News And Current Events

About 100 peaceful Indigenous protesters blocked the main entrance to the United Nations climate conference on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon for 90 minutes on Friday morning, ending the standoff after a lengthy discussion with the climate talks president, who cradled a protester’s baby during the talks.

https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-cop30-brazil-protest-indigenous-8b3e00085110627a989357434805f920

A man with a gun was killed Thursday in a shootout with police in New York City after he pointed his weapon at a man in an apartment building elevator and a deli worker and threatened to shoot up a hospital, police said.

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-police-gunman-shot-376ffecea655e6637dd8a3fc05e9d76c

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5599892-utah-alternative-proposal-congressional-map-democrats/

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-radical-activist-organization-unlawfully-registering-illegals-vote

https://apnews.com/article/california-redistricting-justice-department-lawsuit-025b00f0b3490a5fa8219c4376bcb9d2

https://apnews.com/article/ammonia-gas-leak-oklahoma-81319108b4556f17a5a324f5f29be1f6

Evacuation of a frontier village takes place after a shooting reportedly kills one resident.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/13/cambodia-evacuates-hundreds-from-disputed-thai-border-as-tensions-reignite?traffic_source=rss

Ukraine's energy and justice ministers have resigned in the wake of a major investigation into corruption in the country's energy sector.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko's removal on Wednesday.

On Monday anti-corruption bodies accused several people of orchestrating a embezzlement scheme in the energy sector worth about $100m (£76m), including at the national nuclear operator Enerhoatom.

Some of those implicated in the scandal are - or have been - close associates of Zelensky's.

The allegation is that Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and other key ministers and officials received payments from contractors building fortifications against Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.

Among those alleged to be involved are former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov and Timur Mindich - a businessman and a co-owner of Zelensky's former TV studio Kvartal95. He has since reportedly fled the country.

Halushchenko said he would defend himself against the accusations, while Grynchuk said on social media: "Within the scope of my professional activities there were no violations of the law."

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sap) said the investigation - which was 15 months in the making and involved 1,000 hours of audio recordings - uncovered the participation of several members of the Ukrainian government.

According to Nabu, the people involved systematically collected kickbacks from Enerhoatom contractors worth between 10% and 15% of contract values.

https://nypost.com/2025/11/12/us-news/jeffrey-epstein-claimed-donald-trump-knew-about-the-girls-in-2019-email/

https://nypost.com/2025/11/10/us-news/middle-school-teacher-allegedly-had-sex-with-underage-student-allowed-to-sleep-over-at-her-home/

In a message obtained by Congress, the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein wrote that Donald J. Trump spent hours at his house with one of Mr. Epstein’s victims.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/us/politics/trump-epstein-emails.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0k8.saXF.U7Bmdti9MDxr

EU members Bulgaria and Romania have been working to save refineries owned by Russian oil giant Lukoil following US sanctions on the company, Politico has reported. Lukoil controls Bulgaria’s largest refinery, Neftochim Burgas, as well as Romania’s Petrotel.

Washington imposed sanctions on Lukoil last month, accusing Russia of lacking commitment to the Ukraine peace process. Moscow says it remains open to talks but wants a comprehensive deal addressing the root causes of the conflict. The measures take effect on November 21.

According to a Politico report on Friday, Bulgarian officials fear the sanctions could shut down Burgas – which supplies up to 80% of the country’s fuel – as banks pull support, potentially triggering fuel shortages and protests. Sources said Sofia is seeking an exemption and has asked Washington to delay the measures, although no details of the talks have been disclosed. Separately, Bulgarian lawmakers on Friday passed a bill allowing the government to take control of Burgas if necessary to shield it from sanctions, as well as approve its sale or nationalize it.

Romania’s fuel supply faces less risk from sanctions on Lukoil, as Petrotel covers about 20% of demand, although Bucharest is also considering seeking a sanctions extension, Politico sources claimed. Analysts told the outlet that a potential Petrotel shutdown would cause only mild price increases within the country, but could disrupt exports to neighboring Moldova, which relies heavily on Romanian supplies. Romania was the main supplier of oil products for Moldova in 2024, providing 99.1% of gasoline imports and 74.1% of diesel.

One source claimed that nationalization of Petrotel, while also on the table, is seen as a “last option” by Bucharest.

Days after the US sanctions were announced, Lukoil said it had accepted an offer from energy trader Gunvor Group to buy its subsidiary holding all foreign assets. Gunvor sought US Treasury approval – a required step for the deal to take place – but withdrew its bid after being accused of Kremlin ties. Gunvor has called the accusation “fundamentally misinformed and false.”

The US government shutdown has delayed more than $5 billion in arms exports to European NATO members and subsequent transfers to Ukraine, Axios reported on Sunday.

A budget standoff between Democrats and Republicans in Congress has dragged the shutdown out for 40 days, making it the longest in US history.

“This is actually really harming both our allies and partners and US industry to actually deliver a lot of these critical capabilities overseas,” Axios cited a senior State Department official as saying.

More than $5 billion in arms exports – including AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, HIMARS, and other weapons for European NATO members – have been affected, the outlet added.

A French appeals court has upheld a ruling ordering GlaxoSmithKline to pay €197,000 (£159,000) to a man who claimed a drug given to him to treat Parkinson's turned him into a 'gay sex addict'.

Didier Jambart, 52, was prescribed the drug Requip in 2003 to treat his illness.

Within two years of beginning to take the drug the married father-of-two says he developed an uncontrollable passion for gay sex and gambling - at one point even selling his children's toys to fund his addiction.

He was awarded £160,000 in damages after a court in Rennes, France, upheld his claims.

The ruling, which is considered ground-breaking, was made yesterday by the appeal court, which awarded damages to Mr Jambart.

Following the decision Mr Jambart appeared outside the court with his wife Christine beside him.

Jambart broke down in tears as judges upheld his claim that his life had become 'hell' after he started taking Requip, a drug made by GSK.

Mr Jambart began taking the drug for Parkinson's in 2003, he had formerly worked as a well-respected bank manager and local councillor, and is a father of two.

After beginning to take the drug he claimed he attempted to commit suicide eight times.

In total Mr Jambert said he gambled away 82,000 euros, mostly through internet betting on horse races. He also said he engaged in frantic searches for gay sex.

He started exhibiting himself on websites and arranging encounters, one of which he claimed resulted in him being raped.

He said his family had not understood what was going on at first.

Mr Jambert said he realised the drug was responsible when he stumbled across a website that made a connection between the drug and addictions in 2005. When he stopped the drug he claims his behaviour returned to normal.

President Donald Trump on Sunday made it clear how he feels about people who do not agree with tariffs.

Writing in a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said, “People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!”

“We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country In the World, With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER. We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion,” he added.

“Record Investment in the USA, plants and factories going up all over the place. A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone,” Trump concluded.

His statement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments recently about the legality of his use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on imports from nearly every trading partner, Breitbart News reported Wednesday:

At issue is whether Mr. Trump properly invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977, a law that gives presidents broad authority during national emergencies, to levy tariffs he says are necessary to address trade deficits, pressure other countries to help the U.S. combat fentanyl smuggling, and protect American manufacturing.

The case has enormous implications for American businesses and consumers, as well as for Mr. Trump’s economic agenda. The president has made tariffs a centerpiece of his trade policy, using them to pressure foreign governments and bring manufacturing back to the United States.

Ukraine was scrambling to turn lights and heating back on Sunday after Russian attacks targeting energy infrastructure reduced the country's power generating capacity to "zero".

Moscow, which has escalated attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure in recent months, launched hundreds of drones at energy facilities across the country overnight into Saturday.

The attacks interrupted electricity, heat and water supplies in several cities, with state power firm Centerenergo warning generating capacity "is down to zero".

Power would be cut for between eight to 16 hours a day across most regions of Ukraine on Sunday, state provider Ukrenergo said, while repairs were carried out and energy sourcing diverted.

While the situation had somewhat stabilised, regions including Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Chernigiv and Sumy could continue to see regular power cuts, Ukraine's energy minister said Saturday evening.

"The enemy inflicted a massive strike with ballistic missiles, which are extremely difficult to shoot down. It is hard to recall such a number of direct strikes on energy facilities since the beginning of the invasion," Svitlana Grynchuk told local broadcaster United News.

Mamdani earned a bare majority – 50.39% or a little over one million votes – in the three-way mayoral contest against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa.

During a Politico interview, Mamdani acknowledged nearly half of voters didn’t end up supporting him and promised to be the mayor of “every New Yorker, whether they voted for another candidate, or, frankly, whether they didn’t vote at all.”

He appeared to argue the massive 2 million-voter turnout bolstered his claim of a mandate.

“I am proud to be the next mayor, having received more than a million votes in an election which saw turnout the likes of which we hadn’t seen since 1969,” he said.

“And I’m glad that this was an election that saw a far greater number of New Yorkers seeing themselves in our democracy and in the policies and the proposals that have been put forward over the last year.”

Mamdani singled out childcare and freezing the rent on regulated apartments as two promises he aimed to tackle in his first year.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has signaled she wants to work with Mamdani on achieving his $6 billion universal childcare plan in 2026 – a shared priority that the democratic socialist told Gothamist is in the works.

“We will be building out a timeline to fulfill our commitment for universal childcare and to do so by not only reckoning with the ways in which the (Eric) Adams’ administration has made it harder to afford raising a child in the city, but also by going beyond that to the final point of having every child from six weeks to five years of age receiving that childcare,” he said.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/49412271

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey announced Friday that it had issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials in his government over the war in Gaza.

The announcement was met with a firm rebuttal from Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel "firmly rejects, with contempt" the charges, calling them "the latest PR stunt by the tyrant (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan".

The Istanbul prosecutor's office said in a statement that a total of 37 suspects were targeted by the arrest warrants, without providing a full list.

They include Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.

Turkey has accused the officials of "genocide and crimes against humanity" that Israel has "perpetrated systematically" in Gaza.

The statement also refers to the "Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital", built by Turkey in the Gaza Strip and bombed by Israel in March.

Turkey, which has been one of the most vocal critics of the war in Gaza, last year joined South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

A fragile ceasefire has been in force in the devastated Palestinian territory since October 10 as part of US President Donald Trump's regional peace plan.

The Islamist militant group Hamas welcomed Turkey's announcement, calling it a "commendable measure (confirming) the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity that bind them to our oppressed Palestinian people".

Saar said in his post in English on the social media platform X that "in Erdogan's Turkey, the judiciary has long since become a tool for silencing political rivals and detaining journalists, judges and mayors".

He added that the Istanbul prosecutor's office "recently orchestrated the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul merely for daring to run against Erdogan", referring to Ekrem Imamoglu, who was detained in March.

Israel's former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman wrote on X that the arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials "clearly explain why Turkey should not be present in the Gaza Strip -- directly or indirectly".

Turkey wants to take part in the international stabilisation force intended to play a role in post-war Gaza, according to Trump's plan.

But Ankara's efforts, which include increasing diplomatic contacts in the region and seeking to influence the pro-Israel stance of the United States, are viewed unfavourably in Israel, which considers Turkey too close to Hamas.

Israeli leaders have repeatedly expressed their opposition to any Turkish participation in the international stabilisation force in Gaza.

Israel has rejected as "false" and "antisemitic" accusations of genocide from a UN-mandated commission, several NGOs and some countries.

United States set to become only the second country to skip its Universal Periodic Review, after Israel in 2013, though Jewish state participated 10 months later

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-officials-nonprofits-cry-foul-as-washington-snubs-periodical-un-rights-review/

The ruling allows the Trump administration's rule to go into effect while the case plays out.

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-supreme-court-rules-passports-can-require-biological-sex

It was not immediately clear Thursday whether the Sudanese military would also accept the truce to halt 18 months of conflict with the Rapid Support Forces.

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/africa/sudan-rapid-support-forces-agree-us-ceasefire-proposal-el-fasher-rcna242335

‘Humiliating’ groping of Claudia Sheinbaum by drunken man prompts widespread condemnation

Claudia Sheinbaum says she will file a complaint over the groping incident.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/06/mexicans-outraged-by-public-sex-assault-on-president

https://apnews.com/article/pelosi-reelection-announcement-fd95c18815fdabdaabaf26b8c2f0bafc

Troops from the country's Self Defense Force arrived in the northern Akita Prefecture on Wednesday to combat a crisis that has seen 100 people attacked and 13 killed since April.

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/japan-bear-attacks-troops-deployed-akita-record-sightings-rcna242058