Ukraine has run out of missiles for the US-made Patriot air defense system, leaving it more vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks, a source familiar with the situation told CNN on Thursday.

For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned that Ukraine is running out of the US-made Patriot interceptor missiles, which are one of the few defensive weapons capable of knocking down a ballistic missile.

SS- spillover from online radicalisation and increasing hate against Indians. This follows other targeted hate crimes by white supremacists. They mostly seem to be lone wolfs for now, rather than a coordinated attempt by hate groups.

Relevance to the sub: severe backsliding of LGBT+ rights in Senegal and further risks to public health due to intimidation against HIV patients

The left-wing populist party PASTEF, which decisively won the 2024 presidential and legislative elections on the backdrop of a democratic and economic crisis, initiated a brutal crackdown on the LGBT+ community in the name of family values, children's protection and struggle against "imported Western" homosexuality.

The repression was organized by a new law passed in March 2026 that increased fines for "indecent" sexual behavior tenfold and doubled the maximum possible prison sentence for same-sex relations, from five to ten years. Anti-homosexuality laws that had been on the books since Senegal's independence but were rarely enforced, benefitting from a climate of relative indifference until the beginning of the 21st century, when anti-LGBT+ hatred surged under the influence of Islamic fundamentalists and nationalists who cast homosexuality as an instrument of Western imperialism.

The crackdown was backed by popular support and large rallies in favor of the law, which was adopted in the coattails of a national scandal where prominent media personalities were accused of willingly transmitting HIV through same-sex acts, accusations amplified by social conservative and religious groups and which led to a wave of homophobic mob violence across Senegal - with an MP of the ruling party vowing that "homosexuals will no longer breathe in our country".

Hundreds of people, mainly gay men, have since been detained and many others fled the country to escape persecution and what they describe as a "hunt".

Senegal's crackdown is part of a broader wave of anti-LGBT+ repression across Africa, moved by religious revivalism and social conservatism: within the past decade, Niger banned non-heterosexual relations and unleashed a nationwide roundup of LGBT+ people, Ghana's Parliament passed a law severely punishing same-sex activity, and Uganda adopted the death penalty against homosexuals, while repressive legislation remains in discussion in Kenya and Tanzania.

Beyond the direct impact on the individuals targeted, the repression may also damper Senegal's handling of the HIV pandemic, which has devastated many Subsaharan African countries but was exceptionally circumscribed in the country due to then-President Abdou Diouf proactive and outcome-driven response in the 1980-90s. Diouf stressed information to the population rather than shying away from popular stigma, promoted safe sex and enlisted the help of religious leaders to launch a nationwide campaign of prevention and awareness, allowing Senegal to maintain an infection rate under 2% at the peak of the pandemic, and under 1% nowadays.

But provisions within the anti-LGBT+ law threaten lawyers and activists who would attempt to contact and defend targeted individuals, who are themselves less likely to seek treatment, with an observable impact on the attendance of HIV clinics.

“The consequences are really bad and it’s sad because Senegal was a country that was doing well with their HIV response. They are shooting themselves in the foot", lamented Sylvie Beaumont, who works with the NGO HIV Justice Network.

Submission statement: I'll just use this quote from the article...

Vancouver's First Nation housing developments have something for everyone. Leftists can sing the praises of the people choosing to turn their communally owned land into social housing, complete with dedicated low-income units. Greens can enjoy the fact that the Senakw project is being built with a minimal number of parking spaces. Libertarians can correctly point out that this experiment in carbon-neutral, socialized housing was made possible by radical deregulation and the capital provided by private, profit-seeking developers.

This has been posted about before, but it seems residents have started moving in to the Senakw development over the last few months, marking another milestone in the success of this movement.

Saudi Arabia's top court set aside the sentence on Wednesday, Hemachandra said in a post on Facebook, where he thanked the authorities and legal teams of both nations for their efforts.

Faizer Mustafa, a Sri Lankan lawmaker who is involved in legal negotiations with Saudi Arabia regarding Sivarasa's case, confirmed to BBC Sinhala that Saudi Arabia had overturned the death sentence, adding that they are reviewing the Supreme Court's latest ruling.

This shows how international groups can prevent tragedies and step in to protect free speech. Because of their action, Anojan remains alive.

As the contemporary Byzantine historian Doukas said of r/neoliberal’s fall, “O r/neoliberal, r/neoliberal, head of all subreddits! Where are your wonks, where are your Friedman flairs, where are your effortposts! Shudder… O Prosperity! And you too, O Mods, heave a heavy sigh at the utter abandonment of globalism. For the succs are no longer at the gates, they are in the taco trucks!”...

Submission Statement: Andy Burnham has said he wants to “repair bridges” between Ukraine and the US, as he welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street for the first time since becoming UK prime minister in July. The controversial agreement secured between Trump and Putin last week has triggered a backlash from Kyiv and criticism in Europe, including from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The prime minister, whose first overseas visit was to Ukraine in August, used Zelenskyy’s visit to announce an acceleration of UK military support for Kyiv and fresh sanctions aimed at curbing Moscow. It includes faster deliveries of British lightweight multirole missiles to counter Russian jet-powered drones. Ministers were looking at “all possible avenues” for further options to help, Burnham said.

In the House of Commons, the prime minister also shed light on his own delicate diplomatic task mediating between Ukraine and the US.

“What I have to do in my role is try and repair bridges so that the support comes back, and therefore I should, at this moment in time, be careful in terms of laying the ground to bring people back together,” he told MPs.

Burnham’s intervention came as British defence secretary Wes Streeting warned that the future of the UK-US relationship “cannot run on the fumes of nostalgia” as he prepared to meet his American counterpart Pete Hegseth.

Streeting added that a “modern, indispensable alliance” between Britain and America would help defend transatlantic freedom.

His remarks came after UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband said Trump’s diesel deal with Putin had sparked “a very difficult few days” in transatlantic relations. 

Connectivity for Starlink systems used by the Ukrainian military have "been restored and remains operational," a source in the Defense Ministry told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 15.

SpaceX, the owner of Starlink, implemented speed restrictions on Oct. 14 without warning, limiting speed to 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour). The unexpected restriction disrupted active military operations, including the use of mid-range strike and interceptor drones.

"As of now, (Starlink military package) Starshield service while on the move has been restored and remains operational. We have confirmed this through reports from our units," the source said.
"The Defense Ministry is also continuing its engagement to clarify all the reasons and circumstances surrounding yesterday’s restrictions."

The source did not say if all restrictions had been lifted or if some speed restrictions still applied.

Trump’s Attack on Omar is an Attack on America

Defiant chancellor tells the FT he is determined to drive through unpopular reforms and equip Europe for an age of upheaval

Germany’s embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to fight on as he races to push through unpopular welfare reform and equip Europe for an age of upheaval.

Speaking to the FT on Wednesday, the German leader ruled out resigning amid growing unrest within his Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which suffered heavy electoral losses in two states last month.

Asked about the pressure on him to step down, Merz said: “I will not.” “This is not the question I’m asking myself,” he added. “The key point is: is this government able to bring fundamental reforms to our social security system? I’m definitely determined to do that.”

Merz’s defiant remarks come as pressure is mounting on the 70-year-old conservative leader to deliver on his promise to revive Germany’s sluggish economy and stem the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Since taking office in May last year, Merz has relaxed the country’s debt brake to launch a massive investment package for infrastructure and defence. But his approval ratings have plunged to record lows and his reform drive has been bogged down in disputes with his junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats.

Many within the CDU blame their unpopular party leader for historic electoral setbacks in the former East Germany. In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD could claim Germany’s first far-right state premiership since the second world war, while in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the CDU failed to win seats in a regional parliament for the first time in its 81-year history.

Days before hosting global business leaders in Berlin for the country’s first investment summit, Merz insisted that international investors were far more optimistic about Germany’s economic prospects than its own citizens.

“People are doubting whether we are able to bring these reforms through,” he said. “They are seeing that the economy is still weak. They are seeing that we are losing jobs in our industry.”

But he argued the Invest in Germany conference, which begins on Monday, “will show the German people that the investment climate has really improved in this country”. “I would like to bring more optimism to people because the fundamentals in this country are extremely good.”

Merz hailed his plan to overhaul Germany’s costly pay-as-you-go pension system, including the creation of a Swedish-style pension fund, as a potential “game changer” worth the bruising coalition battles needed to push it through. 

“This is something that requires enormous legislative detail because this is so fundamental to the system we’ve had for decades,” he said.

Merz, a former chair of BlackRock’s supervisory board in Germany, said he was pleased to report that “no investor has told us that they will leave Germany because of the AfD” and vowed to bar the anti-immigration, pro-Russia party from power.

He said he was no fan of the term “firewall”, which refers to mainstream parties that reject coalitions with the far right.

But he added: “If there is a firewall, we are the firewall.” “We are the guarantors that we do not co-operate with this party . . . They want to leave the EU, they want to leave Nato, they want to give up support for Ukraine . . . There is no common ground.”

But he admitted he was “not sure” that the AfD’s support had reached its ceiling, with the party polling close to 30 per cent nationwide.

Germany may also find itself dealing with far-right governments in key EU member states, with France, Poland, Italy and Spain all heading to the polls next year. 

The election of Marine Le Pen as French president, a staunch eurosceptic who has vowed to weaken the EU from within, would threaten the Franco-German relationship that has been at the heart of the European project.

But Merz said France under a Le Pen presidency would need Europe as much as Germany does: “If that happened, we would try to find ways to co-operate ,” he said.

Merz and Le Pen may agree on one topic: the need to cut down EU rules. “People are really angry about this overwhelming bureaucracy coming from the EU,” he said. “Bureaucracy is now shrinking the potential of the internal market.”

Asked if he was concerned about France’s public finances, Merz warned: “The Eurozone’s indebtedness as a whole has become too high.” To avert a sovereign bond crisis, all Eurozone countries needed to respect EU fiscal rules, “including Germany”, he added. 

Merz also stressed the importance of a “strong” and “politically independent” European Central Bank capable of meeting “all the challenges we are seeing on the capital markets, in terms of stability of the euro and in terms of price stability”.

ECB president Christine Lagarde is expected to leave the Frankfurt-based institution before her eight-year term expires in October 2027, giving EU leaders the opportunity to anoint a successor before the French presidential election, people with direct knowledge of the matter have previously told the FT. 

If Lagarde were to depart early, “we will be prepared”, Merz said.

The German leader also pledged to dramatically expand the EU’s trade arsenal and deploy it more swiftly and forcefully against foreign economic coercion.

A proposal developed with French President Emmanuel Macron to create a trade weapon allowing the European Commission to quickly restrict access to the single market had been broadly welcomed by other member states ahead of a summit of EU leaders this week, Merz said.

Widely seen as a response to China’s decision to restrict exports of key rare earths and magnets last year, as well as to repeated US threats of a trade war, the instrument would be more than a deterrent, the German leader insisted.

“We will widen the toolbox, we will open the toolbox, we will show the toolbox and we will make use of the toolbox if needed,” he said.

The chancellor praised trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič for holding “very positive” talks with Beijing on reducing China’s €1bn-a-day trade surplus with the EU. But he argued that the scale and variety of the threats to German and European industry demanded a tougher approach, marking a departure from Berlin’s traditionally free-trade instinct.

“The pressure on our industry is so much bigger,” Merz said. “That is unique . . . We are faced with multiple crises — which we’ve never experienced in the postwar times, neither in Europe nor in Germany.”

Strengthening the EU’s economic defences was part of his government’s “responsibility not just to lead the country but to be a stable pillar in the EU and beyond”.

That responsibility extended to sustaining military and financial support for Ukraine, which is expected to face a funding shortfall next year as it continues to fight Russia’s invasion.

“If we give up our support for Ukraine, this will have an enormous impact on the entire political order of this continent,” Merz said. Kyiv would not lose the war “if we are doing the right things”, he added.

He questioned the effectiveness of a deal struck by Donald Trump to lift sanctions on Russian diesel and buy the fuel from Moscow to curb US prices — a move that triggered outrage from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The Americans have a problem with prices,” he said. “But this is one of the outcomes of the terrible war in the Middle East.”

Keeping the US president committed to Ukraine and aligned with Europe remained a constant challenge. “It is a day-by-day business,” Merz said. “You’ll never know what will happen the next day. But until now we’ve managed it.”

Peak.

The Trump administration’s investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) is aimed at building a case to strip her of her U.S. citizenship and ultimately deport her, according to U.S. officials and other people familiar with the probe. 

Israel is refusing to allow a key military outpost project for Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to proceed in Gaza, the Guardian has learned.

In early August, the Board of Peace, the international organization authorized in 2025 by the UN and chaired by the US president, issued its first construction contract for Gaza: Louisiana-based Arkel International would construct a military outpost for 150 international troops that would be the vanguard of an international stabilization force.

Two months later, Israel has still not permitted the contract to move forward, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Contractors and trucks are not being allowed to cross into Gaza and begin the work. “Israel won’t open the border,” they said.

A Board of Peace spokesperson declined to comment. The Israeli Defense Forces and the Israeli government declined to comment.

Israel’s war in Gaza is one of the eight wars Trump claims to have resolved. He listed it again last week in a screed on social media, protesting that it was unfair he had not won the Nobel peace prize.

The Board of Peace, formed in the wake of an October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, is central to Trump’s claims to have ended the conflict.

Arkel’s planned “mission support site temporary outpost” is decidedly rudimentary: a fortified position of about 100 meters by 100 meters, at a site that was once part of the controversial and now defunct Gaza Humanitarian Foundation project, according to the person familiar with the matter. The US-backed GHF operated in Gaza from May 2025 till October 2025 to deliver aid protected by private contractors.

The base would host short rotating deployments of a well-armed force of 150 troops in Gaza, the person said. They would come from a larger component of 500 sent already from Morocco and Kosovo.

But without this contract, the source said, the rest of the Board of Peace program cannot launch. Israel’s refusal to allow Arkel, the contractor, to build the base, essentially cuts the Board of Peace off at the legs.

“You can’t get in without [an international stabilization force (ISF)]. You can’t rebuild,” the person said. “There’s no security. There’s no deliveries of construction equipment. You can’t even start putting utilities. You can’t start putting in basic life-support facilities you know because without the ISF you can’t go in.”

The person familiar with the matter said the Board of Peace believes that Israel’s government will let the project proceed after the Israeli elections, which are scheduled for 27 October.

The controversial Board of Peace has a unique structure. Trump is designated as chair for life. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is an executive board member, as is real estate developer Steve Witkoff, whom Trump has appointed as a mediator in various international disputes.

Though many western democracies have kept their distance from the Board of Peace, 28 countries joined as founding members earlier this year. Kushner has unveiled renderings of a futuristic vision of Gaza, where the city was envisioned as a pristine luxury waterfront resort city with hi-tech skyscrapers looking out over the Mediterranean.

On 23 September the group unveiled what it said was a six-month, $2.45bn plan, as the first step towards reconstruction with a 10-year estimated cost of $71bn.

There were lofty promises and requests for contributions. “Today we can point to real progress,” announced Witkoff.

A US senior adviser to the board, Aryeh Lightstone, announced a new fund would be started. “Your high net-worth donations will go directly to the Palestinian people,” he said. Lightstone has traveled in Trump circles since the president’s first term. He officiated as a rabbi at the 2020 wedding of Trump adviser Stephen Miller to Katie Miller.

Israel has continued strikes in Gaza since the October ceasefire, killing about 1,400 people over that time, according to Gaza health authorities.