Two gunmen targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, killing at least 12
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney as an “act of evil anti-Semitism,” vowing a decisive response to the attack. The incident left at least 12 people dead and more than two dozen wounded.
The attack on Sunday was perpetrated by two gunmen who targeted the ‘Hanukkah by the Sea’ celebration. One of the alleged attackers was killed in the ensuing firefight with police; the other was taken into custody in critical condition.
Police say they are treating the shooting as a “terrorist incident.” A number of “suspicious devices” believed to be improvised explosives were secured from a car linked to the attackers parked near the beach.
The Australian prime minister condemned the attack and vowed to eradicate “hate, violence, and terrorism in our nation.”
“There has been a devastating terrorist incident at Bondi at the Hanukkah By the Sea celebration. This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith. [The attack is] an act of evil anti-Semitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation,” Albanese said.
During the attack, one of the gunmen was ambushed by a bystander, who wrestled his firearm from him, videos circulating online suggest. The disarmed attacker retreated to his accomplice, apparently securing a backup firearm from him. The bystander received at least two gunshot wounds while trying to flee, according to the footage.
Local media identified the man as a 43-year-old fruit shop owner and member of the local Muslim community. He has been hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds.
The attack resulted in the death of Eli Schlanger, the assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and one of the organizers of the event. Schlanger was a strong supporter of Israel amid the conflict in Gaza, repeatedly traveling there to meet with Israeli troops. Several other Chabad emissaries were among the injured, a spokesperson for Chabad Israel confirmed.
A “tectonic shift” is underway in global economics and politics, the chancellor has said
The era of ‘Pax Americana’ is over for Europe, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said, adding that the global economy and political order are undergoing a “tectonic shift” in centers of power worldwide.
The term ‘Pax Americana’ (American Peace) describes the transatlantic order that emerged after 1945 and was institutionalized through NATO, with the US as Europe’s primary security guarantor and leading military power.
Speaking at the Christian Social Union (CSU) party convention in Munich on Saturday, Merz urged Europeans to prepare for a “fundamental change in the transatlantic relationship.”
“The decades of the Pax Americana are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well. It no longer exists in the way we knew it,” he said. “Americans are now very, very firmly pursuing their own interests.”
The chancellor pointed to changes in tariff policy under US President Donald Trump, which led to a trade deal between Brussels and Washington that many criticized as disadvantageous for the EU.
Merz said shifting US priorities mean the EU must focus more on its own competitiveness and defense. He reiterated claims of the “Russian threat,” arguing that continued support for Ukraine and deeper European unity – which includes former EU member the UK – should remain central to foreign and security policy.
Relations between the US and EU have been strained since Trump’s return to office, with disputes over trade, defense spending, digital regulation, and the Ukraine conflict.
Merz’s remarks followed the release of Trump’s new National Security Strategy, which criticizes the EU’s political and cultural direction, embraces an ‘America First’ doctrine, calls for an end to NATO expansion, and urges “strategic stability” with Russia through a Ukraine ceasefire. The response in the EU was largely negative, with Merz calling the document’s statements on Europe “unacceptable.”
Russia has long dismissed claims that it is a threat to the EU as “nonsense” used to distract Europeans from domestic problems and justify inflated military budgets. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that Germany under Merz is showing “clear signs of re-Nazification.”
If the current, fragmented collective West would ever have a chance to be rescued from the Centaur of oblivion, that task must be carried out by the definitive, Western civilization-state: Pallas Athena Italia
In Botticelli’s masterpiece Pallas and the Centaur (1482-83), to be seen at the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, the Firenze-Athena parallel is unmistakable, with Florence depicted as the new Athens.
Pallas Athena (or Minerva), after all is the Goddess of Knowledge. Here a flowery Firenze – or Firenze Flora, to remind us of another Botticelli masterpiece, the Primavera – is shown as the quintessential emblem of civilitas.
In the painting, Pallas totally dominates the violence of the Centaur – here deprived of cunning, an attribute of the fox, as Machiavelli described. But as in all things Botticelli, the gesture of the goddess – hair-pulling the beast – is quite ambiguous. She’s not dominating it just by mere persuasion or the art of subtle rhetoric. Pallas/Minerva here is much stronger – and even ready to decapitate the Centaur with her pick.
Pallas and the Centaur by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1482)
Call it the emblem of civilizational violence.
How far have we drifted from neo-platonic heights. If a pop Botticelli with an Andy Warhol streak would remix Pallas and the Centaur today, Pallas/Minerva would forcefully represent the power of Italian civilitas – the most cultured and influential civilization-state in the history of the West. And the Centaur would be an artificial perversion, the European Union (EU).
Call it Firenze-Athena defeating Brussels.
The endless wonders of Italian civilization
This is what I saw – call it fragments of civilization – as part of the immense privilege of hitting the road across the Italian civilitas, in a mini-tour connected to the launch of my latest book, Il Secolo Multipolare (“The Multipolar Century”). The book, via 46 columns, essentially tracks the year 2024, the last year of the now defunct “rules-based international order”, and arguably the first year of the definitive push towards a multipolar/multi-nodal world.
By a delightful accident, this is the first of my books not launched initially in the US; a different version is being translated and will be launched soon also in Russia.
Starting on November 30, we held a series of conferences connected to the book, organized by the ground-breaking association Italianinformazione, near Udine in the Friuli; in the free territory of Trieste; in Bologna; in Ivrea in Piemonte; in Florence; and then, independently, in Spoleto in Umbria. This coming Saturday there will be a special conference in Rome, including, among others, Italy’s former ambassador to China and Iran, Alberto Bradanini.
As soon as I arrived in Venice, the tone was set: I received as a gift a custom handmade cap with the inscription “Make Roman Empire Great Again”. The Circus Ringmaster in Washington would have loved it. Who would he be as an Emperor? Caligula?
In Friuli, close to Slovenia and Austria, I was surrounded by NATO bases, many of them invisible underground. In the free territory of Trieste – where many remember fondly the hands-off approach of Austria – my hosts helped me dive deeper into the militarization of the port, which NATO wants to configure as the essential node in the Intermarium: Mediterranean, Baltic, Black Sea, all of course to become “NATO lakes”.
In Ivrea, we enjoyed the privilege of a comprehensive, 8-hour guided tour of the Olivetti complex, led by former top exec Simona Marra, who lovingly provided a detailed overview of one of the most extraordinary experiments in industrial humanism in history (this will be the subject of a special column).
Firenze-Flora, of course, is on a whole new ultra-high level. Banners in communities reject NATO’s wars. At the San Marco museum – a former Dominican convent – an extraordinary exhibition, the first of its kind, celebrates Fra Angelico, the master of color and perspective in the early Florentine Renaissance, retracing his entire career and the creative, unique dialogue with others masters such as Masaccio, Filippo Lippi, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Luca della Robbia.
The frescoes that Fra Angelico painted in the convent are priceless jewels representing the mix between Faith and Art. And then San Marco offers other marvels. San Marco was where the humanist Academy in Florence was born. Here was the site of the first public library in the world.
The bones of Poliziano are buried in the chapel. Right behind a statue of Savonarola, the “animus in vita” of Savonarola and Pico della Mirandola is celebrated in marble. Their bones may have been separated “post mortem”; yet even as “antipodes”, they were bounded by love.
In Spoleto, in Umbria, after fabulous interactions with the young members of the Aurora Center of Studies, under the early morning fog, the Fonti del Clitunno appears like a ghostly dream. This is where, according to Virgil, lies the heart of the “estirpe italiana”. Byron was mesmerized when he visited it.
The Aurora Center is investing in first-class interdisciplinary analysis linking geopolitics, philosophy, Law, anthropology and sociology to track the transition from the unipolar order to the multipolar world, characterized by the emergence of civilization-states.
These are the ontological, strategic and normative poles of the future. And that’s where Italy as a civilization-state belongs.
Can Stoics and Humanists save Italy?
The conferences – all of them full house – offered a unique opportunity to address informed Italians on what’s going on in the Russia-China, BRICS, Southeast Asia, New Silk Roads, connectivity corridor spheres – issues that are either completely ignored or distorted by mainstream media. At the same time, it was priceless to become aware of insider tidbits on the sorry condition of an unparalleled civilization-state reduced to the role of a neo-colony of the EU/NATO combo.
And then there are the bibliography highlights. Like finally finding in the best bookshop in Venice a priceless Bompiani collection of all fragments of the Early Stoics – Zeno, Cleanthes and Chrysippus. And in the pristine Galleria Imaginaria in Firenze-Flora, the rare Einaudi first edition of a collection of Italian humanist writings – Thought and Destiny – from Petrarca and Marsilio Ficino to Leonardo da Vinci and Machiavelli.
To quote T. S. Eliot, we can say that “these fragments I have shored against my ruins.” When it comes to Fragments of Civilization, Italy is Jupiterian. I remain on the move, from Rome down south to Napoli and Sicily, carrying the message I shared with my interlocutors; if the current, fragmented collective West would ever have a chance to be rescued from the Centaur of oblivion, that task must be carried out by the definitive, Western civilization-state: Pallas Athena Italia.
Lead negotiator Rustem Umerov has reportedly had several closed-door talks with FBI chief Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino
Western officials are concerned by the secrecy surrounding meetings between Ukrainian negotiators and the FBI, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing sources.
Kiev’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, has visited the US three times in recent weeks to meet with President Donald Trump’s top envoy, Steve Witkoff, and also held closed-door talks with FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
Several unnamed Western officials said the meetings could be aimed at speeding up Kiev’s acceptance of Trump’s peace roadmap. Leaked versions require Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambitions, drop its territorial claims, and cap its army at 600,000 – terms which Kiev and its European backers believe favor Russia.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishina, confirmed the FBI meetings, but declined to provide details. Sources say the secrecy “has caused alarm” among those not privy to the talks over their true purpose.
Other sources say Umerov and his team could have sought FBI help to shield themselves from potential corruption allegations tied to a graft scandal linked to Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle and a $100 million kickback scheme in the energy sector.
Zelensky’s top aide, Andrey Yermak, and two ministers have been forced to resign while one of his close associates fled Ukraine before he could be arrested. Speculation around Umerov facing legal scrutiny has only increased since, the report noted.
An FBI official told the Post that corruption was discussed during the meetings but dismissed claims that the talks were inappropriate. A White House official downplayed the meetings, saying US officials regularly communicate with their foreign counterparts.
Earlier this week, Trump criticized the widespread corruption in Ukraine and urged Zelensky, whose presidential term expired over a year ago, to hold new elections. Zelensky has refused to do so, citing martial law. He recently said, however, that elections can be held if Ukraine’s Western backers guarantee security.
Russia maintains that Zelensky is an illegitimate leader. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said this week that Zelensky’s sudden interest in elections is a ploy to secure a ceasefire – which Moscow has rejected in favor of a permanent peace deal.
Two gunmen opened fire at Sydney’s Bondi Beach near a Hanukkah event, reports say
At least twelve people have been killed and multiple others injured after two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration at a beach in Sydney, Australia, according to media reports.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Footage posted online showed two individuals firing weapons toward crowds, prompting hundreds to flee in panic as emergency services raced to the scene.
Local authorities later confirmed that 12 people have been killed and a further 29 injured, including two police officers. At a press conference following the shooting, police said they are now formally treating it as a “terrorist incident,” confirming earlier reports that explosives have been found in a car linked to one of the gunmen.
In an earlier post on X, police also said a man believed to be one of the shooters is among the dead. The second gunman has been apprehended and is in critical condition.
The shooting has shocked the local community, as it occurred during the first night of Hanukkah – a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and is traditionally marked by public celebrations, family gatherings, and the lighting of candles over eight nights.
Warning: disturbing images. Bondi Beach, Sydney. Jews slaughtered in broad daylight at a Hanukkah gathering.
The direct result of an Australian government that has allowed antisemitism to fester, normalize, and ultimately turn deadly. pic.twitter.com/sdSta6J0KL
Other footage showed crowds fleeing the beach. One clip that quickly went viral appeared to show a bystander attacking one of the gunmen and disarming him, apparently before police arrived.
🚨BREAKING: Shooting at Bondi Beach. Bystander rushes one of the shooters and disarms them.
Reports indicate a bystander rushed one of the shooters and disarmed them.
Casualties currently reported between 3–6 dead and 7–15 injured. Multiple victims in critical condition toll… pic.twitter.com/Ba8OIA20hD
Australian Prime minister Anthony Albanese called scenes in Bondi “shocking and distressing.”“Police and emergency responders are on the ground working to save lives. My thoughts are with every person affected,” he wrote in a statement on X.
Independent MP Allegra Spender, whose electorate includes Bondi Beach, called the incident “horrifying.”
“It’s still not clear exactly what has happened… This is not the Australia that we know and love. I know our community will come together, but this is devastating to all of us,” she said.
While it remains unclear whether the shooters deliberately targeted the Jewish celebration, Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told 2GB radio it was no coincidence the shooting occurred during a Jewish community event.
“Hundreds of people were gathered. It’s a family event… I don’t think this was an attack that just happened to occur at Bondi Beach. I think this was very deliberate and very targeted,” Ryvchin said. He added that the ECAJ’s director of media was injured in the incident.
Ukraine’s European backers have been debating how to repurpose the funds to help Kiev
Any attempts by the EU to tap into the frozen assets of the Russian central bank would be illegal under international law, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
Earlier this week, the Russian central bank initiated legal proceedings against Euroclear, a Belgian-based depository that holds the bulk of Russia’s frozen assets, as Ukraine’s European backers debate how to repurpose them to finance Kiev.
“Actions against sovereign assets taken without Russia’s consent – whether indefinite immobilization, confiscation, or attempts to portray them as a so-called reparations loan – are entirely illegal under international law,” Zakharova told reporters at a briefing on Saturday.
“No matter what pseudo-legal tricks Brussels employs to justify it, this is blatant theft.”
Zakharova argued that, apart from “funding the failed Ukrainian project,” the EU is also seeking to use the assets to bolster its own economy, which has been damaged by sanctions targeting Russia’s trade with the West.
Hungary and Slovakia have condemned the EU for invoking its rarely used emergency powers to circumvent potential vetoes from individual member states and make the asset freeze indefinite. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused the “Brussels dictatorship” of “systematically raping European law.”
Politico reported earlier this week that Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Malta asked the European Commission to explore options for providing loans to Kiev other than seizing Russian assets. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has warned that outright confiscation of the assets would undermine trust in the EU financial system, trigger capital flight, and expose Belgium to legal risks.
The suspect who opened fire at the Ivy League campus, injuring at least 11 others, remains at large
At least two people were killed and 11 others injured in a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Mayor Brett Smiley said on Saturday.
Police received reports of multiple shots fired on campus at around 4:00pm local time. According to Brown University, the attack occurred near the Barus & Holley Engineering and Barus & Holley buildings.
Officers briefly detained one person, who they later said was “determined to have no involvement.” The suspect, believed to be a man dressed in black, remains at large, police said.
“It is unknown how he entered the building, but we do know that he exited the Hope Street side of that complex,” Providence Police Commander Timothy O’Hara said.
🚨 BREAKING: MASSIVE police and rescue response at Brown University as the manhunt for a mass shooter intensifies
Despite Brown initially saying a suspect is in custody, they’re now saying NO suspects are in custody, and the shooter is AT LARGE
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents are on the scene assisting local police. “Please pray for all those involved,” he wrote on X.
President Donald Trump said he was briefed on the “terrible” shooting. “God bless the victims and the families of the victims!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Estonia accused members of the Koos party of working for Russia
An Estonian court has handed lengthy prison sentences to the leaders of an anti-NATO party convicted of working on behalf of Russia to undermine national security.
On Thursday, the Harju District Court sentenced Aivo Peterson, co-founder of the small conservative Koos party, to 14 years in prison for treason. His associates, Dmitri Rootsi and Andrei Andronov, received sentences of 11 years and 11 years and six months, respectively. All three denied any wrongdoing and said they would appeal the verdict.
Prosecutors alleged that the defendants spread “narratives supporting Russia’s foreign and security policy” intended to undermine public trust in NATO and Estonia’s military aid to Ukraine.
“The defendants deliberately assisted Russia in activities directed against the Estonian state and society,” State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas said.
Founded in 2022, Koos calls for Estonia to leave NATO, become a neutral state, remove foreign troops from its territory, and “refrain from participating directly or indirectly in military conflicts between other countries.”
In 2023, Peterson traveled to Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, which Estonia considers occupied Ukrainian territory. He said at the time he was gathering information about the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“There are two sides to every conflict, but the information we receive from Estonian media is one-sided. All of our journalists support Kiev, which often comes across as propaganda,” Peterson said.
The Koos party rejected the allegations against its members, arguing that the prosecutors failed to present “concrete proof that their actions had caused real damage to Estonia’s constitutional order or security.”
Estonia is one of Ukraine’s top supporters and has been pushing for further militarization of Europe. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Estonia “one of the most hostile countries” in June and accused Tallinn of “spreading myths and falsehoods about the supposed threat from the East.”
The bloc will reduce the planned CO₂ emissions cut for new cars from 100% to 90%, according to a senior lawmaker
The EU has walked back plans for an effective phase-out of internal combustion engines by 2035, senior MEP Manfred Weber has told the media. Brussels is reportedly expected to announce the decision next week.
The bloc had originally agreed on a fleet-wide target to cut CO₂ emissions from new cars and vans by 100% by 2035 compared to 2021 levels, but the requirement is now expected to be lowered, Bild reported on Friday.
Weber, the head of the center-right European People’s Party, told the outlet that “from 2035 onwards, a 90% reduction in CO₂ emissions will now be mandatory for automakers’ fleet targets.”
The regulation mandating steep CO₂ emissions cuts for new vehicles, adopted in March 2023, has drawn criticism from major EU automakers, including Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Last month, Reuters reported that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for greater flexibility. “Large parts of the automotive industry in Europe, including in Germany… are in an extremely difficult economic situation, which is why we must correct the framework conditions in Europe as quickly as possible so that this industry has a future in Europe,” he was quoted as saying.
Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all reported weaker deliveries this year, as demand in Asia has slumped while local EV makers have been gaining ground.
Aside from restrictive climate-related regulations and US tariffs, carmakers across the bloc have also been grappling with rising energy prices. Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the EU has drastically reduced imports of Russian oil and gas, switching to more expensive alternatives.
The European Commission must find other ways to continue aiding the Kiev regime, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has said
The Czech Republic will not take part in any financial support of Ukraine, Prime Minister Andrej Babis has said, adding that the bloc must find other ways to continue funding Kiev.
The right-wing Euroskeptic politician, who was appointed prime minister earlier this week, campaigned on prioritizing domestic issues. He has long criticized the extensive aid to Kiev under his predecessor Petr Fiala, whose cabinet launched a major international munitions procurement scheme for Ukraine.
In a video posted to his official Facebook page on Saturday, Babis said he had spoken with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, a vocal opponent of the European Commission’s plan to fund Kiev through a so-called “reparations loan” tied to about $200 billion in Russian assets frozen in the bloc. The Commission aims to reach a deal on the scheme next week, but De Wever – whose country hosts the financial clearinghouse Euroclear, where the bulk of the assets are held – has called it tantamount to “stealing” Russian money.
“I agree with him. The European Commission must find other ways to finance Ukraine,” Babis said.
Belgium, fearing legal retaliation from Russia, has demanded guarantees from other EU members to share the burden if the funds must eventually be returned. According to Czech media, this could cost Prague about $4.3 billion. Babis said the country simply cannot afford it.
“We, as the Czech Republic, need money for Czech citizens, and we don’t have money for other countries… we’re not going to guarantee anything for [the Commission], and we’re not going to give money either, because the coffers are simply empty,” he stated.
In what is seen as the first step toward advancing the “reparations loan” scheme, the bloc on Friday approved controversial legislation replacing the six-month consensus renewal of the Russian assets freeze with a longer-term arrangement that could shield it from vetoes by opposing states. The move has raised concerns about undermining the EU’s core principle that major foreign policy and financial decisions require unanimous consent, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban condemning it as “unlawful.”
Multiple EU states have raised concerns over the loan scheme, citing legal and financial risks. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday warned that further funding for Kiev would only prolong the conflict.
Moscow has condemned the “reparations loan” plan as illegal, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling it “a grand scam.”
Three other service members were injured in the attack, the Pentagon has said
US military and civilian personnel have been ambushed by a “lone ISIS gunman” in Syria, with three killed and three others injured in the attack, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday.
The gunman was “engaged and killed” during the attack, according to the US military. CENTCOM did not elaborate on where exactly the incident occurred and did not reveal the identities of the victims in accordance with the Pentagon’s policies.
US President Donald Trump has vowed a “very serious retaliation” for the attack and pinned the blame on the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).
“This was an ISIS attack against the US, and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria that is not fully controlled by them. The president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
According to local media reports, the attack occurred near the central Syrian town of Palmyra, where a joint patrol of the Syrian government forces and US troops came under fire. At least two Syrian servicemen were injured in the attack.
Traffic along the Damascus-Deir ez-Zor highway was temporarily halted after the attack, and the area around Palmyra was cordoned off. Multiple US military aircraft were seen flying at a low altitude in the area, footage circulating online suggests.
The Syrian Interior Ministry claimed it had forewarned the US-led coalition of a “possible” attack by IS. The prior warnings of “possible IS infiltration,” however, ended up ignored by the “partner forces,” ministry spokesman Anwar al-Baba claimed in a televised speech.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which remain in control of Syria’s northeast, extended their “deepest condolences” to the US over the incident. The SDF, a longtime ally of Washington in the region, reaffirmed its commitment to “combat terrorism” and pledged a “decisive and direct” response “against those responsible for the attack and those who support them.”
In its statement, the SDF did not mention the government in Damascus, ties with which remain strained. Damascus has been seeking to put the SDF-held territories under its direct control for months already, yet no breakthrough has been achieved.
The US has long maintained a military presence in Syria, propping up the SDF in the northeast and minor insurgent groups in the south of the country. After the abrupt collapse of the Bashar al-Assad government late last year and the Islamist takeover, led by al-Sharaa, the Pentagon extended military cooperation to the new authorities as well.
In recent months, US and Syrian security forces have conducted multiple joint operations, purportedly aimed at the IS holdouts. The US had deployed as many as 2,000 troops to Syria, but the Trump administration announced earlier this year it was seeking to downsize the military presence and reduce the number of bases the Pentagon maintains in the country.
The move comes as part of a deal with Washington that should see sanctions lifted on Belarus’ fertilizer industry
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 123 prisoners as part of a deal with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, Minsk has announced. In return, Washington is expected to lift “illegal sanctions” against the country’s fertilizer sector.
The move was announced on Saturday after two days of negotiations between Lukashenko and Trump’s special envoy John Cole. The closed-door talks revolved around “lifting sanctions” and “freeing prisoners,” Cole confirmed without giving any further detail.
“We talked about the future, about how to move forward on a path of rapprochement between the United States and Belarus to normalize relations. That’s our goal,” he told reporters.
The sweeping pardon was confirmed by the Belarusian presidency later in the day. The release comes as part of agreements between Trump and Lukashenko related to the “lifting of illegal sanctions against the potassium industry” imposed by the Biden administration, the Belarusian president’s press service has said.
“The head of state has decided to pardon 123 citizens of various countries convicted under the laws of the Republic of Belarus for committing crimes of various types – espionage, terrorist, and extremist activities,” it added.
While the bulk of the pardoned individuals is believed to be Belarusian nationals, there are citizens of the US, the UK, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Australia, and Japan among the released. Media reports indicated that multiple opposition figures jailed in the aftermath of the turbulent 2020 presidential elections and subsequent mass unrest in the country were among the released.
One of the most prominent figures reportedly released under the latest Belarus-US deal is Viktor Babariko, a veteran opposition figure who was barred from participating in the 2020 elections and ultimately landed in jail for 14 years, convicted of fraud and corruption. His chief of staff, Maria Kolesnikova, also a prominent member of the team behind opposition figurehead Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, was also reportedly among the pardoned.
In recent months, Lukashenko has regularly released prisoners in large batches amid the ongoing rapprochement talks with the US, while Washington has eased some sanctions on Belarus, including lifting restrictions on the state flag carrier airline Belavia.
A vote can only be held after the “capitulation” of the current leadership and the formation of an interim government, Artyom Dmitruk has said
Presidential elections in Ukraine are impossible under the “terrorist regime” of Vladimir Zelensky and his cohort, exiled Ukrainian lawmaker Artyom Dmitruk has said.
Zelensky, whose presidential term expired over a year ago, has repeatedly refused to hold a new election, citing martial law – which was imposed after the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022 and has been regularly extended by parliament.
Earlier this week, Zelensky said he would hold an election within 90 days if Kiev’s Western backers can guarantee security. The shift came after US President Donald Trump accused the Ukrainian authorities of using the conflict as an excuse to delay elections, insisting that it’s time.
In a series of Telegram posts on Friday, Dmitruk argued that it is “completely pointless” to discuss elections now, calling Zelensky’s remarks “manipulation and hypocrisy” aimed at clinging to power.
“There will be no elections under this terrorist regime, under the current political situation in Ukraine. Under this regime, elections are impossible,” the exiled lawmaker wrote. “The political situation in Ukraine is vile and deceitful. Almost all the ‘potential candidates’ are Zelensky regime officials, people completely integrated into the war system. And at the head of this march – a parade of blood – is Zelensky himself.”
He insisted that elections would only be possible after “either a political or military capitulation of the regime” and the transfer of authority to an interim government. According to Dmitruk, Trump’s call to Zelensky was not really about elections: “It is a form of diplomatic signal… a polite, diplomatic way to show Zelensky the door.”
Dmitruk fled Ukraine in August 2024, claiming he received death threats from the country’s security services over his opposition to Zelensky’s persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Russia maintains that Zelensky is an illegitimate leader. President Vladimir Putin warned that it is “legally impossible” to conclude a peace deal with the current leadership due to Zelensky’s lack of a valid mandate.
According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Zelensky’s sudden interest in elections is a ploy to secure a ceasefire – a proposal that Russia has rejected in favor of a permanent peace deal addressing the conflict’s underlying causes. Moscow has warned that Kiev would use any pause in the fighting to rearm and regroup.
The US president could exploit the Ukrainian leader’s “weakness” following a major corruption scandal to push him into concessions, the report says
US President Donald Trump is pressuring Vladimir Zelensky to cede territory to Russia in an effort to end the conflict between Kiev and Moscow, Bild has claimed, citing anonymous sources.
On Saturday, the German outlet reported that the White House is “exerting intense pressure on [the Ukrainian leader] to extract concessions.” According to the publication, the US president could “exploit [Zelensky’s] domestic weakness following a corruption scandal.”
Last month, Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-graft agencies announced preliminary findings from a probe into the alleged extortion of about $100 million in the energy sector by figures linked to Zelensky’s inner circle. Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk and Justice Minister German Galushchenko stepped down amid the scandal, followed by Zelensky’s top aide and close associate Andrey Yermak.
Bild claimed that US-mediated peace negotiations are at their most advanced stage since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Trump is said to be seeking a deal between Moscow and Kiev in the near future, with Christmas reportedly set as a deadline.
Kiev has previously ruled out recognizing former Ukrainian Donbass regions as part of Russia. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics voted to join Russia in referendums held in 2022. However, Zelensky has conceded that Ukraine may hold a referendum on possible territorial concessions.
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said in response that Donbass is sovereign Russian territory and that Moscow will sooner or later establish control over parts of the region still occupied by Ukraine. He added that Zelensky has so far opposed the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the region, despite this being among Washington’s peace proposals.
On Thursday, Trump told journalists at the White House that “other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept of the [peace] deal” he submitted last month. The American president added that the process was a “little bit complicated because you’re cutting up land in a certain way.”
In an interview with Politico on Monday, Trump said Zelensky was “gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things.”
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue advancing in Donbass, having recently liberated the stronghold of Seversk.
Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has called the case “speculative,” insisting that the bloc is acting within its legal prerogatives
EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Russian central bank against Euroclear, the Brussels-based depository which holds most of Russia’s frozen sovereign assets, calling it “speculative.”
Kiev’s Western backers froze around $300 billion in Russian central bank assets under Ukraine-related sanctions, most of it held at Euroclear.
Moscow has long condemned the move. The Bank of Russia announced on Friday that it is filing a lawsuit seeking compensation from Euroclear for damages stemming from its “inability to manage” the assets. This comes amid a dispute between EU nations that are pushing to use the assets as collateral for a ‘reparations loan’ for Kiev, and those that are opposed. A vote on the plan is expected next week.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Dombrovskis said the assets were frozen “in line with EU sanctions and international law,” claiming they were “not seized” and that “the principle of sovereign immunity is respected.”
“We can expect that Russia will continue to launch speculative legal proceedings to prevent the EU from upholding international law,” he said, adding that the frozen assets fall under EU jurisdiction.
Dombrovskis insisted that European institutions holding Russian assets will be “fully protected” from legal action by the sanctions regime, which allows them to “offset” any losses.
His remarks come after the bloc approved controversial legislation on Friday changing the mechanism for keeping the assets frozen, replacing the current system with a long-term arrangement that could keep the freeze in place indefinitely and shield it from vetoes by opposing states. The move is seen as the first step toward advancing a ‘reparations loan’.
Some EU states, including Belgium, have raised concerns over the scheme, citing legal and financial risks. Euroclear has criticized it as “fragile” and overly experimental.
Russia has condemned the idea of using its assets to aid Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it “a grand scam.”
Some analysts view the lawsuit against Euroclear as the opening round in Russia’s fight against the legislation. Although the case was filed in a Russian court, they warn that if it spreads to other jurisdictions, it could trigger lengthy litigation harmful to both Euroclear and the EU, creating logistical hurdles, reputational risks, and damaging the bloc’s investment climate.
Kiev could receive assurances as part of a peace deal if it agrees to territorial concessions, the report says
The administration of US President Donald Trump is willing to offer Kiev NATO-style and Congress-approved security guarantees if it agrees on territorial concessions to Russia, Axios reported on Saturday, citing sources. Ukraine has rejected any concessions and has called instead for a ceasefire – a proposal Moscow has dismissed as a ploy to win time and prolong the conflict.
The outlet cited unnamed US officials as saying that negotiations on security guarantees from the US and EU nations to Ukraine had made “significant progress.” An Axios source claimed that Washington wanted a guarantee “that will not be a blank check … but will be strong enough,” adding: “We are willing to send it to Congress to vote on it.”
The package proposal, the official continued, would entail territorial concessions, with Ukraine “retaining sovereignty over about 80% of its territory” and receiving “the biggest and strongest security guarantee it has ever got,” alongside a “very significant prosperity package.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow is open to discussing a security guarantees framework on condition that it will not be aimed at Russia. He added that Moscow believes Washington to be “genuinely interested in a fair settlement that… safeguards the legitimate interests of all parties.”
The Axios report also said the US viewed as “progress” recent remarks by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky suggesting Ukraine could hold a referendum on territorial concessions, particularly those concerning Donbass.
Moscow, however, has stressed that Donbass – which overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2022 – is sovereign Russian territory, and Ukrainian troops will be pushed out of the region one way or the other. It also suggested that Zelensky’s referendum play was a ploy to prolong the conflict and gain time for patching up the Ukrainian army.
Moscow insists that a sustainable peace could only be reached if Ukraine commits to staying out of NATO, demilitarization and denazification, limits the size of its army, and recognizes the new territorial reality on the ground.
The EU’s ‘reparations loan’ for Kiev would lead to the “senseless killing” of hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians, the PM has said
Slovakia will vote against anything that would allow frozen Russian assets to be used to arm Ukraine, Prime Minister Robert Fico has said. He warned that further military aid would lead to the “senseless daily killing of hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians.”
Kiev’s Western backers froze around $300 billion in Russian central bank assets after the conflict escalated in 2022, most of it held in the EU. A dispute has since emerged between the nations that seek to use the assets as collateral for a ‘reparations loan’ for Kiev, and those that oppose it. EU members are set to vote on the plan next week.
Fico, a long-time opponent of the scheme, detailed his stance in a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa earlier this week. In an X post on Friday, he wrote that he later spoke with Costa and reiterated his opposition to arming Kiev. Fico said he warned that continued funding would prolong the conflict and raise the death toll, while Costa “spoke only about money for the war.”
“If for Western Europe the life of a Russian or a Ukrainian is worth s**t, I do not want to be part of such a Western Europe,” Fico said. “I will not support anything, even if we have to sit in Brussels until the New Year, which would lead to support for Ukraine’s military expenditures.”
Some EU states have raised concerns over the loan scheme, citing the legal and financial risks. According to Politico, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Malta urged the European Commission on Friday to explore alternatives to seizing the assets, such as an EU loan facility or bridge mechanisms. Hungary, Germany, and France have also expressed objections.
The European Commission approved controversial legislation on Friday that could keep Russian assets frozen indefinitely, framing the issue as an economic emergency rather than a sanctions policy. The move is seen as the first step toward advancing the ‘reparations loan’, allowing the commission to enable decisions by a qualified majority instead of unanimity – effectively bypassing vetoes from opposing states.
Moscow has condemned any attempt to use its assets as illegal. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this week that by pushing the ‘reparations loan’ scheme, Europe is “acting suicidal.” Commenting on Friday’s vote, she called the EU “swindlers.”
Caracas has accused the US of seeking to overthrow the government under the guise of an anti-drug campaign
The US could begin land strikes targeting alleged Venezuela-linked drug operations “pretty soon,” President Donald Trump has said, while claiming to have almost completely stopped narcotics inflow by sea. Venezuela has vehemently denied having any links to drug cartels.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump claimed Venezuela-linked maritime drug trafficking had dropped by 92%, saying US forces were “knocking out drugs at levels that nobody’s ever seen before.”“We knocked out 96% of the drugs coming in by water,” he added, later asserting, “It's going to be starting on land pretty soon.”
The US leader, however, provided no details on potential targets or the scope of the operation.
Since September, US forces have significantly ramped up military presence in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific and carried out more than 20 strikes against suspected drug vessels, killing scores of people. Trump has argued that the operations have saved tens of thousands of Americans by stopping narcotics from getting into the US.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has consistently rejected Trump’s claims about Caracas’ links to narcocartels, accusing Washington of seeking to overthrow his government under the guise of an anti-drug campaign.
This week, US authorities also seized the oil tanker Skipper off Venezuela’s coast, a cargo ship allegedly transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran. Officials in Caracas condemned the seizure as “blatant theft” and “criminal naval piracy.”
Meanwhile, Russia, which has long-established close ties with Venezuela, has publicly backed Maduro this week. According to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin “expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and reaffirmed his support for the Maduro government’s resolve to defend national interests and sovereignty against foreign pressure.” The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to a strategic partnership treaty signed in May.
The Hungarian prime minister resembles Jon Snow as he stands alone against the “EU bureaucratic warmongers,” Kirill Dmitriev says
Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev has compared Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to ‘Game of Thrones’ character Jon Snow, casting him as the lone defender of European law as the EU moved to indefinitely freeze Russian sovereign assets.
In a post on X on Friday, Dmitriev praised Orban for “defending the EU’s legal and financial system from crazy EU bureaucratic warmongers,” saying the Hungarian leader is fighting to “reduce migration, increase competitiveness, and restore sanity, values and peace.”
Dmitriev attached a clip from the Battle of the Bastards, one of Game of Thrones’ most iconic scenes. The sequence shows Jon Snow standing alone on a battlefield, drawing his sword as the cavalry of the House of Bolton thunders toward him.
Hungary PM Orbán as Jon Snow from Game of Thrones in defending the EU’s legal&financial system from crazy EU bureaucratic warmongers—fighting them to reduce migration, increase competitiveness, and restore sanity, values and peace. 🕊️
In the series, the Boltons are infamous for their ruthlessness and cruelty, while Snow is portrayed as a reluctant leader who repeatedly chooses duty over ambition, even at great personal cost.
On Friday, Orban – who has on numerous occasions blasted the EU’s confrontational policies on Russia – accused Brussels of “raping European law,” referring to the vote allowing the bloc to bypass unanimous approval when extending sanctions on Russian sovereign assets, estimated at €210 billion ($230 billion). Moscow has condemned the freeze as “theft,” warning of legal retaliation if the bloc confiscates the assets.
In a separate post, Dmitriev also took aim at NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, comparing him to the Night King, the central antagonist of Game of Thrones, who commands the undead and lacks empathy.
Unmasked NATO’s Mark Rutte.
He does not have family or children. He wants war.
The comparison followed comments by Rutte, who accused Russia of “bringing war back to Europe” and urged NATO members to prepare for a conflict on a scale faced by earlier generations. Dmitriev said Rutte “does not have family or children” and “wants war” – adding, however, that “peace will prevail.”
Dmitriev, who has played a prominent role in efforts to reach a settlement of the Ukraine conflict, echoed remarks by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who criticized Rutte for “fueling war tensions.”
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