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Quote:An active shooter in a dorm at Oklahoma State University Sunday morning left three people wounded during homecoming weekend.
The shooting took place in the early hours of the morning at a residential hall on the campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and at least one of the victims is a student, police said.
The victims were part of an off-campus party Saturday night that then moved into the dorms in the wee hours.
“At approximately 3:40 a.m., the OSU Police Department responded to Carreker East residential hall after shooting victims reported the incident,” the official OSU Police and Safety account wrote on X.
“There were multiple victims, one of which is known to be an OSU student. All are being treated at hospitals in Oklahoma City and Tulsa,” the statement continued, citing OSU Chief of Police Michael Beckner.
“Initial reports indicate a large, private party occurred at an off-campus location. After the gathering disbanded, some attendees returned to Carreker East where the shooting occurred,” the statement concluded.
No information has yet been provided about the suspect, motive or how many shots were fired.
The shooting took place during homecoming weekend, known as “America’s Greatest Homecoming.”
Tens of thousands were in town to watch the Oklahoma State Cowboys take on the Cincinnati Bearcats at the nearby T. Boone Pickens Stadium, just a stone’s throw from the scene of the shooting.
This year’s celebration was particularly poignant, marking the 10th anniversary of the 2015 homecoming parade attack.
That year, four people were killed and 47 were injured after Adacia Avery Chambers deliberately drove her car into a crowd watching the parade.
Quote:Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran smiled, waved, and stayed silent when pressed about his relationship with the allegedly terror-tied Imam Siraj Wahhaj.
“Mr. Mamdani, anything to say about the imam? He said some nasty stuff, does it bug you?” a Post reporter asked the 34-year-old mayoral candidate Sunday.
“Anything?”
Mamdani, however, just smirked without a word as he climbed into the back of a waiting SUV.
Pressed later in the day, Mamdani again grinned and refused to comment on the Brooklyn imam – who also has a history of homophobic comments on top of his terror allegations.
Mamdani has been in hot water since the Friday rendezvous with Wahhaj, wom he spoke glowingly of in a post on X.
“Today at Masjid At-Taqwa, I had the pleasure of meeting with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, one of the nation’s foremost Muslim leaders and a pillar of the Bed-Stuy community for nearly half a century,” the candidate wrote.
But critics were quick to raise an eyebrow over the meeting given Wahhaj’s questionable past.
He was considered by federal prosecutors to be an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing — which left six people dead — because several people involved in the terror attack had attended his mosque, the New York Times reported.
Quote:The far-left union representing professors at the City University of New York are illegally using a taxpayer-funded, government email system to promote socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, The Post has learned.
At least two chapter leaders repping CUNY’s Professional Staff Congress recently fired off email blasts using CUNY email addresses to solicit faculty and other staff at Manhattan Community College and Kingsborough Community College to volunteer helping Mamdani’s campaign.
“The general election is on November 4th. If you are interested in becoming involved in the election, weekly Central Labor Council phonebanks for Mamdani are hosted in person at the PSC, Wednesdays 6-8pm,” wrote Kathleen Offenholley, a mathematics professor and union chapter chair at Manhattan Community College in a Sept. 3 email blast to campus faculty.
The email also included links on how sign up to assist making phone calls for Mamdani’s campaign and help the PSC’s push to get the silver-spoon socialist pol elected mayor.
“Thousands of CUNY students have (yet!) to register,” the email adds. “We strongly encourage you to share these links with students.”
“Our ranked-choice strategy allowed the PSC to be one of the earliest unions to support Zohran Mamdani for Mayor and helped to defeat Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary,” says PSC President James Davis in a statement also attached in the email blast.
“Most NYC unions have now endorsed Mamdani, and it is now even more important that PSC members work to get him elected in November.”
Under city and state law and CUNY rules, it is illegal for government employees to use such government resources – including email accounts – for political campaign purposes. Violators could face misdemeanor charges and fines of up to $10,000 per offense.
Quote:A notoriously violent two-block stretch of Brooklyn is fighting crime — by not calling uniformed cops, The Post has learned.
A sliver of Brownsville in the NYPD’s 73rd Precinct was transformed into a “police free zone” last week as part of an city-funded experiment called the Brownsville Safety Alliance that initially was only twice a year but now runs four times annually, organizers said.
And it’s an initiative that’s received praise from anti-cop, mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, an official with the group that runs it told The Post.
“He believes in what we do,” said Dushoun Almond, program director of Brownsville in Violence Out, adding that the socialist Queens assemblyman even stopped by when a zone was in operation last April.
The community can still call cops for serious crimes such as stabbings or shootings, but members of his community group replace them for low-level offenses from noon to 6 p.m. on Mother Gaston Boulevard between Sutter and Pitkin avenues from Oct. 7 through Oct. 11, people involved with the program said.
“Nothing has changed about our operations or deployment there,” an NYPD spokesperson said.
A police source told The Post the neighborhood’s program “has the potential to go sideways quickly.”
“This is the way that this new guy [Mamdani] wants us to go. [The brass] are trying to appeal to him. It’s insane,” the source added.
The Brownsville Safety Alliance — which was first started in 2020 under former mayor and avowed Marxist Bill de Blasio — includes about 20 members of a community group who walk the two blocks and handle low-level calls that come into 911 during the hours its in operation, police sources said.
A plainclothes “BSA sergeant” — a member of the NYPD — is assigned to shadow the community members in case more serious issues arise. Police officers are also stationed on the edges of the two blocks, the sources said.
Quote:Beyond Meat’s stock collapsed to near $1 a share on Tuesday after the embattled plant-based meat maker finalized a debt exchange deal that handed bondholders hundreds of millions of new shares — effectively wiping out most existing investors.
Shares plunged almost 50% on Monday to close around $1.10 and hovered between $1.03 and $1.10 in Tuesday trading, down more than 76% this year and deep in penny stock territory.
In the summer of 2019, the stock neared $240 a share — its peak price. Since then, the stock has lost more than 99% of its value.
The free fall followed an announcement that nearly all of Beyond Meat’s creditors had agreed to swap existing notes for new debt due in 2030, a move that will sharply dilute current shareholders.
The California-based company, once valued at more than $14 billion after a blockbuster 2019 IPO, said 97% of bondholders accepted the exchange offer.
Beyond Meat will issue roughly $208.7 million in new 7% convertible notes due 2030 and as many as 316 million new shares, replacing its 0% notes due 2027.
The company had just 76.6 million shares outstanding before the deal, meaning existing investors face a dilution of more than 300%. If all bondholders convert their notes, they will own about 88% of Beyond Meat’s equity, according to filings.
The early settlement is scheduled to close Oct. 15 after the company surpassed the minimum participation threshold of 85%, Reuters reported.
While the exchange gives Beyond Meat more time to pay down roughly $1.3 billion in debt, it triggered a massive sell-off as traders reacted to the dilution and persistent losses.
Quote:The Trump administration has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the deployment of the National Guard in Chicago to protect federal personnel and federal property amid protests over immigration enforcement in the area.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer, Trump’s top Supreme Court lawyer, urged the justices to step in immediately after a judge ruled last week that National Guard troops sent to Illinois by President Donald Trump to combat crime can remain in the state but can’t patrol or deploy to protect federal property. A federal appeals court had refused to put the judge’s order on hold.
U.S. District Judge April Perry said she found no convincing evidence that a “danger of rebellion” exists in Illinois amid Trump’s immigration enforcement push.
Sauer wrote in the emergency filing that the judge’s ruling “intrudes on the president’s authority and needlessly puts federal personnel and property at risk.”
The Trump administration argues in its filing that the case represents a “disturbing and recurring pattern” in which federal officers enforcing immigration law are met with “prolonged, coordinated, violent resistance that threatens their lives and safety and systematically interferes with their ability to enforce federal law.”
“Federal agents are forced to desperately scramble to protect themselves and federal property, allocating resources away from their law enforcement mission to conduct protective operations instead,” the filing states.
“Receiving tepid support from local forces, they are often left to fend for themselves in the face of violent, hostile mobs. Confronted with intolerable risks of harm to federal agents and coordinated, violent opposition to the enforcement of federal law, the president lawfully determines that he is unable to enforce the laws of the United States with the regular forces and calls up the National Guard to defend federal personnel, property and functions in the face of ongoing violence,” it says.
The Supreme Court has asked for the opposition’s response to the Trump administration’s emergency filing by 5 p.m. on Monday. The court is then expected to offer that the administration file a reply.
The plea to the nation’s top court comes as 11 protesters were arrested Friday outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, a west Chicago suburb that has become a frequent flashpoint for demonstrations against federal agents in recent weeks.
The filing also further escalates Trump’s standoff with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who have staunchly opposed deploying troops. They have called any deployment unconstitutional and insisted the city is not facing the kind of crime crisis the White House claims.
Quote:The US Secret Service is investigating what could be a sniper’s nest or a hunting stand near President Trump’s Air Force One landing area at Palm Beach International Airport, according to sources.
The suspicious stand, found Thursday, is in a tree and within the line of sight of the section of the airport where Trump exits the presidential jet, and was described to The Post by law enforcement sources as an odd collection of pipes.
There was no ammunition or explosives found, but it raised the service’s alarm.
Authorities do not know yet whether it is a hunting stand or merely junk in a tree — or has a more nefarious purpose, sources said.
The area could be used by hunters who go after invasive green iguanas, the sources added.
“Prior to the president’s return to West Palm Beach, USSS discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News, which first reported the story.
“No individuals were located at the scene,” Patel said. “The FBI has since taken the investigatory lead, flying in resources to collect all evidence from the scene and deploying our cell phone analytics capabilities.”
Trump survived a sniper attack during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, and escaped harm when the Secret Service arrested 59-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh after he fled an apparent sniper spot at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course on Sept. 15.
Quote:A deranged upstate man was arrested in New York City Saturday afternoon after allegedly claiming he had firebombs that he planned to use at a “No Kings” protest to attack federal agents – a bust that comes as some of the anti-Trump rallies around the US spiraled out of control.
David Cox, 54, was hit with terrorism charges after bragging to a stranger at a Kwik Fil gas station in Owego – about 198 miles from the Big Apple – Friday night that he had weapons in his trunk and planned to “fight ICE agents” at a Manhattan rally, police and sources said.
The innocent bystander then reported the threat to cops after Cox left the gas station.
The NYPD tracked down the Newark Valley lunatic after his car was flagged by a license plate reader — nabbing him around 2:25 p.m. Saturday as roughly 100,000 people demonstrated in Midtown.
Police said no firebombs or weapons were found in his vehicle.
He was charged with making a terroristic threat, false report of terrorism and making a threat of mass harm, police said.
Tens of thousands of “No Kings” protesters flooded Manhattan and cities nationwide hurling profanities and waving vulgar signs on Saturday rallying against President Trump and his policies.
Demonstrators – who called for the president to resign – also slammed US Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents, comparing the federal agency to the KKK.
While no arrests were made in Manhattan, protests in other parts of the country descended into chaos late Saturday – with federal authorities forced to fire tear gas at a rowdy crowd that turned violent in Portland, according to Fox News.
Quote:The agency that maintains America’s nuclear weapons stockpile is reportedly preparing to furlough about 80% of its workforce — highlighting the widening impact of the government shutdown as it enters its third week.
Roughly 1,400 employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) — a branch of the Department of Energy — will be sent home starting Monday, with only about 375 designated as essential staff expected to remain on the job, according to a notice obtained by Politico.
The furloughs come as the agency’s funding has dried up due to a budget impasse that has closed much of the federal government for 17 days — now the third-longest shutdown in US history.
“The Democrat shutdown is now jeopardizing our national security,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital on Friday afternoon.
“By refusing to pass the clean, bipartisan funding extension, the Democrats are causing funds to run out for critical programs, resulting in furloughs of personnel at the National Nuclear Security Administration who manage our nuclear stockpile.”
Rogers added that the furloughs are “reckless and could be completely avoided if the Democrats simply voted to reopen the government and stopped holding the American people hostage.”
Leading Democrats, however, reject the claim that they are to blame for the ongoing shutdown.
“Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown, the worse it gets for Americans — and the clearer it becomes who’s fighting for them,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Fox Digital earlier in October of the shutdown.
“Each day our case to fix healthcare and end this shutdown gets better and better, stronger and stronger because families are opening their letters showing how high their premiums will climb if Republicans get their way.”
The NNSA oversees the safety and reliability of the nation’s nuclear warheads, manages the Navy’s nuclear propulsion systems and leads efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear materials to hostile states or terrorist groups.
While it does not directly operate deployed weapons — that role belongs to the Pentagon — its scientific and technical work underpins America’s nuclear deterrent.
Quote:A noticeably frail Joe Biden was seen in public Saturday for the first time since news broke that he is undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer — attending evening Mass at St. Joseph on the Brandywine, the Roman Catholic church he has frequented for decades.
The 82-year-old former president was photographed leaving the hour-long service, walking slowly and holding onto a woman for support.
A large scar above his right eye — the result of recent skin cancer surgery — was still visible as he greeted parishioners outside the church following the 50-minute Mass.
Biden, dressed in a dark suit, chatted quietly with several attendees for about 10 minutes before departing without his wife, Jill Biden, who did not accompany him to the service.
It marked his first public outing since it was disclosed last week that he had begun a five-week course of radiation and hormone therapy for Stage 4 prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
Representatives for the former president said the regimen is expected to last about five weeks.
Doctors have described his cancer as high-grade, with a Gleason score of nine, though hormone-sensitive — allowing for management through medication and radiation. The highest score on the Gleason scale is 10.
“High-grade” means the cancer cells differ greatly from normal cells, so they behave more aggressively and have a higher chance of spreading beyond the prostate.
Biden has been taking hormone pills and receiving care, according to reports.
Quote:A South Carolina man on death row is scheduled to be executed next month for killing a man, burning his eyes with cigarettes and taunting police by painting “catch me if u can” on a wall with the victim’s blood more than 20 years ago.
Stephen Bryant, 44, will be put to death Nov. 14 after the state Supreme Court issued the death warrant Friday, rejecting a request from Bryant’s lawyers for a delay because they work with the federal court system and the US government is shut down.
Bryant is scheduled for execution for one killing, but prosecutors said he also fatally shot two other men he was giving rides to as they were urinating on the side of the road in Sumter County in October 2004.
He will have until Oct. 31 to choose if he wants to die by lethal injection, firing squad or the electric chair.
Since the state resumed executions last year following an involuntary 13-year pause due to trouble obtaining lethal injection drugs, four inmates have selected lethal injection and two have died by firing squad.
Bryant confessed to killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen after stopping by his home in rural Sumter County and saying he had car trouble.
After Tietjen was shot several times, candles were lit around his body.
The corner of a potholder was dipped in Tietjen’s blood and “victem 4 in 2 weeks. catch me if u can” was written on a wall, according to officials.
Tietjen’s daughter, Kimberly Dees, called him several times and grew worried when he did not answer. She testified that a strange voice answered on her sixth call to her father.
She demanded that the person at the other end of the line allow her to speak to her father.
“And he said, ‘You can’t, I killed him.’ And I said, ‘This isn’t funny, who are you?’ He said, ‘I’m the prowler. And I said, ‘Excuse me, who are you?’ He said, ‘I’m the prowler,’” Dees told a judge who determined Bryant’s sentence.
Quote:A “highly sophisticated” Colombian crime ring with likely cartel ties drilled through concrete and made off with more than $1 million in jewelry last month — but pushed its luck too far in attempting a similar brazen break-in Thursday, police said.
The crew of four bandits, including an alarm specialist and demolition expert, first targeted a jewelry store in Sacramento County during a wild burglary on Sept. 13, according to the county’s sheriff’s office.
“The methods used in that burglary are something that is straight out of the movies,” Sgt. Amar Gandhi told ABC 10. ”Very methodical, extremely planned out, very sophisticated as far as their methods, techniques, tools and expertise.”
The highly organized thieves traveled around parts of the Sacramento and the Bay Area in an RV to allegedly scout out potential jewelry stores while disabling alarms and gaining access to the shops, according to cops, who were surveilling the crew.
But the group of Colombian nationals was caught in the act while trying to commit another heist at Lodi Pawn and Fine Jewelry Thursday, according to police — who swooped in as the burglary was unfolding.
Just before the police bust, the group broke into the store by cutting a hole in a brick wall, shutting off power and disabling the building’s alarm system, cops said.
Thanks to the quick action of the cops no jewelry was taken from the store and all four were arrested.
Sandro Torres-Morales, 49, Orlando Goyeneche-Sanchez, 41, Miguel Osorio-Castaneda, 49, and Melany Pascagoula-Correa, 25, were taken into custody.
The crew is believed to be tied to an international crime ring that has stolen millions of dollars of jewelry, Gandhi said.
“These guys are really sophisticated in what they do. They had a female who had registered cars under her name and would serve as kind of an office manager,” said Gandhi.
LATIN AMERICA
Quote:President Trump accused Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro of being an “illegal drug leader” and announced that his administration is cutting off all subsidies to the Latin American country.
Trump further trashed his Colombian counterpart as a “very unpopular leader” and warned Petro to close up alleged drug fields, or else “the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”
“President Gustavo Petro, of Columbia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Columbia,” Trump raged on Truth Social.
“It has become the biggest business in Columbia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America.”
The US sent over $207 million worth of foreign aid to Colombia this year, according to foreignassistance.gov.
Trump’s announcement comes a day after Petro accused the US of “murder” over a Sept. 15 attack that the US president described at the time as killing “confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela” who were in international waters at the time.
“US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters,” Petro wrote on X Saturday, per a translation. “The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure.”
“We await explanations from the US government.”
Colombia’s president claimed that the boat was used for fishing and not the transportation of drugs. Petro has been in power since 2022 and is a member of the left-wing Humane Colombia party.
A CNN report last week had similarly claimed that one of Trump’s recent strikes in the Caribbean had killed Colombian nationals, citing Pentagon officials.
Trump has been carrying out a series of military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, oftentimes targeted at Venezuela, Colombia’s neighbor.
In August, his team doubled the bounty for information leading to the capture of Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, to $50 million, accusing him of fueling the illicit drug industry.
Quote:President Trump dropped an F-bomb Friday as he explained why Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro appears willing to give the US a stake in the South American nation’s oil and mineral wealth.
“He’s offered everything. You know why? Because he doesn’t want to f–k around with the United States,” Trump said of Maduro, during a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Maduro regime reportedly offered to provide US companies preferential contracts and access to all existing and future oil and gold projects in Venezuela as part of a deal discussed with Trump administration officials, according to the New York Times.
Maduro also pledged to stop selling Venezuelan oil to China and slash energy and mining contracts Venezuela had entered into with Chinese, Iranian and Russian companies, the outlet reported.
The deal fell apart after Trump reportedly ordered special envoy Richard Grenell to end all diplomatic outreach to Venezuela last week, as the US military continues to carry out strikes against drug boats in the Caribbean Sea.
The president has since revealed that he has authorized the CIA to start engaging in clandestine operations within Venezuela as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to crackdown on drug cartels, which are suspected of operating under Maduro’s direction.
“We are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea under control,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.
“A lot of Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea. So you get to see that, but we’re going to stop them by land also.”
Quote:An elite Army unit capable of inserting some of the American military’s most deadly special operations forces into a fight has been deployed to the Caribbean as President Trump exerts an increasing show of force in Venezuela.
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the vaunted “Night Stalkers,” operates attack helicopters like the Army’s MH-60 Black Hawks and small transport helicopters into the most perilous situations.
Video surfaced earlier this month showing Army Black Hawks and smaller ‘Little Birds” undergoing training in Trinidad, located about 500 miles east of the capital city of Caracas, giving the first hint of the rotary-wing power being readied.
The “Night Stalkers” are able to deposit highly trained fighters, including Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets, or Delta Force personnel, into battle zones.
Training with such aircraft indicated practice for potential missions battling drug cartels — or even the regime itself — said defense expert Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Colonel now with the Center for Strategic International Studies in DC.
No other element of the armed forces uses the “little bird” helicopters that have been spotted off the Venezuelan coast.
“They have excellent surveillance equipment to watch for potential drug smugglers coming out of Venezuela and the attack capabilities to destroy those vessels. They could also seize vessels, although they have not done that yet as far as is known,” Cancian told the Post.
Then there are the most extreme measures the Night Stalkers have trained for.
“The 160th could take special operations forces into Venezuela to strike cartel or regime targets. I don’t expect that because of the risk of casualties or capture but it’s possible,” he noted.
The special operations aviation force had flown within 90 miles of the Venezuelan coast, a Washington Post analysis found.
The move appears designed to get the regime’s attention.
In yet another potent show of force, the US military flew powerful B-52 bombers off the coast of Venezuela on Thursday.
Trump posted dramatic video of one of the American strikes to Truth Social Saturday and wrote about the destruction of an alleged submarine drug vessel that the military struck off the coast of Venezuela.
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:The Kremlin has been conning young men into fighting in Ukraine by luring them with cushy army jobs like drivers, cooks or even psychologists — then shipping them straight to the frontlines, The Post has learned.
Russia shifted its military recruitment campaign this year to promote “non-combat” roles, often used as bait, according to an analysis conducted by London think tank OpenMinds.
“We saw this huge uptick in driver or non-combat posts compared to previous years,” OpenMinds CEO, Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi, told The Post.
“It looks like the financial reward itself is just not enough at this stage of the war,” he said referring to the massive $40,000 signing bonuses doled out last year to enlist Russians to fight in strongman Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Army recruitment ads on Russian social media jumped more than 40% in the first half of 2025 — and by April, ads seeking drivers outnumbered those for all combat roles combined, the analysis found.
That month, there were as many as 2,400 posts on Russian social media platform VK seeking drivers.
Local state media even reported in July drivers were the most in-demand profession in the war zone.
“It’s not possible they need that many drivers,” blasted Hnizdovskyi.
Buzzwords like “not storm units,” “quiet service,” “easy service” and “no frontline” began flooding the ads.
“In practice, in Russia, it’s commanders that decide where soldiers are sent regardless of what was advertised before … it’s basically deception on many levels,” said Hnizdovskyi.
Multiple reports in Russian news and social media over the past several months, including an investigation by independent outlet Verstka, confirmed the scheme.
Quote:Russian military forces launched a blistering aerial barrage on Ukraine overnight night killing one and leaving thousands in the dark — hours after President Trump called for peace between the warring combatants.
Forces from Moscow largely targeted Ukrainian forces and infrastructure on the front lines and fired roughly 268 guided aerial bombs with each carrying a payload of 3,307 pounds, CNN reported citing the Ukrainian military.
One unidentified man was killed in the village of Zelenyi Hair, according to Ukrainian officials.
Nearly all districts in the city of Chuhuiv, located in the Kharkiv region, were cut off from the electrical grid and left completely in the dark, EuroNews reported.
One Russian strike hit an energy facility in the Koriukivka district and knocked out power to 17,000 people, according to the report.
The wave of attacks on Ukraine have been escalating, with Moscow launching an average of 180 drones every night through the month of September, CNN reported.
“Moscow has developed fresh ways of using drones to find and kill Ukrainian soldiers and to destroy Ukrainian assets, turning what was once an area of weakness into an area of strength,” long-time Russia analyst Dara Massicot wrote in the most recent issue of Foreign Affairs.
“It has built better missiles and created more rugged and capable armored systems. It is giving junior commanders more freedom to plan.”
Russia is continuing to make their slow advancement on the front lines despite President Trump urging a “combat freeze” in an effort to push forward truce talks.
At a high-profile meeting in Washington, Trump denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s requests for Tomahawk missiles to fight off the Russians and urged both sides to pursue a course of peace.
Quote:Ukraine’s orchestrated attacks on Russian oil infrastructure seem to be having an effect.
Moscow’s fossil fuel exports plummeted in the month of September, dipping to their lowest point since the start of its nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine.
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air claims its figures indicate Russia exported an average of $637 million of fuel a day last month — a 4% slip from August, and a 26% drop from oil exports recorded in September 2024.
Eighteen Russian oil facilities have been targeted in recent months, with drones taking out a key oil terminal in Crimea, halting crude oil production.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month he plans to continue the drone bombardment of Russia’s crude oil refineries, depots and terminals, calling such attacks “the most effective sanctions — the ones that work the fastest.”
Russian oil infrastructure continues to fuel Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
The oil hub at the port of Primorsk was also set ablaze by Kyiv drones on Sept. 12. The next evening, they also struck the Kirishi refinery — one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, located in the northwestern Leningrad region — sparking a massive blaze.
And as recently as Oct. 15, a drone struck an industrial zone in Ufa, disabling the Ufaorgsintez oil refinery.
China was the largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in August, spending $6.4 billion, with India buying up $4.2 billion worth of barrels, according to reports.
President Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian exports in August, after accusing the nation of sustaining Russia’s war through energy trade.
NATO member Turkey imported $2.79 billion worth of Russian fossil fuels during August, with Hungary and Slovakia importing $421 million and $222 million in oil and liquefied natural gas, respectively.
Trump had asked NATO members to stop from purchasing Russian oil last month during his UN address.
Quote:Russia’s largest gas processing plant was forced to shut down — at least partially — after a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire and caused major damage on Sunday, officials said.
The plan stopped taking in natural gas from Kazakhstan following the overnight attack at the Orenburg processing plant, the largest facility of its kind on the planet, Kazakhstan’s energy ministry said.
The damage and processing freeze is yet another blow to Moscow — as Kyiv continues to bombard energy facilities in the hopes of crippling Russia’s ability to wage war.
The overnight drone strike hit a workshop at the Orenburg plant, run by state-owned gas giant Gazprom, located near the border with Kazakhstan, regional Gov. Yevgeny Solntsev said.
The major fuel plant has an annual processing capacity of about 45 billion cubic meters, with the facility handling gas output from both the Orenburg oil and gas field and Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field.
It’s unclear whether the entire plant went offline, or just the portion that processes fuel from Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s energy ministry said it had been notified of the emergency and damage to the plant, but said Gazprom did not provide any details on the extent of the damage or when the facility would be up and running again.
The strike on the gas plant was part of a large Ukrainian drone assault, with Russia’s Ministry of Defense reporting that at least 45 UAVs were shot down overnight, including one in Orenburg.
Ukraine’s latest assault on Russia’s energy sector has caused Moscow’s fossil fuel exports to plummet to their lowest point since the start of the war in Ukraine nearly four years ago.
Russia exported an average of $637 million of fuel a day last month — a 4% slip from August, and a 26% drop from oil exports recorded in September 2024, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
At least 18 Russian oil facilities have been targeted since the summer, with drones taking out a key oil terminal in Crimea, halting crude oil production, and causing headaches for Russian consumers.
Quote:WASHINGTON — Kremlin tyrant Vladimir Putin “is in a weak position” and fearful that the US will finally send Ukraine some Tomahawk missiles that can cut deep into Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.
Zelensky had met with President Trump on Friday — a day after Trump held a call with Putin — and pushed to buy the much-sought-after long-range missiles, although he left the White House meeting empty-handed.
“For today, it’s good again that he didn’t say no,” Zelensky told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” referring to Trump.
“The Tomahawks, it’s very sensitive for Russians,” Zelensky said. “I think that Putin [is] afraid that [the] United States will deliver us Tomahawks. And I think that he’s really afraid that we will use [them].”
Tomahawk missiles would enable Ukraine to hit critical Russian military, logistical and energy targets deep inside its own turf, potentially undermining its war machine significantly.
The US has more than a thousand Tomahawks available, though some experts believe Washington would only spare 20 to 50 of them for Ukraine, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Selling the Ukrainians Tomahawks could mark a dramatic escalation in the war.
In September, during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump publicly ripped Russia as a “paper tiger” and mused that Ukraine could “win all of Ukraine back in its original form” and perhaps go even further.
Putin had vexed Trump when the two had a summit in Alaska in August aimed at winding down the war, with the Russian dictator only later continuing to ramp up his offense in Ukraine.
Then after Trump’s call with Putin on Thursday, the president appeared to warm up to Russia’s perspective that it has the upper hand on the battlefield and revealed plans to met with the Kremlin strongman in Budapest.
But Zelensky said Sunday, “We are not losing this war, and Putin is not winning.
“And really, his army now [is] in a weak position. I think so, because they really from the beginning of this war, they could occupy 1% of our land, but they spent 1,300,000 people, and I think this is high price, yes, for such land.
EUROPE
Quote:Prince Andrew just gave up his royal title, the Duke of York, after King Charles and the rest of the royal family finally ran out of patience with the scandal-tarred noble.
But don’t expect the disgraced duke to be out on the street polishing his résumé. For non-blue bloods, he faces mostly humiliation by losing out on his fancy title, not exactly hardship.
The Post breaks down exactly what the news means:
Why is Prince Andrew giving up his dukedom?
Buckingham Palace confirmed Friday that Andrew, 65, has agreed to stop using his titles and honors, including “Duke of York” and the “His Royal Highness” styling, after a “discussion with The King.”
The move came after a brutal week of headlines. There was the newly surfaced 2011 email showed Andrew telling Jeffrey Epstein, “We’re in this together,” contradicting years of denials about their friendship.
Most recently, British papers revealed he’d met with a top Chinese official later tied to a UK spy case.
That was the final straw for King Charles, who reportedly decided his younger brother had become “poisonous” to the monarchy.
What does this mean for Andrew’s future?
Andrew’s “decision” — read: royal nudge — is more symbolic than practical. He wasn’t formally stripped of anything, which would require an act of Parliament, but he has agreed to stop using his titles publicly.
He keeps “Prince,” since that’s part of his birthright, but he loses “Duke of York,” “His Royal Highness,” and his honorary posts, including his membership in the Order of the Garter.
His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will no longer be “Duchess of York” — she’ll simply be Sarah Ferguson again — while his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, remain princesses.
So yes, he’s still royal, but when the family steps out for church or a coronation, he’s no longer invited to walk alongside them.
Andrew still lives rent-free at Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion on the Windsor estate that he shares with his ex-wife. His lease runs until 2078, and even the King can’t evict him without a major legal fight — one the Palace already lost.
He’s also still wealthy, still attending private family events, and still — technically — “Prince Andrew.”
In other words, he lost the title, not the lifestyle.
What has the family of Andrew’s late accuser, Virginia Giuffre, said?
The fallout isn’t confined to palace optics. The family of the late Virginia Giuffre — who accused Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was 17 and was one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent victims — called the prince’s move “vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere.”
In a statement, they said: “This is not just a victory for her, but for every single survivor of the horrific crimes perpetrated by Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
Quote:A Jewish film festival set to begin next month in Sweden, has been postponed indefinitely, after several local cinemas refused to screen the films with claims of safety and security concerns.
Sofia Nerbrand, one of the organizers of the Jewish International Film Festival in Malmö, confirmed the news on X, noting “no cinema dares to rent out its premises” to host screenings.
Folkets Hus, “which had previously said yes” to the festival’s organizers, “has withdrawn due to security reasons,” Nerbrand shared Thursday.
“It is outrageous if Sweden cannot protect cinema-goers who are interested in Jewish film. … We can’t have it like this.”
The festival, founded last year, would have marked 250 years of Jewish life in Sweden.
But Nerbrand, and other cultural ambassadors in the country, have not given up.
“We MUST arrange the Jewish film festival in Malmö,” she wrote on X.
“It must be possible to find a venue. Many engaged people have reached out during the day with everything from cheers to concrete suggestions. That still gives hope.
“At the same time, more people must realize that violent anti-semites are a serious societal problem, because they spread fear, silence, and appeasement,” she continued.
“It’s not just about Jews, but about Sweden.”
The festival was booked to run from Nov. 29 through Dec. 2.
Quote:Video shows one of the suspected Louvre robbers brazenly cutting through a glass case using a mini chainsaw before making off with the loot during Sunday’s heist at the Paris art gallery, French media has reported.
The short clip shows the thief, wearing a yellow reflective jacket over a black hoodie, casually cutting through the protective case, French outlet BFMTV reported.
The video does not show the robber leaving the gallery.
A total of nine precious items from France’s Crown Jewels were taken during Sunday’s daring raid, with one of them, a crown that once belonged to Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie, being later recovered, French magistrate Laure Beccuau told Le Parisien.
“We have CCTV footage from the museum itself,” she said, adding that the suspected thieves were highly “prepared” and “organized.”
Among the priceless jewels stolen is a large bodice bow that belonged to the Empress Eugenie, made up of 2,634 diamonds, which was bought by the museum in 2008 for $10.5 million.
Before being bought at auction, the item was in private hands in the US.
So far, no details have been given about the identities of the robbers, who allegedly drove an aerial work platform up to the side of the world-famous art gallery before using miniature chainsaws to access the building through the window.
MIDDLE EAST
Quote:Hamas defended the gruesome public executions it carried out against Palestinians earlier this week as the terrorist group says it has no plans to lay down its arms — throwing a massive wrench into the already tense peace negotiations with Israel.
Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal told Reuters that “exceptional measures” had to be taken when it carried out public killings in Gaza on Monday, which drew widespread criticism for their extreme violence. He claimed that those executed were criminals guilty of murder.
Nazzal also refused to commit to Hamas disarming itself, which Israel has demanded as part of a peace deal. Hamas’ arms could prove to be a major obstacle as both sides, with the help of the US, work to create lasting peace days after the first phase of the cease-fire was agreed on.
In response to Nazzal’s comments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office slammed Hamas for failing to live up to its end of the deal as Israel remains committed to fulfilling the terms.
“Hamas is supposed to release all hostages in stage 1. It has not. Hamas knows where the bodies of our hostages are. Hamas are to be disarmed under this agreement. No ifs, no buts. They have not. Hamas need to adhere to the 20-point plan. They are running out of time,” said a statement from the office.
Nazzal, speaking from Doha, said Hamas is prepared to accept a five-year cease-fire to rebuild the Gaza Strip, including guarantees for the future if it is offered “horizons and hope” for statehood.
Quote:Pro-Palestinian groups are accused of funding a “pay for slay” program which donated $300 million to the families of terrorists in a new lawsuit, The Post has learned.
Terrorists convicted of atrocities and assassins are profiting from the scheme’s blood money, according to the legal filing in Manhattan federal court.
The action has been brought by Americans who have lost family members in terrorist attacks and is against the Palestinian Liberation Organization, an international group, and the Palestinian Authority, located on the West Bank and headed by Mahmoud Abbas.
The lawsuit claims last year the PA Martyrs’ Fund gave out the staggering sum, which effectively equates to a “lucrative bounty” on the heads of foreign nationals, including Americans, “by paying millions in salaries or compensation,” annually to imprisoned terrorists and their families, according to the legal papers.
“By establishing financial incentives for imprisoned terrorists and the families of dead terrorists, the PA and PLO have created a terrorism turnstile—rewarding terrorists who are either imprisoned or killed, thereby creating the space and monetary incentives for new would-be terrorists to take their place,” the court papers say.
The lawsuit cites the example of Abdullah Barghouti, a bomb-building member of Hamas whose explosives killed 67 people — among them Israeli, Americas, Dutch and French citizens — at various locations in Israel in 2002 and 2011.
Barghouti is currently serving 67 life sentences in an Israeli prison, but his family has received nearly $400,000 in payouts, the lawsuit claims.
Among the plaintiffs are members of the Gez family, who are dual-American and Israeli citizens. They lost their mother, Tzeela Gez, and her infant, Ravid Gez, to a Palestinian terrorist in May 2025.
Mother of three Tzeela, 30, was shot and killed while she was on her way to a hospital with her husband to give birth to her son near their home in the West Bank.
Her husband, Hananel Gez, was wounded but survived the shooting. Doctors performed an emergency cesarean section and delivered the baby, but were unable to save the mother’s life. The baby died 15 days later, according to the court papers.
Quote:TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel says the remains of another hostage that Hamas handed over the day before have been identified as Eliyahu Margalit, as the Palestinian militant group looks for more bodies under the rubble in the Gaza Strip and urges more aid to be allowed into the embattled enclave.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said Saturday Margalit’s body was identified after testing by the National Center for Forensic Medicine and his family has been notified. The 76-year-old was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, from the horse stables where he worked in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Margalit is the 10th returned hostage body since the ceasefire went into effect over a week ago. Hamas handed over an 11th body this week, but it wasn’t that of a hostage. The effort to find the remains followed a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would green-light Israel to resume the war if Hamas doesn’t live up to its end of the deal and return all hostages’ bodies, totaling 28.
In a statement Saturday, the hostage forum, which supports the families of those abducted, said Margalit’s return brings a measure of solace to his family, but that they won’t rest until the remaining 18 hostages come home. The forum says it will continue holding weekly rallies until all remains are returned.
The handover of hostages’ remains, called for under the ceasefire agreement, has been among the key sticking points — along with aid deliveries, the opening of border crossings into Gaza and hopes for reconstruction — in a process backed by much of the international community to help end two years of devastating war in Gaza.
Hamas has said it is committed to the terms of the ceasefire deal, including the handover of bodies. However, the retrieval of bodies is hampered by the scope of the devastation and the presence of dangerous, unexploded ordnance. The group has also told mediators that some bodies are in areas controlled by Israeli troops.
Margalit’s body was found after two bulldozers plowed up pits in the earth in the city of Khan Younis.
Quote:Vice President JD Vance is headed to Israel on Monday to help push forward the second phase of the historic Gaza peace deal.
Vance plans to visit the Holy Land alongside Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to discuss the progress of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan to effectively end the war in Gaza, which concludes its first phase with Hamas returning the bodies of the 28 dead Israeli hostages, Times of Israel reported.
The terror group has returned the bodies of just 10 slain hostages so far, after having released the 20 remaining living captives Monday, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Hamas handed over the remains of slain hostage Eliyahu Margalit, 76, Israel announced on Saturday — marking the 10th dead captive returned to the Jewish state since the Israeli Defense Forces withdrew from roughly half of the Gaza Strip.
Despite signing on to the peace agreement, Hamas has put the deal on edge with a series of public executions and the apparent refusal to disarm.
Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal told Reuters of the terror group’s refusal to commit to disarmament, which Israel has demanded as part of any truce. Hamas’ arms could prove to be a major obstacle as both sides, with the help of the US, work to create lasting peace.
Trump’s Sept. 29 peace plan called for the Palestinian group to immediately return all hostages before committing to disarmament and ceding governance of Gaza to a committee overseen by an international transitional body.
“Well, they’re going to disarm because they said they were going to disarm, and if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them,” Trump told reporters at a White House meeting this week.
Quote:Hamas’ military leaders returned, what they said are, the remains of two more Israeli hostages to Red Cross personnel in Gaza on Saturday night.
The bodies were taken into custody at around 11 p.m. local time, but neither the terror group nor the Israelis identified which of the 18 remaining slain hostages were returned, according to The Times of Israel.
The hand-off marks the 11th and 12th dead hostages returned to the Jewish state since the landmark Gaza peace treaty — which led to the return of the 20 living hostages — was reached on Oct. 3.
On Friday night, Hamas returned the body of Eliyahu Margalit, 76, who was captured while tending to his horses on Oct. 7, 2023.
The initiation of the second phase in the peace deal between the warring countries is contingent upon the full return of all Israeli hostages.
President Trump announced Wednesday that he would greenlight Israel to continue their offensive if all remains of hostages were not returned by the terror group.
Quote:The State Department warned Saturday of “credible reports” that Hamas might violate its cease-fire with Israel by launching an “imminent” attack on Palestinian civilians in Gaza – warning that any such violence on innocent civilians would trigger a rapid response.
“The United States has informed the guarantor nations of the Gaza peace agreement of credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza,” the State Department posted on social media late Saturday.
“This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts. The guarantors demand Hamas uphold its obligations under the ceasefire terms.”
No details were provided about the nature of the potential attack or what the violation would be.
“Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,” officials continued.
The State Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Despite signing President Trump’s 20-point peace plan last week to effectively end the war in Gaza, the terror group has put the deal on edge with a series of public executions and a refusal to disarm.
Disturbing footage emerged on social media this week showing Hamas gunmen slaughtering Palestinians who were blindfolded and forced to their knees before being shot from behind.
Hamas reportedly claimed the targeted Palestinians were “criminals and collaborators with Israel.”
Trump warned this week on Truth Social that “if Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”
Following the breakthrough cease-fire that has temporarily halted two years of conflict, Hamas has worked quickly to reassert control of the war-torn Gaza Strip.
The terrorists have targeted so-called “clans,” or family-centered armed groups that got stronger during the conflict sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on the Jewish state.
Under the US-brokered deal, the terror group is expected to give up its arms — but has since signaled it has no intention of doing so.
Since the agreement was reached, Hamas has returned all 20 living Israeli hostages and reportedly returned the bodies of 10 of those who were killed in Gaza.
Trump warned Wednesday that if the remains of other slain hostage were not returned as promised, he would greenlight Israeli to continue fighting in the coastal enclave.
“Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word,” the president told CNN.
“If Israel could go in and knock the crap out of them, they’d do that.”
Quote:Israel carried out “significant and extensive” waves of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, in response to what it said was Hamas’ “blatant violation of the ceasefire.”
More than 20 Israeli airstrikes were reported in Khan Younis in the south of the territory, according to reports.
“Our planes have begun a significant and extensive wave of attacks on dozens of targets throughout the Gaza Strip,” Israeli journalist Hallel Bitton Rosen wrote on X.
It comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) accused Hamas of firing on it in the southern city of Rafah.
“Terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire toward IDF troops,” the IDF said, adding that the attack was “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
A Hamas spokesperson said it was “unaware of any events or clashes taking place in the Rafah area, as these are red zones under the control of the occupation.”
Hamas fighters reportedly attacked a group affiliated with Abu Shabab, one of the rival militias jostling for power in the Gaza Strip, a local source told BBC News.
Hamas has accused Israel of funding and arming rival gangs, which it says have looted aid trucks to try and undermine the Islamist group’s authority in the territory.
Militants came under surprise tank fire, leading to a shootout before Israeli warplanes bombed the site, the source claimed.
US officials are reportedly working on restoring calm to Gaza in response to the clashes.
“We knew this was brewing. And the longer these guys are allowed to attack each other, the more they’re going to attack each other,” a senior Trump administration official told Axios.
Quote:Iran announced its nuclear program was free from restrictions of the 2015 non-proliferation pact with world powers that was signed by President Obama — after the deal expired on Saturday.
The decade-old Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which sought limitations on Tehran’s nuclear initiatives in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions, came to an end with the Iranian regime celebrating a possible new nuclear era.
In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry called for their nuclear program, moving forward, to be “treated in the same manner as that of any non-nuclear-weapon” state.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its unwavering commitment to diplomacy while resolutely upholding the legitimate rights and lawful interests of the Iranian nation in all fields, including the inalienable right to the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy,” the statement concluded.
Talks with European powers to revive the agreement continually failed over the years and likely were put to an end after the 12-day war in June with Israel that saw Tehran sustain devastating strikes to its nuclear facilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, found in June that Iran was in violation of the agreement — which Iran contested — that resulted in the reimposition of economic sanctions on Tehran, known as “snapback sanctions,” that had been lifted under the 2015 deal.
Iran denounced the US, UK, Germany and France for “undue pressures” exerted on the Islamic Republic and maintained that it never sought to weaponize their nuclear capabilities, the statement claimed.
Its Foreign Ministry also called out the US and European parties to the now expired non-proliferation pact for not abiding by the rules of the agreement.
CENTRAL ASIA
Quote:Afghanistan and Pakistan, embroiled in fighting that has killed dozens of people and injured hundreds, pledged on Sunday to respect a cease-fire.
The truce, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, came into effect immediately and is intended to pause hostilities.
Violence has escalated between the neighbors since earlier this month, with each country saying they were responding to aggression from the other. Afghanistan denies harboring militants who carry out attacks in border areas.
Pakistan is grappling with militancy that has surged since 2021, when the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan and returned to power.
The Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, gave a positive response to the outcome of the talks that took place in the Qatari capital, Doha, a day earlier.
He said both countries had signed a bilateral agreement.
“It has been decided that neither country will undertake any hostile actions against the other, nor will they support groups carrying out attacks against Pakistan. Both sides will refrain from targeting each other’s security forces, civilians, or critical infrastructure.”
A mechanism would be established in the future, “under the mediation of intermediary countries,” to review bilateral claims and ensure the effective implementation of this agreement.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif posted confirmation of the deal on X.
AFRICA
Quote:US Senator Ted Cruz is spearheading a contentious effort to designate Nigeria as a violator of religious freedom, making unfounded claims of "Christian mass murder" – assertions the West African nation has vehemently rejected as false.
A Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr Cruz is pushing for Nigeria to be labelled a "country of particular concern" due to alleged "severe violations" of religious freedom.
This designation, which currently applies to nations such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China, could lead to US sanctions.
A bill introduced by the senator last month is awaiting action in the Senate, though its ultimate approval is not guaranteed.
Mr Cruz's assertions have been amplified by some US celebrities and commentators, often without substantiating evidence, with certain figures going as far as alleging a "Christian genocide."
His office has not responded to questions, including those concerning his motivation for these allegations.
Here's what to know.
Both Christians and Muslims are killed
Nigeria’s 220-million-strong population is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims. The country has long faced insecurity from various fronts including the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law and has also targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough.
Attacks in Nigeria have varying motives. There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and ethnic clashes.
While Christians are among those targeted, analysts say the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria's Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur.
Both Muslim and Christian communities, and groups, have at various times alleged “genocide” during religiously motivated attacks against both sides.
Quote:A military coup has unfolded in Madagascar, according to an Associated Press report that also indicates the country's parliament voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina, who recently fled the nation.
Madagascar is a large island off the coast of the mainland African continent.
Right after parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina, who fled the country fearing for his safety, the leader of Madagascar’s elite CAPSAT military unit said the armed forces would form a council made up of officers from the military and police, or gendarmerie, and would appoint a prime minister to "quickly" form a civilian government.
"We are taking power," asserted Col. Michael Randrianirina, according to the outlet.
He said the constitution and High Constitutional Court’s powers had been suspended, and that a referendum would be held in two years, though he didn’t go into detail.
The president's office issued a statement decrying the military figure's announcement as an "illegal declaration" and "a serious breach of the rule of law," insisting that "the Republic of Madagascar cannot be taken hostage by force. The State remains standing," according to the AP.
Rajoelina released a decree attempting to dissolve the country's lower house of parliament in an apparent bid to avert impeachment, the AP reported, noting that lawmakers ignored the move.
CAPSAT is the military entity that revolted against the nation's government in 2009 and assisted Rajoelina in obtaining power, according to the outlet.
Quote:Analysts claim the withdrawal of U.S. and European troops from countries in Africa’s Sahel, and their replacement by Russian mercenaries, has led to a spike in jihadist-driven terrorism.
The Sahel is a belt of countries running roughly west to east across the continent just below the Sahara Desert. A total of 3,885 deaths — about 51% of all terrorism-related fatalities globally in 2024 — occurred in the Sahel, according to the Global Terrorism Index.
In at least three Sahel states — Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — military juntas that came to power in coups, notably Niger and Mali, have expelled Western military forces. The U.S. was asked, after 11 years in the country, to halt anti-terror drone operations from two bases in Niger last year. In Mali, French forces were ejected in 2022 after battling Islamist terror groups for nine years.
Governments have turned to the Kremlin’s private mercenary army, the Africa Corps — formerly known as the Wagner Group — for protection. But the Russians are reportedly more interested in extracting minerals than helping stop the spread of jihadism.
Ordinary people often bear the brunt of jihadist attacks in the Sahel. Last month, Islamist gunmen on motorbikes reportedly killed 22 people in an attack on Tillaberi village in western Niger. Fifteen of the dead were families attending a naming ceremony for a child, reports said. In northern Mali in January, Russian mercenaries allegedly joined government forces in executing 10 civilians, including a 2-year-old boy.
In the Sahel, "groups affiliated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda are continuing their territorial and strategic advance," the Observer Research Foundation reported in August, "taking advantage of governance gaps and weak security forces to push into littoral West African states such as Benin and Togo."
"The situation in the Sahel, particularly in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, has rapidly deteriorated since the U.S. and French have withdrawn from the countries following the coups," Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,(FDD) told Fox News Digital.
Roggio, also editor of the FDD’s Long War Journal, added, "The reality is that the situation was bad before the U.S. and French left the region, but the drawdown of U.S. and French forces has exacerbated the jihadist advances."
"Both al Qaeda’s branch in the region, JNIM, (al Qaeda-linked Jama’a Nusrat Al-Islam wa al-Muslimin) and the Islamic State have made gains and control significant enclaves in the countries … The juntas in these three countries wanted the West out, and have turned to Russia to provide security via Wagner, which is now ironically called the Africa Corps."
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
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My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
