Burkina Faso: Junta’s pet “parliament” unanimously votes to reinstate regime prisoner killings

Source: ABC News

“The parliament [sic] in the West African junta-run nation of Burkina Faso has adopted a new penal code reinstating the death penalty for crimes including terrorism, espionage and treason. … The development ends the abolition of the death penalty, which had been in effect since 2018 under the previous and democratically elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore. The last known execution in Burkina Faso took place in 1988, according to Human Rights Watch. The junta’s Council of Ministers approved a bill reinstating capital punishment in December, prompting a backlash from human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which criticized the move as repressive and an effort to suppress dissent.” (10/21/26)

https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/burkina-fasos-parliament-unanimously-votes-reinstate-death-penalty-137442050

California’s Looming Election Day Nightmare

Source: American Greatness
by Edward Ring

“By the time this is published, we will be within two weeks of Election Day. To be more descriptive, in California we might say that on November 3 we will reach the end of the first half. During election season’s second half, also lasting 30 days, trained professionals will busily count ballots, cure ballots, and process ballots postmarked before but received after the end of the first half. There are good reasons to suppose the results aren’t going to be desirable for any Californian who wants lower taxes and more efficient government spending. The nightmare scenario is that those voters most likely to reject more state and local ballot initiatives that will enact higher taxes and more wasteful spending will be less likely to vote.” (10/21/26)

https://amgreatness.com/2026/10/21/californias-looming-election-day-nightmare/

SCOTUS rejects Trump policy restricting treatment for transgender prison inmates

Source: NBC News

“The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the Trump administration cannot enforce a new policy that restricts treatment for transgender inmates in federal prison. The justices in a brief order rejected an emergency application filed by the administration that sought to block a lower court injunction against the proposal. There are about 1,000 transgender inmates in federal custody. … The court order included no explanation, saying only that two conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, would have granted it.” (10/21/26)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rejects-trump-transgender-prison-policy-rcna601889

A viable path to peace in Ukraine

Source: Asia Times
by Jeffrey D Sachs

“The war in Ukraine can be ended permanently on terms that protect Ukraine’s statehood, meet Russia’s security concerns, and lay the foundation for a durable European security order. As another round of negotiations gears up in Norway, I propose a settlement concluded as a single package, signed by Ukraine and Russia, adopted by a vote of the United Nations Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter. It would be guaranteed jointly by the five permanent members of the Council together with other states that choose to join. The proposal rests on the principle of indivisible security set out in the Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris. The package would have four core commitments.” (10/21/26)

https://asiatimes.com/2026/10/a-viable-path-to-peace-in-ukraine/

What Do You Tell a Child When a Teacher Disparages Her Religion?

Source: Common Dreams
by Maryam Hasan

“What do you tell a child attending public school when her teacher singles out and disparages her religion? That is the question parents of Muslim children in Texas schools might soon confront. The Texas State Board of Education has approved new social studies standards taking effect in 2030 that require teachers to denigrate the religion of Islam with biased, ahistorical, and offensive characterizations. One of the most controversial edits would require students to study ‘the Prophet Mohammed’s brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes, the normalization of slavery, and the taking of female captives as harem slaves’. None of these claims stand up to a neutral reading of history.” (10/21/26)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/texas-anti-islam-teaching

Italy: Retailers Warn of Food Shortages Caused by Truck Drivers’ Protest

Source: US News & World Report

“A protest by ⁠Italian ⁠truck drivers over fuel ⁠prices and the cost of living is causing food ​shortages in shops, with deliveries disrupted and fresh produce rotting, retailers said ‌on Wednesday. The protests, which began ‌in southern Italy last week, have also disrupted operations in ⁠two ⁠regional airports in Calabria because they cannot get deliveries of ​aviation fuel. With traffic snarled in various parts of the country, long queues formed on the A1 motorway near the southern city of Naples after ​truckers restricted access. … The protests come as Prime Minister Giorgia ⁠Meloni’s government deals with unrest last weekend in northern cities including Milan where gangs of mainly young people went on the rampage. The ANCD-Conad group, representing retailers operating under the Conad supermarket brand, said large quantities of perishable products including fruit and vegetables, as well as milk and meat were stranded on trucks and in warehouses.” (10/21/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-10-21/italian-retailers-warn-of-food-shortages-caused-by-truck-drivers-protest