Aletho News

NATO’s “Nordic model” brings Arctic confrontation closer to Russia’s nuclear bases

By Uriel Araujo | November 6, 2026

As Washington shifts Europe’s conventional defense burden onto its allies, the Nordic countries are emerging as a blueprint for NATO’s future – raising questions about Arctic militarization, Russia’s nuclear deterrent, and regional escalation.

Last week, Finnish researcher Matti Pesu argued in Foreign Affairs that the Nordic countries offer a practical path forward for NATO. His proposal, typical as it is of many Western analyses, deserves some attention.

Finland and Sweden, the alliance’s newest members, have deepened defense coordination with Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. Joint air patrols, shared logistics, and intelligence sharing have reached unprecedented levels.

Pesu presents this “Nordic model” as a prototype for NATO 3.0: an alliance in which Europeans take primary responsibility for conventional defense while the United States retains nuclear deterrence and strategic leadership.

This is less about American “withdrawal” than burden-shifting: European states would supply more troops, equipment, infrastructure, and funding – while remaining under the American nuclear umbrella.

One could interpret this as the Europeanization of the costs and risks of “containing” Russia, without a corresponding Europeanization of strategic decision-making. … continue

Russia hawk appointed as Germany’s top commander

RT | November 6, 2026

… Last year, he openly urged the Ukrainian military to target Russian airfields and defense industries in long-range strikes.

In March, he stated that Ukrainian military instructors were about to help train the German army to fight Russia, using their firsthand battlefield experience. He also claimed at the time that Moscow could attack NATO as early as 2029.

Faced with a lack of volunteers for a brigade deployed to Lithuania, Freuding stated he was willing to order soldiers to serve near Russia’s borders if need be.

“The Army’s top priority is to achieve full operational readiness for the Lithuania Brigade next year,” he said in June, adding that voluntary service could be supplemented with “mandatory measures where necessary.” … Full article

USAID Was Never Only A Leftist Project

By José Niño | The Libertarian Institute | November 4, 2026

… In February 2026, Congress preserved separate democracy assistance channels in the FY2026 appropriations law. It funded the National Endowment for Democracy at $315 million, the same as the prior year, even though the administration had proposed eliminating it. The law also set aside $50 million for Venezuela, $25 million for Cuba and $15 million for Nicaragua in democracy programs. It kept a Democracy Fund of $205 million at the State Department, down from prior years. Moreover, prominent Trump campaign operative Brad Parscale has used his companies to run social media campaigns that helped elect Trump-friendly candidates across Latin America.

Whether USAID’s demise helped conservatives win elections matters far less than the principle at stake, as the United States has no business meddling in Latin America’s domestic affairs through any agency, campaign operative, sanctions campaign, or military intervention. – Full article

Washington slaps sanctions on Indian, Turkish firms for ‘aiding Iran’

The Cradle | November 5, 2026

The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting Indian and Turkish firms on 4 November, charging them with supporting the Iranian energy and aviation sectors.

The department said it targeted “the vast criminal network of India-based Suniel Kumar Sharma and his spouse, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, who have supported Iran’s shadow fleet through a web maritime fraud.” Suniel Kumar Sharma is an Indian businessman who owns several companies.

“Their schemes have provided false flags and certifications to sanctioned vessels involved in transporting Iranian petroleum, including vessels operating on behalf of the Iranian military and its proxies,” the Treasury went on to say.

It also announced sanctions on the Turkiye-based Fugo Ground Services Inc for its “ongoing services” supporting Iranian aviation. The aviation ground handling firm is based in Istanbul.

The US Treasury sanctioned 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector  in September as part of its so-called “Operation Economic Outcast” – withdrawing the clearances that allowed non-US airlines to fly US-built or US-controlled commercial jets into Iran.

Washington’s measures applied to any foreign company doing business with Iranian airlines. … Full article

Syria signs defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, receives $403m in development loans

The Cradle | November 5, 2026

Saudi Arabia and Syria have signed a defense cooperation agreement, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on 4 November, as Riyadh seeks military backing for its war of aggression on Yemen.

The agreement was signed during Syrian de facto President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh, his second meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) in under a month.

The visit also produced six concessional loan agreements, collectively worth more than $403 million, aimed at bolstering Syria’s electricity and water infrastructure, rehabilitating its hospitals and housing, strengthening its emergency services, and modernizing its Finance Ministry.

The terms of the military agreement were not disclosed, but the deal follows weeks of reports pointing to deepening defense ties between Riyadh and Damascus. … Full article

South Korea to deploy naval forces near Strait of Hormuz

Press TV – November 5, 2026

South Korea has announced it will expand naval operations closer to the Strait of Hormuz, despite the serious risks associated with such a move.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said on Thursday it would deploy maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team to waters near the Strait of Hormuz as part of a mission to help keep the vital waterway open.

Seoul will submit a proposal to parliament for lawmakers’ approval to expand the Cheonghae Unit’s scope of operations to waters near the port of Duqm in Oman, which is about 650 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz. The Cheonghae Unit has been stationed in the Gulf of Aden since 2009 to ensure the safe navigation of commercial vessels.

Following parliamentary approval, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and the cabinet will also need to approve the move.

The president had vowed earlier this year that Seoul would never send its military forces to the region, defying US President Donald Trump’s pressure on South Korea and other Washington allies to actively participate in the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran.

Seoul clarified in September that South Korean forces would not be deployed to the region in any capacity that could lead to a military confrontation with Iranian forces. … Full article

Using nuclear weapons, the US-Israeli alliance still can’t beat Iran

By Robert Inlakesh | Al Mayadeen | November 5, 2026

While it is true that conventional weapons cannot penetrate Pickaxe Mountain Nuclear Site, there is no guarantee that using a nuclear weapon will actually yield results. Instead, the fall-out is the only thing that is certain.

The United States, at the behest of their Israeli partners, are speculated to be weighing the nuclear option against the Islamic Republic of Iran. In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has continued to make threats against Tehran, claiming that he will even deploy the Mother of All Bombs (MOAB).

However, the target that the Trump administration and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu appear the most obsessed with, is the facility located under Pickaxe Mountain, near the Natanz Nuclear Facility. Satellite imagery suggests that there has been significant activity at the site, at least according to US media.

All the talk of bombing this site, which Trump himself has publicly threatened to do, is predicated on the concept that Iran’s highly enriched Uranium is located at this underground facility. Based upon this assessment, there’s only one way to go about destroying that target. A MOAB is not a bunker buster munition, it is an airburst weapon, therefore officials in Washington can’t be seriously considering this as their weapon of choice.

Conventional weapons have failed to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities and underground missile facilities, meaning that the only natural last option is a tactical nuclear weapon.

Yet, there are a number of problems with this strategy, beyond the obvious implications of using nuclear weapons in the first place. The first obvious issue is that the US and Israelis don’t actually know with any degree of certainty that Iran is storing its enriched uranium at this site, at best it is an educated guess. … continue

World Medical Association shields Israeli doctors complicit in Palestinian prisoner torture: Report

The Cradle | November 5, 2026

The World Medical Association (WMA) has refused to suspend the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) despite whistleblower testimony implicating Israeli doctors in the torture of Palestinian prisoners, Middle East Eye (MEE) reported on 4 November.

“Both the WMA and IMA are refusing to investigate multiple reports by numerous human rights agencies that were sent directly to them relating to the torture and murder of healthcare workers,” Dr Jonathan Fluxman, a retired British GP of Jewish heritage and organizing member of the IMA Out! campaign, told MEE. “This goes back 30 years – the WMA has been burying reports about Israeli torture,” he added.

Fluxman said that “They are behaving in the same way as the US and British governments, by allowing Israel to get away with a genocide. In my view, the WMA is complicit in the IMA’s involvement in this.”

A petition signed by 6,500 medical personnel from the campaign was presented to the WMA General Assembly in Rotterdam last month. Signatories demanded the IMA’s expulsion over its members’ complicity in abuses against Palestinian detainees and in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) urging it to investigate the involvement of Israeli doctors, the IMA, and officials from Israel’s health and defense ministries in the torture of Palestinians, making the IMA the first WMA member ever referred to the court.

Whistleblowers from Sde Teiman, a military base in the Negev desert converted into a torture camp at the start of the Gaza genocide in October 2023, have exposed the systemic abuse and torture of Palestinian detainees there. … Full article

Israeli Colonizers Injure Three Palestinians Near Jericho

IMEMC | November 5, 2026

Three Palestinians were injured on Thursday morning when Israeli colonizers, protected by Israeli forces, attacked residents and their lands in al-Duyuk al-Tahta, west of Jericho, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Local sources told WAFA that the colonizers invaded Palestinian lands and homes in the Bedouin communities of the Sateh area in al-Duyuk al-Tahta.

They added that the colonizers beat residents and sprayed them with pepper spray, injuring three people.

Jihad Mahalis, a member of the local community committee in Ein al-Duyuk, told WAFA that the colonizers grazed their sheep on residents’ lands under the protection of Israeli forces and assaulted Palestinian residents.

In related news, Israeli colonizers attacked Palestinian farmersharvesting olives on their land in the Ramin plain, east of Tulkarem in the northwestern occupied West Bank, and attempted to steal harvesting equipment and olives.

Israeli army demolishes 5 Palestinian homes near Jerusalem, displacing over 20

MEMO | November 5, 2026

The Israeli army demolished five Palestinian homes in the town of Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem, leaving more than 20 Palestinians homeless, Anadolu reports.

The demolitions were carried out without prior notice on the grounds that the homes lacked building permits.

The Israeli army also reportedly damaged trees and agricultural land near a military checkpoint at the entrance to the town of Beit Iksa.

Gaza: Child among four killed as Israeli aggression hit several areas

Al Mayadeen | November 5, 2026

Four Palestinians were killed, and others wounded, in continuing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip since dawn today, amid intensified air strikes and gunfire across various areas of the territory.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that a Palestinian child was killed by Israeli forces east of Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Israeli warplanes also targeted al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Strip, part of ongoing attacks on multiple areas.

Another Palestinian was killed in a strike by Israeli aircraft near the Zawaida municipality in central Gaza, while others were wounded in an Israeli air strike on the Falluja area, west of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent.

In the south, an elderly Palestinian woman was killed by Israeli forces in the Bir 19 area, south of Khan Younis.

The Israeli occupation forces also opened fire toward the Nasser Medical Complex, west of the city, while two Palestinians were wounded by their fire in the Al-Satar and Hamad areas, north of Khan Younis.

Ukraine ‘hunting’ children with drone-dropped mines – Moscow

RT | November 5, 2026

Ukrainian forces have been “hunting” children by scattering mines near schools and kindergartens in the Russian city of Bryansk, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Speaking on Thursday, Zakharova accused Kiev of continuing its “terror against civilians” despite claiming readiness for peace. She cited an overnight attack on October 30, when Ukrainian drones dropped mines near three schools and 17 kindergartens.

“It was only by a lucky coincidence that no minors were hurt,” she said.

Bryansk Region Governor Egor Kovalchuk reported the attack last Friday, saying that drones had scattered numerous explosive devices in the city’s Bezhitsky District. He warned of danger at educational facilities and urged residents to remain indoors while emergency services cleared the area. … Full article

Russia’s Zakharova Accuses BBC of Biased Coverage of Torture Case in Ukraine

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

MOSCOW – Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday accused the BBC of biased coverage after the UK broadcaster dismissed as “rumors” the widely circulated footage of a severely beaten 14-year-old boy rescued from a secret torture chamber near Kiev. […]

Russian television channels and social media accounts that spread this information were featured in the BBC report as “propaganda,” Zakharova said.

“This is being written and said at the moment when footage has flown around the world of how a teenager with clear traces of not just beating, but simply torture is literally pulled out of the ill-fated torture chamber, out of the ill-fated house, and the victim himself later records a video from a hospital ward where he tells about everything that happened to him,” she said. – Full article

Sunset on the Quality of Western Propaganda: Arrival of the Dr Strangelove Moment

By Greg Simons | Propaganda In Focus | September 30, 2026

Propaganda has a complicated history and relationship with the West, shaped by ideological presumptions, moral and ethical evaluations, definitions, and assumptions. These frameworks have the effect of producing dilemmas and contradictions within an idealised conception of society. In part, this is due to embedded assumptions about identity and the cultural myths that accompany idealised notions of a morally and socially superior Western society. Such myths function to construct the façade of a value- and ethics-based consensus, reinforcing in-group identity and cohesion as a means of generating political unity. At the same time, they define and contrast this in-group against an oppositional out-group perceived as lacking the ‘desired’ mythical attributes of a ‘good’ society. … continue

Ukraine’s SBU, Police Search for Protesters Who Rallied Outside Illegal Prison Near Kiev

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

Ukraine’s Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and police have launched a manhunt for those who protested against the arbitrary detention of people in a secret prison hid in the basement of a house near Kiev. […]

“Police officers… together with the SBU have already identified 130 people who may be involved in the riots in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka,” the police said in a statement.

The police published a video showing officers raiding the homes of suspected protesters, as well as footage of their subsequent apologies. … Full article

Ukrainian general accused of protecting crime bosses

RT | November 5, 2026

A general in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has been accused of protecting violent career criminals in exchange for a share of the proceeds from their numerous illicit enterprises.

The latest corruption scandal in Kiev erupted after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced on Wednesday that it had uncovered an extensive network linking senior law enforcement officials in Vladimir Zelensky’s government to organized crime.

An hour-long video released by the agency to detail its findings includes graphic footage of a man being assaulted in the street and another victim, bound and gagged, being brutally beaten with fists and a hammer.

Those and other violent crimes were allegedly facilitated by an SBU general identified by Ukrainian media as Sergey Duka. According to NABU, the suspect summoned SBU commandos when anti-corruption investigators arrived at his residence with a search warrant on Wednesday morning. He threatened to open fire on detectives, the agency said. … continue

EU Commission Acknowledges Kiev Failed to Implement Large Part of Anti-Corruption Reforms

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

Ukraine has failed to implement most of the ten priority reforms previously agreed with the European Union in the areas of rule of law and anti-corruption, nor has it adopted laws necessary to significantly strengthen anti-corruption legislation, the European Commission said.

“Ukraine is between having some and a moderate level of preparation in the areas of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and respect for fundamental rights and made some progress. The ten priority reforms as agreed with the Ukrainian authorities on 10 December 2025 remain mostly outstanding,” the commission said in its enlargement report on Wednesday.

The document added that the Ukrainian authorities have not adopted a single law that would significantly advance the improvement of anti-corruption legislation.

In addition, the European Commission noted the lack of progress in aligning Ukrainian legislation with EU standards in combating serious and organized crime.

Russian envoy slams Financial Times ‘fake news’ on diesel deal

RT | November 5, 2026

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev has accused the Financial Times of spreading “fake news,” after the newspaper claimed that a diesel fuel deal between Moscow and Washington was “unravelling.”

Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump’s Republican Party lost control of Congress in the US’ midterm elections, two tankers carrying Russian diesel to the east coast of the US switched course, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. One tanker swung east from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea, and another switched its destination to Brazil, the paper reported, citing publicly available tracking data.

A third tanker continued toward the US, but signaled that its cargo was awaiting a buyer, while a fourth was still en route to Massachusetts with no change to its route or plan.

These diversions, the newspaper claimed, signaled hesitancy by American buyers, and suggested that “Donald Trump’s controversial gambit to import Russian diesel to the US ahead of the midterm elections appears to be unravelling.”

Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund who helped broker the deal, described the report as “fake.”

“Tankers destined for the US continue on course,” he wrote on X on Thursday. “Why so much fake news from the FT ?” … Full article

GOP’s Crushing Midterm Loss Could Reshape US Political Landscape – Analyst

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

… When it comes to the Ukraine conflict, the GOP’s painful midterm rout will have far-reaching implications, the expert points out.

• Ukraine and Europe will now see Trump as “a lame duck,” and Zelensky will undoubtedly grow ever more insolent, relying on Democrat backing
• Trump’s ability to apply coercive measures on Ukraine will be far more limited
• For Russia, a Democrat win spells rapidly fading hopes for better ties with the US once the Ukraine conflict ends — and a growing threat of fresh sanctions

That leaves Russia with no incentive to make concessions on Ukraine in exchange for future US economic cooperation — now appearing to be an increasingly remote prospect, Suslov concludes. – Full article

US-‘Israel’ alliance faces growing rupture after midterms

Al Mayadeen | November 5, 2026

The 2026 US midterm elections have exposed a deepening political crisis in Washington’s longstanding relationship with “Israel”, as Democratic victories, declining public support, and statements from senior Republican officials raise questions about the future of American military assistance and diplomatic backing, Bloomberg reports.

Michigan elected Abdul el-Sayed as the country’s first Muslim senator on Tuesday. His campaign included a pledge to end US military aid to the Israeli occupation and characterized its war on Gaza as genocide. His victory came despite the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) reportedly spending $30 million against him.

In Georgia, Senator Jon Ossoff secured reelection, reinforcing the growing presence of Democrats critical of American weapons transfers to “Israel”. Ossoff was among the first Senate Democrats to oppose offensive weapons sales in 2024, a position that has since gained support across much of his party’s caucus.

The electoral developments reflect a broader transformation in American political attitudes toward the occupation and the military campaign in Gaza.

According to a March NBC News poll cited in the original report, only 13% of Democrats held a positive view of “Israel”. The figure was comparable to the share among young American voters overall, regardless of political affiliation. … continue

Americans Vote Out Republicans, But US War Machine Steamrolls On – Expert

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, named the main reasons and consequences leading to the GOP’s crushing defeat in the US midterms. He highlighted numerous polls showing that “the top three concerns of Americans by a long shot are inflation, the economy, and the Iran war, which the vast majority of Americans believe has gone very badly.”

“These are the top issues and Republicans have completely neglected,” the expert underscored.

However, he noted that “the American people rejected the Republicans but they did not embrace the Democrats who just want different wars,” McAdams pointed out. According to him, the Democrats – who haven’t changed since the days of Russiagate – are “certainly by no means peaceniks,” which is why Americans “are going to trade one pro-war party for another pro-war one.”

“The Democrats will definitely push a new funding project for Ukraine come next Congress, starting in January, and there will be enough Republicans that will peel off and support it,” the expert went on to say.

He didn’t exclude a continuation of the Ukraine conflict that could be “maybe even more expensive and deadly,” in which the CIA is “up to its neck in involvement, giving targeting information and intelligence” to the Zelensky regime.

Midterm loss gives Congress power to rein in US war on Iran

Al Mayadeen| November 5, 2026

Tuesday’s midterm elections have left US President Donald Trump facing a Congress with the constitutional means to restrain the US war on Iran, while strengthening Tehran’s hand in negotiations over its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Washington.

Retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski and Mohammad Marandi, professor of English literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran, reached that assessment on Al Mayadeen’s The Grand Standoff on Wednesday.

They tied the Republican losses to Trump’s abandoned promises to end wars and prosecute the “Epstein class,” the economic toll of the war on Iran, and a growing American backlash against Israeli influence in Washington.

Marandi called the result “a major turning point,” though he stressed that the war is far from over. … continue

Midterms Were ‘Vote of No Confidence’ in GOP, But Iran Has No Illusions About Democrats – Marandi

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

Tuesday’s crushing midterm defeat for Republicans was a “good sign” showing “that the American people are pushing the elites” and “putting pressure on them,” but the Democrats’ victory won’t bring positive changes to US foreign policy, Tehran University professor and prolific political commentator Mohammad Marandi has told Sputnik.

“The Democratic Party is not a party of peace,” Marandi emphasized, pointing out that Democrats were in charge when Israel unleashed its bloody campaign in Gaza in 2023, and initiated or greenlit the bombings, dirty wars and proxy conflicts in Libya, Syria and Yemen, as well as the crisis in Ukraine.

As far as Iran is concerned, the change of power in Congress “doesn’t mean the war is over.” The US “may attack Iran at any time. But it does mean that the regime in Washington, the political establishment in Washington, recognizes that the American people are sick and tired of war,” Marandi said.

“The working assumption is that the United States will carry out aggression,” Marandi emphasized.

“The [pro-Israel lobby] will not give up, and they are the ones who are still in charge,” Marandi said. He warned, however, that any new war will be “much more costly” for the US and Israel, both politically and militarily. … continue

Gaza doctor wins New Jersey seat in US Congress

MEMO | November 4, 2026

Adam Hamawy, a Muslim American doctor of Egyptian origin who helped treat people wounded during Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, has won a seat in the US House of Representatives in the congressional midterm elections, the Associated Press reported.

According to results announced by the news agency, Hamawy won the seat for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, becoming the first Muslim to represent the state in Congress.

Tel Aviv claims deadly strike on south Lebanon targeted ‘suspects observing Israeli troops’

The Cradle | November 4, 2026

The Israeli military claimed on 4 November that its deadly drone strike on the southern Lebanese town of Qabrikha targeted “suspects” who were “observing” Tel Aviv’s occupation forces.

“Earlier today (Wednesday), the [army] struck two suspects who were observing … forces in the area of Qabrikha, located outside the security zone in southern Lebanon,” the army said.

“The strike was carried out to eliminate the threat to forces operating in the security zone,” it added, stressing that it “remains committed to the agreement between Israel and Lebanon.”

The deadly drone strike took place on Wednesday afternoon. The Lebanese Health Ministry said one person was killed and another wounded.

Mohammad Nasser Younes, a paramedic with the Al-Risala Scouts Association, was identified as the victim of the strike.

The injured man was identified as photojournalist Kamal Younes.

The strike also destroyed a motorcycle.

An Israeli drone strike also hit the town of Kfar Tebnit on Wednesday. Additionally, Israel bombed the town of Qantara with warplanes.

Meanwhile, Israeli drones buzzed over south Lebanon and the capital Beirut at low altitude. … Full article

Army Displaces 25 Families Near Tulkarem Refugee Camp

IMEMC | November 4, 2026

Israeli occupation forces forcibly evacuated 25 Palestinian families from their homes near Tulkarem refugee camp, in the northwestern part of the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday, converting some of the homes into military barracks.

Large numbers of Israeli soldiers invaded homes in the western area adjacent to the al-Hadayda neighborhood, on the outskirts of the refugee camp, and forced residents to leave, allowing them to take only a few belongings.

Residents were seen carrying some of their belongings after being forced from their homes, as the Israeli offensive continued against Tulkarem city and its two refugee camps.

An earlier November 4 report citing Quds News Network put the number of displaced families at more than 20, while subsequent coverage by An-Najah News and Sada News reported 25.

The offensive has displaced more than 5,000 families from Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps and caused widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure, and other property. Israeli forces continue to impose a siege and tight military restrictions on access to Tulkarem camp. … Full article

Journalist, Doctor Among Many Palestinians Abducted in West Bank

IMEMC | November 4, 2026

Israeli forces invaded communities across the occupied West Bank at dawn on Wednesday, abducting Palestinians, including former political prisoners, women and a journalist, and temporarily detaining residents, including children. Soldiers broke into and searched homes. They were also reported to have assaulted teachers and students and restricted movement at a military roadblock. … continue

Gaza Education Ministry says Israeli airstrike kills schoolgirl as University College bombing leaves 15 casualties

MEMO | November 4, 2026

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday that a 16-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl was killed in an Israeli airstrike while returning home from school, hours after another strike hit a university college in Gaza City, killing one person and injuring 14 students.

In a statement, the ministry identified the schoolgirl as Rimas Ismail Al-Madhoun, saying she was killed shortly after leaving Al-Saraya Secondary School for Girls on her way home.

Earlier that morning, the University College of Applied Sciences was bombed while students were present on campus, according to the ministry.

The attack killed one Palestinian and injured 14 students, the statement said.

According to the ministry, more than 21,000 students have been killed since the beginning of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza … Full article

Israeli Soldiers Inadvertently Prove Their Own Genocidal Guilt

By Thomas Karat | The Libertarian Institute | October 28, 2026

It usually began with the engineers walking the length of a street, threading charges through house after house along a whole block. Then the countdown, and then the block went down together, a single rolling wall of dust where a neighborhood had stood, and over the noise the men who had wired it could be heard cheering. The soldier holding the phone kept it steady on the collapse, because he was proud of it, and he posted it when it was done. This was not one street or one crew. The same scene plays across Gaza in thousands of clips, filmed by unit after unit who set the charges and whooped as the buildings fell, some of them dedicating the blast to a dead comrade or a holiday back home. The deliberate leveling of whole residential blocks, which the men who set the charges filmed and cheered as it happened, is among the most common scenes in the entire archive of soldier video.

The law speaks directly to this. … continue

Sanaa: Saudi strike on Taiz home kills 7 civilians, wounds 6 children

Al Mayadeen | November 4, 2026

The Sanaa Health Ministry said seven civilians, including two children, were killed and six children were wounded when Saudi aircraft struck a house west of Taiz.

The ministry’s spokesman reported that the Saudi aggression on Yemen has killed or wounded 907 people since the escalation began, including 360 children and women.

The spokesman said the latest Saudi escalation has killed 266 civilians, including 86 children and 38 women, and wounded 641 others.

That is up from the 768 casualties the ministry reported through October 30, which included 232 killed and 536 wounded. The escalation began on July 13, after Saudi strikes on Sanaa International Airport.

The Taiz strike was one of several on Wednesday. The ministry reported that a separate Saudi airstrike on a home in Taiz’s Hayfan district killed at least four people, including a woman and three children, and wounded four.

The Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said Saudi warplanes launched 104 airstrikes and missile attacks over the past 24 hours on civilian areas in Sanaa and the governorates of Jawf, Bayda, Saada, Amran, Marib, Taiz, and Lahj.

The attacks were carried out by F-15 and Typhoon aircraft from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases and by missiles launched from Najran and Jizan, according to Saree. … Full article

US midterm election results a big ‘no’ to Trump’s war on Iran: Iranian official

Press TV – November 4, 2026

The head of Iran’s top legislative-arbitration body says the results of the US midterm congressional elections were a resounding “no” to Donald Trump’s warmongering policies against Iran.

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani Amoli, who heads Iran’s Expediency Council, said on Wednesday that the outcome of the US midterm elections marked another failure and defeat for the ruling Republican Party and US President Donald Trump over his war of aggression against Iran.

“The president and his party have lost control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. He himself acknowledged that Iran had played a part in this defeat,” Larijani Amoli said.

The senior cleric said, however, that the opposition Democratic Party should learn a lesson from Trump’s failed policies toward Iran and seek to change course.

“Although the track record of the political faction that has now taken control of Congress, much like that of its rival, suggests that it will largely maintain the existing course of US foreign policy, today’s election was a resounding ‘no’ and a kind of referendum on America’s warmongering policies,” Larijani Amoli said.

“If the victorious party is willing to learn from the outcome, it will heed the message of this referendum and clearly see where warmongering leads.”

The cleric said Trump remained obstinate and unwilling to fully acknowledge the impact of his war against Iran on his political fate, more than eight months after launching a joint aggression against the country with the Israeli regime.

“This is the very vile arrogance that our nation has stood up against: a power that listens neither to international law nor to human conscience, and now not even to the vote of its own people,” he said.

Iran slams Merz’s ‘moral decay’ after ‘dirty work’ remark

Al Mayadeen | November 4, 2026

Germany’s chancellor and foreign minister are failing to grasp the human and economic toll of the war on Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X on Wednesday.

Baghaei’s remarks followed Merz’s warning that the war had cost Europe more than $110 billion over the past eight months, citing rising energy prices and the additional burden on European businesses and consumers.

Baghaei accuses Chancellor Friedrich Merz of reversing himself. He had welcomed Israeli aggression against Iran in strong terms, but now complains about what the war costs Europe.

“Once, Chancellor Merz had enthusiastically declared that Israel was doing ‘our dirty work’ with its attack on Iran. Yet just a few months later, the same chancellor laments that this war is costing the European economy 100 billion euros!” the post reads, in a translation from German.

Baghaei also says that Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has been drawn into defending the military action. “Now his foreign minister also feels compelled to justify the military assault on Iran,” the post adds.

“He is marked by such indifference and such profound moral decay that he neither acknowledges the human casualties and war crimes committed nor grasps the economic damage that this war inflicts on his own country and Europe,” Baghaei states.

The post ends with a German proverb and a jibe at the chancellor. “‘From harm one becomes wise,’ says a German proverb. Yet Hans Guck-in-die-Luft appears to be unteachable,” it reads. The nickname refers to a character in a German children’s book who walks along looking at the sky. … Full article

Ukraine’s hidden torture system is the West’s shame too

Now watch Western backers look the other way

By Tarik Cyril Amar | RT | November 3, 2026

… while the torture prison scandal is evolving in Ukraine, its de facto dictator Vladimir Zelensky is on yet another begging-and-bragging tour to one his most besotted and submissive fans, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany. Meanwhile, back home Zelensky’s right hand man Kirill Budanov, himself an expert in terrorism and mayhem, has already had to admit the obvious, namely that the Kiev lock-up and torture facility is not unique. On the contrary, it is typical of a whole system of national-scale abuse, of the Zelensky regime’s depravity, and the West’s complicity.

That complicity was on display as if under a magnifying glass, when a US citizen, the critical blogger and journalist Gonzalo Lira was tortured to death – in classical Zelensky-regime fashion – to both make an example and fleece him. The case was buried. Indeed, Lira could have been saved easily, if the American authorities who knew of his fate had intervened.

The Zelensky regime’s impunity is stunning. Not quite yet Israel-level but getting there. And as with Israel, the reason for this abysmal situation is a toxic mix of – very bad – geopolitics and moral and intellectual perversion. … Full article

Ukraine arrests woman who exposed Azov battalion’s ‘torture chamber’

RT | November 4, 2026

A Ukrainian court has ordered pretrial arrest without bail for the woman who raised allegations of torture at a facility in Kiev operated by the notorious neo-Nazi-linked Azov unit.

The scandal erupted on Monday after allegations emerged that dozens of men were being beaten and held for ransom at a private house outside Kiev. Furious relatives and local residents gathered outside the property, leading to clashes with the authorities.

Valentina Molodaya arrived at the house in an ambulance and livestreamed herself pleading to be allowed inside to examine men she claimed were being held there in appalling conditions.

At a pretrial hearing on Wednesday, Kiev’s Solomiansky District Court ordered Molodaya held for 60 days without bail. She is suspected of obstructing military activities, disclosing military locations and organizing mass unrest.

Molodaya denied accusations of organizing unrest and claimed that she is a medic who came to the house after being tipped off about a man who had allegedly been taken from hospital after surgery and beaten while held at the property. … continue

De-escalating the conflict: What the OSCE, the UN, and Europe are (not) doing to prevent war

By Lorenzo Maria Pacini | Strategic Culture Foundation | November 4, 2026

Three signs of the same crisis

I want to ask all our readers – and you, the one reading this – a question: Do you want war?

Regardless of political, military, national, or ideological preferences, this is a serious question. Who really wants war?

We must all ask ourselves this question – and even more so, it should be asked by the politicians, technocrats, and power brokers in European chancelleries who continue to foment war.

We won’t discuss moral issues right now – we’ll write about those on another occasion. Let’s start with the institutional facts and try to understand whether and how anyone has attempted to bring about de-escalation – or not. Because when we read the Western press, there’s a constant impression that European leaders are the world’s best diplomats, constantly striving to solve global problems and ensure peace. Yet, there is a lack of sources, data, and concrete evidence. And where are all those institutions that were supposedly created to ensure peace for the entire world?

On September 30, 2026, Moscow delivered a non-paper to NATO declaring its readiness to deploy its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons, should the Alliance attempt to isolate the Kaliningrad region. The document explicitly mentions the possibility of striking the decision-making centers of member countries from the very early stages of a conflict, and a senior European defense official noted that a threat phrased in these terms had not been heard since the end of the Cold War. Two weeks later, in Warsaw, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe responded that a Russian attack would be entirely futile. That same month, Russian border guards detained a German merchant ship in the Gulf of Finland for several hours. … continue

Did Israel lose the midterms?

Trump is paying a heavy price for joining Benjamin Netanyahu’s war on Iran

RT | November 4, 2026

The view from Washington is clear: President Donald Trump’s decision to wage war on Iran cost the Republican Party the midterm elections. RT looks at how Benjamin Netanyahu’s war became Trump’s problem and whether Israel will bear any costs.

The Republican Party suffered an unequivocal wipeout in Tuesday’s midterm elections, handing Democrats their largest House majority since Bill Clinton entered the White House in 1993, along with a majority of at least ten seats in the Senate. Democrats flipped Senate seats in Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Maine, while Trump-backed gubernatorial candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Greg Abbott lost in Ohio and Texas respectively – states Trump won comfortably in 2024.

All of this is a dramatic about-turn from 2024, when Trump and the GOP won a decisive mandate after promising to lower costs and keep the US out of foreign wars. … continue

How Iran defeated Trump’s Israel First GOP

By Max Blumenthal | The Grayzone | November 4, 2026

Trump launched a failed war on Iran for Israel last February, as his NSC director and Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted. Now, the war has come home.

Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz became a vice grip around the neck of Trump and the GOP, especially in the heartland, where diesel prices are 70% higher than a year ago, and farmers have been forced to leave crops in the ground. 74% of Americans told pollsters the failed Iran war was a crucial or major factor in their vote tonight, and over 60% said they were voting against the Republicans because of it. … continue

US Elections Offer Choice Between ‘Bad and Worse’ as Both Parties Serve War Lobby – ex-UN Expert

Sputnik – 04.11.2026

Both parties are “beholden to the military-industrial complex and to the AIPAC lobby,” and “the problem with the American two-party system is that most of the time it is a choice between bad and worse,” Alfred de Zayas, a retired independent UN expert and prolific commentator, told Sputnik, commenting on the results of Tuesday’s midterms.

“Both Republican and Democratic candidates advocate war over diplomacy, support Wall Street over Main Street, and promote Israel over Palestine. Very few address the needs of the American people, the key issues of education, public health, taxation, infrastructure and job-creation,” the observer stressed.

While de Zayas has little hope that the new Democrat-controlled Senate, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, will bring positive changes, he nevertheless welcomes Republicans’ loss of Congress. He believes the result will limit Trump’s ability to pursue his agenda following his “disappointing” failure to resolve the Ukraine crisis, which he traces to Democratic policies, and the decision to launch a new war against Iran. … continue

Iran’s Khamenei Warns US Hostility Won’t Change After Midterms

Sputnik – 04.11.2026

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urged on Wednesday not to pin hopes on the fact that Washington’s hostile attitude towards Tehran will change after the midterm elections.

“If there are still those who harbor any hope of a change in behavior or party-factional shifts in the ruling system, or imagine that by making concessions to the United States they can turn them away from hostility towards the Iranian people, they are greatly mistaken,” Khamenei said in a statement.

Ghalibaf warns US government not to betray voters who rejected war

Al Mayadeen| November 4, 2026

Americans rejected war at the ballot box, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday, warning Washington that any attempt to defy that verdict would meet a forceful Iranian response.

Writing on X after Democrats won the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, Ghalibaf said voters moved by “conscience or the cost of living” had said “NO TO WAR,” a message he stressed Iran endorses. Should the US government betray its own public’s will to serve “international paymasters and blackmailers,” he cautioned, it would discover that Iran’s refusal “comes with a Nightmare.” … continue

Desperate For A Renewed Iran War, Israel Dusts Off The WMD Deception.

Just As It Did In Iraq And Syria , Israel Has Launched A New WMD Deception.

By Justin K.P. | The Dissident | November 4, 2026

Israel, increasingly desperate to have the U.S. launch a new war on Iran, has dusted off the WMD deception sharing clearly manipulated “intelligence” with the U.S. claiming that Iran is planning on using chemical weapons. … continue

Tusk’s Kaliningrad gamble

RT | November 3, 2026

With a constitutional crisis tearing the Polish government apart, an anti-Russia “special operation” was just what Prime Minister Donald Tusk needed to reassert his power – but his gamble could spiral out of control with horrific consequences.

Poland has sent extra police and counter-terror units to its border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, Tusk announced on Tuesday, claiming that Warsaw had received reports that “acts of diversion or more serious provocations on the border with Russia, or even sabotage acts orchestrated by hostile services, could occur.”

“Having received more precise information that incidents could occur in the first half of November – including an incursion into Polish territory by armed individuals – we decided to deploy substantial police and counter-terrorism forces to the border and to strengthen the border guard,” he said, claiming that Polish services had been tipped off by NATO, and by Ukrainian and American intelligence agencies, including the CIA.

Tusk said that Polish border guards spotted “people with torches” on the Russian side of the border on Monday night, but offered no further evidence of a pending “incursion.”
What about that timing?

Tusk is one of the EU’s loudest proponents of the “hybrid war” theory – that Russia is waging an invisible, unprovable, yet very real war against Europe. Last month, he claimed that this supposed “hybrid war” would soon heat up, and that “we should expect… attempts at sabotage or some form of provocation in Poland” before Christmas, citing information from “Ukrainian security services and those of our allies.”

Russia has repeatedly described these claims as self-serving, with President Vladimir Putin noting last month that European leaders “desperately need to divert public attention away from domestic problems and towards external issues.”

As if to prove Putin’s point, when nationalist protesters descended upon Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal building after it was raided by police on Friday, Tusk was ready and waiting to pin the unrest on Moscow. The demonstrators were backed by “pro-Russian forces worldwide,” he said in a televised address on Saturday, adding that “an army of Russian bots online” were cheering them on. […]

Tusk’s attempt to blame the unrest outside the court on Russia fell flat. Thousands of protesters returned to the court on Tuesday as Tusk’s appointee chaired an assembly without any PiS-loyal judges in attendance. Police surrounded the court building, with clubs, shields, and – according to Poland’s Onet news site – “pain thrower” acoustic weapons ready to deploy should a riot break out.

During a National Security Council meeting on Tuesday, Nawrocki declared that “full responsibility for every police officer in the Constitutional Tribunal, the suspension of judges, illegal orders, and the entry into the Tribunal rests with one man, present in this room… Prime Minister Donald Tusk.”

In Poland, Tusk’s announcement of the Kaliningrad operation has been widely derided on social media as an attempt to draw public attention away from the court showdown. However, whether this was his intention or not, Tusk’s government has already been explicit that it intends to escalate tension with Russia along the 210 km Poland-Kaliningrad frontier.

Polish troops have taken part in two separate rounds of NATO military exercises near the Kaliningrad border so far this year. In September, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski suggested that NATO “exercise so aggressively” on the borders of the exclave, that Moscow would be left “uncertain of what we will do.” … Full article

Albania’s Crisis: Rama, Israeli Investments and the Demand for Accountability

By Olsi Jazexhi | 21st Century Wire | November 3, 2026

The protests confronting Edi Rama’s government have become a test of Albania’s democracy. What began on 30 May 2026 as the Flamingo Revolution against Jared Kushner’s resort project in Zvërnec has broadened into a confrontation over corruption, Israeli investment and increasingly authoritarian government. Here is what the mainstream international media are not showing you: this uprising has a geopolitical element at its core, as protesters are accusing an embattled Rama of “selling Albania to Israel.” His increasingly unpopular government has responded with a wave of police violence, mass arrests and increased restrictions on freedoms.

This is an unprecedented political crisis for the country of Albania. For demonstrators, these grievances are connected: a government accused of protecting powerful business interests has resorted to the use of massive force against citizens demanding accountability.

Edi Rama’s relationship with Israel is central to that confrontation. Throughout Israel’s war on Gaza, he has maintained close ties with the Israeli government. In September 2024, he welcomed President Isaac Herzog to Tirana, and subsequently invited Israelis to settle in Albania. Israeli acquisitions of residency, passports, land and property, have since intensified accusations among the populace that Rama serves Israeli interests ahead of the Albanian electorate. … continue

Israeli occupation forces, settlers carry out 16 attacks on Palestinian olive harvesters across the West Bank

Palestinian Information Center – November 3, 2026

Israeli occupation forces and settlers have intensified their attacks on Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season, carrying out 16 attacks against harvesters and their agricultural lands across seven governorates in the West Bank within just 12 hours, according to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.

The attacks reflect an escalating campaign of intimidation aimed at preventing Palestinian farmers from accessing their land and protecting their livelihoods.

The incidents, recorded on Tuesday between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., included live gunfire, physical assaults, tear gas and stun grenades, arrests of farmers, the burning of an agricultural structure, theft of olive harvests and equipment, land bulldozing, uprooting of olive trees, and the prevention of harvesting activities. […]

In the al-Khalil governorate, Jewish settlers shot 53-year-old Palestinian woman Zarafa Ayaydeh in the foot while she was harvesting olives with her husband in the Wadi Abu Safar area of al-Shuyukh, northeast of al-Khalil.

Her husband, Jawdat Hussein Ayaydeh, 60, was beaten with clubs, sustaining injuries to his face. … Full article

Four Palestinians killed, others injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza

Palestinian Information Center – November 3, 2026

GAZA – Three Palestinian civilians were martyred and others were wounded in fresh Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, while another one died of injuries sustained yesterday.

According to media sources, three citizens were killed and several others were injured in an Israeli strike near the University College in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

Another citizen was pronounced dead after succumbing to wounds sustained in an Israeli strike that targeted the al-Yabani neighborhood of Khan Yunis on Monday.

Meanwhile, widespread military activity, including shooting incidents, artillery shelling, drone overflights, and demolitions, was reported in different areas of Gaza.

Hezbollah categorically denies Syrian accusations: We aim at confronting Israeli enemy, not undermining Syria’s stability

Al-Manar | November 3, 2026

Hezbollah’s Media Relations Office issued a statement to comment on the claims made by the Syrian Internal Security Forces, reiterating that the Party has no presence or affiliations in Syria.

What follows is the full text of the statement:

Hezbollah’s Media Relations Office categorically and in detail denies the accusations contained in the statement issued by the Syrian Internal Security Forces concerning the alleged connection of a purported cell to the party. It reiterates that Hezbollah has no presence or affiliations whatsoever on Syrian territory and has no connection to any activity that undermines Syria’s security and stability.

The repeated accusations and the invocation of Hezbollah’s name in such cases do not alter the reality of its firm and clear position, which it has repeatedly declared. Hezbollah’s compass is confronting the “Israeli” enemy, which is intensifying its attacks on Lebanon and Syria and continues to occupy their territories. Accordingly, confronting this enemy and its expansionist schemes remains the highest priority around which efforts and positions should be unified, away from accusations that serve no one but its interests.

Trump claims funding to Israel ending in 2026 as merger of Israeli–US armies looms

The Cradle | November 3, 2026

US President Donald Trump said on 3 November that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed that Washington would halt its billions in yearly aid to Tel Aviv after the end of this year. … continue

Iran Weathering The Storm, But Saudi Arabia Is Sinking

By Brian McGlinchey | Stark Realities | November 2, 2026

While the disastrous US-Israeli attempt to impose regime change on Iran has commanded the world’s attention, most people are oblivious to the rising probability that regime change is instead coming to a major US and Israeli partner: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Owing to financial strains, demographics, military failures, and simmering domestic discontent, it may only be a question of magnitude. That is, will Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) be removed by fellow members of the House of Saud, or will the 94-year-old kingdom collapse altogether? Most likely, we’ll see both things happen in fairly rapid succession. … continue

Sunk Ships Don’t Sail Home: Why Peace Won’t Save the Oil Market and War Will Wreck It

By Larry C. Johnson | SONAR21 | November 3, 2026 

Yesterday, at the opening of ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi, ADNOC’s CEO Sultan Al Jaber told the world that energy security now comes down to getting the oil to the customer, not just producing it. He wants storage, redundancy and diversified routes to market. He noted that shipping and logistics have climbed from less than 5 percent of the cost of a barrel to more than 30 percent. All true. But he skipped one small detail about routes to market. They require ships. … continue

IRNA: Explosions heard on Iran’s Qeshm Island, cause unknown

Al Mayadeen | November 3, 2026

Several explosions on Qeshm Island on Monday evening, the intensity of which suggested they took place inside the island, Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

The agency said the nature of the explosions is not yet known, and no official statement has been issued on their cause or circumstances.

IRNA quoted residents as saying they saw two aircraft flying over the island.

Earlier on Monday, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iranian air defenses intercepted two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm and seized them. The Aerospace Force also intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-9 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz, the 55th such drone it has destroyed.

The reports come as diplomatic efforts continue, with Qatari mediators in Tehran in recent days and US Vice President JD Vance reporting progress on a deal, even as US forces have prepared to attack Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections.

DPRK slams FBI over $6 billion Binance hack accusation

Al Mayadeen | November 3, 2026

Pyongyang on Tuesday rejected Washington’s claim that it orchestrated a roughly $6 billion theft from the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, according to the state-run KCNA agency.

Kim Yo Jong, Deputy Director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, called the charge “absurd rhetoric” and said it showed the United States still harbors hostile intentions toward her country.

Her statement followed an FBI announcement over the weekend that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was responsible for draining more than $6 billion in digital assets from Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world.

If confirmed, it could be the biggest financial theft ever recorded. The bureau pinned the attack on TraderTraitor, a hacking unit it alleges is backed by DPRK, and claimed investigators had seen the thieves swap the loot into Ethereum and expected them to try laundering it further.

Kim said Washington was trying to paint DPRK as a “cybercriminal state” and called it a “grave political provocation” to suggest that cybercrimes worldwide were Pyongyang’s doing. She warned that, given the “very unpleasant US hostile attitude,” DPRK has “issues to reconsider,” without saying which ones.

The remarks arrive while DPRK continues to ignore President Donald Trump’s repeated offers to restart summit talks. Analysts suggest the leadership may be weighing its next steps. … Full article

EU Cost of Living Crisis: “The EU … don’t have a magic wand to make the price increases go away”

By Eric Worrall | Watts Up With That? | November 3, 2026

But abolishing 30% of household energy bills by cancelling the green energy transition might help.

Pundits covering widespread riots in Europe are careful to describe the problem as “cost of living”, rather than specifically mentioning energy. But there is no doubt energy costs are at the root of much of the hardship driving public anger. … Read full article

No Cossacks at the gates, fix Italy instead – opposition leader to Meloni

RT | November 3, 2026

Italy should spend money tackling real domestic problems rather than driving itself deeper into debt to defend against fictional threats like the “Cossacks from the Russian steppes,” right-wing leader and MEP Roberto Vannacci said on Monday. … continue

The Pits: Zelensky’s torture chamber network in the public eye

By Tim Kirby | Strategic Culture Foundation | November 3, 2026

Bizarre uprisings are happening everywhere across the European continent right now except for Russia; France is burning, German youth are violently refusing to serve in the military and Poland’s constitutional tribunal is under attack. Now, on the eastern front of ‘civilization’ shadowy figure Kirill Budanov’s words have failed to divert the attention of the Ukrainian and global Media to a secret prison network used against their own citizens. His attempts to calm an angry public didn’t seem to go too well as he was supposedly struck by pepper spray or some sort of gas before the night was through. … continue

Shocking video strongly suggests torture of Ukrainian deserters: AfD demands Merz confronts Zelensky

Remix News – November 3, 2026

The co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Alice Weidel demanded on Tuesday that Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government raise allegations of abuse and torture at a Ukrainian National Guard facility near Kyiv during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Berlin.

The incident occurred on Monday evening in the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, on the western outskirts of Kyiv. Dozens of relatives and local residents gathered outside a private house that the National Guard’s 1st Azov Corps was using as temporary housing for newly mobilized personnel and soldiers who returned after deserting their units without permission.

Social-media posts and Telegram channels claimed armed personnel were holding roughly 40 men in the basement, subjecting them to beatings and denying medical care. Some graphic videos showed men with shattered spines and individual reportedly had his intestines hanging out. Videos circulating online showed injured men being brought out and a distressed young man later identified in some reports as 14 years old.

The video clearly shows the 14-year-old victim being removed in a state of shock. Allegations include that he was beaten with a shovel.

Protesters threw eggs, forced open gates, and broke through a wall; police and National Guard troops responded with tear gas and warning shots into the air. […]

Weidel, co-leader of the opposition Alternative for Germany party, has long criticized German military and financial support for Kyiv and called for negotiations that take Russian security concerns into account. Her demand Tuesday places the Kyiv-region incident on the agenda of the high-profile bilateral meetings in Berlin, but it is unlikely that Merz addresses this issue.[…]

As Remix News reported years ago, George Soros predicted that Ukrainian men could be used as cannon fodder against the Russians all the way back in the early 1990s. He stated that Eastern Europe has a much higher appetite for “body bags,” which would make them useful for any future war against Russia. … Full article

Military ‘torture chamber’ triggers new scandal in Kiev

RT | November 2, 2026

Protesters have attempted to storm an alleged secret military prison outside Kiev, accusing its operators of torturing soldiers and denying them medical assistance. The scandal escalated into violent clashes, prompting the personal intervention of several senior officials, including the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office.

The incident unfolded on Monday in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital, where a private house allegedly used to hold mobilized men and suspected deserters became the center of a rapidly escalating confrontation.

Videos circulating on social media and published by Ukrainian news outlets showed attempts to force open the property’s gates, confrontations between protesters and unidentified individuals, and visibly injured men later emerging from the building after medics were finally allowed inside. … continue

Moscow mocks Kiev’s language hypocrisy exposed by ‘torture chamber’ scandal

RT | November 3, 2026

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has questioned Kiev’s enforcement of mandatory Ukrainian-language rules for officials after Vladimir Zelensky’s top aide was filmed speaking Russian while trying to defuse a riot over a suspected “torture chamber” site.

Kirill Budanov, the head of Zelensky’s office, was filmed on Monday evening speaking Russian during a confrontation sparked by shocking revelations about a black site operated by the neo-Nazi-linked Azov unit, which is part of Ukraine’s National Guard.

Several other people at the scene also spoke Russian, including a distressed teenager who was escorted out of the facility, the exact purpose of which remains disputed. … continue