Rubio says war in Ukraine is at a dangerous stalemate

🔮 Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Russia's war in Ukraine is at a dangerous stalemate and the United States will keep working toward a settlement to end the conflict.

🔮 But allegations that hundreds of confidential documents were trafficked, and that intelligence may have been passed to foreign officials, have dealt a blow to the BND's international credibility at a time of rising security alarms.

🔮 Yet analysts say the reform, which rewards broad alliances rather than individual parties, could ultimately benefit Meloni's centre-left foes if they can overcome their internal divisions and rally behind a single leader.

🔮 The US supports an EU-backed undersea power cable scheme in the eastern Mediterranean and will use diplomacy to try to remove any possible hurdles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Greek newspaper.

🔮 Organisers of an upcoming UN climate summit in Turkey said on Oct 8 they would prepare a summary text for countries to adopt, as they lead a push for “ambitious” action on keeping the goal of global temperature rise of 1.5 deg C within reach.

🔮 To boost stability, a working majority will be guaranteed to any coalition that wins more than 42% of the vote.

🔮 Syria considers help in Yemen war after Saudi airports come under Houthi fire RIYADH, Oct 8 - Syria may deploy troops to help Saudi Arabia fight Yemen's Houthis, a US official and a Syrian defence official said, as the Iran-aligned group steps up its missile and drone attacks on the kingdom, killing three people at Saudi airports this week. The possible entry of Syrian forces into the battle, an overspill of the US-Iran conflict, shows how Yemen's reignited civil war has added new chaos to a region already aflame, and risks drawing regional states into gruelling mountain fighting. Saudi Arabia has pushed for support from allied nations, including Turkey and Pakistan, even if only in a logistical or purely defensive capacity, an effort made more urgent by the Houthi strikes on its infrastructure such as this week's deadly airport attack. A succession of loud booms was heard in Riyadh on Thursday morning which Reuters could not identify.

🔮 Cilia Flores, wife of Venezuela's Maduro, to press for release from US jail NEW YORK, Oct 8 - Cilia Flores, the wife of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, is expected to appear in a US court on Thursday to urge a federal judge to release her from jail for health reasons while she awaits her drug trafficking trial next year.

🔮 Whether Democrats in these Midwestern states can convince moderate voters they agree with their views on trans issues, or successfully change the topic, could determine how much support they are able to win back from cultural conservatives — and could foreshadow how the party's presidential hopefuls handle the issue in 2028.

🔮 That could signal erosion in Republican support among a demographic that was a pillar of Trump's 2024 victory.