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Fire guts a Bangladeshi beach resort, killing 10 people
A fire has gutted a beach resort in southeastern Bangladesh, killing 10 people and injuring four
Trump blasted for siding with ‘bloodthirsty thug’ in late-night gift to Russia
Critics across the political spectrum unloaded on President Donald Trump after he threw Russia a lifeline with a stroke of his pen.Trump signed an executive order Friday night exempting Russia from a sweeping package of penalties Congress passed last month, just two days before they were set to take effect, The New York Times reported. The law, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), targeted Russian officials, oligarchs and banks to choke off cash for Moscow's war on Ukraine.Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who co-wrote the bill, tore into the president on X. "Donald Trump confirms again that he stands on the side of a bloodthirsty thug & the enablers of Russia's war machine & against the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, & our European allies," he wrote.In a statement reported by the Associated Press, Blumenthal said the waivers have "nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin."Jamie Metzl, a former State Department and National Security Council official, called the move "a despicable and disgraceful betrayal of the brave people of Ukraine, European allies, and American values.""As Ukrainians fight and die defending their freedom, Trump is throwing an economic lifeline to the dictator invading their country," he wrote. "Generations of American heroes who fought and sacrificed to defend freedom against tyranny are rolling in their graves," he added.Gregg Nunziata, a former Republican Senate aide, saw the order as a slap at the late senator who championed the bill. "Among other things, a final dishonor for Senator Graham," he wrote.Progressive activist Amy Siskind was more blunt. "WTF IS TRUMP DOING!" she posted.Investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, known for breaking open the Jeffrey Epstein case at the Miami Herald, offered a sarcastic take. "I guess times change and we are friends with Russia dictators now," she wrote.Others piled on. "Almost comical how in the tank he is for Putin," wrote veteran and political commentator John Jackson.Ukrainian commentator Kate Bohuslavska, who runs the popular account Kate from Kharkiv, kept it short. "Traitorous yet expected. What an embarrassment," she wrote.
Trump hands Russia a lifeline by killing Congress’ punishing war sanctions: NYT
President Donald Trump has handed Russia an economic lifeline days before a punishing crackdown on Moscow's war chest was set to begin.Trump signed an executive order Friday night exempting Russia from penalties laid out in the Graham Act, The New York Times and the Associated Press reported. The law, named for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who died in July, was scheduled to take effect Sunday.The measure aimed to hit Russian officials, oligarchs and banks in an effort to choke off the money funding Moscow's war on Ukraine. It also handed Trump fresh tariff powers, including the ability to slap up to 100 percent levies on countries buying Russian oil and gas and up to 500 percent on Russian goods entering the U.S., per The Times."I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions and duties provided for in the Graham Act," Trump wrote in the order, adding that he had certified to Congress that the waiver serves "the national interests of the United States."
Mexican judge sentences three men to 158 years in prison for murders of Australian and US surfers
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, and their American friend Carter Rhoad, were killed while on a surf trip in Baja California in 2024Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Mexican judge has sentenced three men to 158 years and nine months in prison each for the murder of two Australian brothers and their American friend during a 2024 surf trip to the state of Baja California.The defendants were declared guilty a week ago of homicide, aggravated robbery, robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence, crimes committed against Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, and their American friend Carter Rhoad. Continue reading...
Trump voters hit with ‘pretty striking’ reality check in damning new poll: analyst
President Donald Trump's own base is starting to recognize something critics have long warned about, according to an economic analyst.On Friday's episode of "Receipts Live," The Bulwark economics editor Catherine Rampell and its editor Jonathan V. Last pointed to new AP-NORC polling showing that 55 percent of Republicans believe Trump has prioritized his own business interests since returning to office.About three-quarters of Americans overall said the same, and a similar share of Republicans said Trump has prioritized the business interests of his friends, family and those close to him, Rampell noted."This is penetrating, which I think is pretty striking because again, this is a group of voters, a group of Americans who are not particularly inclined to unplug their ears and hear this inconvenient news about how Donald Trump is getting paid off," Rampell said.She pointed to a string of recent reports, including one that a federal regulator was told to back off a probe into suspiciously timed trades and another on the apparently overseas buyers of Trump's memecoin."Even Republicans are now acknowledging, yeah, he's in it for himself," she said.Last zeroed in on the intensity of those Republicans' responses."Twenty-one percent of Republicans say not at all, which is insane. But that number is slightly smaller than the percentage of Republicans who say a lot, which is 23 percent," Last said."You get almost a quarter of Republicans saying, yeah, sure seems like he's using the government to enrich himself a lot," he added. "And that's not nothing."Last cautioned that the numbers don't mean those voters will turn against Trump, noting some might still argue "everybody does it" or that it's "no worse than what Joe Biden" did.Rampell also flagged a caveat. Republicans in the same survey overwhelmingly said Trump was prioritizing the country at large and people like them as well."If you know how priorities work, you can't prioritize everything and everyone," she said. "But I think this is the only way to keep a handle on all of that cognitive dissonance."Rampell added that a recent Fox News poll found corruption in government topped voters' list of concerns heading into the midterms, edging out inflation and gas prices.
‘They both lied. Ukrainians died’: Musk under fire after explosive Starlink report
Elon Musk’s attempt to wash his hands of a decision Ukraine says proved deadly blew up in his face after a new report tied him to it, and critics wasted no time pouncing.The Telegraph reported Friday that Musk brought President Donald Trump the idea of slowing Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network, citing four sources familiar with the discussion. One source said Trump “agreed,” after which the Pentagon capped the system’s speed, crippling Ukraine’s drone defenses.The report came two days after Musk publicly pinned the blame on Trump. Replying on X Wednesday, the SpaceX chief insisted, “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”However, a senior source told The Telegraph, “The reality is that they were both in it,” and critics didn’t hold back when The Telegraph’s diplomatic editor Joe Barnes shared the scoop on X.“They both lied. Ukrainians died,” the progressive MeidasTouch Network reacted on X.Vatnik Soup, an anti-disinformation account, argued the story played out “exactly as people imagined,” adding that “fear of losing business in Europe” drove Musk’s quick reversal.“The decisions of these two small, greedy men may have cost many Ukrainian soldiers and civilians their lives,” Vatnik Soup wrote. “An absolute disgrace.”British-Lebanese journalist Oz Katerji charged that Musk and Trump “decided to punish Zelenskyy by throttling Starshield because of domestic US fuel prices.”“That didn’t bother Musk though, the only thing he cared about was his profit margin,” Katerji added.Writer Richard Hanania asked if Musk and Trump “were working together to help Putin because they thought it’d be good for Republicans in the midterms.”“These people are more evil than you thought,” he concluded.Electrek editor-in-chief Fred Lambert quipped, “At this point, there’s simply no difference between Trump and Musk. Might as well be the same person.”Veteran political reporter Jamie Dupree observed that “the Sgt. Schultz response (‘I know nothing’) seems to be wearing off,” referring to the “Hogan’s Heroes” character. Dupree added that if the report holds up, it “would not be a surprise to anyone.”Trump, for his part, told reporters at the White House Friday evening that he didn’t think either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access, and a senior U.S. official told Reuters that “no such request was ever made by the president.” The Telegraph said it had approached SpaceX for comment, and the Pentagon has yet to publicly explain the restrictions.
Fury as Trump envoy stays silent after Americans are 'severely' beaten abroad: report
Two Americans were “severely” beaten Thursday and Friday in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and outrage poured in as U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee remained silent on the matter.Heidi Levine, a veteran journalist and photographer for The Washington Post, was “severely” beaten Friday, the Post reported, while “wearing a protective vest clearly marked PRESS on front and back.” She was “kicked repeatedly” after being knocked to the ground, and “stripped of her cameras and phone” by Israeli settlers.“I just got back actually two days ago from three weeks in Ukraine,” Levine said from a hospital bed, video shared by independent journalist Jasper Nathaniel showed. “I’ve been covering this conflict here for over three decades, and this is the second time that I’ve been brutally attacked — 15 years ago I was also attacked in front of the [Israeli] army.”Haitham Taysir, a U.S. citizen, was assaulted on Thursday “while working in his family’s olive groves,” The Vulnerable People Project reported.Huckabee, the chief diplomatic representative in Israel whose top responsibilities include protecting U.S. citizens, has condemned Israeli settler violence in the past. He has also, however, ignored violent attacks on Americans in Israel.“An American citizen, Haytham Taysir, was just severely beaten by settlers in his olive groves in Burqa, Ramallah,” wrote Nathaniel in a social media post on X. “[Huckabee], how’s that crackdown on settler terrorists going?”Nathaniel, who rushed to Levine’s aid shortly after the attack, provided additional details on the incident.“The [Israel Defense Forces] provided cover, with tear gas and machine guns, while the settlers beat Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine nearly to death,” Nathaniel wrote. “Then the IDF shot a Palestinian bystander, and aimed their guns and shoved the paramedics who were trying to treat him. All of this [is] documented.”Journalist and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan was left shaken by video of Levine receiving medical treatment.“Israeli settlers, funded and protected by the United States, attacked this female American journalist in her sixties,” Hasan wrote in a social media post on X.There are more than 700,000 Israeli settlers illegally living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with instances of Israeli settler violence reaching record-high levels in recent months.Heidi Levine is up and speaking from the hospital in Ramallah. https://t.co/VAar6Z7PSS— jasper nathaniel (@infinite_jaz) October 16, 2026
Flash floods destroy villages in central Nepal
Landslide blocks river and triggers downstream flooding, while summer temperatures persist in PortugalFlash floods have swept through Nepal’s central Gorkha district after a pre-dawn landslide on 11 October blocked the Budhi Gandaki River, triggering severe downstream flooding. Two villages in the worst-affected Chumanubri rural municipality were reportedly destroyed, with homes, roads and bridges washed away. Part of a hydropower station was also damaged.After river levels surged from 2 metres to nearly 8.5 metres within hours, the national disaster risk reduction and management authority reported that 204 homes were damaged, and more than 650 people had been affected. More than 100 foreign trekkers were stranded in the popular hiking region. The floods come just two months after catastrophic flooding and landslides devastated parts of the country on the border with Tibet, leaving thousands dead or missing. Continue reading...
Museum releases historical photos of island where Amelia Earhart may have crashed
Images from New Zealand aerial survey of Nikumaroro in 1938 offer new clues over aviator’s disappearanceA New Zealand museum has released nearly 50 photos from a 1938 aerial survey of the island where Amelia Earhart is believed to have crash-landed, offering amateur sleuths new evidence to scour for traces of the pioneering aviator and her plane.The black-and-white images were published by the Air Force Museum of New Zealand after renewed interest in one of the biggest mysteries of the 20th century, spurred by a US expedition to the Pacific atoll of Nikumaroro in search of new clues. Continue reading...
Revealed: VW, Ford and Tesla batteries linked to destructive deforestation of indigenous lands
Mines in supply chains of western carmakers linked to widespread deforestation of primary rainforest in nickel-rich lands inhabited by Tolaki people in IndonesiaVolkswagen, Ford and Tesla are among the electric carmakers whose batteries may contain nickel mined in indigenous woodlands plagued by deforestation, an analysis has found, highlighting the struggle to make vehicles that are free from environmental destruction.Corporate disclosures and trade flows from the last two years show mines in the battery supply chains of automotive giants are linked to the loss of trees in Sulawesi, a wildlife hotspot in Indonesia that houses the world’s largest nickel deposits. The metal is widely used in cathodes in car batteries because it boosts energy density and increases range. Continue reading...
‘Madness’: Shock as Trump White House smacked by bombshell on deadly Starlink order
Critics of President Donald Trump unloaded on his White House after a new report traced a deadly battlefield decision straight to his doorstep.Reuters reported Thursday that the order to limit Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink service that Ukrainian troops use for drone operations and battlefield communications, came from inside the White House, according to two U.S. officials and a Western official briefed on the matter.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said people were killed when interceptor drones relying on the system stopped working. On Wednesday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pinned the limits on the U.S. military and "ultimately" the president. A senior U.S. official insisted to Reuters that "no such request was ever made by the president."Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA operations officer, warned the fallout reached far beyond the battlefield."If true, this is a very big deal. Not just in terms of Ukrainian lives that were lost. I'm not sure if people realize that this put the lives of US embassy officials and US citizens at large in Ukraine at great risk," he cautioned on X. "This is madness. The White House did this. I've never seen anything like this in my career. Heads should roll."California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) zeroed in on a possible motive. "How much did Putin pay. And to whom?" he asked.Former Illinois Republican Rep. Joe Walsh didn't hold back in his reaction. "Trump is on Putin's side. Always has been," he fumed. "Trump is actively helping Putin kill Ukrainian men, women, and children." Walsh went on to brand the president a traitor who "should be treated as such."Miles Taylor, who served as Department of Homeland Security chief of staff during Trump's first term, called the revelation "a bigger scandal than Trump's first Ukraine impeachment."The Bulwark's Tim Miller skewered the White House order as "a huge gift from Trump to our ally Russia." His colleague Sam Stein, The Bulwark's managing editor, hailed the report as a "big scoop."MeidasTouch co-founder Ben Meiselas argued the order came from the "exact place the orders came from to cover up the Epstein Files, or destroy the Kennedy Center, or chop down the trees at the DC Golf Course."Journalist Michael Weiss summed up his reaction in a single sarcastic word. "Surprise," he quipped.If true, this is a very big deal. Not just in terms of Ukrainian lives that were lost. I’m not sure if people realize that this put the lives of US embassy officials and US citizens at large in Ukraine at great risk. This is madness. The White House did this. I’ve never seen anything like this in my career. Heads should roll. If true…— Marc Polymeropoulos (@Mpolymer) October 16, 2026
Elon Musk’s finger-pointing at Trump backed up by bombshell report
Elon Musk's attempt to pin a deadly battlefield decision on President Donald Trump just got backing from an explosive new report.The directive to throttle Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service on which Ukrainian troops rely, originated inside the White House, Reuters reported Thursday, citing two U.S. officials and a Western official who had been briefed on the matter.According to officials, Defense Department leaders were sent a message instructing them to slow the service for Ukraine's military. They did not say who in the White House gave the order or who carried it out.The report lands a day after Musk publicly laid the blame at the president's feet. Responding on X Wednesday to former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had pressed him to lift the speed cap, the SpaceX chief insisted his company wasn't calling the shots."Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," Musk wrote.The Trump administration pushed back Thursday. Asked about the order, a senior U.S. official told Reuters, "No such request was ever made by the president." The White House didn't answer questions about whether anyone else in the Trump administration was behind it.A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that Kyiv spent Tuesday and Wednesday calling senior officials at the White House, State Department and Pentagon looking for an explanation, and was told that the restriction was a White House decision.The stakes are high. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Piers Morgan Wednesday that people were killed because interceptor drones that depend on Starlink stopped working. Ukrainian officials said the slowdown also hampered strikes on Russian forces and supply lines. A Defense Ministry source told Reuters the receptors are functioning in motion again, but only up to 100 miles per hour.The clampdown came as Trump has leaned on Kyiv to halt its attacks on Russian oil refineries, which he blames for rising energy prices heading into the midterms. At an October 9 meeting in Miami, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff took a hard line with Ukrainian officials over the strikes, according to a person familiar with the matter.Musk himself had backed Trump's pressure campaign just days ago, sharing a clip of the president's warning to Zelenskyy on October 10 with the comment, "Zelensky has gone too far."
