Laos hostel workers arrested over suspected tourist poisoning
Eight staff at a hostel in Laos’ popular tourist hotspot Vang Vieng have been detained after six tourists died of suspected methanol poisoning.
One British woman, an American, two Danish and two Australian tourists all died after reportedly drinking free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel, although investigators are yet to determine exactly where the suspected counterfeit alcohol was consumed.
#Laos
Clashes, arrests amid Istanbul protest marking Elimination of Violence Against Women Day
Over 100 people were detained following scuffles that broke out near Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square, as locals defied a government ban and road closures to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
#Türkiye
Austria ready to host Ukraine peace talks, Chancellor Nehammer tells Trump - ORF
The Austrian outlet reports that Donald Trump mentioned Karl Nehammer's meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin after the start of the SMO, with a particular focus on ending the conflict.
Last December, the Austrian Chancellor said that Vienna would not agree to begin talks on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
#Austria #Ukraine
For coverage of Gaza, Ukraine, and everything geopolitics that you won’t find on mainstream media
Follow Going Underground’s Telegram channel: t.me/goingundergroundRT
Trump eyes creating ‘AI czar’ position
US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering appointing an "AI czar" in the White House to oversee federal policy and the use of artificial intelligence, Axios reported Tuesday.
While Elon Musk won't take the role, he is expected to influence AI discussions.
#Trump #AI
❗️Netanyahu admits lack of weapons among reasons for Hezbollah ceasefire
The Israeli PM has laid out three key factors behind talks on a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.
▪️Focusing on the threat from Iran – "I won't elaborate on that"
▪️Delays in the supply of weapons - he claims this delay will "soon be resolved"
▪️Cutting off the theater of operations and isolating Hamas
#Israel #Lebanon #Hezbollah
⚡️Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire expected within hours - CBS
US President Joe Biden is set to announce a peace deal later on Tuesday, according to CBS.
#Israel #Hezbollah
Czechia’s top spy fears Russian victory over Ukraine
Hardline Czech intelligence chief Michal Koudelka has warned that a Russian victory over Ukraine would pose long-term security threats to the European Union, particularly in terms of destabilization.
“If Ukraine loses, or is forced to accept a bad peace deal, then Russia will perceive that as victory,” Koudelka told Bloomberg, emphasizing that Moscow would build up its forces again. “Russia would spend perhaps the next 10 to 15 years recovering,” he warned. “And preparing for the next target, which is Central and Eastern Europe.”
He offered no evidence to support his assertion
#EU #Ukraine
UK ambassador received a letter of protest from Russia’s Foreign Ministry — Moscow
Earlier, the FSB reported that a staffer at the British Embassy in Moscow had been engaged in intelligence and subversive activities and has been stripped of their accreditation.
#Russia #UK
❗️Israel carries series of ‘intelligence-based strikes’ in Beirut — IDF
13 of the 20 IDF targets were localized in the city's southern area of Dahieh.
#Israel #Lebanon
UK ambassador leaves Russia's MFA in sour mood
RT: "Could you answer some questions for Russia Today, sir?"
Nigel Casey: "Buzz off".
British diplomacy at its finest?
#Russia #UK
Over half of Americans oppose military aid to Ukraine — Poll
Americans are divided on whether to continue military support for Ukraine, with 51% of respondents opposing it, according to the latest CBS/YouGov poll.
33% percent of respondents believe Trump should prioritize limiting aid to Ukraine, 36% said it should be a medium priority, and 31% did not consider it a priority at all.
#Poll
❗️British ambassador summoned by Russian Foreign Ministry
Earlier, the FSB reported that a staffer at the British Embassy in Moscow had been engaged in intelligence and subversive activities and has been stripped of their accreditation.
#Russia #UK
Russian artillery destroys Ukrainian UAV command post in the Kakhovka direction, Defense Ministry footage shows
#RussianMoD
Disney settles multi-million-dollar gender pay lawsuit backed by 9K women
Court papers filed in Los Angeles Monday night confirmed that the entertainment giant had paid $43.25 million to settle the class-action lawsuit backed by over 9,000 female claimants.
Disney had attempted to force each claimant to file individually, but a judge ruled in favor of the class action case, which had been slated to begin in May of next year.
“We have always been committed to paying our employees fairly and have demonstrated that commitment throughout this case,” a Disney spokesperson tried to claim as the ruling was passed, forcing it to fork out for not paying its employees fairly.
#US #Disney
❗️Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire update — will it hold?
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect at 4:00 am Wednesday local time, raising hopes for a lasting end to the fighting in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, Al Jazeera reports.
The deal, brokered with US and French involvement, reportedly involves Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory over 60 days and Lebanese military control to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding forces.
#IDF
Telegram's digital assets value tripled in 2024, despite Durov's arrest - Financial Times
The newspaper found that in the first half of this year, the value of Telegram’s holdings of Toncoin The company made toncoin the exclusive method of paying for advertising for small businesses in its app. On October 1, the agreement was terminated - grew to $1.3 billion.
Telegram reportedly received almost $225 million thanks to a deal with an unnamed party, as the messenger’s revenue came to $525 million, up 190% on last year.
The Telegram founder was detained in France in August charged with 12 crimes, before being released on a €5 million bail.
#Telegram #Crypto
US supermarket giant to back away from LGBT agenda
The world’s largest retailer has decided to roll back its diversity policies following pressure from conservative activists. It’s part of a wider trend in the United States that’s been described as a return to “normalcy.”
American retail corporation Walmart will curb its so-called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program, US media outlets reported, citing a company statement.
The multinational will no longer consider race and gender with a view to boosting diversity when granting supplier contracts.
#US
4 security officers killed in spiraling Pakistan violence
Protestors demanding the release of ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan continued to defy a ban on public gatherings as an estimated 10,000 swarmed Islamabad on Tuesday.
Mobile internet has reportedly been sporadically cut as over 20,000 police have been deployed in the Pakistan capital, with four officers run over and killed on a main highway heading to the government sector.
Incumbent PM Shehbaz Sherif slammed the violence as “extremism”, although Amnesty International insisted law enforcement officials have used “unlawful and excessive force".
#Pakistan
BBC employee sues Nigerian journalist amid public allegations of sexual favors
A British court has ordered Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin to pay £95,000 to BBC reporter Charles Northcott for an apparently libelous 2022 article in which Hundeyin accused Northcott of abusing his position while filming a documentary on sexual abuse in Nigerian universities.
Hundeyin claimed that the BBC reporter exchanged sexual favors with a fellow journalist for promotion while sidelining others. Northcott stated the allegations caused him considerable professional and personal distress.
Hundeyin has commented on the verdict to RT.
#Nigeria #BBC
Russian court sentences Quran burner to 14 years in prison
Volgograd Regional Court has sentenced Nikita Zhuravel, who was convicted of burning the Quran, to 14 years in a maximum-security prison for treason, the joint press service of the regional courts reported on Monday.
The 20-year-old staged a public burning of the Muslim holy book in front of a mosque in the city of Volgograd in 2023. He was detained and admitted doing it for money on the instructions of Ukrainian special services, who promised to pay him to incite hatred “between Christians and Muslims”.
#Russia #Ukraine
Hezbollah financial systems targeted in Israeli Beirut bombardment - IDF
The Israeli Air Force claimed seven targets struck on Tuesday were part of Hezbollah's financial system, including headquarters, storage facilities, and branches of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association.
The statement also mentioned that “the Minister of Defence announced financial sanctions on 24 senior depositors of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association due to their involvement in terror funding.”
#Lebanon #Israel
IDF launches air raid on Beirut ahead of rumored ceasefire deal
Israeli warplanes have conducted extensive bombings in southern and central Beirut, striking multiple locations. Locals reported no prior warning before the strikes hit residential buildings.
RT correspondent Steve Sweeney provides the latest updates.
#Israel #Lebanon
Morocco looks to embrace cryptocurrency
Morocco’s central bank is advancing a draft law to regulate crypto assets, bank Governor Abdellatif Jouahri said on Tuesday. Cryptocurrencies, banned since 2017, are still used underground.
The central bank, known as Bank Al Maghrib, is also exploring the possibility of a Moroccan digital currency (CBDC).
#Morocco #Crypto
MTG slams ‘insane’ idea to hand Ukraine nukes
US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that plans to hand nuclear weapons to Kiev might be Biden “trying to start a nuclear war and use it as the reason to stop the transfer of power to Trump.”
“This is insane and completely unconstitutional, possibly an act of treason,” she wrote on X Tuesday, reacting to a post by entrepreneur Mario Nawfal that described the purported talks as a “desperate” move “to tip the scales against Russia” before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
#US #Ukraine
❗️4 killed after Ukrainian artillery hits bus in Kherson region
7 more people have been injured in the town of Novaya Kahoka, local authorities have said.
#SMO
🚨JIMMY DORE SLAMS LIBERALS’ FOR IGNORING KAMALA HARRIS’ ROLE IN GAZA GENOCIDE
‘When I would ask those people do you not care about a literal genocide? And they said it’s important for immigrants rights and LGBTQ rights…I would think that people would not put migrants’ immigration status or LGBTQ ahead of a literal slaughter of children, but they did.’
-Jimmy Dore on Kamala Harris’ role in the Gaza genocide and liberals in the US choosing to ignore it
FULL INTERVIEW: https://rumble.com/v5rxave-jimmy-dore-on-ukraine-and-ww3-biden-wants-a-war-that-trump-cant-stop-only-h.html
❗️Key points from the MoD’s daily briefing
- In the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost around 2,000 troops, mostly as a result of several failed offensive attempts.
- In the Kursk region, air defense systems intercepted six French-made Hammer-guided bombs, a US-made HIMARS rocket, and 71 fixed-wing drones, including 56 outside the special military operation zone
- Russian forces successfully continued their DPR counteroffensive
#RussianMoD
Trump vows to slap day-one tariffs on key US trading partners
The president-elect has announced plans to impose sweeping duties on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China once he takes office in January.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump pledged to implement additional tariffs as part of his proposed crackdown on illegal immigration and the US fentanyl crisis.
In a separate post, he threatened to impose a blanket 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, in addition to existing duties, until Beijing “follows through” on punishing drug dealers responsible for sending fentanyl to the US.
#Taxes
❗️Moscow charges France 24 journalist
Russian authorities have issued an in-absentia arrest warrant for journalist Catherine Norris Trent, accusing her of illegally entering Russia's Kursk region aboard a Ukrainian military vehicle.
#Kursk
