World News

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Iran is experiencing widespread power outages, with cryptocurrency mining suspected as a contributing factor.

Bitcoin mining, which requires massive electricity, has surged in Iran due to subsidized energy and rising bitcoin prices, recently hitting $100,000.

Officials blame unauthorized miners using free or subsidized electricity, while public frustration grows over blackouts.

Iran’s energy crisis is compounded by sanctions, aging infrastructure, low fuel reserves, and climate change.

Authorities struggle to balance energy needs amid allegations of mining by paramilitary groups and fears of economic dependence on volatile cryptocurrencies.

Summary

Prince Andrew is under scrutiny after reports revealed he sought financial support from an alleged Chinese spy, deepening questions about his finances.

The businessman, linked to China’s Communist Party, was tasked with finding investors for Andrew’s Eurasia Fund before being banned from the UK on national security grounds in 2021.

Documents show Andrew was described as "desperate" and vulnerable to influence.

This comes weeks after Buckingham Palace declared his finances legitimate, raising concerns over his controversial relationships and prompting calls for a full investigation into his past trade dealings.

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Leading scientists, including Nobel laureates, are urging a halt to research on creating “mirror life” microbes, citing “unprecedented risks” to life on Earth.

Mirror microbes, built from reversed molecular structures, could evade natural immune systems, leading to uncontrollable lethal infections.

While mirror molecules hold potential for medical and industrial uses, researchers warn that mirror organisms could escape containment and resist antibiotics.

A 299-page report in Science advocates banning such research until safety can be ensured and calls for global debate on its ethical and ecological implications.

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Germany’s Bundesbank reduced its 2025 and 2026 GDP growth forecasts to 0.2% and 0.8%, respectively, from previous estimates of 1.1% and 1.4%. It also predicts a 0.2% economic decline in 2024.

Persistent headwinds, structural issues, weak exports, and declining industrial activity are driving the downturn.

Exports fell 2.8% in October, their sharpest drop this year, with future recovery uncertain amid fears of rising global protectionism.

Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel also noted labor market concerns dampening private consumption.

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New research suggests humans and Neanderthals interbred around 45,000 years ago, refining earlier estimates.

Genetic analysis of ancient human remains from the Czech Republic and Germany revealed Neanderthal DNA, aiding in pinpointing the timeline.

A separate study highlights how Neanderthal genes related to immunity and metabolism helped early humans adapt outside Africa.

Modern humans still carry Neanderthal genetic traits, influencing skin color, hair color, and nose shape. Future studies aim to further unravel humanity’s genetic history and connections to extinct relatives like Denisovans.

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French President Emmanuel Macron appointed centrist François Bayrou as the new prime minister after a no-confidence vote ousted Michel Barnier's government.

Bayrou, founder of the Democratic Movement party, faces the challenge of uniting a fractured parliament to pass an unpopular 2025 cost-cutting budget, which led to Barnier's downfall.

Barnier, ousted after just three months, was criticized for bypassing parliament.

Bayrou must form a cabinet and navigate political tensions to avoid another government collapse, which could endanger Macron's presidency amid calls for new elections.

Summary

Ukraine is using psychological warfare to target North Korean troops fighting for Russia, urging them to surrender through the “I Want to Live” campaign.

This initiative, which previously encouraged Russian soldiers to defect, now includes Korean-language leaflets and videos instructing North Korean troops on how to safely surrender.

Up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers have reportedly been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, with some killed in the conflict.

In return for their support, Russia is supplying fighter jets to North Korea, heightening geopolitical tensions.

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Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure Friday, using 93 missiles, including hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, and over 200 drones.

Ukraine’s forces intercepted 81 missiles, with F-16s playing a key role. Western regions, like Ivano-Frankivsk, saw their largest assault since the war began, targeting critical energy systems.

Around half of Ukraine’s energy capacity has been destroyed, forcing widespread power outages as winter temperatures plunge.

President Zelenskyy called the attacks terrorism, and experts believe Russia is trying to weaken Ukraine before Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency and possible talks.

Summary

China broke its silence on large-scale military drills near Taiwan, stating the timing and nature of such exercises are determined by its own needs, quoting Sun Tzu to emphasize unpredictability.

The drills, involving 90 warships and simulated attacks, marked one of Beijing’s largest shows of force in recent years but were unusually devoid of propaganda.

Taiwan declared the exercises over, noting the withdrawal of Chinese vessels.

Tensions remain high as China opposes Taiwan’s independence, criticizing its president Lai Ching-te, whose U.S. engagements have further strained relations.

On Wednesday, the U.S. was one of just a handful of countries to vote against a resolution in the UN General Assembly this week calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, despite the Biden administration’s supposed renewed efforts to obtain a ceasefire before Donald Trump is in office.

The resolution, which also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, passed the assembly 158 to 9, with 13 abstentions. Italy and Germany, which have previously abstained from similar votes, voted for a ceasefire for the first time, leaving the U.S. one of the only major world powers to not approve of a ceasefire resolution.

On a gusty night in September, model Quannah Chasinghorse joined the legendary designer Ralph Lauren on his New York Fashion Week catwalk. Earlier that year, she wasn't even sure she could look him in the eye.

Chasinghorse admits she had to "really wrestle" with whether to work with the fashion mega-brand, or tell them to buzz off. In fact, the Alaska native used a harsher word than "buzz" that cannot be printed here. Still, she ultimately took the job.

"I guess I could have slammed the door on them instead of asking to have a real conversation with them," she tells the BBC. "But then, you know, nothing changes. And that's the opposite of how I want to live."

Chasinghorse is currently in Los Angeles working on a script for a feature film. She has acted in the hit TV comedy Reservation Dogs,and produced the 2024 documentary Bad River, which she co-narrated with actor Edward Norton."The fashion industry has been a tool and a resource for me to enter all these other spaces," she says. "My goal is to open up a bigger worldview for people, in lots of different areas."

The Palestinian village of Faqqu’a, situated at the northern tip of the occupied West Bank, is encircled by Israel’s separation barrier from three sides. As such, for the past two decades since the barrier was built, residents of the village have been required to obtain approval from the Israeli military before they can access over 4,000 dunams of their agricultural land (nearly 1,000 acres).

Hussam Abu Salama owns seven dunams (1.7 acres) of olive-planted land in this area. Each year, when the harvest season comes around, he waits for the army to give them the go-ahead. This year, the village council got the green light to begin the harvest on Oct. 16. “I wish we hadn’t received permission,” Abu Salama told +972.

Mineral water from several European nations has been found for the first time to be contaminated with TFA, a type of PFAS “forever chemical” that is a reproductive toxicant accumulating at alarming levels across the globe.

The finding is startling because mineral water should be pristine and insulated from manmade chemicals. The contamination is thought to stem from the heavy application of pesticides containing TFA, or compounds that turn into it in the environment, which are used throughout the world.

Pesticide Action Network Europe detected TFA in 10 out of 19 mineral waters, and at levels as much as 32 times above the threshold that should trigger regulatory action in the European Union. The findings underscore the need for “urgent action”, the paper’s authors wrote, and come as authorities there propose new limits for some TFA pesticide products.

One bright recent morning, Culiacán threw a party like old times, with chefs serving up aguachile, a Sinaloan-style ceviche, and musicians blasting a riot on their trumpets and drums.

“It used to be like this every weekend,” said Alexis, one of the apprentice chefs, taking a moment in the cool quiet of the cathedral.

But away from this show of spirit in the city centre, the very violence they were defying continued. One body turned up in a river; another was burned to bones in a field on the edge of town.

Three months of war between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel have left more than a thousand dead or disappeared, and a city in a unique kind of humanitarian crisis. Culichis, as the city’s inhabitants are known, are trying to return to normality – but are constantly reminded that they live at the whim of organised crime.

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that the alliance must adopt a “wartime mindset” to prepare for long-term confrontation with Russia.

Speaking in Brussels, he urged members to increase defense spending beyond the 2% GDP target, noting that only 23 of 32 members currently meet it.

Rutte emphasized boosting defense production, addressing cyber threats, and countering China’s military buildup and actions toward Taiwan.

His remarks come as Donald Trump threatens to withhold defense support from NATO members failing to meet spending commitments, raising concerns about alliance unity.

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned that Canada could cut off energy exports to the U.S. if Donald Trump imposes a proposed 25% tariff on Canadian goods.

Ford emphasized that 60% of U.S. crude oil imports and 85% of electricity imports come from Canada, highlighting the potential impact.

Canadian leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, criticized the tariffs as harmful to both economies, while Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland suggested broader retaliatory measures.

The dispute raises concerns over trade relations and escalating economic uncertainty for both nations.

The streets of Damascus have been filled with celebrations since Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia last Sunday in the face of an unexpected rebel offensive, ending more than 50 years of his family’s brutal rule over Syria. But at a public funeral for Mazen al-Hamadah – before his disappearance in 2020 one of the most vocal survivors of torture in the regime’s prisons system – the joy gave way to sorrow, as the country begins to grapple with the fact that many of the estimated 130,000 people missing may be lost forever.

Thousands of people flooded the streets on Thursday, following Hamadah’s body, wrapped in a traditional white shroud, as it was driven slowly from a hospital to the Abdulrahman Abu al Ouf mosque for funeral prayers. At a vigil afterwards in nearby al-Hijaz square, thousands of men, women and children cried and hugged each other, many carrying pictures of their own disappeared loved ones.

The initial euphoria of finding missing people alive after rebels broke down prison cell doors on their astonishing advance to the capital has faded; many anxious families have searched prisons and morgues, and combed through ransacked regime documents and records, and have found nothing. But even so, such a public outpouring of grief would have been unthinkable less than a week ago, when Syria was still a repressive police state.

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A survey by the Bertelsmann Foundation found that most young Germans (ages 16-30) feel disillusioned with politics, citing distrust, lack of influence, and insufficient avenues for engagement beyond voting.

Only 8% believe politicians take their concerns seriously, and fewer than 1 in 5 feel they can enact change.

Despite this, 61% still see democracy as the best system.

The findings come as Germany faces potential elections after its coalition collapse, with experts urging politicians to better involve youth on key issues like peace, education, and inflation.

The downfall of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has humiliated his main backer, Russia, exposing the limits of the Kremlin’s military power and global influence.

Yet to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, the loss of his closest Middle Eastern ally may only be a temporary setback in his quest for a much greater geopolitical prize: triumph in Ukraine.

Military and political analysts said winning the war in Ukraine has become an all-encompassing goal for Mr. Putin. That outcome, they said, would justify to the Russian leader the conflict’s tremendous human and economic losses, safeguard Russia’s statehood and global stature and compensate for strategic failures elsewhere, such as in Syria.

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A survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations reveals growing public support in both the UK and EU for closer ties post-Brexit.

Notably, 54% of Brexit voters, including 59% in "red wall" areas, would accept free movement for access to the single market, with 68% of all UK voters in favor.

Across the EU, pluralities support economic concessions to improve UK cooperation on security, migration, and climate change.

The report urges leaders to align with public sentiment and pursue a bold "reset" of relations to address shared global challenges.