Daily Digest Online

ROME — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a firm rejection of mounting pressure from the United States to cede territory to Russia as a pathway to peace, declaring that Ukraine has "no moral right" to surrender any of its land as he intensifies diplomatic efforts to secure unwavering support from European allies. The Ukrainian leader's defiant stance comes amid sustained lobbying from Washington. In an interview with Politico published Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump again pressed Zelenskyy to accept a proposal requiring Ukraine to relinquish control of the Donbas region. Trump argued that Russia holds the "upper hand" and that Ukraine must "play ball," claiming other unnamed Ukrainian officials "loved the proposal." In response, Zelenskyy, speaking via WhatsApp to journalists, was unequivocal: "Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don’t want to give up anyt...

A quiet storage facility in Vienna. A rural property in Orbaek, Denmark. A roadside plot outside Plovdiv, Bulgaria. For years, these unassuming locations across Europe held a deadly secret: buried caches of Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, silencers, and ammunition. These were not the weapons of local criminals but part of a long-term, strategic contingency plan laid by Hamas, designed to give the group the capacity to strike far beyond the borders of Gaza and the West Bank. For decades, Hamas's military operations were geographically confined, focusing on Israel and the Palestinian territories. However, a series of high-profile arrests, disrupted plots, and intelligence disclosures over the past two years reveal a decisive and dangerous shift.  European and Israeli security officials now assess that Hamas, with its capabilities in Gaza severely degraded by war, has taken a strategic decision to "go global," actively plotting attacks on European soil. ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone conversation on Saturday, focusing on critical Middle Eastern security issues, with Iran's nuclear program at the forefront of their discussions. According to an official Kremlin statement, the two leaders exchanged views on the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and the ongoing process of exchanging captives between Palestinian and Israeli sides. The statement confirmed that "both sides also reviewed issues related to Syria, as well as the status of Iran’s nuclear program," noting a shared "interest in exploring negotiated solutions concerning the Iranian nuclear file." Russian state media indicated this dialogue is part of an ongoing diplomatic channel between the two leaders. A previous conversation occurred on October 6, where they discussed broader regional developments, the situation in Gaza, and former U.S. President Donald Trump's pr...

Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and owner of the social media platform X, has publicly called for the dissolution of the European Union, arguing that power should be returned to individual member states. In a post on X on Saturday, Musk stated: "The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries so that governments can better represent their people." The provocative statement did not include further elaboration or a detailed policy proposal. Context: Ongoing Friction with EU Regulation Musk's remarks are the latest in a series of public criticisms he has directed at the European Union, primarily focusing on its regulatory approach to technology and digital platforms. The relationship has been notably strained over the past year. *   Content Moderation and "DSA" Fines: In July 2024, the European Commission levied its first major financial penalty under the Digital Services Act (DSA) against X, fining the p...

An investigative report by Bloomberg Businessweek has revealed a disturbing double standard, where pesticides and herbicides banned in the European Union for their links to cancer and neurological diseases are being exported and widely used across Nigeria, poisoning farmlands, water supplies, and the farmers who depend on them. A sweeping investigation by Bloomberg Businessweek exposes a critical public health and environmental crisis in Nigeria, fueled by the export of agrochemicals deemed too dangerous for European soil. Dozens of pesticides banned in the European Union for their suspected carcinogenic and neurotoxic properties remain widely available in Nigerian markets, creating what activists describe as a "silent poisoning" of rural communities. The report centers on farmers like 45-year-old Abdullahi Yusuf in northwest Nigeria, who attributes his 12-year-old daughter’s death from leukemia to the chemicals he uses on his crops. "She just ate...

The European Commission has proposed an unprecedented plan to raise €90 billion for Ukraine over the next two years by either using frozen Russian state assets as collateral for a "reparations loan" or by borrowing on international markets, according to a Reuters report. The European Union's executive arm has put forward a landmark proposal to fund Ukraine's military and essential services by leveraging assets frozen from Russia. The plan, detailed by Reuters on Wednesday, outlines two options: securing a "reparations loan" using immobilized Russian state assets as collateral, or borrowing against the EU budget. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the €90 billion fund would cover roughly two-thirds of Ukraine's financing needs for 2026 and 2027. "Since pressure is the only language the Kremlin responds to, we can also dial it up," she told reporters. The proposal faces significant hurdle...