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📌🇫🇷French prosecutors demand jail time, ban on public office for Le Pen over embezzlement charges French prosecutors demanded that National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen receive a jail sentence and be banned from public office for five years over charges she embezzled European Parliament funds. Le Pen, RN party, and 24 other individuals — including current and former French lawmakers and MEPs — are accused of illicitly using European Parliament funds to pay parliamentary assistants for work on party business rather than on EU affairs from 2004 to 2016. Le Pen and her co-defendants have all denied the charges. Prosecutors asked the judge to give her five years in prison, three of which would be suspended, and fine her €300,000. The ban on running for public office would extend past 2027, when the next presidential election is scheduled to take place. “It’s clear that the only thing the public prosecutors wanted was Marine Le Pen’s exclusion from political life,” Le Pen told reporters after court had adjourned. Shortly before announcing the requested sentencing, prosecutor Louise Neyton urged the court to take into account the “unprecedented” nature of the embezzlement due to the long period of time over which the system allegedly took place and the estimated damages.

📌🇳🇱🇪🇺Netherlands to impose temporary border controls before the end of this year to tackle irregular migration As announced by the Dutch Migration Minister Marjolein Faber, the country will officially impose land border controls starting on December 9, 2024. Such a statement from Minister Faber was made in a press release following Cabinet approval. In addition to making this announcement, the Minister further explained that this measure is being implemented in an attempt to address irregular migration to the country and tackle human trafficking. "It is time to tackle irregular migration and migrant smuggling in a concrete way. That is why we will start reintroducing border controls in the Netherlands from the beginning of December", Minister Faber said in a statement. The Dutch authorities explained that the border controls will remain effective for a period of six months. This means that the measure, which will be introduced on the second Monday of December, will initially stay in place until June 9, 2025. However, if the situation does not improve, the Netherlands might decide to extend the border controls for another period of time. The decision of the Netherlands to impose border controls at its land border has been seen as highly influenced by that of Germany. Germany decided to introduce checks at all its land borders on September 16 for a period of six months. Since then, everyone who has been entering Germany from any of its neighbouring countries has been required to undergo controls.

📌🇮🇱🇺🇸Israeli minister says Trump’s victory an “opportunity” to de-facto annex West Bank settlements Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also wields a defence ministry supervisory role for settlers as part of his coalition deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he hopes the incoming Trump administration in Washington will recognise an Israeli sovereignty push, the minister told the press ahead of his Religious Zionism party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset According to a statement from his office, Smotrich said he had instructed Israeli authorities overseeing West Bank settlements "to begin professional and comprehensive staff work to prepare the necessary infrastructure" for extending sovereignty. “We were a step away from applying sovereignty to the settlements in Judea and Samaria, and now is the time to do it,” he said, adding: “The year 2025 will, with God’s help, be the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.” “The only way to remove the danger of a Palestinian terror state from the agenda is to apply Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlement in the entire Judea and Samaria,” he said. “I have no doubt that President Trump, who showed courage and determination in his decisions during his first term, will support the State of Israel in this move,” he added.

📌🇪🇸 Tens of thousands protest/clash with the police in Valencia over authorities' response to deadly floods Tens of thousands of people protested in Valencia against the Spanish authorities' response to last week's deadly flooding, which has killed at least 220 people. A group of protestors clashed with riot police in front of Valencia's city hall, where the protestors started their march to the seat of the regional government. Police used batons to beat them back. Locals believe the response was mismanaged, with authorities reacting slowly and alerts warning about the dangers of the flood being sent out too late. The protest, organised by social and civic groups, denounced the handling of the disaster and called for the resignation of the president of the regional government Carlos Mazón.

📌🇷🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦Kremlin says reports of Trump-Putin call about Ukraine are ‘pure fiction’ The Kremlin has denied reports the president-elect Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin held a call, in which Trump urged Putin to not escalate the war in Ukraine. "There was no conversation," Putin's Press Secretary Dimitry Peskov told reporters, adding that the the information was "pure fiction." This is the most clear example of the quality of the information that is now published sometimes even in quite respected publications. It completely does not correspond to reality" Peskov said. The Washington Post reported that the phone call between Trump and Putin took place last Thursday, citing well-placed sources. The newspaper reported that the president-elect warned Putin of the America's "sizeable military presence in Europe" as he urged restraint in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It added Trump expressed interest in a follow up conversation between the pair to resolve Ukraine's war "soon."

📌🇭🇹🇰🇪🇺🇳Haiti PM and Kenya president urge partners to boost support for peacekeeping mission The leaders of Kenya and Haiti urged international partners to honor their commitment to the U.N.-backed peacekeeping mission in Haiti, saying the mission needs more resources. Kenya, which leads the mission to quell gang violence in the Caribbean nation, has sent nearly 400 officers. They are joined by nearly two dozen police officers and soldiers from Jamaica, but the numbers fall significantly short of the 2,500 pledged by various countries. "We are talking to Brazil as well and Mexico as well. As was stated, El Salvador has recently, on the 3rd of October, recommitted. But you are right; we would like to see a quicker response, we would like to see more commitment, and we are going to continue to push forward." Haitian PM Conille said at the joint press conference in Nairobi. The gangs in Haiti have grown in power since the July 7, 2021, assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and are now estimated to control up to 80% of the capital. The surge in killings, rapes, and kidnappings has led to a violent uprising by civilian vigilante groups. Last week, one of the gangs killed at least 70 people, including 10 women and three infants, in the town of Pont Sondé, per UN report.

📌🇰🇷🇰🇵North Korea says South Korean drones scattered leaflets over Pyongyang North Korea's foreign ministry said the drones were flown over Pyongyang at night this week and last and that the intrusion demanded retaliatory action, the state news agency KCNA reported. "The ROK (South Korea) should immediately stop such irresponsible and dangerous provocation that may cause an armed conflict and lead to a war between the two sides," the ministry was quoted as saying. In its statement, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it "cannot confirm the truth of North Korea's claims", adding: "All responsibility for the recent series of events" lies with Pyongyang. It cited "despicable, low-grade and internationally embarrassing acts of filth and garbage balloons and other provocations." More balloons were being sent on Friday (11 October), it said.

📌🇷🇺Chechen leader Kadyrov accuses Russian MPs of plotting his murder over business dispute Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia's Chechnya region, has accused Russian lawmakers from neighbouring regions of attempting to commission his assassination, and threatened them with a "blood feud", the state news agency TASS reported The dispute has its origins in a corporate merger involving Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, outside whose Moscow office two people were killed in a shootout last month. Kadyrov has described Wildberries' merger with outdoor advertising firm Russ Group as an "asset grab". TASS cited Kadyrov, who named three lawmakers behind the alleged plot to kill him. "If they do not prove otherwise, I will officially declare a blood feud," he was quoted as saying at a meeting with security officials. Tatiana Kim, Russia's richest woman, held 99% of Wildberries and now has around 65% of the merged company, RVB. She has filed for divorce from Vladislav Bakalchuk, a minority stakeholder in Wildberries who opposed the merger, whom Kadyrov is backing in the dispute. One of those named by Kadyrov in connection with the alleged assassination plot is Suleiman Kerimov, a wealthy businessman and Russian senator from Dagestan, whom Bakalchuk has accused of "seizing" Wildberries. (Via Reuters)

📌🇮🇹🇦🇱Italy formally opens centers in Albania to process male migrants intercepted in international waters Italy has formally opened two centres in Albania where it plans to hold men who are intercepted in international waters while trying to cross from Africa to Europe. The Italian ambassador to Albania, Fabrizio Bucci, said the centres were ready to accommodate people while their asylum applications were processed.“As of today, the two centres are ready and operational,” Bucci told journalists at the port of Shëngjin on Albania’s Adriatic coast. Under the terms of a deal endorsed by the EU, up to 3,000 men a month will be taken to the centres while their asylum requests are processed in Italy. Children, women and vulnerable individuals will still be taken to Italy. The agreement was signed last November by the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and her Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama. Meloni said at the time that in exchange for Rama’s backing for the centres she would do everything in her power to support Albania’s accession to the EU.