“A murder warrant was issued Oct. 19 in Florida for former Cuban leader Raul Castro in connection with two humanitarian planes shot down 30 years ago. The warrant, signed by Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, charges Castro with one-count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Castro, then Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and First Vice President of Cuba, was a final decision-maker in the chain of command that authorized the shootdown, according to the affidavit. Two planes, operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, were shot down by the Cuban Air Force in [allegedly] international waters Feb. 25, 1996. Four people were killed.” (10/19/26)
“There was a time when the most dangerous thing in a British autumn was a well-aimed conker. Children threaded them on string, soaked them in vinegar, baked them in the oven and smashed them together until one shattered. Knuckles were bruised. Pride was punctured. Nobody died. That was before the clipboard came to town. In South Tyneside the council decided to fell six horse chestnut trees lining a suburban road. The trees had done nothing wrong except produce conkers. A boy had fallen out of one, and children had been throwing sticks to knock the conkers down. The answer was not to teach children to climb with care, or to throw with better aim. It was to remove the trees. Residents protested. The chainsaws won. Elsewhere a head teacher told pupils not to walk under a conker tree without a helmet.” (10/19/26)
“Recently, Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City announced the launch of a new municipal Strategy to Combat Antisemitism, beginning his video with an oft-repeated Talmudic quote: ‘Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world.’ That lesson is something of a cliché in Reform Jewish circles, and not at all controversial. But given the nature of social media, it shouldn’t be surprising that the replies to Mamdani on Elon Musk’s X were a cesspit of antisemitism, islamophobia, and general hatred. What surprised and even alarmed some observers was how much of the negative reaction came from popular left-wing influencers and journalists.” (10/19/26)
“A Serbian prosecutor investigating alleged corruption surrounding a Trump real estate project in Belgrade was targeted with Israeli-made Pegasus spyware after speaking out about political interference and abuses of power, according to research made public Monday. Rade Bajić, a member of Serbia’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, is reported to be the latest target identified in a growing spyware scandal that has engulfed the country’s political opposition, civil society and institutions. … The spyware revelation comes amid mounting controversy over plans to redevelop the former Yugoslav military headquarters in Belgrade into a luxury Trump Tower skyscraper. The project, associated with Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has faced allegations of political interference and irregularities surrounding the removal of the site’s protected heritage status.” (10/19/26)
“The S&P 500 promises broad exposure to American business. But with ten companies accounting for 40 percent of its value, investors may be far less diversified than they believe.” (10/19/26)
