with two unanswered questions stemming from Daria’s mother’s claims.

If ‘they’ simply ‘let’ her daughter die:

  1. How?
  2. And maybe more importantly, Why?

Unfortunately, if Daria’s mother addressed those in more detail, that part of the interview hasn’t been shared publicly.

That gap in the information has only fueled the speculation about what is really going on in Russia, as related in this report from the New York Post:

Russian officials have remained unnervingly quiet regarding the circumstances under which Daria Shipilova had become infected with pneumonic plague, despite reports she was exposed in a lab mishap.

As a result of her death, hundreds who had come into contact with her were placed under quarantine.

Moscow has only confirmed that she died of “pneumonia of unknown origin” — but experts are now questioning whether the strain of plague that killed her could have been modified as a potential bioweapon.

“If she was working in a plague lab and had an accident, there would have been a protocol for her to go on antibiotics,” Former CDC Director Robert Redfield told NewsNation on Tuesday.

“Now, if the plague that she was working with had been manipulated to not be sensitive to antibiotics … that would explain why maybe they didn’t work.”

President Trump, meanwhile, downplayed the possibility that the scientist died from a biological weapon, saying Wednesday that “we don’t think so” but that “we’re going to find out soon enough.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia reported the incident to the World Health Organization and followed international protocol — accusing the media of pushing false information ​about the case.

The World Health Organization and the United States are pushing Moscow to provide ​greater transparency about the incident.

In many respects, that just tells us what we already knew and reminds us we haven’t been told everything.

But there is one thing I’ll say with certainty, which Glenn Beck nailed in this short video.

You don’t quarantine hundreds of people and hospitals and just shut EVERYTHING DOWN — which, Russia did, try as they might to hide it…

Because someone caught a cold or came down with run-of-the-mill pneumonia.

Here’s that clip:

And here’s the full text from his post for easier reading:

Pneumonic plague spreads through the air, moves fast, and kills quickly. Even with immediate treatment, it carries a brutal death rate. If you don’t get treatment within 24 hours, it’s virtually 100% fatal.

So, a lab tech drops a test tube in Siberia, dies four days later, and Russia won’t even utter the word “plague.” They call it “pneumonia of unknown origin.”

Well I think they know the origin. They know exactly what was in that broken tube. And while they play PR games with the diagnosis and potential outbreak, every hour they waste is an hour taken off the clock. Beating this depends on someone telling the truth on day one. If they are hiding the truth, like they did with anthrax in the 70s, we are already behind the clock.

Besides the rationale behind Russia’s response, Glenn Beck made one other assertion in that clip that I’m going to comfortably file under the heading of ‘that tracks’.

Whatever the ‘incident’ that happened in the lab — a broken test-tube, a spilled vial, a missed security protocol — whatever…

Russia knows the toxin, the bacteria, the virus, or other biological hazard, that was involved.

Whatever actually happened, which Russia is being deceptively less-than-forthcoming about; they aren’t keeping that secret because they don’t know it themselves.

They’re keeping it under wraps from the media, the Trump Administration, the WHO, and the rest of the world because they DO know what it is.

And whatever it is… they don’t want the rest of us to know.

Again, that doesn’t answer the questions that Daria’s mother left unanswered — the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ Russia would “simply let my daughter die”.

And it doesn’t definitively require the answer to be THE PLAGUE — weaponized, or not.

But it does corroborate the part of the story that Svetlana Shipilova emphasized, even while AGREEING with Russia’s assertion that no broken test-tube was involved.

For some reason, she believes Daria was allowed to die purposefully, presumably to cover up some truth.

And she believes it enough to go on record with Russian media, inside Russia, WHILE BEING QUARANTINED.

Which is really saying something.

So far, nine days after Daria’s death and at least a week since the reports of plague started to surface, we still don’t know what the PLAGUE LAB WORKER came in contact with… which very quickly led to her death.

We know that Russia says there was no trace of plague on her body.

But we also know that even the WHO hasn’t been able to independently verify that.

If I were to venture a guess, they probably never will.

And the body of the victim(s)?

Wouldn’t that now be the key for discovering what actually killed Daria?

It might be — if anyone could examine her body.

Why do I have a sinking suspicion that will never happen, either?


Polanski defends leadership of Greens and says he will not step down after byelection defeat by Labour – UK politics live | Politics– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Polanski defends leadership of Greens and says he will not step down after byelection defeat by Labour – UK politics live | Politics– www.theguardian.com
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EXCERPT:

Under Green party rules, leaders have to get re-elected every two years, which means there will be a contest next summer. Asked how confident he was of being able to win again, Polanski told Sky News:

What I’m experiencing is the immense amount of people who are saying they’ve never been prouder to be a Green party member.

It is being difficult being leader of any party, particularly the Green party or a decentralised party.

Very often the media – and I think this is fine that they do that – talk about the Green -arty as if we’re like the other parties. But that is a different kind of party. We’re led by the grassroots and ultimately the leader is partly a primary spokesperson for the party. That is difficult. But I signed up for that difficult job, and I’m more than ready to continue.

Asked if he would stand again to be an MP, he replied:

I want to be an MP. I don’t think it’s the be all and end all. I think I’ve demonstrated over the last year that you can create change from outside of parliament.

But, if another seat came up in London where he had a connection, he would stand again, he said.

 

 

Key events

 

Sagal Abdi-Wali, the new Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras, posing for a selfie with Lucy Powell, the deputy Labour leader, and Labour activists this morning. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA

Back to the byelection, and the politics professor Rob Ford has written an analysis of the results for Sky News. Here is an excerpt.

This was a strong performance for Labour on several metrics. The decline in Labour’s vote share, at just 3.7 points, was well below the average drop of 19.3 points across the four by-elections during Starmer’s premiership, where Burnham was not on the ballot.

The drop here was indeed smaller than the average drop in Labour support found during Tony Blair’s first term (11.1%).

The Labour to Green swing, at 13.1 points, was well below many of the swings the Greens achieved in the 2024 general election and this May’s local elections, and a pale shadow of the 26.5-point swing the party achieved in Gorton and Denton in February.

How swing from Labour to Greens in Holborn and St Pancras compares with swings to Greens in other notable Labour/Green contests Photograph: Sky News

Burnham unveils £48m partnership in bid to ‘defeat’ dementia

Andy Burnham has pledged to make dementia research a national priority as he announced a £48m industry partnership to accelerate the search for a cure, the Press Association reports. PA says:

The prime minister, whose father Roy died last month after suffering from Alzheimer’s, said he wanted Britain “to be the country that makes the breakthrough”.

The government will invest £33m, and there is also funding from Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK and Gates Ventures to help recruit more people for clinical studies.

The investment will support The Barbara Alliance, which was launched in memory of the late EastEnders actress Dame Barbara Windsor to speed up the development of dementia treatments.

It will establish a platform connecting health data, research and clinical trial capabilities to make it easier to find participants for trials.

Burnham said:

Dementia is a devastatingly cruel disease, not only for those who live with it, but for the families who care for them.

For too long, we have accepted dementia as something to be managed later in life, rather than a disease we can defeat.

I don’t accept that.

In fact, I have real hope that we can come together and do exactly that.

Downing Street has published further details here.

Caroline Lucas says Green party urgently needs to revise its policy-making rules because it’s ‘woefully exposed’ to entryism

Caroline Lucas, the former Green leader, has said that Sunday’s vote for the “Zionism is racism” motion has shown how the party is “woefully exposed” to entryism.

In an article for the New Statesman, she said passing the motion crossed “a very significant red line” and she said the party urgently needed to reform its internal procedures to stop this happening again.

She explained:

It’s worth recalling that this motion was supported by 1,022 self-selected members – just 0.5% of the party’s total membership – an unknown number of whom were actively encouraged to join the Green party simply to vote to push the motion through. This speaks volumes about the vulnerability of our internal structures. Entryism has been a problem for many parties, but with our commitment to direct democracy and our cumbersome internal accountability mechanisms, the Greens are woefully exposed.

In the weeks and months to come, we Greens have urgent work to do: taking action to show everyone in our communities, especially Jewish people, that our party is safe for them; finding ways of making our party’s policy making processes more inclusive and effective, our internal structures more accountable and resilient, and our understanding of both antisemitism and Zionism more informed.

Setting out what she saw as the flaw in the motion, Lucas said:

One of the most dangerous outcomes of rising populism and polarisation is a refusal to accept complexities, to deal only in zero-sum binaries. And so the radical over-simplification at the heart of the “Zionism is racism” motion has led to many Jewish people, both inside and outside the party, feeling scared and unwelcome. For many of them, the knowledge about why their ancestors or families fled Europe and sought sanctuary in Palestine can, and often does, simultaneously sit alongside their utter abhorrence at the actions and ideology of the state of Israel now. But asking all Jewish people to deny the historical realities that might explain their own families’ attachment to Israel as a sanctuary is not an ask our movement should or needs to make.

Caroline Lucas at the Green party conference last week. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

In his speech in Manchester, Andy Burnham congratulated Sagal Abdi-Wali on her victory in the byelection.

He said:

We’re here in Manchester. But actually, it’s good news from London that it’s lifting us. And I just wanted to say congratulations to Sagal Abdi-Wali, the new member of parliament for Holborn and St Pancras – and, relevant to this morning, the constituency that is the capital of innovation in the UK, home to the Crick Institute, the Alan Turing Institute and so much more.

Andy Burnham speaking at the Innovation Nation Summit at Bruntwood SciTech in Manchester this morning. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

These are from the More in Common pollster Luke Tryl on the Holborn and St Pancras byelection result.

3000+ majority for Labour, comfortable and a sign of Burnham’s gains on the left. Labour vote barely drops. Green vote significantly up from 2024, but less impressive if you assume lots of Feinstein 2024 voters went to the Greens. Bad result for the Greens but not at worst end

Wider context to the Holborn result: this chart shows the proportion of Labour’s 2024 vote going to different parties. Post Gorton over 1 in 10 Labour 24 voters were going to the Greens – that number has more than halved as Labour’s retention improved, particularly on the left.

% of Labour 2024 voters defecting to supporting other parties Photograph: More in Common

Tryl also points out that it was a record bad result for George Galloway, who in the past has pulled off two remarkable byelection victories.

Obviously not helped by the fact he is in self imposed exile. But Holborn was George Galloway’s worst ever result in a Westminster election.

George Galloway’s parliamentary elections results Photograph: More in Common

Here is Guardian video of Zack Polanski responding to the byelection result.

‘We didn’t get it over the line’: Green party’s Zack Polanski on byelection loss – video
 

Party leaders sometimes visit the constituency after a byelection win. Andy Burnham is giving a speech this morning – but not in Holborn and St Pancras. He is in Manchester, where he is giving a speech at the Innovation Nation summit.

Burnham is speaking now, and he is following the former PM Gordon Brown. Brown said the UK could be a leading innovation nation, and Burnham started his speech with what he said were words that he used every week when he was a cabinet minister almost 20 years ago. “Gordon is right,” he said.

Andy Burnham speaking at the Innovation Nation Summit. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Polanski says he wants Green party to revise its Zionism motion ‘at earliest opportunity’

Jenny Jones, the Green party peer, said that the Greens should clarify what they meant by the “Zionism is racism” motion passed at their conference.

Describing the vote “a rather big blip” for the party in an interview on Times Radio, she said:

I actually chaired the session and I was astonished. It was very emotional, but it was also relatively polite, which was surprising.

And I would like to see it reorganised. It is not clear exactly what we mean.

Zack has been working with Jewish members of the party and with Jewish organisations to make it clear that we are not antisemitic.

And nobody in the party will be disciplined for going to the synagogue or any sort of community centre.

We have to work through it and we’ve got to make it clear exactly what that motion means.

In his Today interview, Polanski also said that he would like the party to revise the motion. He said:

At the earliest possible opportunity, I do want, at a conference motion, to see us go back to a process where Israelis and Palestinians decide the future of their region.

Now, that’s up to members because we’re a grassroots party.

Polanski declines to say Israel has right to exist, but insists he does not back replacing it with single Palestinian state

On the Today programme (see 9.12am) Zack Polanski was being interviewed by Nick Robinson. At times, it got rather tetchy.

When Robinson asked about Caroline Lucas saying that Polanski should have voted in the debate on the “Zionism is racism” motion (see 2.55am), Polanski said he was fighting a byelection. Robinson then told him not to “insult the intelligence of people listening” and said that of course he could have been at the debate. Polanski said he had in fact pushed to get the conference postponed.

Asked how he would have voted if he had been there, Polanski said he wanted to amend the motion on two grounds. But those amendments fell. “And so I would have voted against the motion,” he said.

Polanski backed taking out the reference in the motion saying there should be a one-state solution, and another amendment that would have ensured Jewish Green members were not penalised for belonging to synagogues that identify as Zionist.

Asked if he believed there should be “a safe home for Jews in a state called Israel”, Polanski replied:

I believe everyone deserves a safe home, and I’ve not dodged the question.

When Robinson asked again if Israel had a right to exist, Polanski said:

I believe Israelis and Palestinians should have equal rights in a democracy …

Right now, Israel is a one-state, apartheid state. Palestinians don’t have democracy and they don’t have the right to vote for their government.

Robinson asked why Polanski was not able to say he believed in Israel as a safe home for Jewish people, even if he loathed what its government was doing. Polanski replied:

I don’t believe that any state has a right to oppress or to commit apartheid, and certainly not genocide, on another people.

Now, it may be that in the future that there is a solution in which case Israelis and Palestinians can have equal rights.

I believe my role as leader of the Green party, and more importantly the British government, is to uphold international law.

But this is a context where we’ve seen 75,000 Palestinians murdered in the last few years, 1,500 murdered since the so-called ceasefire, and there are more child amputees than in modern history.

I don’t believe that’s a state that anyone should be supporting.

Robinson asked about the distinction between the Israeli government and the Israeli state. Was Polanski saying things were so terrible the state of Israel should no longer exist? Robinson said the motion passed at the Green conference implied this because it proposed a single Palestinian state. Did Polanski want to scrap the state of Israel?

Polanski replied:

No. What I want is to see a safe space for Israelis and Palestinians. And by the way, this isn’t a new position. We could go back to Edward Montagu, a Jewish man who was in the cabinet, who said at the time that he felt Zionism was a racist endeavour against Jewish people …

Jewish people have always had different opinions about the state of Israel.

Robinson intervened:

I still don’t know what your position is, whether it has a right to exist or not. You could just give me a yes/no and we could move on.

Polanski said he wanted to equal rights for Israeli and Palestinians. Robinson said that was not an answer to the question. Polanski replied: “At the moment Palestinians don’t have equal rights, so I think I’m answering your question really clearly.”

Zack Polanski being interviewed on Today Photograph: Today programme/Today progamme

And Andy Burnham has posted this message on the result.

Yesterday, Holborn and St Pancras voted for hope.

Congratulations @Sagal_AW and the whole team on a fantastic campaign. Looking forward to working together!

Keir Starmer, the former PM, has posted this on social media about Sagal Abdi-Wali winning the byelection created by his resignation as MP for Holborn and St Pancras.

Brilliant result. Congratulations to my friend @Sagal_AW, I know you are a brilliant champion for our communities and will be a fantastic MP.

Polanski says Green party investigating member proposing Zionism motion over friendship with convicted terrorist

In an interview on the Today programme, Zack Polanski was asked about reports that Lubna Speitan, one of the Green party members proposing the “Zionism is racism” motion, was listed in court documents as a “close friend” of a man later jailed for supporting al-Qaeda.

Polanski said that he was not aware of this at the time of the debate. But he said this was now being investigated by the party.

When it was put to him that, given the importance of this motion, he should have looked who was proposing it more carefully, Polanski said there were 121 motions proposed at the conference.

Asked about her friendship with Minh Quang Pham, who denied planning a suicide attack, Speitan told the Telegraph: “People are demonised for all sorts of things and wrongfully accused of all sorts of things.” She also claimed she was the victim of a “character assassination”.

Here is an extract from Prof Sir John Curtice’s assessment of the Holborn and St Pancras byelection in an article for the Times.

With 45 per cent of the vote, Labour was much further ahead of the Greens, on 33 per cent, than they had been in May. Yet, Labour’s tally was still four points down on the 49 per cent Sir Keir won in 2024 — a figure that, as in many constituencies with a substantial Muslim population, was well down on the 66 per cent the party won locally in 2019.

In short, the result confirmed that, while it is enjoying a substantial recovery from the nadir to which the party fell in the final months of Sir Keir’s tenure, Labour still has significant ground left to recover before it is in a position where it might win another Commons majority.

Curtice also points out that the results confirm that Restore Britain is a problem for Reform UK. (See 6.15am.) The Conservative party came third, but Reform UK would beaten the Tories if its candidate had also had just half the votes that went to Restore.

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And this is what Bridget Phillipson, the Labour party chair, told Times Radio about the byelection result.

I think it demonstrates that Labour’s message of hope is really cutting through, that people don’t just want parties like Labour to talk about the progressive change this country needs but they want to see it delivered in action, and that’s what we’re focused on every day as a Labour government.

The things that really matter to people about the cost of living, about issues around homelessness as Sagal [Abdi-Wali] was talking about.

In Sagal we had a fantastic candidate who really resonated with the public, backed up by Labour’s clear message of hope and I couldn’t be more pleased.

Bridget Phillipson, the Labour party chair, told Sky News that the Holborn and St Pancras byelection result showed that Andy Burnham had “got off to an incredibly strong start” as PM.

 

 

Spain housing crisis intensifies after evicted elderly woman dies– www.foxnews.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026 0

Spain housing crisis intensifies after evicted elderly woman dies– www.foxnews.com
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EXCERPT:

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The death of an 87-year-old woman who was evicted from her longtime home has intensified a political crisis in Spain, where nationwide protests over soaring housing costs have helped force an early election.

María del Carmen Abascal, known as “Maricarmen,” died Wednesday after being hospitalized following her eviction from a Madrid apartment where she had lived for seven decades, according to The Associated Press.

Her death came just days after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap election for Nov. 29 following his government’s failure to pass emergency housing measures through Parliament.

The controversy has put renewed pressure on Sánchez’s Socialist Party as Spain grapples with widespread frustration over rising rents and housing affordability.

France Islamist-Progressive Riots Continue

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

Under the guise of “education reform,” which is mostly demanding more resources and creating policies aligned with the Progressive-Islamist alliance, riots across France in most major cities continue unabated. So far, more than 5,000 people have been arrested.

France Youth Riots Manipulated by Far-Left Mélenchon Party: Paris Police– www.breitbart.com
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EXCERPT:

A report from the Paris Police’s intelligence branch has reportedly found that radical presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left La France Insoumise party instigated the youth riots which plunged much of the country into chaos this week.

Over 5,000 people were arrested this week as mayhem broke out around the so-called student actions at over a thousand high schools across France, in which multicultural youths ran roughshod, engaging in mindless destruction and wanton violence, including attacks on police and innocent bystanders, arson, and vandalism

According to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, some 85 per cent of the arrests made during the riots were under the age of 18.

However, a report from the Paris Police Prefect claimed that other forces were likely pulling the strings behind the scenes, finding that “the origins of the movement clearly lie in the manipulation of student union structures and political movements close to the far left.”

The report, obtained by Le Figaro, claimed that members of political organisations such as the Young Revolutionary Communists and the La France Insoumise (LFI/France in Rebellion) party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon may have a “strategy of igniting unrest on the part of the most radical union and political structures to impose their ideas as national elections approach.”

While the students largely displayed “a clear desire for disorder, notably through the commission of urban violence, without any specific social demands,” the police report said that “clearly, high school students are being pushed into these actions by far-left elements identified both within student union structures at Paris 8 University (Le Poing levé, FSE), or Paris Nanterre (FSE).”

Hamas Supporters March on October 7

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

Hamas supporters in London decided to march on the 3rd anniversary of the October 7 slaughter of innocent Israelis by the organization they are marching for. The march was not seen as racist by British police, despite it clearly sending a message to the Jews that they’re next. It is an embrace of the slaughter of the Jewish race, nothing more.

Pro-Palestine university groups march in London on October 7 anniversary | Gaza– www.aljazeera.com
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EXCERPT:

Pro-Palestine students took to the streets of London on October 7, despite police calls to postpone the march. Al Jazeera’s @Lina_Serene reports.

UK Supports Global Hate Speech Crackdown

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

The UK is coming out in support of a UN resolution demanding worldwide action to prevent hate speech. The Burnham administration declared, “… we, the UK, thank the African Group for bringing forward this resolution and pay particular tribute to South Africa for their principled leadership in keeping the fight against racism high on the international agenda.”

UK Sets Out Vote on UN Resolution on Hate Speech
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EXCERPT:

It is appalling that, in 2026, we are still grappling with the scourge of racism, a blight on all our societies.

Racism is not an abstract phenomenon. These are not just words. Growing up, my own childhood was marked by verbal abuse, physical violence and a hatred driven solely by the colour of my skin. This is a world I have long left behind but a world, indeed often worse, in which millions still live.

As such, we, the UK, thank the African Group for bringing forward this resolution and pay particular tribute to South Africa for their principled leadership in keeping the fight against racism high on the international agenda.

We are committed to combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in all their forms.

The UK fully acknowledges the devastating tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade, and recognises that its legacy continues to shape lives, communities and societies around the world today.

The UK believes that only by acknowledging and discussing collectively the most painful elements of the history that we share with other nations, including the transatlantic slave trade, can we come together in a spirit of solidarity and mutual respect to respond to the challenges that we all face today.

NATO issued chilling warning as Russia ‘trying to boil Europe like a frog’ | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

NATO issued chilling warning as Russia ‘trying to boil Europe like a frog’ | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

Russia is trying to “boil Europe as a frog”, as Moscow is accused of turning up the heat with attacks edging ever closer to NATO territory. Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, believes European allies cannot just “ignore them” but instead must start ramping up the pressure on Russia. Speaking on Sky News this morning, the Estonian politician claimed the European countries on Putin’s doorstep are “immune” and more equipped for Russian attacks. Poland and Lithuania are in the midst of developing procedures, logistics, and infrastructure including putting together escape routes through the Suwałki Gap.

The strategic corridor is around 40 miles wide at its narrowest point and is NATO’s only land connection between the Baltic states and the rest of the alliance.

Tsahkna said he is “much more concerned about Western democracies”. Tsahkna claimed the Kremlin is “already attacking Europe” and European countries as well as the Baltic states are seeing “more and more attacks” which are intended to test and divide NATO’s unity.

He warned: “We cannot just ignore them and say this is just an incident or hybrid attack. These are the attacks that are not reaching Article 5 level, but we need to attribute these actions publicly to Russia because our people should know Russia is acting very aggressively already.

“They are turning on the heat, trying to boil Europe as a frog over the years. And then testing and dividing our unity.”

Teen Farage Supporter Arrested over Online Jokes About Tory Councillor– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

Teen Farage Supporter Arrested over Online Jokes About Tory Councillor– www.breitbart.com
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EXCERPT:

A 15-year-old supporter of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party was arrested in Britain after he made jokes about a local Conservative Party politician online.

The schoolboy, only referred to as Fraser, was arrested by four officers from the West Midlands Police at his home in the early hours of August 3rd. He was taken from his family home and searched in front of his neighbours, locked in a cell, fingerprinted, had a mugshot taken, and had a sample of his DNA taken. Meanwhile, two officers searched his bedroom, and he was pressured to hand over his phone for other officers to search.

While the police force has yet to confirm the reason for the 15-year-old’s arrest, The Telegraph reports that it appears that it was a result of comments made by Fraser online about the standard of dress of the leader of the Conservative Party on the Wolverhampton City Council, Simon Bennett, who has admitted referring the boy to the police over the posts.

In one post, he complained that the Tory councillor had attended a meeting in a T-shirt and shorts and later said he expressed approval when Bennet then attended a subsequent meeting in a suit. Fraser said that he was glad the councillor did not turn up “looking like a rent boy”, a derogatory phrase for homosexual prostitutes in Britain.

High school students to turn out for new protests across France– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

High school students to turn out for new protests across France– www.channelnewsasia.com
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EXCERPT:

But the students urged the movement to continue.

“We want real action, and until we get it, we’ll keep mobilising,” a high school student named Marilou in Fontainebleau told AFP.

Suzanne Nijdam, president of student association Fage, said they did not have “even the crumbs of an agreement” after a meeting with the higher education minister Philippe Baptiste.

She called for protests to continue Thursday with “larger-scale demonstrations next week”.

The students have asked for a direct meeting with Lecornu to present what they have said are costed proposals to address their demands.

Hundreds of students, police and teaching staff have been injured since the protests began, and more than 6,500 people – mostly minors – have been arrested.

While many rallies have been peaceful, some demonstrators have started fires, destroyed bus shelters or clashed with riot police.

A 15-year-old lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenade, and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told radio broadcaster RTL early Wednesday that he had suspended the police use of stun grenades in response.

France’s Threat to the World’s Government Bond Market | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

France’s Threat to the World’s Government Bond Market | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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EXCERPT:

Mark Twain is said to have observed that while history may not repeat itself, it certainly rhymes. We would do well to bear this in mind as we watch France’s government bond-market crisis unfold. As with the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis and the 2010 eurozone sovereign debt crisis, the turmoil in France’s bond market could quickly spread to other countries that share some of its basic weaknesses. That risk looks especially acute at a time when Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States all appear to have unsustainable public finances.

In 1997, the Thai currency devaluation triggered a wave of devaluations across Asia, including in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea. Similarly, the 2010 Greek debt crisis set off sovereign debt crises in Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. In both cases, contagion spread for two reasons: The initial crisis put a spotlight on other countries with similar weaknesses, and traders who lost money on positions in the first country were forced to liquidate positions elsewhere.

Today, France, Europe’s second-largest economy, appears to be on the cusp of a full-blown government bond crisis. Its $4 trillion government bond market is roughly eight times the size of Greece’s. Since the start of the year, French 10-year government bond yields have soared from around 3.5 percent to almost 5 percent. That is the largest increase among the G7 countries, and it has pushed the spread between French and German bonds to its widest since the 2010 eurozone crisis.

There are at least three reasons to believe that France’s crisis will deepen in the months ahead. First, the country’s public finances are unsustainable. Second, its dysfunctional politics prevent it from addressing its budget deficit. Third, its sclerotic economy is being hit by several external shocks that could tip it into recession.

Years of budget profligacy have pushed public spending to a staggering 57 percent of GDP, while the public debt-to-GDP ratio has climbed from 80 percent in 2010 to almost 120 percent today. Meanwhile, a French Ministry of Finance study suggests that, on present policies, the budget deficit will rise from 5.4 percent of GDP in 2026 to 6.8 percent by 2030, worsening an already troubling debt sustainability problem.

Ukraine grapples with a shortage of troops at the front after over 4 years of war– abcnews.com

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

Ukraine grapples with a shortage of troops at the front after over 4 years of war– abcnews.com
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EXCERPT:

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s advances in drone technology and tactics have captured the world’s attention. Despite those innovations, one problem has plagued the country since the start of Russia’s invasion: a shortage of combat-ready troops.

Ukraine always has been outmanned by Russia, but as the war drags through its fifth year, the need for personnel is increasingly acute, commanders and analysts say, with some units at only half strength. There just aren’t enough forces to fully exploit the battlefield advantages resulting from the drone innovations.

“Based on the equipment and the number of people we have today, we barely have enough to hold the sector we currently have,” said a deputy commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion in eastern Ukraine’s Pokrovsk area, a focus of Russia’s offensive.

“To move forward would inevitably mean greater losses,” said the deputy commander, who insisted on identifying himself only as “Afer” because of military rules.

Long-standing mobilization problems, including draft dodging and desertion, make it harder for Ukraine to build its reserves, according to military experts, resulting in only incremental changes along the 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) front line.

Ukraine needs to be able to commit forces quickly without taking them from elsewhere on the front. Otherwise, commanders have fewer options to turn a temporary advantage into a sustained operation, said Nick Reynolds of the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank.

The shortage means that units can’t be rotated often enough, he said, “leading to exhaustion and, in turn, exacerbating casualties.”

The Defense Ministry, which in July underwent a shake-up by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is trying to tackle the problem with reforms to mobilization, training and the way the army is organized.

Germany: After AfD politician wins state speaker position in historic vote, he confirms he won with the help of the CDU– rmx.news

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

Germany: After AfD politician wins state speaker position in historic vote, he confirms he won with the help of the CDU– rmx.news
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EXCERPT:

After yesterday’s vote in the Saxony-Anhalt Landtag, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) now holds the office of state parliament president for the first time in any German state. After winning the role, which is similar to a speaker position, 35-year-old Tobias Rausch sent shockwaves through the German political establishment when he confirmed he won with the support of Christian Democratic Union (CDU) votes. The backing of four CDU lawmakers could be one of the most concrete signs that the political firewall against the AfD is crumbling.

The newly elected president of Saxony-Anhalt’s state parliament said Wednesday that members of the conservative CDU voted for him. Perhaps even more importantly, he said that four CDU lawmakers have agreed to back the AfD’s candidate for state premier in December, which means Ulrich Siegmund could soon be the first AfD politician leading a state government.

Rausch gave a direct “yes” when Nius editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt asked on “Nius Live” whether CDU deputies had helped elect him. Asked whether Tuesday’s result signaled that AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund would safely take office as minister-president in December, Rausch replied, “That is to be assumed.”

U.S. and Russia Explore Nord Stream Restart, Sources Say– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser October 9, 2026 0

U.S. and Russia Explore Nord Stream Restart, Sources Say– www.themoscowtimes.com
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EXCERPT:

Top Russian and U.S. officials, including U.S. Special Envoy Jared Kushner, have held talks about bringing a U.S. investor into the Nord Stream pipelines that delivered gas to Germany before Russia invaded Ukraine, five people with knowledge of the situation said.

The discussions included Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, the people said.

Kushner, who has been trying to broker a truce between Russia and Ukraine, views doing business as central to restoring peace. Such a deal would enable U.S. investors to profit from energy flows to Europe once the war ends.

Dmitriev and Kushner have met in Moscow and New York in recent weeks. While it was unclear to what degree they discussed Nord Stream on those occasions, the topic remains on the agenda, two of the people told Reuters.

“Any deals will have to be negotiated by Russia with DFC (U.S. International Development Finance Corporation) and Treasury and must benefit United States taxpayers and companies,” a White House official said when asked about the pipeline discussions.

There had been “no Nord Stream discussions recently,” the official told Reuters.

Russia health officials deny reports of 2nd plague death in Siberia– www.cbc.ca

pgnewser October 8, 2026 0

Russia health officials deny reports of 2nd plague death in Siberia– www.cbc.ca
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EXCERPT:

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.

Russia’s health regulator said ‌Thursday that reports that a ​second person had ​fallen ill following the death ​of a ⁠worker ⁠at ‌a plague research laboratory in Siberia were false.

Preventive ⁠measures have been completed for ‌all individuals who had contact with the first worker ​who ⁠died last week, ⁠and no dangerous ⁠pathogenic ⁠microorganisms ​have been detected, said ​the Russia health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor.

Russian authorities have said 28-year-old Daria Shipilova died last Friday ‌from pneumonia of an as-yet-unestablished origin. Shipilova was a lab employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far ‌East, located in the town of Shelekhov, prompting authorities in Russia to swiftly roll out a series of precautionary anti-epidemic measures that caught global attention.

Rospotrebnadzor said she died of an unknown type of pneumonia ‌and that no relevant pathogens had been found in anyone who came into contact with her. Officials in Russia said she was vaccinated and therefore “immune to the dangerous infections with which she worked.”

In Wake of Mass “Migrant Invasion” Spain’s PM Forced to Call Snap Elections

pgnewser October 7, 2026 0

More and more Spaniards are joining the growing national protests against Spain’s policies of open borders and the state-financed invasion by Islamists intending to destroy their national identity. The pressure is mounting on the regime in power, the progressives under their current Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, who rules thanks to a coalition of leftists.

His own party fared worse than the pro-Spanish party in the last election (which finished first but was kept out of power by the far-left coalition). Now, Sanchez must call a Snap election before any hope of winning another election (if he even makes it to that point) dies as the resistance to his Spain-hating policies grows.

Spain’s PM Sanchez calls snap election after housing crisis protests– www.cnbc.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Dawn breaks over Puerta del Sol, where more than 1,000 tents have been set up over the past week in front of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid as part of protests against housing speculation and evictions.

Marcos Del Mazo | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap election for Nov. 29 on Monday after Congress rejected measures intended to quell public anger over the country’s housing crisis.

Tens of thousands took to the streets over the weekend in protests that involved clashes with police in some areas.

Discontent has mounted following the September eviction of an 87-year-old disabled woman from her home of 70 years, with protesters camping out in central Madrid.

Sánchez, who has clashed with U.S. President Donald Trump, leads a fragile left-wing coalition formed in November 2023.

French bishop condemns youth riots but sympathizes with their concerns– www.lifesitenews.com

pgnewser October 7, 2026 0

French bishop condemns youth riots but sympathizes with their concerns– www.lifesitenews.com
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EXCERPT:

French Bishop Matthieu Rougé condemned the arson and street violence that have marked France’s high-school protests while insisting that the “profound” unease driving many of the students is real and must be heard.

The protests began in late September in the Paris suburbs over missing teachers, overcrowded classes, and rundown buildings before spreading nationwide. By early October, they had produced fires, clashes, tear gas, and thousands of arrests.

In its weekend interview with Rougé, Vatican News reported more than 5,000 arrests since the previous Monday and millions of euros in damage, with a further massive day of protests already called for on Tuesday, October 6.

Reporting a day earlier, AgenSIR, an Italian Catholic news agency, cited more than 300 injured police officers and nearly 2,000 arrests, and noted Education Minister Édouard Geffray’s statement that 40 of 65 injured public-school employees were principals.

Earlier today, as blockades and marches continued, Reuters reported police firing tear gas in Strasbourg, Lyon, and Rennes, Interior Ministry figures of 6,100 arrests since the protests began (overwhelmingly minors), and at least 715 officers and 215 teenagers injured.