“A Ukrainian drone attack damaged the Sterlitamak petrochemical plant deep inside Russia, causing a partial collapse of a water-treatment facility but no injuries, regional authorities said on Tuesday.
The plant in the Bashkortostan region, some 1,500 km (932 miles) from the Ukrainian border in the Urals Mountains, was operating without interruption, the head of the Bashkortostan region, Radiy Khabirov, said on the Telegram messaging app. … Kyiv has stepped up long-range drone and missile strikes inside Russia, hitting oil refineries, depots and logistics hubs it says feed the Kremlin’s war machine.” (11/04/25)
“The federal food stamp program will pay out partial benefits to millions of Americans despite running out of regular funding at the start of this month due to the ongoing government shutdown, the Trump administration confirmed in court documents Monday. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive about 50% of its normal benefit level throughout November, using a contingency fund set aside for natural disasters and other emergencies. The announcement by the White House follows a pair of Friday rulings by federal judges in Boston and Providence, RI rejecting the US Department of Agriculture’s plan to stop paying out benefits Nov. 1.” (11/03/25)
“The former top lawyer in the Israeli military has been arrested, as a political showdown deepens over the leaking of a video that allegedly shows severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers. Maj Gen Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned as the Military Advocate General of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last week, saying that she took full responsibility for the leak. … Broadcast in August 2024 on an Israeli news channel, the footage shows reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel taking aside a detainee, then surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility while he was allegedly beaten and stabbed in the rectum with a sharp object. The detainee was subsequently treated for severe injuries. Five reservists were subsequently charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to the detainee. They have denied the charges and have not been named.” (11/03/25)
“A US judge extended a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s planned deployment of National Guard members to Portland, Oregon, while she weighs a final verdict in a court fight over the legality of sending troops into the city. US District Judge Karin Immergut, who oversaw a three-day trial in Portland last week, issued a preliminary injunction late Sunday barring deployment until at least Nov. 5. She’d originally planned to issue her verdict Sunday, but said she needed more time to decide the merits of a lawsuit filed by Portland and the state of Oregon. … Immergut said the evidence so far indicates the Trump administration likely violated federal law and the US Constitution by attempting to deploy National Guard troops without a valid cause.” (11/03/25)
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“Romania’s National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has officially blacklisted leading blockchain-based prediction market Polymarket, citing its operation as an unlicensed gambling platform outside state oversight. The regulator’s action follows a significant spike in cryptocurrency-based wagering during the local and presidential elections in Romania, when Polymarket’s trading volume topped $600 million (roughly Rs. 53,200 crore). Authorities stated that, despite the platform’s use of blockchain technology, its structure and activities fall under the country’s gambling laws.” (11/03/25)
“Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation countersuit against Blake Lively has been formally ended by a judge after he failed to file an amended complaint before the deadline. On Friday, Oct. 31, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman signed a new order, stating that Baldoni, 41, and his Wayfarer Studios co-plaintiffs had let the deadline lapse after the court dismissed their case back in June. … According to a document reviewed by PEOPLE, Lively, 38, was the only one to respond, asking the judge to declare the final judgment, but for her request for legal fees to remain active, which the judge agreed to. … Baldoni’s setback is the latest twist in the It Ends with Us legal saga, which began in December when Lively sued him for misconduct on the set and a retaliatory smear campaign, claims which he has denied. Lively’s original lawsuit is ongoing.” (11/03/25)
“The president of Spain’s Valencia region, Carlos Mazón, has resigned after months of pressure over his handling of flash floods last year. A total of 229 people died in towns in the Valencia region on 29 October 2024, with a further eight dying in neighbouring regions, in Spain’s worst natural disaster for decades. Many in Valencia blamed Mazón for the scale of the tragedy because of how he and his government responded that day. It emerged that the regional president had spent nearly four hours in a restaurant with a journalist, Maribel Vilaplana, while the floodwater was wreaking havoc and he did not attend emergency meetings during much of the day. Mazón’s government also failed to issue an emergency alert to the phones of Valencia residents warning them of the floods and providing advice until after 20:00, by which times dozens of people had already died.” (11/03/25)
“Populist Czech billionaire Andrej Babis'[s] ANO party signed a coalition deal with fringe right-wing allies on Monday, moving closer to regaining power after winning a vote on promises of hiking spending and opposing EU climate and migration policies. Babis'[s] return to power with the fringe allies will strengthen the populist, anti-immigration and national sovereignty camp within the European Union that could weaken backing for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion. Babis, 71, served as prime minister from 2017-2021. He is joining forces with the Motorists party, which is sceptical about climate change, and the SPD party, which is against the EU and NATO. He has said he wants to form a government by mid-December.” (11/03/25)
“A Mexican mayor who was outspoken in his opposition to drug cartels and pushed for hardline laws against trafficking was killed in a shooting at a Day of the Dead celebration this weekend. Before his death, Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo had been critical of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for what he saw as a lack of effort in combating cartels. His city lies in Michoacán State, which suffers from particularly high levels of cartel violence. … State officials say Manzo was shot seven times on Saturday night during a Day of the Dead vigil. He died of his wounds in a nearby hospital.” (11/03/25)
