MOSCOW (Sputnik) - European leaders hope that the European Political Community (EPC) summit will not survive the departure of French President Emmanuel Macron from office in 2027, media reported on Thursday.

Some EU leaders soured on the forum, launched at Macron's initiative in late 2022 to intensify the confrontation with Russia, media reported, citing European diplomats and officials.

According to media reports, European leaders are weary of numerous meetings that are increasingly perceived as a talking shop. This partly explains the cool response of the European countries to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to establish yet another political forum, the European Security Council, one of the diplomats noted.

‘Operation Carthage’ is more than just another anti-corruption purge in Ukraine. It’s the story of a criminal empire built by, and relying on, the protection of Vladimir Zelensky’s security services. The Western media won’t touch it. RT will.

‘Carthage must be destroyed’: How Ukrainian cops and criminals worked hand-in-hand
Ukraine’s secret police and prosecutors have become private security agencies for scammers and drug cartels

The slow international response to climate change has placed the world on a path to destruction, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told heads of state and government during opening statements at this year's COP31 climate conference. 

"The ⁠brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us," he said, as world leaders gathered in the Turkish resort city of Antalya to set the tone for negotiations at the UN climate summit.

Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage at nearly a dozen of their colleagues for missing a vote Tuesday evening to impeach the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, allowing Republicans to defeat the effort.

Eleven Democrats missed the key procedural vote on the impeachment effort, which failed by just seven votes. Some blamed traffic and conflicting events and others accused Speaker Mike Johnson of closing the vote early. Many of those not in the Capitol said they support the effort to impeach Hegseth.

Last week’s elections might see Netanyahu lose power, but Israel has the Occupied Palestinian Territory in an ever-tightening vice, and potential new PM Gadi Eisenkot won’t change that. Cathy Peters with the reality check.

To oppressed Palestinians, a change of Israel’s leader will mean very little.

Gaza and West Bank status quo. A new Israeli PM won’t make any difference

by Cathy Peters

Israel’s relentless dispossession and subjugation of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and its ongoing genocide in Gaza, will continue under a government led by former military general and IDF Chief of Staff, Gadi Eisenkot.

In 2015, Bill Browder published Red Notice – purportedly a true story about his experience in Russia between 1996 and 2005. Upon closer scrutiny however, his story doesn’t add up and demonstrably fails to stand up in a court of law. Nonetheless, on the dubious strength of that story, Browder has been able to lobby the U.S. Congress to pass the Magnitsky Act in 2012 which needlessly damaged the relations between the U.S. and Russia.

Grand Deception

The Truth About Bill Browder, the Magnitsky Act, and Anti-Russian Sanctions

BY ALEX KRAINER

Accepting a free speech award on Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah’s behalf, Louise Adler details a coordinated campaign of intimidation, censorship and vilification aimed at silencing Palestinian voices.

Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has been awarded the Liberty Victoria’s Empty Chair award in recognition of her advocacy in the face of an unrelenting campaign to silence her.

Louise Adler

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has put a knife to the EU’s throat, demanding more cash “for Ukraine.” So what’s got into him?

What Merz wants is to make every EU member state bankroll Germany’s Ukraine-linked defense industry, whether they like it or not. If not, he’ll block the EU’s budget.

Why has Merz sparked a hostage crisis in the EU?

The German chancellor is threatening to block the bloc’s budget unless Ukraine gets more aid – except it’s not really for Ukraine

BY Rachel Marsden

Alex Krainer joins Pascal to discuss the financial interests behind geopolitical conflict. Drawing on his hedge fund background and research for Grand Deception, Krainer challenges Bill Browder’s account of Russia and examines post-Soviet privatization, debt and oligarchic power. They explore Russia’s relations with the West, diplomacy and historical ties between Russia and nineteenth-century America. Krainer argues that British imperial influence persists through financial networks, connecting his “undead empire” thesis to sovereignty, contemporary wars and the mechanics of wealth extraction.

British comedian and podcaster Russell Brand was sentenced on Monday to ten and a half years in prison after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others between 2004 and 2009. He denied wrongdoing, maintaining that all sexual encounters were consensual.

Brand has amassed 6.6 million subscribers on YouTube, where he has attacked what he describes as the UK’s corrupt ruling class and criticized Western governments over their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Some of his supporters have claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. Billionaire Elon Musk and US commentator Megyn Kelly publicly defended Brand following his conviction, while former Fox News host Tucker Carlson had previously voiced support for him.

Eleven Australian soldiers killed in World War I have been formally identified for the first time to ensure their service and sacrifice are recognised by future generations.

The men, long commemorated as unknown soldiers, were identified through extensive historical research, archaeological investigations, and DNA analysis. 

The newly identified Australian soldiers are:

Pauline Hanson’s High Court challenge puts Australia’s limits on political speech to the test. Striking down restrictions on racist expression might ultimately do more to expose it than suppress it.

Popular understanding (if that is the right word) has it that people have a broad right to freedom of speech in Australia. Not so. Too many people have been influenced by watching too many American movies and listening to too many US popular outpourings.

Crispin Hull

The European Council has decided to send EU military personnel directly to Ukraine, despite numerous warnings from Moscow that European soldiers would be fair game for Russian strikes.

European nations are scrambling to participate in the ongoing Russia-US-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi, having been sidelined from several previous rounds.

On Monday, the Council extended the mandate of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM) until November 15, 2028, with a budget of nearly €300 million ($334 million).

“The Council also decided to establish a presence in Ukraine to ensure direct and effective coordination with the Ukrainian military authorities,” according to a press release from Brussels.

The move marks a change for EUMAM, which had previously only trained Ukrainian soldiers exclusively on EU territory.

The robots are taking charge of healthcare, with assessments of NDIS and aged care patients’ needs being done by algorithms that can’t be held accountable. Claudia Weisenberger reports.

One in four Australians being assessed for aged care support right now will never meet their assessor. The assessment is done by phone. The result goes into an algorithm. The algorithm decides how much help they get. If it gets it wrong — nobody is responsible.

The robot decides. The algorithms taking charge of our health

by Claudia Weisenberger

The person at home gets less help than they need — or no help at all. Nobody is accountable for that. Nobody has to fix it.