Corax
26-year-old Luigi Mangione arrested suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last week, is referred to as an anti-capitalist Ivy League grad who liked online quotes from Ted Kaczynski, was caught with a gun and a manifesto railing against US healthcare industry
World
Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow along with his family and has been granted asylum for humanitarian reasons, according to a Kremlin source to the TASS news agency
Ukraine expands access to militarized satellite network Starshield from 500 to 3,000 terminals after SpaceX signs contract with the Pentagon, contract valid during 2025
Rebels storm the Syrian presidential palace and announce on state TV that President Bashar al-Assad is ousted, as the capital fell a Syrian airplane with unknown passengers left the Damascus airport and flew towards Assad's coastal region stronghold before making a U-turn and disappearing off the map, unclear if the plane was shot down or the transponder was switched off
Ukrainian trained Syrian rebel forces lead the assault on Aleppo along with among others Turkish backed former Al-Qaeda affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, only connection between the disparate Islamist groups is said to be hatred of the Russian-backed Assad regime, more than 20 villages and the Aleppo airport among what has been captured
Russia fires hypersonic ballistic missile with multiple warheads at targets in the city of Dnipro, Putin says in televised address that what was once a regional conflict now has elements of a global character after Western long-range missiles were used for attacks on Russian territory
US opens military base in Poland less than 160 km from Kaliningrad, is the first US base in the country and will focus on air defense
Donald Trump wins the presidential election and becomes the first person in over 120 years to lose the White House and win it back again, won in all swing states and also won the popular vote
Greenland court extends the detention of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson for additional three weeks pending possible extradition to Japan, was arrested in July connection with refueling of his ship in Greenland's capital Nuuk on a 2012 Japanese arrest warrant stemming from a 2010 incident in which Watson is accused of causing damage to a Japanese whaling ship in the Antarctic
Miscellaneous
England's Football Association will contact Crystal Palace player Marc Guéhi regarding him writing "I love Jesus" on the league-issued LGBTQ+ campaign rainbow armband during a game, says the formal reminder that religious messaging is banned avoids the need for disciplinary action, only captain not to wear the armband is Ipswich practising Muslim Sam Morsy
YMCA is not a gay anthem according to Victor Willis who wrote the lyrics, has pulled in millions of dollars in royalties as Donald Trump played it extensively as part of his campaign, songwriter happy that unlike other artists he has not stopped Trump from using his music
Brain rot named Oxford Word of the Year 2024, the term that increased in usage frequency by 230% between 2023 and 2024 is defined as deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state as the result of overconsumption of trivial or unchallenging material, first recorded use of the term is found in Henry David Thoreau 1854 book Walden where he criticizes society's tendency to devalue complex ideas which he sees as indicative of a general decline in mental and intellectual effort
Fistfights in Serbia's parliament during discussion regarding rail station roof collapse in Novi Sad that killed 15 people after a recent Chinese renovation, the opposition displayed a banner reading "blood is on your hands" while the ruling party's banner accused the opposition of wanting "war while Serbia wants to work" and the scuffle took place after both sides tried to tear the opponents' banners down, widespread protester in the country where most large infrastructure projects are undertaken with Chinese state companies
Media
US political commentator Candace Owens refused a visa to enter New Zealand because Australia banned her due to comments regarding the Holocaust and Muslims, has for instance expressed doubts regarding medical experimentation on Jews in concentration camps during World War II, planned doing a speaking tour discussing free speech and Christian faith
Australia bans social media ban for children under 16, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit but not YouTube included, the platforms bear sole responsibility for enforcement and risk fines of up to USD 33 million, 77% of Australians support the ban according to a recent YouGov poll
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy start podcast to keep the public updated on their work to reduce the US federal state, Dogecast will provide unique transparency into their process and also highlight examples of waste, fraud and misuse of tax funds
Alex Jones' media companies including Infowars are taken over by The Onion after bankruptcy auction, new owner intends to turn site into a parody of the kind of material it previously produced, Jones says he'll stay in studio and continue broadcasting until physically removed
FBI raid on Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan after platform gained attention for predicting Donald Trump's election victory, suspected political retaliation for challenging traditional polling and media processes
Politics
Afro-Swedish EU parliamentarian Alice Bah Kuhnke (MP) tells The Guardian she has learned to keep her ID close at hand as she frequently is stopped in and around the European Parliament and that other black parliamentarians have the same experience, the article author writes that the over-representation of white men in parliament have far-reaching consequences
Argentine President Javier Milei attends a convention of European patriots organized by the right-wing party Vox with Marine Le Pen among others present and has no plans to meet the king or Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during a visit to Spain, calls socialism satanic and a cancer in a speech on the first day of the visit
Dutch Geert Wilders presents an agreement between four parties that will introduce the country's strictest immigration policy ever by, among other things, getting exemptions from the EU's immigration policy similar to Denmark, takes place after his party the Freedom Party became the largest party in the 2023 election and since then negotiated the formation of a government, still unclear who will be prime minister
The Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang is leading the polls ahead of the Belgian election at June 9 with 28 percent support and the party's Barbara Pas says the desire to have children generally remains the same, but cannot be fulfilled by the people due to practical and financial obstacles which the party seeks to eliminate
Opinion
EU's health ministers agree on recommending bans on smoking and vaping in many outdoor areas including cafe patios and beaches, all countries voted in favour apart from Germany and Greece which abstained, EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi comments that the agreement is a crucial step towards the goal of a tobacco-free generation in Europe
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy: Recent Supreme Court decisions make clear that numerous regulations are unconstitutional because they were not enacted by Congress, we will help Donald Trump identify such regulations so that he can immediately repeal them, this will also cause severe cuts to agencies and major cost savings
Jeff Bezos: Media fails to be seen as credible and is considered by most to be biased, it would be easy to blame others for our long and continuing decline in credibility but victim mentality does not help and I will not allow the Washington Post fade into irrelevance so changes are now needed for us to win this fight
Europe
Planned terror attack on Christmas market in Bavaria foiled by police after tip-off from a foreign intelligence agency, 37-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker arrested, the man shared Islamic State propaganda on social media and planned on driving a car through the Augsburg market
Muhammad is the most popular boys' baby name in England and Wales for the first time, has been in the top 10 since 2016 but has now overtaken Noah, 4661 Muhammads born in the countries during 2023 with Mohammed in 28th place with 1601 and Mohammad in 68th with 835
France's government collapses as Prime Minister Michel Barnier loses no-confidence vote, Barnier whose term spanned 90 days on will become the shortest-lived prime minister in the history of the modern French republic said ahead of the vote that he cannot accept the idea that institutional destabilization could be the objective that brings together a majority of lawmakers at a moment when our country faces a deep moral, economic, financial and civic crisis, the no-confidence vote followed Barnier's decision to force through an austere budget without parliamentary support
Polish PM Donald Tusk condemns climate activist road blockades and pledges crackdown, Interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak also condemns the activists' "completely irresponsible and scandalous behaviour" and says new regulations could be introduced and that the road blocks will be fought ruthlessly
Denmark reinstates 1915 ban on flying foreign flags without special permission, Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard says the Dannebrog is the most important national symbol and should enjoy a very special status, exceptions made for the Nordic countries, Germany, Greenland and the Faroe Islands as well as allowances for specific contexts like sporting events and demonstrations
Over 100 000 soldiers have deserted the Ukrainian army, widespread exhaustion and demoralization among the soldiers where interviewed deserters say it is 50 Russian shells fired for each Ukrainian one and that the war seems unwinnable
EU will provide Ukraine an additional EUR 4.2 billion in December to support the country's budget and will start transferring EUR 1.5 billion monthly from frozen Russian assets starting in January 2025, the new President of the European Council António Costa says the money can be used for military purposes and adds that the EU is working on a 15th package of sanctions against Russia
The EU simplifies the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the EU Taxonomy, the decision is reported as a decisive pivot away from the last years' Green Deal program and to reflect rising skepticism about Europe's environmental regulations, the decision follows days after the re-election of Donald Trump who has promised to again withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and slash regulation
Romanian ultranationalist Călin Georgescu wins first-round in the presidential elections with 23% of the vote, first time in the country's 35-year post-communist history that the Social Democratic Party PSD does not have a candidate in the second round, Georgescu who campaigned on reducing reliance on imports, supporting farmers and increasing the domestic production of food and energy has also argued against the EU and NATO and claims the Ukraine wars is manipulated by American military companies faces liberal Elena Lasconi in the runoff
North America
26-year-old Luigi Mangione arrested suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last week, is referred to as an anti-capitalist Ivy League grad who liked online quotes from Ted Kaczynski, was caught with a gun and a manifesto railing against US healthcare industry
Daniel Penny acquitted of criminally negligent homicide for subduing and holding down the mentally ill drug addict Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train in May 2023, dividing case as the 26-year-old former marine Penny is white and the former Michael Jackson impersonator Neely was black – forensic pathologist hired by the defense testified that Neely died from a combination of his schizophrenia, synthetic marijuana, sickle cell trait and the struggle from being restrained
Manslaughter charge against Daniel Penny dismissed, Penny restrained the mentally ill drug addict Jordan Neely who made threats on the New York subway in May 2023 and held him in a chokehold until police arrived, polarized debate regarding the case where Black Lives Matter protesters has taken Neely's side while others have praised Penny's efforts to protect others, charge of criminally negligent homicide remains where the maximum penalty is four years in prison
American right-wing pundit Nick Fuentes facing battery charge after allegedly pepper spraying and pushing a 57-year-old woman who confronted him at his home in Illinois regarding an abortion-related X post stating "Your body, my choice. Forever.", the woman had no visible physical injuries but watery eyes according to the police report, Fuentes personal information and pictures of his house began circulating on social media after the post went viral gaining 100 million views
Dinesh D'Souza: My film 2000 Mules falsely identified people as ballot harvesters based on video footage provided by the organization True the Vote on false premises, I apologize for this but still stand by the film's basic message that there was systematic election fraud in the 2020 presidential election
Justin Trudeau promises Donald Trump to increase border surveillance, the promise follows Trump's threat to slap tariffs on Canadian imports unless the country prevents illegal immigrants and drugs from crossing the border, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says they will redeploy personnel as well as adding additional drones and police helicopters
Latin America
Millions without power in Cuba after electrical grid collaps during Wednesday morning, follows string of countrywide blackouts, Energy Minister Vicente de la O'Levy says he expects the system to be back online by Thursday, shortages of food, medicine, water and electricity have lead to record-breaking numbers of Cubans fleeing the country in the past three years
Jair Bolsonaro will soon be charged with attempted coup, according to sources within the Brazilian police force, last week several military officers, including a brigadier general, were arrested on suspicion of plotting to assassinate Lula da Silva in connection with the alleged 2023 coup attempt
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva suffers small brain hemorrhage after fall at home and cancels trip to BRICS summit in Russia, according to official statement he is be able to carry out work as usual but is advised to avoid long-distance air travel
The Dominican Republic announces plan to per week deport up to 10,000 Haitians who made it to the neighboring country after the recent lawlessness, according to the UN, the Dominican Republic sent back 200,000 Haitians last year
Venezuela plans to issue arrest warrants for Argentina's President Javier Milei, his sister Karina Milei and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich over the expropriation of state-owned aircraft at the behest of the US Justice Department, which claimed it actually belonged to Iranian airline affiliated with the terrorist-designated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Asia
India intensifies border surveillance after reports that Bangladesh has deployed Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones in the area, the development follows intelligence reports indicating increased terrorist activity along the border after the August fall of the Bangladesh government
Martial law declared in South Korea by President Yoon Suk Yeol, recinded 6 hours later after vote by parliament, Yoon claims the political opposition is engaged in anti-state activities and sympathizes with North Korea and that all forces opposing the state must be eliminated
Four members of Pakistan's security services killed as thousands of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's supporters break through government barricades in Islamabad, the protesters demand his release from jail and government resignation over rigged elections, Khan sentenced for graft and revealing offical secrets and faces more than 150 other criminal cases, the clashes follow a court decision to ban rallies in the city, arrests of more than 4,000 Khan supporters and suspended mobile and internet services
Africa
Burkina Faso's ruling military leader Ibrahim Traoré dismisses Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela and dissolves the government, Kyelem de Tambela was formerly the head of all three governments since the military coup in October 2022
Kismayo Mayor Omar Abdullahi Mohamed accuses Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of treason and the president's images is removed from public buildings in Jubaland, the accusation follows Somalia requesting Interpol to issue a Red Notice for Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe on accusations of conspiring with foreign entities and undermining national security and Jubaland issuing an arrest warrant for Mohamud on accusations of treason and incitement to rebellion, underlying the dispute are long-standing disagreements where the semi-autonomous Jubaland has resisted centralization
In order to operate in South Africa, Starlink needs to be 30 percent owned by "historically disadvantaged groups", which includes blacks, women, youth and disabled, the service can be accessed from most parts of the world but for the delivery of necessary products to customers, permission from the states is required
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine seriously injured after being shot in the leg by police outside the capital Kampala on Tuesday, street confrontations between him and the police is not unusual and in this case police say he had to no avail been advised against holding a street procession when he left a private event
Germany ends its military presence in Niger in Africa as the last 60 soldiers and equipment leaving, but the countries write in a joint statement that their military cooperation will not end, since 2016, 3,200 German soldiers served on air bases in the region
More cases so far in 2024 of people infected with monkeypox in Africa compared to all of 2023 and the World Health Organization calls for a meeting of its Emergency Committee, a new deadlier and more infectious strain of the virus is said to have been discovered in April in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Economy
China bans US exports of gallium, germanium, antimony among other key high-tech materials with potential military applications in response to Washington's expanded list of Chinese companies subject to computer chip export controls, Beijing's Foreign Ministry comments that they lodge stern protests regarding the malicious suppression of China's technological progress and firmly opposes the illegal unilateral sanctions
Thousands of Volkswagen workers went on strike Monday, want a pay hike while the company plans mass layoffs and closing factories, Mercedes, Continental, Bosch, Ford, ZF and Schaeffler Group among other auto-industry companies planning large workforce reductions and cost-cutting
Technology
German defense company Helsing announces that the final versions of the HX-2 AI kamikaze attack drone are coming off the production line with 4000 to be delivered to Ukraine, the electrically powered drone which has a top speed of 220 kph and a maximum range of 100 km can be loaded with a variety of warheads depending on target and search and engage targets without a signal or continuous data connection
Encrypted chat app Ghost, which police say is used by criminals, is cracked by Australian police, the apps owner, 32-year-old Jay Je Yoon Jung in Australia, was arrested on Tuesday and police raids are being carried out simultaneously in Ireland, Italy, Sweden and Canada
SpaceX performs the first private spacewalk ever as 41-year-old billionaire financier Jared Isaacman and 30-year-old astronaut Sarah Gillis step out of the capsule at nearly twice the height as the International Space Station
Nasa announces that SpaceX spacecraft will bring home the two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station since June, instead of Boeing's Starliner that took them there and was then deemed unfit to take them back, would have returned after eight days but now expected to return in February next year
The U.S. AI Safety Institute under the US Department of Commerce, which was established after the Biden administration's executive order on AI in October 2023, signs cooperation agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic, which means that they will get access to new models before they are publicly launched
Science
Researcher Nathan Cofnas is fired from Emmanuel College, part of the University of Cambridge, for violating its diversity and inclusion policies when he argued that the number of black professors at Harvard would approach zero in a meritocracy and that they would not hold any high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment