Forty Iranian sailors rescued off Sri Lanka coast after medical emergencies

3 hours ago

Koh Eweand and Dinuk Hewawitharana

BBC Sinhala

AFP via Getty Images

Sri Lanka's foreign ministry says it has coordinated efforts to treat and repatriate 40 Iranian sailors suffering from unspecified medical emergencies in international waters off the island's southeastern coast.

Ministry spokesperson Thushara Rodrigo told BBC Sinhala they received a distress call on Saturday from Iranian ships "regarding an urgent medical need". The rescue operation was planned by the Iranian Embassy in Colombo, he said.

Haaretz: IDF Leaders Fear Netanyahu Could Order A Confrontation with Iran Before Tuesday’s Election

ISRAEL ELECTIONS

Israeli media report a dispute between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military chief Eyal Zamir over an unspecified operation that could trigger a confrontation with Iran. Netanyahu denies a clash.

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.

October 25, 2026

Israel’s military leadership is reportedly concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could order military action involving Iran shortly before Israel’s parliamentary election on Tuesday, October 27. Haaretz, reporting by Amos Harel, says senior military figures disagree with Netanyahu over the urgency of an offensive. The report comes amid heightened tensions between the prime minister and the Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. 

Serbia’s strongman leader Vučić concedes defeat to student-led movement in seismic political shift

Aleksandar Vučić’s loss echoed the recent defeat of his ally Viktor Orbán in Hungary and was likely to resonate as parts of Europe face wide-scale student protests.

Oct. 24, 2026, 10:52 PM GMT-8 / 

Updated Oct. 25, 2026, 5:19 PM GMT-8/ 

Source: The Associated Press

By The Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — The long-serving strongman leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, conceded defeat Sunday in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.

‘If Anything Happens to This Guy … Everyone Is Screwed’

Ondřej Surý was a relatively anonymous volunteer working on PHP security. Then the internet exploded.

By Charlie Warzel

Thursday October 22, 2026

On Tuesday, the world found out about two massive security vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language that is used by roughly 70 percent of websites. The flaw was discovered by cybersecurity researchers using a frontier model from OpenAI. If they exploited it, attackers could gain full control of servers, stealing or copying anything inside or simply taking sites offline.

The End of the Beginning: Lula Beats Bolsonaro’s Son, but Our Battle Against Trumpism Is Far From Over

By The Editorial Team

October 25, 2026

Brazilians have delivered a historic result with consequences far beyond their borders. For everyone who believes democracy must serve ordinary people—not billionaires, oligarchs and political dynasties—the victory offers a reason to hope, and a reminder of how much remains at stake

On November 10, 1942, after the Allied victory at El Alamein, Winston Churchill offered a memorable warning against confusing a turning point with a final victory: “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Brazil’s election brings that historic phrase to mind. History has a way of repeating its lessons, challenging us to learn from our mistakes and to cherish our victories with prudence rather than pride. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defeated Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, in a remarkable comeback. Lula won approximately 51.75% of the valid vote against his opponent’s 48.25%, securing a fourth, nonconsecutive presidential term. The result is a Brazilian election victory—but its significance reaches far beyond Brazil.

Όταν η διπλωματία του φυσικού αερίου θυμίζει αλλαγή καθεστώτος

Η Guilfoyle αποχώρησε, αλλά η ενεργειακή συμφωνία παραμένει: Πώς πληρώνουν οι πολίτες το τίμημα της νέας ενεργειακής τάξης

Του Χρήστου Αβραμίδη, 

25 Οκτωβρίου 2026, 

Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες / Ελλάδα 

Διεθνείς σχέσεις / Πολιτική

Η Kimberly Guilfoyle, πρέσβειρα του Donald Trump στην Ελλάδα, παραιτήθηκε. Η αποχαιρετιστήρια δήλωσή της ρίχνει άπλετο φως σε μια ευρύτερη ιστορία: πώς οι Αμερικανοί εξαγωγείς και το ελληνικό κεφάλαιο συμπράττουν, ώστε τα νοικοκυριά να επωμίζονται το κόστος της νέας ενεργειακής τάξης.

«Μπορούμε να το κάνουμε αυτό σε όποια χώρα θέλουμε. Μπορούμε να το κάνουμε κι εδώ». Kimberly Guilfoyle

When Gas Diplomacy Sounds Like Regime Change

By Christos Avramidis

October 25, 2026

United States / Greece

International Relations / Politics

Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump’s ambassador to Greece, has resigned. Her farewell statement lays bare the bigger story: how American exporters and Greek capital collude to make ordinary households foot the bill for their new energy order.

“We can do this to any country we want. We can do it here too.” Kimberly Guilfoyle

With 70% of the Vote Counted, Lula Turns the Tables on Bolsonaro’s Son as Brazil’s Election Hangs in the Balance

With nearly 70% of ballots processed, Brazil's left-wing president has moved ahead of Flávio Bolsonaro after entering the runoff more than two million votes behind. 

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.

October 25, 2026

Source: Deutsche Welle

Brazil's presidential election tightened dramatically on Sunday as incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva overtook right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the race to lead Latin America's largest democracy. A provisional results graphic published by DW showed Lula with 50.72% of the vote against Bolsonaro's 49.28%, with 69.51% of ballots processed. The narrow margin put Lula ahead, but the count was still underway and no final winner had been declared. Reuters also reported Lula's resurgence as votes from the country's northeast, a traditional stronghold of his Workers' Party, entered the count.

Zogby to Newsmax: Ohio Poll Shift Shows Risk of Attack Ads

Personal attack ads can backfire

 on the candidates they are intended to help, 

pollster John Zogby told Newsmax 

on Sunday

Newsmax Wires

Sun, October 25, 2026 at 10:11 AM GMT-8

2 min read

He cited an Ohio survey showing Democrats gaining ground after a controversial advertisement in the state's gubernatorial election.

Kim Meets Wang Huning as Xi Skips Summit for Diplomatic Strategy

Analysts suggest Beijing's move balances North Korea ties with upcoming U.S. talks and internal party meetings

By Lee Beul-chan

Published 2026.10.26. 00:45

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Beijing marked his sixth trip to the country, but it was the first time he did not meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It has been suggested that Xi Jinping avoided a summit with Kim Jong-un due to upcoming major political schedules for the Communist Party of China and considerations ahead of the U.S.-China summit next month.

Heineken ordered to pay damages in Greece competition case

Heineken has been ordered to pay over €100m ($112.3m) in damages in a competition case against Macedonian Thrace Brewery (MTB)

Wed, October 21, 2026 at 1:02 PM PDT 

3 min read

Fiona Holland

A statement from MTB today (21 October) said the Amsterdam District Court had ordered Heineken to pay the Vergina brewer €111m in damages.

Who’s Responsible When A.I. Commits a Crime?

BY RACHEL MORRIS

OCT 25, 20265:45 AM

Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Getty Images Plus.

In July, OpenAI agents hacked the software firm Hugging Face. Later this summer, the Australian government discovered that OpenAI’s bots had “infiltrated” its healthcare portal. Soon, a pattern emerged: OpenAI agents had reportedly tried to hack into multiple public and private institutions, including the U.S. Department of Education. Somewhere in this chain of revelations, a persistent question began bouncing around the internet: Aren’t these … crimes?

Obama Takes the Fight to Trump in Ohio, Turning the Midterms Into a Battle for Democracy

By Mars Strangelove Jr.

October 25, 2026

With American democracy under growing strain, Barack Obama is carrying the torch into the midterms, making the fight against Trump's agenda a defining test of the country's democratic institutions. The former president rallies Democrats behind Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton, as tightening polls, rising costs, and a controversial Republican attack sharpen the battle for Ohio.

Obama is no longer president, but he is stepping back into the political arena because the stakes extend beyond an ordinary contest between Republicans and Democrats. With Trump testing the limits of presidential power, attacking established institutions and relying on Republican allies to advance his agenda, Obama is helping lead the effort to make the midterms a check on the White House. His message in Ohio was that Americans are not powerless and that Congress, state governments, and the ballot box matter immensely. He is carrying the torch for a Democratic opposition that sees the November elections not merely as a battle for seats, but as a critical test of whether American democracy can constrain a president who increasingly challenges its safeguards.

Two Huge Elections for Trump and Co. Abroad

Israel and Brazil head to the polls in contests that could test the reach of Trump's international political alliances

By Mars Strangelove Jr.

October 25, 2026

Two elections on opposite sides of the world are putting Donald Trump's international political relationships under scrutiny. On Tuesday, October 27, Israelis will elect a new parliament in a contest centered on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his record in office. In Brazil, voters are choosing between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, in a presidential runoff on October 25. Voters will decide the outcome, but the consequences will extend well beyond Brazil's borders.

Why Returning to the Moon Is Harder Than Going the First Time

Authored By Mars Strangelove Jr.

Edited and Curated by Yiannis Damellos

October 24, 2026

We landed astronauts on the Moon in 1969. More than half a century later, NASA is still testing the systems needed to do it again. Why? The explanation lies in lost industrial capacity, a more complicated mission design, new scientific ambitions and the difficult economics of space exploration.

The question seems almost absurd. Humanity landed astronauts on the Moon six times between 1969 and 1972. We brought them home, collected lunar rocks, and demonstrated that human beings could travel to another celestial body and return safely. Since then, computers have become vastly more powerful, materials science has advanced, satellites have transformed navigation and communications, and private companies have developed rockets capable of returning to Earth for reuse. Why, then, is returning to the Moon taking so long? Why can we not simply build a better version of the equipment that worked before and make the journey faster and safer?

Trump Weighs Another Attack on Iran to “Finish the Job”! Is He for Real?

By Mars Strangelove Jr. on Duty, Curated by Yiannis Damellos

October 24, 2026 / Source: Al Jazeera News

President Donald Trump said the United States was considering an attack on Iran as soon as Sunday, October 25, while leaving open the possibility of reaching a deal with Tehran. Trump suggested Washington might have to “finish the job.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the United States for the breakdown of interim agreement talks, calling American officials “cowards” who had “messed everything up,” while maintaining that Iran should continue pursuing an agreement.

Someone Ran a Chemical Analysis of Bodega Retatrutide and Dear Lord

"It does not look anything like a peptide."

By Joe Wilkins

Published Oct 24, 2026 11:55 AM EDT

Like gas station kratom, research-grade peptides have become widely available for consumers at convenience stores across the United States. Yet as one investigation into peptides sourced from a New York City bodega found, ease of access comes with a high price: your health.

The Beatles Belong to the Left

By Alex Niven

Don’t let the baby boomers moderate the Beatles’ politics. They were undeniably men of the Left.

Oct 24

As we enter the late 2020s, the legacy of the Beatles — history’s biggest band, by any measure — is facing a final reckoning. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the group’s last surviving members, are now eighty-four and eighty-six, respectively. This should remind us that what might be called the “Beatles generation” is reaching the end of its natural lifespan, its icons departing the stage to become musty archival heritage. All things, as the late George Harrison once acknowledged, must pass.