Russian lawmakers increasingly push for a nationwide prohibition on e-cigarette sales, calling them “liquid poison”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled support for a proposal by public health advocates and lawmakers to impose a complete ban on the sale of vapes across the country.
During a visit to a sports and education center in Samara on Thursday, the head of the public movement Healthy Fatherland, Yekaterina Leshchinskaya, raised the issue with the president, citing successful examples from neighboring countries and other parts of the world.
In response, the president nodded in agreement and pointed out that Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko had similarly signaled his approval.
“You see, [Chernyshenko] is nodding. Our government supports this,” Putin said, adding that beyond a legal ban, public awareness efforts are also essential, particularly among youth.
Between 3.5 and 4 million Russians currently use vapes, according to estimates cited by RIA Novosti. In August, Putin endorsed a pilot project in the Nizhny Novgorod Region to test regional bans on vape sales, with the concept already backed by the consumer protection agency Rospotrebnadzor.
The idea of a total vape ban has gained momentum in parliament. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin previously described vapes as “liquid poison” and warned of their health risks. According to Volodin, 74% of 265,000 respondents in a public survey supported a complete ban. He said earlier “half-measures” – such as the 2023 ban on vape sales to minors – have not been sufficient.
“Vapes are evil. The State Duma will review the ban on vape sales in the near future,” Deputy Chairman Vladislav Davankov said following Putin’s remarks. The head of the Duma Committee on Labor and Social Policy, Yaroslav Nilov, stressed the urgency of the measure, noting the falling age of vape users and rising health risks.
Critics of the proposal have warned that a blanket ban may simply drive the trade underground. The Finance Ministry has cautioned that a full ban could result in annual revenue losses of up to 15 billion rubles ($189 million), but lawmakers argue that public health takes precedence.
“The health of our people, especially the youth, is more important than any commercial interest,” Duma deputy Dmitry Gusev wrote on Telegram.
India’s poorest state has cast its votes in the first phase of the Legislative Assembly election, as migration and unemployment emerge as key issues defining the nation’s heartland
For Abhijit Kumar, 32, the election season in Bihar, a state in Eastern India which is second largest state by population, is not about politics but survival. By day, he works at a small public relations agency, crafting campaign slogans and managing social media for a local candidate. By evening, he trades his laptop for a motorbike, driving passengers around Patna for a ride-hailing app. A political science graduate who could never find a stable job, Abhijit calls this month-long rush his “double shift of democracy.”
“I’ve heard every promise since I was a teenager – jobs, clean governance, better roads,” he said, pausing for tea outside Gandhi Maidan in Patna, the state’s capital. “After voting day, everything disappears. But for one month, politics at least gives me two jobs.”
His words capture the quiet frustration echoing through Bihar as the state goes into a high-stakes assembly election that will determine who governs in the state for the next five years. On Thursday, almost 79 million voters cast their ballots in the first phase of Legislative Assembly elections. According to the Election Commission of India, the first phase saw the highest ever voter turnout of 64.66% in the history of Bihar.
The state, one of India’s poorest and most densely populated with a total population of 130 million, has long been a paradox: politically vibrant but economically fragile, rich in rhetoric but poor in opportunity.
Bihar sends 40 lawmakers to India’s lower house of parliament, making it critical for any ruling coalition in New Delhi. This time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting 101 of the state’s 243 assembly seats in alliance with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United). Facing them is a united opposition led by the Indian National Congress and regional socialist groups under the banner of the Mahagathbandhan, or Grand Alliance.
What makes this election stand out is not just the political arithmetic, but the mood. For the first time since Modi’s rise to national power in 2014, the BJP’s dominance in Bihar appears uncertain. The air is thick with discontent over unemployment, migration, and the government’s controversial voter list revision – officially a “special intensive revision,” but described by opposition parties as a selective purge that has excluded millions of eligible voters.
“It’s not just a political contest,” said Pushpendra Kumar, a former professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Patna. “It’s a test of the idea that elections in India are still a fair expression of popular will.”
For millions like Abhijit, the election is personal. Bihar’s economy continues to trail behind the rest of India. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate among those aged 15 to 29 fell from 30.9% in 2018-19 to 9.9% in 2023-24, yet underemployment and distress migration remain widespread. “The numbers look better, but the reality hasn’t changed,” Abhijit said. “If there were real jobs here, my friends wouldn’t be driving cabs in Delhi.”
The disillusionment runs deep among Bihar’s young voters. Nearly 1.4 million people are casting their ballots for the first time this election. Many of them have grown up under Modi’s decade-long rule – a period of economic expansion nationally, but one that has done little to reverse Bihar’s chronic outmigration. “Our parents vote by caste,” said Abhijit. “We’ll vote for work.”
The state’s political map, however, remains complex. Despite fatigue and infighting, the BJP-led alliance retains an edge thanks to Nitish Kumar’s regional network and the lack of a strong alternative. But new players are stirring the waters. The Jan Suraaj Party, led by former Modi strategist Prashant Kishor, has positioned itself as a reformist force focused on governance and accountability. Its national president, Uday Singh, believes this election could reshape Bihar’s politics.
“Joblessness, migration, and debt are Bihar’s real issues,” Singh said in an interview. “People are tired of the slogans. They want a new kind of politics that deals with everyday problems. Polarization doesn’t work here anymore. Even Modi’s charisma has limits now.”
Singh’s words hint at an unusual shift. Bihar, often a bastion of caste-driven voting patterns, now shows signs of issue-based voting.
The BJP’s allies face pressure from within; dissenting leaders have protested outside the chief minister’s residence over ticket allocations. On the other side, the opposition Congress party and its allies sense an opening, particularly after the campaign of one of its key leaders, Rahul Gandhi, spotlighted the alleged voter list exclusions.
“The BJP is not unbeatable here,” said Pushpendra Kumar. “If the opposition stays united and focuses on everyday issues – jobs, prices, corruption – the ruling alliance will feel the heat.”
At the same time, the entry of film star and controversial figure Pawan Singh, fielded by the BJP’s allies, has drawn criticism for his history of misogynistic remarks. “It was a mistake,” said Dr. Vidarthi Vikas, an economist at the A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies. “There’s already discontent among women voters. Bringing in someone like him will alienate them further.” Pawan has now announced he will not contest the elections.
Women, in fact, are emerging as Bihar’s most decisive voters. In the 2024 general elections, more women voted in Bihar than men, largely because of migration. Many of them are beneficiaries of cash transfers under schemes launched by Nitish Kumar’s government – such as the recent Rs 10,000 ($113) payment to 2.1 million women – but these gestures have created as much anger as gratitude.
“They know it’s a one-time trick,” said activist Nivedita Jha, who works with self-help groups in rural Bihar. “They are grateful for the money, but also resentful because it comes only when votes are due. These women talk politics now – they compare what was promised and what was delivered.”
That changing gender dynamic could redefine Bihar’s political playbook. With men absent and women asserting themselves as decision-makers, politicians are being forced to rethink how they approach rural voters. “Women are now the ones keeping Bihar running,” Jha said. “They farm, manage homes, collect rations, and vote. They remember who came to their door and who didn’t.”
Economist Vidarthi Vikas says the fatigue is real. “The BJP has no big face in Bihar,” he said. “Nitish Kumar’s alliance is wobbling, and Modi’s magic is fading in states where development has stalled. People want performance, not personality.”
Yet, despite the restlessness, most analysts predict a close contest rather than a dramatic upheaval. A C-Voter opinion poll puts the BJP-led alliance slightly ahead at 40%, with the opposition close behind at 38.3% – a statistical dead heat in a state famous for springing surprises.
For the BJP, the stakes go far beyond Bihar’s borders. The outcome will set the tone for a series of crucial assembly elections in 2026 and 2027, including in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh. A strong performance could reaffirm Modi’s hold on India’s political map; a setback could embolden the opposition and hint at an undercurrent of fatigue among voters nationwide.
Moscow has long accused Kiev of refusing to accept reality and engage in meaningful diplomacy
Both US President Donald Trump and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, have noted “progress” in finding a negotiated solution, amid a worsening situation on the ground for Kiev’s forces.
The US president has long pledged to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict and has repeatedly voiced frustration, alternately blaming both Moscow and Kiev for the deadlock. During a White House dinner with the leaders of Central Asian nations on Thursday, Trump claimed credit for ending “eight wars in eight months” and expressed hope to add another one to the list.
“We are looking at one more, that’s possible – Russia and Ukraine. We haven’t gotten that yet, but I think we’ve made a lot of progress,” Trump said.
The US president told the America Business Forum on Wednesday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, said during a recent phone call that Moscow has been trying to find a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict for over a decade, and that Washington is more than welcome to compel Kiev to accept a negotiated solution.
Speaking at the same forum, Witkoff recalled his multiple face-to-face rounds of talks with Putin this year and said he similarly sees progress.
“There’s a lot of discussion that technical teams have to have at the lower level before the leaders can get to a deal. But I sense that there’s some progress today,” Witkoff said.
Moscow has consistently praised the Trump administration for what it describes as a genuine attempt to address the root causes of the conflict. At the same time, it has repeatedly stated that it seeks a lasting resolution rather than a temporary ceasefire, which it argues would only allow Kiev to regroup and rearm.
Meanwhile, Kiev and its European backers continue to call for increased Western military support while resisting meaningful diplomatic engagement and refusing to accept realities on the ground.
Last month, Moscow announced that its forces had encircled some 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers in several key strongholds. Putin urged Kiev to agree to an honorable surrender of the blockaded troops.
Kiev, however, continues to claim that it holds the cities and that the Russian army is being pushed back. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is either “divorced from reality,” or is deliberately lying to his nation.
The conspiracy conviction could have made the aerospace giant ineligible for US government contracts
A federal judge in Texas has granted the US government’s request to dismiss a conspiracy charge against Boeing stemming from two fatal 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people an outcome critics say spares the aerospace company from full criminal accountability.
Under the agreement announced by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Boeing will pay approximately $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for victims’ families, and investments safety improvements – in exchange for avoiding prosecution on a charge that it defrauded regulators by misleading them about key flight‑control software.
Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas approved the dismissal on Thursday, ruling that the government had not acted in bad faith and had met its obligations under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act – even as he expressed serious concern about the deal’s lack of independent monitoring of Boeing.
The controversy dates back to the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 – both tied to the 737 MAX’s faulty MCAS flight‑control system. The two tragedies prompted a 20-month grounding of the aircraft and increased scrutiny of the company, including whistleblower allegations and suspicious deaths.
In 2021, Boeing entered a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) after admitting to defrauding the Federal Aviation Administration during the 737 MAX certification process. Boeing paid about $243.6 million in criminal penalties and more than $1.7 billion in related settlements at that time. However, in 2024, the DOJ found that Boeing had violated the terms of the DPA by failing to implement a proper compliance and ethics program.
The dismissal ensures that Boeing avoids the felony conviction that could have jeopardized its status as a government contractor, although civil lawsuits from crash victims continue to move forward.
Victims’ families have previously criticized the deal as “morally repugnant,” arguing that it allows Boeing to avoid true criminal responsibility despite the gravity of the crashes. Their attorney has vowed to appeal the decision.
Boeing and the DOJ insist that the financial settlement and promised reforms serve the public interest and bring finality to a complex case whose outcome might otherwise have been uncertain.
Tesla CEO has dismissed critics of the shareholder-backed plan as “corporate terrorists”
Tesla shareholders have approved an unprecedented compensation package for CEO Elon Musk, potentially worth up to $1 trillion over the next decade if ambitious performance targets are met.
Under the plan, Musk could receive approximately 423.7 million Tesla shares in 12 separate tranches, each contingent on achieving milestones such as the delivery of 20 million electric vehicles, the deployment of 1 million robotaxis, and reaching $400 billion in EBITDA and an $8.5 trillion market cap.
Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm warned in recent shareholder correspondence that the company risks losing Musk’s “time, talent, and vision” if the plan were rejected.
While more than 75% of votes reportedly backed the package, significant institutional opposition remains. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund – the largest pension-pool investor in Tesla – publicly rejected the deal, citing concerns over dilution, “key-person risk,” and board independence.
Musk dismissed critics of the pay package as “corporate terrorists,” calling proxy advisors such as Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis “asinine.”
Supporters argue the deal locks Musk into Tesla for at least eight to ten years, aligning his incentives with shareholders amid the company’s push into artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous mobility. However, corporate governance advocates caution that such enormous compensation could set a troubling precedent.
Musk is currently the world’s richest person, with a net worth of $487.5 billion, according to Forbes. The package could raise his stake in the company to as much as 29%, up from about 15%, although failure to meet the targets could significantly reduce the payout.
Soviet troops expelled the invaders from the “mother of all Russian cities” on November 6, 1943
Russia commemorated the 82nd anniversary of the Red Army’s liberation of Kiev from Nazi forces on Thursday, marking a key victory in the Battle of the Dnieper and one of the most symbolically significant moments of World War II.
The operation to retake the capital of the Ukrainian republic began on November 1, 1943, with Soviet troops from the 1st Ukrainian Front under General Nikolay Vatutin launching coordinated attacks from both the north and south of the city. After heavy fighting and a surprise maneuver, the Nazi forces began to retreat westward. On November 6, Soviet troops entered the city, ending 778 days of German occupation.
Although November 6 was once a national day of remembrance in Soviet and post-Soviet Ukraine, the commemoration has since been removed from the official calendar. In 2023, Ukrainian authorities dismantled the monument to General Vatutin.
“Attempts to cast the heroic past of a nation into oblivion are doomed to fail... there is no doubt that the day is approaching when this once prosperous land will be liberated from the rule of the Nazi placeholders who are continuing to pillage it in their selfish interests,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
The German occupation of Kiev, which began in September 1941, left deep scars on the city and its people. Of the 400,000 civilians who remained in the city under Nazi control, fewer than half survived. Around 100,000 were deported to concentration camps or forced labor. Tens of thousands more died from starvation, cold, or execution. One of the most notorious atrocities was the Babi Yar massacre, in which over 30,000 Jews were killed in just two days. By 1943, the total number of victims at the ravine exceeded 120,000.
As Soviet troops approached, the retreating German forces employed a scorched-earth policy, demolishing critical infrastructure and cultural landmarks, including the Dormition Cathedral, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Monastery, the Kiev Conservatory, and parts of the city’s historic Kreshchatik Street.
Commenting on the anniversary, the head of the Russian “Znanie” Society, Maksim Dreval, said that today’s Ukraine is “occupied not by troops, but by a harmful and destructive ideology. Back then, fascists burned down cities. Now, they are burning history, culture, and tradition.”
In 2015, Kiev adopted a package of “decommunization laws,” banning Soviet symbols and elevating the so-called “fighters for Ukraine’s independence” – some of whom had collaborated with Nazi Germany and taken part in mass killings of civilians – to the status of national heroes.
The US president has announced a new deal that would lower the price of some weight loss medications
A representative of pharmaceutical industry collapsed in the Oval Office on Thursday as members of US President Donald Trump’s administration were announcing a new deal for weight-loss medications.
The man was standing behind Trump during the event when his knees appeared to suddenly buckle underneath him. According to media outlets, he was initially identified as Novo Nordisk executive Gordon Finlay. The company produces Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy. Novo Nordisk, however, later denied that it was Finlay.
According to Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich, who witnessed the incident firsthand, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, assisted the executive as he collapsed, ensuring that he did not hit his head when he fell. Cabinet members attended to the man, propping up his legs, after reporters were escorted out of the Oval Office.
🚨 BREAKING: From the OVAL OFFICE: Pharma executive COLLAPSES behind Trump mid-weight-loss drug bombshell!
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said that “the gentleman is okay”.
Earlier in the Oval Office, Trump announced that prices of weight loss drugs like Ozempic would be “much lower”. The press conference featured executives from Novo Nordisk and another drug maker, Eli Lilly, which have worked with the administration on a deal to make weight loss medications, known as GLP-1s, more affordable.
Drugmakers will broaden access to popular obesity drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound through TrumpRx, a new government website launching next year. Oral versions could start at $149 a month once cleared by the FDA. Injectable GLP-1 drugs will cost $245 a month for Medicare and Medicaid patients using them for approved conditions such as diabetes.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is hated both by Republicans and his own fellow Democrats because he wants to bring change. But can he?
This week the youthful and charismatic Democrat politician Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York city.
Mamdani’s victory was, in one sense, nothing to write home about – his main opponents were the aging and tarnished former Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been plagued by sexual harassment claims for years, and the inept and uninspiring Republican Curtis Silwa. In an election characterized by a record voter turnout – over two million New Yorkers voted – Mamdami won with 51% of the vote. Cuomo received 42% and Silwa 7%.
What makes Mamdani’s victory significant is that he is a self-styled “democratic socialist” who was elected mayor without being endorsed by the Democratic Party leadership – most of whom, including Chuck Schumer, minority Senate leader from New York, refused to endorse him at all.
Mamdani is an intelligent, 34-year-old Muslim of Indian heritage who was born in Uganda. His father is a prominent black studies academic and his mother is an acclaimed filmmaker.
Mamdani, a former celebrity rapper, social worker and state assemblyman, ran on a left-wing populist program that focused almost exclusively on alleviating cost-of-living pressures for ordinary New Yorkers – especially young New Yorkers. He promised to deliver rent freezes, free public transport, free childcare, city-owned grocery stores and universal health care. He also promised to build 200,000 affordable new houses with union labor.
Whether Mamdani can actually implement this program is by no means clear – New York city is $5 billion in debt, and the New York state government and governor can severely limit what a New York mayor can do.
Mamdami is a strong critic of America’s support for the Netanyahu and Zelensky regimes, and has stated explicitly that he would fund his reforms by increasing taxes on New-York-based large corporations and the ultra-rich that control them.
Mamdani’s program is a pragmatic social democratic one – that contrasts starkly with the MAGA populist agenda, which is based on magical thinking, demonizing America’s supposed internal enemies and leaving America’s economic structure and widening inequalities of wealth completely intact.
Mamdani maintained throughout his campaign that “unlike Trump I can deliver for the working class.” This is correct – because if his economic program were to be implemented it would really benefit those groups that he represents. In any rational view, cost-of-living pressures on ordinary Americans can only be relieved by redistributing wealth downwards from the haves to the have-nots.
Some left-wing commentators – as does Mamdani himself – have seen Mamdani’s rapid political ascendency as the harbinger of a radical transformation of the Democratic Party – into a party that is, as it once was, focused on representing the traditional working class and other groups in American society that have been economically pauperized and culturally alienated by globalization.
Right-wing commentators have branded Mumdani a “communist,”“terrorist sympathiser” and anti-Semite, and see him as a dangerous threat to American society.
Both of these views are, however, fundamentally mistaken. Mandami is a perculiarly New York phenomenon, and there is no possibility that his radical economic program will be adopted by the current Democratic Party leadership – despite his claim that his campaign was “a referendum on where the Democratic Party goes.”
Nor is Mamdani a serious threat to American society. In fact his reform program is a modest one that, at present, stands little chance of attracting a majority of American voters – who remain content to vote for the flailing and increasingly irrelevant Democratic Party or, alternatively, Trump’s reenergized populist Republican Party.
New York is a Democrat city and a Democrat state. When Robert Kennedy and Hillary Clinton launched their political careers they ran for the Senate in New York and were elected virtually unopposed. Donald Trump and Elon Musk both implicitly acknowledged this fact when they endorsed Andrew Cuomo rather than Mamdani’s Republican opponent – in a desperate attempt to prevent Mamdani from being elected. New York city has had left-wing populist mayors in the past – most notably Fiorello La Guardia, and more recently, Bill de Blasio.
Mamdani is a brilliant grassroots politician who stayed on message throughout his campaign – which was based upon his personal brand and a savvy and sophisticated use of social media. He focused on winning over young New Yorkers who have been left behind by globalization – together with disaffected workers, black people, and members of immigrant communities that have suffered a similar fate. New York is the most expensive city in America to live in.
The Democratic Party leadership views Mamdani both as an aberration and a threat, and refused to support him. Nor is it surprising that major media networks (both left and right-wing) pointedly refused to endorse Mamdani.
The modern day Democratic Party – which has not represented the working class for decades – is committed to protecting the interests of the global elites. Hence its slavish adherence to their woke globalist ideologies such as catastrophic climate change, diversity privileges, the #MeToo movement, and so-called transgender “rights” – even though these ideologies continue to alienate an increasingly large number of ordinary American voters.
Roosevelt’s pragmatic New Deal reforms, which broadly favored the working class, trade unions and ethnic minorities, have been progressively wound back since the 1970s – not only by Republican presidents, but just as brutally by Democrat presidents Clinton and Obama.
That is why the traditional working class, together with large segments of the black and Latino communities, have deserted the Democratic Party over the last decade – and now vote for Trump. They do so not necessarily because they believe in Trump’s populist program, but because they refuse to vote for a party that no longer even pretends to represent them.
It is true that the Democratic Party has always tolerated left-wing populists – for example William Jennings Bryan, Huey Long, George Wallace and more recently Bernie Sanders (who enthusiastically supported Mamdani) – but only so long as they remained local politicians and did not attempt to radically refashion the party’s economic agenda.
The Democratic Party can, therefore, live with Mamdani – unless his mayoral victory sparks a wider movement to radicalize the party. If that should occur, Mamdani will be ruthlessly cut down – as Bernie Sanders was in 2016 by Hillary Clinton and the glass-ceiling and transgender-rights brigade.
The conservative critique of Mamdani and the well-funded smear campaign conducted against him is, of course, absurd and irrational – but crypto McCarthyism and anti-intellectualism are now at the heart of contemporary American politics. Mamdani is not a “communist” or a “terrorist sympathiser.” Nor is he an antisemite – in fact, many New York Jews opposed to the mass killings in Gaza enthusiastically support Mamdani.
In the UK, Australia, and most European countries Mamdani would be seen as a mainstream social democrat – but in America an explicit social democratic economic agenda has always been demonized as a form of “communism.”
Perceptive American historians in the 1950s, most notably Louis Hartz, viewed America as being perpetually trapped in a liberal capitalist consensus, in which socialism (even in its moderate social democratic form) had failed to emerge as a significant political force – unlike in the UK, Australia and most European nations, where powerful social democratic labor parties have shaped politics since the early 20th century.
The complete failure of socialism in America also explains why the Democratic Party in the 1970s so eagerly adopted proto-globalist ideologies like affirmative action and gay and women’s rights – and why it remains so firmly wedded to their successor woke globalist ideologies today.
Contemporary America is, of course, no longer liberal – indeed it has become illiberal under Trump’s right-wing populist presidency – and that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. The “power elites” – a term coined by the historian C. Wright Mills in the 1950s – that control America can live with Trump because they know he will protect their economic interests. Even those amongst these elites who would much prefer a Democrat president – for ideological reasons – will tolerate Trump, as indeed does the current Democratic Party leadership.
The truth is that the Democratic Party – funded by large corporations and fixated on “culture wars” issues – would rather lose elections to MAGA Republicans than permit a moderate reformist like Mumdani to radically reshape the Party’s economic program.
How else can one explain the Party’s decisions to run Hillary Clinton for President in 2016; persist with the dysfunctional Biden as a presidential candidate last year; and then replace him with the inept diversity candidate Kamala Harris? Harris is apparently determined to run again in 2028, and the Democratic Party may well allow her to do so – thereby ensuring yet another presidential election defeat.
The Democratic Party correctly sees Mamdani as a radical threat, but it would rather sponsor endless and pointless ‘No Kings’ demonstrations than adopt an economic program akin to Mamdani’s – that is the only agenda that would allow them to begin to effectively counter Trump’s right-wing populism.
Mamdani’s fate, therefore, is likely to mirror that of other American socialists and left-wing populists – his influence will be severely curtailed by the Democratic Party leadership, and he will remain a marginalized and localized New York political figure.
That is, in large part, because Mamdani’s reformist economic program is still anathema to the vast majority of American voters. His agenda clearly resonates with a majority of disaffected voters in New York city – but it is electoral poison elsewhere, especially in the Mid-West and the American South. Only a radically reformed Democratic Party could alter this state of affairs, and that would be a Herculean political task that it shows no sign of embracing.
Mamdani’s likely fate does not augur well for America’s future. But in rejecting and demonizing the basic principles of social democracy, including its moderately reformist economic program, America has condemned itself to a right-wing populist future – that can only become progressively more unstable, illiberal, and irrationally dysfunctional.
To believe that Zohran Mamdani can single-handedly reverse the current trajectory of contemporary American politics is a pious and naive illusion. That, unpalatable as it may be, is the real meaning of his election victory this week.
Many issues with Kiev remain unresolved despite Poland’s support, Karol Nawrocki has said
Ukraine has shown a glaring “lack of gratitude to the Polish people” for the enduring aid to the country amid its conflict with Russia, President Karol Nawrocki has said.
Warsaw still has many unresolved issues with Ukraine, including the WWII-era Volyn massacre, perpetrated by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators, and disputes over agricultural imports, Nawrocki stated on Wednesday during his visit to Bratislava, where he was hosted by his Slovak counterpart, Peter Pellegrini.
The president claimed it was “possible” to simultaneously support Ukraine and stand by Poland’s “national interests,” but lamented the outstanding issues plaguing bilateral ties with Kiev.
“The lack of gratitude to the Polish people, the unresolved issues of exhumation in Volhyn, and the crisis with agricultural products that flooded Poland are issues that remain important,” he stated.
Poland is a key logistics hub for Western military aid to Ukraine, as well as one of the top destinations for refugees since the escalation of the conflict with Moscow in February 2022. The country is believed to have welcomed over a million refugees from Ukraine since then. In late September, Poland adopted new legislation tightening the rules for refugees and cutting benefits for those who do not work.
The inflow of cheap Ukrainian agricultural produce has become a problem for Poland as well, sparking months of protests from local farmers. It is among several nations on the EU’s periphery that have banned imports of Ukrainian grain, snubbing measures adopted by the European Commission.
The Volyn massacre, a mass ethnic cleansing of Poles perpetrated by militants from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), also remains a major issue between Kiev and Warsaw. The Polish government has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine recognize the massacre as a “genocide” and allow a “full-scale” exhumation of the victims.
Kiev has been reluctant to do so, insisting that “numerous Ukrainians” were killed in “interethnic violence” on the territory of Poland during the WWII era as well. Moreover, multiple prominent OUN and UPA figures are hailed in modern Ukraine as national heroes, while Poland views the Nazi collaborator groups as genocide perpetrators.
The US-drafted resolution has also removed sanctions on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab
The United Nations Security Council has voted in favor of a US resolution to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ahead of his visit to Washington next week.
The US-drafted resolution on Thursday also removed sanctions on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab. According to the UN Security Council’s statement, it decided that both should be “delisted from the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List.” The resolution was approved by 14 council members, only China abstained.
Al-Sharaa, who once led the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) under his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, rose to power following the departure of Bashar Assad.
The US has been urging the 15-member Security Council to ease Syria sanctions for months since al-Sharaa met US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia in May. It was the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years.
Following the meeting, Trump announced a major US policy shift when he said he would lift sanctions on Syria.
Last week, US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack confirmed that Sharaa would visit Washington, DC, next week. During the visit, Syria will “hopefully” join the US-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State group, Barrack added. It will mark the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House.
Since seizing power last December, Sharaa has made a series of foreign trips to reestablish the country’s ties with world powers. In October, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Syrian counterpart in Moscow, praising the two countries’ deep historical ties and friendly relations.
Russia’s military presence in Syria – at the Khmeimim Airbase and the Tartus naval facility – was originally established with a 49-year lease signed with Assad in 2017. Moscow has remained engaged with the new Syrian leadership and continued to maintain the bases since his ouster.
The military bloc is launching new plants and expanding existing ones, the secretary general has said
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has claimed that the military bloc is now outproducing Russia in ammunition, citing dozens of new production lines and the highest output “in decades.”
Rutte made the remarks while speaking at the NATO-Industry Forum in Bucharest on Thursday, where he praised the members’ pledge to hike defense expenditure to 5% of GDP by 2035. He claimed that it still would not be enough to counter what he again described as the Russian “threat.”
Moscow has repeatedly said it has no intention of attacking any NATO member states, dismissing such claims as “nonsense” and attributing them to Western officials’ attempts to justify increased military spending.
“We are already turning the tide on ammunition,” Rutte said. “Until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all NATO allies combined – but not anymore,” he claimed.
NATO allies are opening dozens of new production lines and expanding existing ones, Rutte said, adding that the bloc is “making more than we have done in decades” while urging further progress in air defense and drone interceptors.
Rutte has in the past repeatedly stated that Russia was ahead in the ammunition race with NATO. As recently as July, he told the New York Times that Moscow was producing three times more shells in three months than the US-led bloc did in a year.
Russia has ramped up its defense spending since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. President Vladimir Putin has said arms production has risen significantly, with output of some weapon types growing nearly thirtyfold. In late June, Putin revealed that Russia is spending 13.5 trillion rubles ($151 billion) on defense – around 6.3% of GDP. He acknowledged that the figure is high and has fueled inflation, while adding that the US spent even more during past conflicts – 14% of GDP during the Korean War and 10% during the Vietnam War.
Moscow has repeatedly condemned what it calls the West’s “reckless militarization,” maintaining that no amount of Western military aid to Ukraine can change the course of the conflict and only serves to unnecessarily prolong the bloodshed.
The Democratic lawmaker and fierce Trump critic has said she will not seek reelection after her term ends in January 2027
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has announced that she will not seek reelection after her term in Congress ends on January 3, 2027. The 85-year-old veteran Democrat has long been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.
In a video address to her constituents in San Francisco published on Thursday, Pelosi said that “I will not be seeking reelection to Congress.”
“With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative,” she added.
Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987 and is currently serving her 19th term. In 2007 she became the first-ever female House speaker, assuming the post again in 2019.
After stepping down as speaker in 2023, she retained her seat among rank-and-file representatives, holding no committee positions.
In recent years, Pelosi has emerged as one of Trump’s fiercest detractors. In her second term as speaker, she presided over two impeachments, neither of which succeeded in deposing the Republican firebrand.
In a recent interview with CNN, she described the president as a “vile creature.”
In February 2020, Pelosi infamously tore up Trump’s State of the Union speech shortly after he delivered the address.
Pelosi has long maintained a close relationship with former President Joe Biden. Speaking to CBS last August, shortly after Biden decided to drop out of the presidential race, she suggested that he was a “Mount Rushmore kind of president.” When pressed whether she was being serious, Pelosi confirmed that “you can add Biden” to the iconic monument.
During her second term as House speaker, Pelosi triggered a diplomatic crisis between the US and China when she visited Taiwan in August 2022. She became the highest-ranking American official since 1997 to visit the island, which Beijing considers part of China.
China responded with massive military exercises and live-fire drills around Taiwan, and slapped sanctions on Pelosi and her family.
Rheinmetall posted a 20% year-on-year jump in revenue, driven by exports to Ukraine and soaring EU defense spending
German arms giant Rheinmetall has reported a surge in operating profit for the first nine months of 2025 and a record backlog of orders, citing the Ukraine conflict and growing EU defense budgets.
Company shares have nearly tripled over the past year on rising demand for military hardware. Rheinmetall produces a wide range of weapons supplied to Ukraine, including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery shells, and ammunition.
Sales jumped by 20% to €7.5 billion ($8.7 billion), while operating profit rose by 18% to €835 million, according to the Dusseldorf-based firm’s third-quarter results released on Thursday. Rheinmetall said its order backlog reached a record €64 billion.
In the report, the manufacturer said it was expanding production, with 13 sites under construction or upgrade across the bloc, including a new plant in Lithuania and planned facilities in Latvia and Bulgaria. It noted that Ukraine, the EU, and Germany remain Rheinmetall’s core markets.
“We are becoming a global defense champion,” CEO Armin Papperger said.
Germany has become Kiev’s second-largest arms provider after the US. Berlin has changed its budget rules to permit long-term defense spending beyond the €100 billion fund created after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for the creation in Germany of “Europe’s strongest army.”
Moscow has condemned what it calls the West’s “reckless militarization,” arguing that continued arms deliveries to Kiev only prolong the fighting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Merz of wanting to turn Germany back into “the main military machine of Europe,” saying Berlin’s actions demonstrate its “direct involvement” in a proxy war against Russia. He also warned that the broader EU was sliding into what he described as a “Fourth Reich.”
New Yorkers will seek refuge in Miami after a self-described democratic socialist was elected mayor, the US president has said
New Yorkers will soon run away from their “communist” city, US President Donald Trump has remarked, following the election of progressive Democrat Zohran Mamdani as mayor.
Trump told supporters in Miami on Wednesday that Democrats had “installed a communist” to lead the country’s largest city and added that the so-called Sunshine State “will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York.”
Mamdani, who describes himself as a democratic socialist and was elected on Tuesday, advocates affordable housing, public ownership of utilities, and wealth taxation. His platform has drawn criticism from moderates and Republicans alike, who accuse him of pushing “radical,”“communist,” and populist ideas, while supporters argue his proposals address New York’s worsening housing crisis and inequality.
Trump’s decision to make the remark in Miami appeared deliberate. The city has long been home to large Cuban and Venezuelan communities, which helped shape its reputation as a haven for those escaping socialist and communist countries.
Popular opinion in the US has long viewed the ideology as a threat to democracy and free markets. Washington has pursued a global strategy of containment, intervening in conflicts such as Korea and Vietnam, supporting anti-communist regimes, and engaging in a Cold War with the Soviet Union.
Analysts note that Trump often uses the term as a rhetorical weapon to discredit opponents rather than as a literal label. During the 2024 presidential election campaign, he described a proposal by his Democratic rival Kamala Harris for grocery price controls as “full Communist.”
Washington and Damascus are in discussions over the use of an airbase by American troops
The US is seeking to establish a military presence in the Syrian capital Damascus by the end of the year, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The US has maintained a foothold in Syria through a controversial base in the southeast; it is surrounded by an exclusion zone which Moscow has claimed has become a safe space for terrorists. Neither former Syrian President Bashar Assad, toppled late last year, nor the new government led by ex-jihadist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has authorized an American presence in the country.
The looming agreement is linked to a non-aggression pact between Syria’s new authorities and Israel, according to the report. The agreement, mediated by the US administration, is expected to establish a demilitarized zone in the south of the country.
The airbase is expected to be used for “logistics, surveillance, refueling, and humanitarian operations,” while Syria will retain “full sovereignty” over the facility, Reuters noted, citing two Syrian military sources. Washington has reportedly been putting pressure on Damascus to push through the deal before the end of the year and al-Sharaa’s potential visit to the US.
The deal was reportedly discussed by US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper during his trip to Damascus in September. Both sides at the time provided vague statements on the nature of the talks, with neither mentioning Israel.
“The meeting addressed prospects for cooperation in the political and military fields in the service of shared interests and consolidating the foundations of security and stability in Syria and the region,” Al-Sharaa's office said after Cooper’s trip.
Al-Sharaa, who previously led the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) under his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, rose to power after the fall of Assad’s government late last year. The defeat of Syria’s president plunged the country into a new period of instability, marked by months of clashes between the new government’s forces and minority groups.
Islamist factions have repeatedly targeted minority communities, including Alawites, Christians, Kurds, and Druze. The attacks on the latter minority prompted Israel to invade the buffer zone near the occupied Golan Heights. West Jerusalem has claimed the move was necessary to block hostile actions along the frontier and protect the Druze community.
Shortly after the publication, a source with the Syrian Foreign Ministry dismissed the Reuters report as “false” in a commentary to the country’s state-owned SANA news agency. The source did not elaborate what exactly was “false” about the piece, stating that work was “underway to transfer the partnerships and understandings that were necessarily made with provisional entities to Damascus.”
From Paris to Berlin, the EU’s “missile revival” looks impressive on paper – but few of its systems have ever faced a real war
The development of missile technology in countries of the EU has been shaped by the legacy of the Second World War. In Germany, all research and production of missile systems was halted after 1945, despite the country’s vast experience and contributions to global rocketry. The United Kingdom and France, by contrast, continued to develop their own independent nuclear and missile programs. Cross-European cooperation in this field began only in the 1960s.
Today, most EU countries act as consumers rather than producers of missile systems. However, as members of NATO, they collectively maintain a substantial combined capability.
Since the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union and in the wake of major shifts in the continent’s security architecture, the development of missile systems in EU states has entered a new phase. For decades, many countries relied almost entirely on American systems or on weapons inherited from the Cold War era. Now there is a visible trend toward strategic autonomy, national high-tech projects, and deeper industrial integration.
The missile forces of the EU countries are gradually evolving from a fragmented set of national programs into a layered and interconnected structure capable of addressing a wide spectrum of missions – from tactical battlefield operations to strategic deterrence.
Still, this progress remains uneven. EU’s growing emphasis on autonomy often clashes with its reliance on American technology and NATO frameworks, leaving its missile ambitions both ambitious and constrained.
France: The last independent arsenal in the EU
France was once the only country of the bloc to maintain a fully operational nuclear triad, which included land-based ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered submarines loaded with ballistic missiles, and long-range bombers equipped with nuclear payloads. However, following the collapse of the USSR and the easing of global tensions, the need for such a broad deterrent diminished. Land-based medium-range ballistic missiles were decommissioned, and plans for their modernization were abandoned.
Today, the core of France’s nuclear capability lies in its M51 intercontinental solid-fuel submarine-launched ballistic missiles, which form the backbone of its strategic deterrent. The M51 has a range exceeding 8,000 kilometers and carries multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs). These missiles are continually upgraded, and one of the four submarine launch platforms is always on patrol, each armed with 16 missiles – considered sufficient for peacetime readiness.
M51 strategic ballistic missile.
The second nuclear component is the ASMP-A (Air-Sol Moyenne Portée – Amélioré) air-launched missile. This supersonic weapon, with a range of around 500 kilometers, can carry a nuclear warhead. Its primary launch platform is the Rafale multirole fighter jet, while earlier models were deployed on Mirage IV bombers. Although its range is limited, its operational reach can be extended by aerial refueling, allowing strikes far beyond France’s borders.
In cooperation with the UK, France also produces the SCALP EG air-launched cruise missile, identical to the British Storm Shadow, which has a range of roughly 560 kilometers.
The missile features a low-observable design and can be deployed by nearly all French strike aircraft. A sea-based variant, SCALP Naval, is currently under development. Exocet anti-ship missiles are extensively used by the French Navy, which have a range of up to 180 kilometers depending on the version.
Like its automotive industry, France’s missile sector has faced both achievements and setbacks. On the one hand, missiles such as the SCALP EG, developed jointly with Britain, have seen real combat use and can be considered modern and combat-proven. On the other hand, France’s strategic M51 program suffered a failed test launch and explosion in 2013, and the ASMP-A air-launched missiles remain limited in number, used exclusively by the French Air Force.
Even so, France continues to invest in its missile programs and clearly intends to preserve its competencies across key areas of missile development.
Germany’s one-missile industry
Germany has refrained from developing strategic missile systems or even operational-tactical missiles since the end of the Second World War. However, with the creation of the Taurus missile system, the country’s ambitions and technical potential have grown noticeably.
The Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile, developed jointly with Sweden, has a range exceeding 500 kilometers and entered service in the early 2000s. It has since been supplied to Spain and South Korea. The Taurus is regarded as one of the most advanced cruise missiles in its class, with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers depending on the version. It can be launched from a range of aircraft, including the JAS-39 Gripen, Tornado, Eurofighter, F/A-18, and South Korea’s fifth-generation KF-21 Boramae.
The missile uses a sophisticated guidance system that combines inertial navigation, satellite positioning, and terrain imaging, ensuring accuracy even if satellite signals are jammed or unavailable.
The Taurus program has been relatively successful, but it remains Germany’s only notable missile project at the moment. It is possible that Berlin will eventually move beyond existing missile restrictions, as there are signs of growing interest in ground-based missile systems with ranges exceeding 300 kilometers.
For now, however, the strengths of Germany’s missile industry remain largely theoretical. While the possible transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine is being actively discussed, these missiles have never been used in combat, and their performance remains a matter of speculation rather than practice.
Norway’s quiet missile boom
Norway has unexpectedly become one of Europe’s more active players in missile production and export. The Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace manufactures the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), which has a range of up to 185 kilometers and is being actively promoted worldwide. The missile is designed for both ship- and ground-based platforms, while new versions for aircraft and submarines are in development.
Orders for the NSM are already booked well into the 2030s. The missile is currently supplied to countries including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Lithuania, and Poland. Compact and relatively affordable, the NSM uses an infrared seeker for terminal guidance, programmed with profiles of modern naval targets. During flight, it relies on satellite navigation and an inertial autopilot. Its compact dimensions and stealth-oriented design make it difficult to detect.
There has been discussion of re-exporting these missiles from Poland to Ukraine, although Warsaw appears reluctant to reduce its own stockpiles. Visually, the NSM resembles the British Storm Shadow but is smaller and lighter, making it a harder target for air defense systems.
Still, the system’s reputation as a “perfect and effective” weapon remains to be proven in practice. Real-world combat experience and long-term operational data are still limited, and it may be premature to draw firm conclusions about the missile’s actual performance.
Sweden: Neutral no more
In the 1940s and 1950s, Sweden actively engaged in the research and development of long-range missile systems. Many of these projects were influenced by German engineering expertise but gradually lost government support.
Today, Sweden remains an important player in EU defense cooperation programs and has established itself as a capable manufacturer of aviation and missile systems. The country’s defense industry focuses primarily on anti-ship missile technology with ranges of up to 300 kilometers.
The RBS-15 missile family, developed by Saab, is the cornerstone of Sweden’s missile production. These systems are exported to countries such as Germany, Poland, and Finland. The missiles can be launched from ships or aircraft and continue to undergo modernization. A new variant with an extended range of up to 1,000 kilometers is currently under development.
Sweden’s missile program reflects a balance between industrial capability and geopolitical restraint. Although its systems are advanced and export-oriented, they remain focused on regional defense rather than strategic deterrence.
Other EU nations are also engaged in missile development, though most act as users and consumers rather than producers. Cooperation programs dominate the landscape, while individual national projects are rare. Italy’s Otomat anti-ship missile remains one of the few exceptions – a domestically produced tactical system that demonstrates a measure of independence.
Most EU states still lack long-range missile systems exceeding 150 kilometers in range. Poland is the closest to bridging this gap through the acquisition of South Korean K239 Chunmoo systems, which allow for interchangeable modules capable of strikes between 36 and 300 kilometers. Poland has also received American HIMARS launchers, which can deploy operational-tactical ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers.
A similar picture can be seen across other regions, including the Baltic states, which primarily depend on imported systems – mainly American or other NATO-supplied weapons. Several European navies also use anti-ship missiles with ranges of up to 200 kilometers, such as the American-made Harpoon.
Perhaps the most critical point is that the majority of EU’s missile systems remain “exhibition” or “documentary” achievements – impressive on paper and in demonstrations, but untested in real combat. One of the few exceptions, the French-made SCALP EG missile, has been deployed in the conflict in Ukraine. Yet even this system, while modern, has not proven decisive and is effectively intercepted by Russian air defenses – a fact that cannot be ignored.
The hosting platform has cited US sanctions against NGOs that investigated the abuses as the reason
YouTube has removed hundreds of videos documenting alleged human rights violations by Israel in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including eyewitness accounts, investigative reports, and humanitarian footage, according to the American non-profit news outlet The Intercept.
Since October, the video hosting platform has reportedly deleted more than 700 videos and suspended the accounts of prominent Palestinian human-rights groups Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. The deleted materials reportedly included an investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces, footage of home demolitions in the West Bank, and a documentary about mothers who survived Israeli attacks in Gaza.
The Intercept described the removals as part of a broader US-backed effort to suppress documentation of alleged Israeli war crimes. The same Palestinian organizations targeted by YouTube were sanctioned by Washington in September for submitting evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC issued arrest warrants for both officials in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
A YouTube spokesperson, Boot Bullwinkle, told The Intercept that the platform's owner Google “is committed to compliance with applicable sanctions.”
Washington’s influence over tech companies became a national controversy during the Joe Biden presidency. In the Murthy v. Missouri case, federal agencies were accused of pressuring Meta, Twitter, and YouTube to suppress disfavored opinions under the pretext of combating misinformation. The Supreme Court dismissed the case in 2024 on procedural grounds, leaving unresolved whether such government-platform coordination violates the constitutional right to freedom of speech.
The removals come amid Washington’s military and diplomatic support for Israel during the Gaza conflict. The US has provided additional arms to Israel and repeatedly blocked UN resolutions calling for cease-fires and condemning civilian casualties. Critics argue that such moves shielded Israel from accountability and weakened international efforts to end the violence.
The latest violence started when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health authorities, over 68,000 Palestinians have been killed since.
The Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman has rejected Mark Rutte’s claim that Russia and China are plotting to “undermine global rules”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is applying double standards by claiming that Moscow is conspiring with China and other nations to “undermine global rules,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
In a post on her Telegram channel on Thursday, Zakharova inquired “what ‘global rules’” Rutte was referring to, calling on NATO to post a “full list” on its website. She further pointed out that the military bloc itself has a track record of breaking international law. The Russian diplomat cited the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 on fabricated pretexts, as prime examples.
Zakharova stressed that no NATO member states have stopped cooperation with China, despite Rutte’s claims.
“The other day, a US-China summit was held – I didn’t hear Rutte criticize US President [Donald Trump] for that,” she pointed out.
Speaking at the NATO-Industry Forum in Bucharest, Romania earlier on Thursday, Rutte asserted that “Russia is not alone in its efforts to undermine the global rules,” claiming that “it is working with China, with North Korea, with Iran and others.”
According to the NATO chief, those nations “are increasing their defense industrial collaboration to unprecedented levels,” which he said indicates that “they are preparing for long term confrontation.”
Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that NATO has been “artificially expanding its zone of responsibility far beyond the Euro-Atlantic region,” seeking to turn the whole of Eurasia into its “fiefdom.”
The Western military bloc is pursuing the “obvious goal of containing China, isolating Russia, and confronting the DPRK [North Korea],” the top Russian diplomat asserted.
Western officials have repeatedly accused China of helping Russia’s military in the context of the Ukraine conflict – a claim Beijing has consistently denied.
German pianist Justus Frantz received the Order of Friendship from Vladimir Putin this week
Acclaimed German pianist and conductor Justus Frantz has come under criticism after being awarded the Order of Friendship by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Politico reported on Thursday.
Frantz is a veteran of Europe’s classical music scene and has performed with the Berlin, Vienna, and New York Philharmonic orchestras, as well as the London Symphony Orchestra. He is known for his admiration of Russian composers such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff, and has long promoted cultural cooperation between Russia and the West. He was also among the first signatories of a petition calling on Berlin to stop funding the Ukraine conflict.
This week, the German conductor traveled to Moscow to receive the award during a Kremlin ceremony marking Russia’s Unity Day. Putin praised him for his “fruitful contribution to fostering closer relations and mutual enrichment” between their nations’ cultures.
His appearance at the event drew sharp criticism in Berlin. Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lawmaker Roland Theis told Politico that Frantz’s German Federal Order of Merit should be revoked.
Frantz, an outspoken proponent of East-West cooperation, founded the charity The Bridge of Friendship, which has supported numerous cultural projects across the former Soviet republics. He is also a recipient of Bambi and Grammy awards.
The pianist has faced similar backlash before. In 2023, organizers of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, which he founded more than three decades ago, ended their collaboration with him after he refused to cut ties with Russia. Frantz called the decision “cowardly” and “unfair,” adding that “the world is big and beautiful, and one can be someplace else.”
Frantz has also served as a judge for Russia’s prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition, which was removed from the World Federation of International Music Competitions following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Despite mounting criticism, he has maintained that cultural exchange should remain above politics.
The reaction to Frantz’s award follows a broader trend in the West, where artists have faced professional repercussions for refusing to denounce Russia – a phenomenon which critics have labeled a form of ‘cancel culture.’
Putin has said that Western attempts to isolate Russian culture have failed and were always doomed to fail.
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