Global Pulse

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  • Serbia’s ruling populists propose President Vucic switch to prime minister after election

    Serbia’s ruling populists propose President Vucic switch to prime minister after election

    BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s long-ruling populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) formally announced Saturday that incumbent President Aleksandar Vucic will be its nominee for prime minister, should the party secure victory in the upcoming snap parliamentary election. The contest, widely viewed as the most significant political test for Vucic’s administration after more than a year of sustained anti-government street demonstrations, is slated to take place on October 25, though Vucic has not yet officially dissolved parliament to formalize the election call.

    The early vote comes nearly two years after a fatal concrete canopy collapse at a Novi Sad train station in northern Serbia that killed 16 people. That disaster sparked massive youth-led demonstrations, with protesters arguing that deep-rooted government corruption and administrative incompetence directly enabled the tragedy through shoddy renovation work. Tensions remain high across the country as the ruling party fights to retain control amid sweeping popular discontent: on the same day SNS held its nomination conference in the southern city of Nis, hundreds of anti-government demonstrators marched through the city, with police cordoning off the National Theater to block protesters from accessing the party meeting venue.

    Vucic confirmed to party officials Saturday that he will officially call the election in the coming days, after which he will resign from the Serbian presidency to launch his campaign for prime minister. A separate presidential vote will be held at a later date, he added. For Vucic, who has held national power for 14 years, the 12 months of continuous protests have represented the greatest threat to his political control of his career. At their peak, demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands of participants across the country, all demanding accountability for the November 1, 2024 canopy collapse and an end to systemic corruption.

    Vucic has taken a hardline stance against the protest movement, drawing international condemnation for reports of excessive police violence and arbitrary detentions of demonstrators. He has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that the student and academic organizers behind the protests are plotting to overthrow the Serbian government. He doubled down on these accusations Saturday, claiming the unrest has been orchestrated by foreign actors. “This evil,” Vucic told party delegates, “is not coming from the inside, it is coming from the outside.”

    The election will see SNS face off against a broad field of opposition groups. A student-backed coalition consisting of university professors and policy experts is expected to run, though the full list of candidates has not yet been released. Both right-wing and center-left opposition parties will also contest the vote, alongside several smaller political factions.

    Tensions around the election have been further heightened by recent revelations that at least 14 Serbian activists and students — including student protest organizers — were targeted with commercial spyware earlier this year. The Belgrade-based nonprofit Share Foundation called the incident the largest documented case of surveillance abuse against political opponents in Serbia to date. Vucic’s administration has rejected the allegations as baseless.

    Serbia has been in the European Union accession process for years, but talks have stalled under Vucic’s leadership over documented democratic backsliding, including proven election irregularities in previous national votes. Vucic has also defied EU consensus by refusing to join European sanctions against Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and has maintained close economic and diplomatic ties with China throughout his tenure.

  • Mali shocks Spain in a Women’s Basketball World Cup stunner; France, Hungary, Germany also win

    Mali shocks Spain in a Women’s Basketball World Cup stunner; France, Hungary, Germany also win

    The second day of group stage action at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup delivered a slate of dramatic results, headlined by a massive upset that shook up the tournament’s early rankings. Ranked among the top basketball nations in the world, pre-tournament favorite Spain fell 82-73 to Mali on Saturday, handing the African side just its second all-time victory in World Cup history.

    Mali’s only prior tournament win came in an overtime clash against Senegal back in 2010, and the underdog entered the halftime break trailing Spain by two points. But a dominant third quarter turned the tide entirely: Mali outscored its higher-ranked opponent 31-19 in the frame, fueled by a decisive 16-4 run that flipped the game’s momentum after Spain had pulled ahead 45-44. WNBA Atlanta Dream forward Sika Kone anchored the run with two clutch three-pointers, and she finished the match with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Djeneba N’Diaye matched Kone’s 19-point output to pad Mali’s lead.

    Mali opened the fourth quarter with five straight points, including another three from Kone, that put the game out of reach. Spain never trimmed the deficit to fewer than nine points for the rest of the match, with Iyana Martin’s 20-point performance not enough to salvage a win for the favorite. Both teams left the day with 1-1 records in group play, capping off what will go down as one of the biggest upsets in recent World Cup history.

    Host nation Germany picked up its first win of the tournament in dominant fashion, slowing 3-point specialist Japan to secure a 74-58 victory in front of a sold-out, raucous home crowd. Germany burst out of the gate with a blistering 28-11 first quarter advantage that Japan never recovered from. Just one day after setting a new World Cup record with 20 made three-pointers in an opening win over Mali, Japan struggled immensely from beyond the arc, finishing just 3-of-27 on long-range attempts, with two of those makes coming in the final 90 seconds of the game.

    “We know Japan shoots more 3s than 2s, so we took away the 3. Our goal was to be physical with them,” explained German star Leonie Fiebich after the win. Forward Frieda Buhner led the hosts with 19 points, while Nyara Sabally added 18 points to help Germany even its record at 1-1. Kokoro Tanaka finished as Japan’s top scorer with 15 points, leaving Japan also at 1-1 through two games. With the results, all four teams in Group A enter the final round of pool play tied with identical 1-1 records, keeping the group’s knockout stage wide open.

    In another historic result, Hungary earned its first FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup win in 28 years, holding off a late Nigeria rally to secure a 71-67 victory. Minnesota Lynx forward Dorka Juhasz posted a double-double of 19 points and 16 rebounds, including 13 points and 11 boards in the first half, to lead the Hungarian side. Virag Takacs-Kiss added 17 points off the bench for Hungary, which moved to 1-1 in group play.

    Nigeria clawed its way back from a 14-point deficit with less than four minutes remaining, pulling within two points on an Elizabeth Balogun basket with just three seconds left on the clock. But Nigeria was forced to foul immediately after the basket, and Hungary guard Reka Lelik stepped to the line and calmly sank both free throws to lock in the win. The victory marks Hungary’s first at the World Cup since a 1998 quarterfinal win over China. Hungary will close out group play against South Korea, while Nigeria, now 0-2, will face France in its final pool match. Amy Okonkwo led all Nigeria scorers with 17 points in the tight loss.

    The final match of the day saw France bounce back from a slow opening quarter to run away from South Korea for a 95-69 win, improving to 2-0 in group play. South Korea got off to a red-hot start, holding a 31-24 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. But Marine Johannes turned the tide in the second quarter, scoring nine of her 17 total points during a 14-0 France run to open the frame, putting France ahead 43-37 at halftime.

    France put the game away early in the third quarter with a dominant 24-4 spurt led by Dominique Malonga and Gabby Williams. Malonga dropped 10 points during the run, while Williams added nine, putting South Korea in a hole it could not climb out of. Both Malonga and Williams finished the game with 14 points apiece to round out France’s balanced scoring attack. The win keeps France undefeated through two matches, while South Korea falls to 1-1 heading into its final pool game against Hungary.

  • US envoys arrive in Moscow ahead of Ukraine talks

    US envoys arrive in Moscow ahead of Ukraine talks

    Two senior envoys appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump have touched down in Moscow, launching a high-stakes diplomatic push designed to break years of deadlock and advance negotiations to end the full-scale war in Ukraine.

    Real estate developer Steve Witkoff and former White House senior advisor Jared Kushner arrived in the Russian capital on Saturday, following a multi-leg journey that originated in the U.S. and transited through Helsinki, Finland. Flight tracking data confirms a U.S. government aircraft carried the delegation to Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, where the pair were greeted by Russian diplomat Kirill Dmitriev in photos captured on arrival.

    The diplomatic itinerary calls for the envoys to wrap up their discussions in Moscow on Saturday before traveling onward to Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first visit to the Ukrainian capital since Trump returned to the U.S. presidency. This trip is not the first time Witkoff and Kushner have traveled to Moscow for peace negotiations, but their upcoming stop in Kyiv opens a new chapter in Washington’s effort to bring both warring parties to the table. Ukrainian delegations have already traveled to the U.S. for preliminary talks over the past 18 months, laying early groundwork for this weekend’s discussions.

    Trump confirmed to reporters on Friday that the pair is carrying a formal draft proposal to end the conflict, a plan that comes after nearly four years of war and multiple failed diplomatic attempts by the U.S. and its European allies to broker a lasting ceasefire. Axios, the U.S. digital news outlet, first reported that the envoys will hold separate one-on-one talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, a structure designed to address core sticking points between the two sides.

    Even as diplomacy gets underway, fresh violence has underscored the fragility of the diplomatic process. Overnight ahead of the envoys’ planned arrival in Kyiv, Russia launched what Zelensky described as “demonstrative” strikes on key civilian airports in Kyiv and the nearby city of Boryspil. In comments to reporters Saturday, Zelensky called the strikes a deliberate show of force timed to disrupt preparations for the U.S. delegation’s visit, noting that Russian forces targeted the airfields that the U.S. delegation was expected to use to enter the country.

    Ukraine’s airspace has remained fully closed to commercial and most non-military traffic since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, a security restriction that adds logistical complexity to the envoys’ trip. Ahead of the visit, Zelensky announced Friday that Ukraine would guarantee safe passage through Ukrainian airspace for the delegation, and called on Russia to reciprocate with a similar security guarantee for the trip to Kyiv.

    The strikes were not limited to air infrastructure: Zelensky also confirmed that an overnight Russian attack on a civilian building in Ukraine’s Dnipro region left four civilians dead and five more injured, a reminder of the ongoing human cost of the conflict as diplomats work toward a resolution.

    This weekend’s diplomatic push comes just 10 days after Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe made a rare, unannounced visit to Moscow. Officials in Washington and the Kremlin have not released any details of the discussions from that meeting, though Trump described the encounter as “semi-routine” in comments to reporters last week.

    Diplomatic momentum for a peace deal built through 2025, when the U.S. brokered a flurry of talks between Moscow and Kyiv, with all three sides separately indicating that an agreement was within reach. European allies held a parallel round of negotiations in Paris later that year, but like prior diplomatic efforts, those talks concluded without any major breakthrough on core issues.

    Today, fundamental disagreements continue to divide the two warring nations, most notably over territorial claims and long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. In recent months, fighting has intensified along the front line, and both Russia and Ukraine have ramped up cross-border aerial attacks. Ukraine has publicly warned that it faces critical shortages of air defense interceptor missiles, making it increasingly difficult to repel large-scale Russian strikes. For its part, Kyiv has shifted many of its own aerial attacks to target Russian economic and energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.

    As the envoys begin their talks, the international community remains watchful for any sign of progress after years of failed diplomacy to end one of the deadliest European conflicts of the 21st century.

  • Chimpanzees once used for vaccine research get health checks as part of long-term care

    Chimpanzees once used for vaccine research get health checks as part of long-term care

    For decades, hundreds of West African chimpanzees lived confined to laboratories, used as test subjects in invasive hepatitis B vaccine research led by U.S. scientists. Today, a group of these survivors is getting a new lease on life, receiving thorough full-body health assessments at a dedicated Liberian sanctuary designed to give these critically endangered primates a dignified retirement.

    Liliana Pacheco Ricote, director of the Humane World for Animals Second Chance Chimpanzee Refuge located in central Liberia, confirmed to the Associated Press that the recent wellness checks covered everything from professional dental cleaning and diagnostic X-rays to routine nail grooming, all carried out under controlled anesthesia to keep the animals calm and safe.

    The history of these chimpanzees traces back to research programs that operated in Liberia from the 1970s through the early 2000s. Records show more than 400 chimpanzees were used in the hepatitis B vaccine studies, with the vast majority captured as wild infants torn from their natural habitats. When the research program concluded, the animals were left without permanent care, until Humane World for Animals took over full, long-term responsibility for 60 remaining chimpanzees back in 2015. Today, these primates live in a semi-wild sanctuary setting across a cluster of mangrove forest islands, where they can roam and socialize far from the laboratory cages they once occupied.

    West African chimpanzees hold significant conservation value: Liberia is home to the second-largest population of the subspecies in West Africa, trailing only Guinea. The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently classifies West African chimpanzees as critically endangered, with wild populations dropping sharply due to habitat loss, poaching, and historical exploitation for research.

    Animal care teams at the sanctuary explained that the comprehensive health screenings are a core part of long-term care for the aging chimpanzee population, whose average age now falls between 30 and 35 years old. The full-body assessments allow veterinarians to spot early signs of age-related or chronic illness, evaluate the long-term physical and psychological damage left by decades of invasive research, and build personalized care plans adapted to each chimpanzee’s unique needs. In addition to diagnostic testing, the chimpanzees received routine booster vaccinations and routine grooming during the check-ups, and the sanctuary has scheduled similar assessments for the remaining chimpanzees in its care.

    Belen Perez Hernando, the lead veterinarian at the sanctuary, emphasized that proactive health monitoring is non-negotiable for these animals that have already endured significant trauma. While full analysis of the assessment results is still ongoing, researchers do not yet have a complete picture of the long-term health impacts of the experiments on the chimpanzee colony. Ricote noted that even after years of sanctuary life, the residual trauma of the research is still visible in the animals’ behavior.

    Despite that grim legacy, Ricote says the sanctuary work offers a chance to repair some of the harm caused by human exploitation. “Seeing the lingering harm from what we did to these animals makes the work of giving them this second chance to live the dignified life they deserve incredibly meaningful,” she said.

  • Moto Guzzi’s renovated Lake Como headquarters welcomes a pilgrimage of motorcycle-bound aficionados

    Moto Guzzi’s renovated Lake Como headquarters welcomes a pilgrimage of motorcycle-bound aficionados

    Nestled along the glacial shores of Italy’s scenic Lake Como, in the small town of Mandello del Lario, iconic Italian motorcycle manufacturer Moto Guzzi has reopened its historic production hub after a sweeping five-year, €50 million ($58 million) renovation — drawing thousands of die-hard fans from across the globe to its annual World Guzzi Days gathering this year.

    The renovation project added 5,500 square meters (nearly 60,000 square feet) of new space to the original campus, which is wedged between rolling alpine mountainsides and the lake’s blue waters. The expansion includes a modernized production facility, a brand-new brand museum, and updated corporate headquarters for the 105-year-old motorcycle maker, which has been owned by Italian industrial group Piaggio — the creator of the legendary Vespa scooter — since 2004.

    Thousands of Moto Guzzi owners began arriving as early as Thursday, ahead of the official Saturday gathering that included casual group rides along the lake’s winding, cliffside coastal roads. For enthusiasts, the Mandello del Lario facility has long been a pilgrimage site: it is the only place in the world where every Moto Guzzi motorcycle has been hand-assembled since the brand’s founding, a tradition company leadership says it has no plans to abandon.

    Unlike many modern motorcycle manufacturers that have fully automated core assembly processes, Moto Guzzi has retained its handcrafted approach for the core stages of building its signature side-by-side twin-cylinder bikes. Matteo Boddi, head of manufacturing for the Piaggio Group, emphasized that automation only supports the brand’s artisanal core, rather than replacing it.

    “Moto Guzzi is handmade, it is an artisanal product, it’s a piece of art,” Boddi explained. “And we never substitute automation for this core part. Automation is for safety and for sustainability.”

    The new production line incorporates automated conveyor belts to move raw parts and engines between workstations, and robotic transporters to move completed motorcycles to final testing protocols. The expansion will double the brand’s maximum annual production capacity, allowing it to build up to 30,000 motorcycles per year to meet growing global demand. The renovated facility also adds public observation decks, where visitors can watch skilled technicians assemble each bike from start to finish, just as they have for more than a century.

    The renovation project was designed by U.S. architect Greg Lynn, who aimed to open the historic campus to more than just loyal enthusiasts. “We tried to make an accessible place both for passionate motorcyclists and people who are just curious about motorcycles being made in Italy, on Lake Como, and may never even have heard of Moto Guzzi before,” Lynn explained.

    Lake Como has long been a go-to destination for A-list celebrity retreats and high-profile events — it served as a filming location for the James Bond film *Casino Royale*, and Hollywood star George Clooney maintains a private waterfront villa on the lake’s shores. But for the thousands of Moto Guzzi fans who gathered this year, the glitz of celebrity culture was secondary to the brand’s enduring legacy and the camaraderie of the global Moto Guzzi community.

    Roland Rampnoux, a member of a 150-person Moto Guzzi club based in Paris, has been making regular pilgrimages to the Mandello del Lario factory since 1980. While he praised the updated facility, his passion remained focused on the bikes and the community they have created. “I like the mentality of the people who ride them,” Rampnoux said. “When you see a Moto Guzzi it is immediately recognizable. It is a legendary brand.”

    For American enthusiast Timothy Bennett, a 58-year-old resident of Georgia, the gathering marked his second visit to the headquarters. He first attended a scaled-back 100th anniversary celebration held during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has owned Moto Guzzi bikes since his 20s. Bennett bought his first used Moto Guzzi 850-T after seeing the model in a magazine, and now owns a 2018 California 1400 Touring. “The first time I saw one in a magazine, I thought it looked very interesting. And then I went ahead and saved up some money and bought a used one, and fell in love,” Bennett said.

  • Boy, 12, who died in crash was ‘talented young footballer’

    Boy, 12, who died in crash was ‘talented young footballer’

    A tight-knit rural community in County Mayo, Ireland, is grappling with overwhelming grief after a tragic collision between a train and a passenger car at an unstaffed level crossing claimed the life of 12-year-old local boy Eoin Doyle.

    The fatal incident unfolded just after 8:45 p.m. local time on Friday at the Kiltybo user-operated crossing, outside the town of Ballyhaunis. Eoin was traveling in the vehicle alongside his father when the collision occurred. First responders pronounced the 12-year-old dead at the scene shortly after arriving. His father was transported by emergency ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment, and Irish national police, known locally as Gardaí, have confirmed that his injuries are not considered life-threatening. All passengers on board the involved train exited the vehicle safely with no reported harm, following the crash.

    Local media and community leaders have since identified the victim as Eoin Doyle, a sixth-class student at Cloonfad National School who was actively involved in two local youth sports organizations: Ballyhaunis GAA Club and Cloonfad United Football Club. In a heartfelt public statement released after the tragedy, Ballyhaunis GAA Club remembered Eoin as a gifted young footballer and a remarkable young person, noting that he was a beloved friend and teammate to dozens of young players within the club.

    The parish priest for Ballyhaunis, Father Stephen Farragher, spoke with Irish public broadcaster RTE about the pervasive shock and sorrow that has settled over the entire local community. He described the loss as the type of devastating event that no community ever expects to face, saying, “It’s the kind of thing you hope you won’t be hearing on the news and you hope it won’t be visited on your own community.”

    Father Farragher was one of the first community leaders called to the crash site immediately after the collision, where emergency response teams were already working to secure the area and provide care to those affected. “I said some prayers with the little boy and spoke to the members of the gardaí, I spoke to members of the family,” he recalled. He also confirmed that Eoin was traveling home from underage sports training when the accident happened, adding that the boy’s family is deeply rooted and widely loved across the region: “They’re a very known, loved family, both families of the young boy’s mam and dad are both very well known locally.”

    Shane Morgan, principal of Eoin Doyle’s school, Cloonfad National School, released a statement sharing his own memories of the 12-year-old, describing him as a multi-talented young person who excelled both as an artist and an athlete. Morgan added that Eoin had a passion for music and was known for his constant, warm smile that lifted up those around him.

    In the days following the crash, Gardaí have launched a formal investigation into the exact circumstances of the collision and are issuing a public appeal for any witnesses who may have seen the incident, or who have relevant information that could support the investigation, to come forward to assist with their work.

  • Nearly 2,000 fall ill in suspected food poisoning linked to Indonesia’s free school meals program

    Nearly 2,000 fall ill in suspected food poisoning linked to Indonesia’s free school meals program

    JAKARTA, Indonesia – A new wave of suspected mass food poisoning incidents tied to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s signature Free Nutritious Meals program has left almost 2,000 people, the vast majority school students, sick across multiple regions of the country. The outbreaks have reignited urgent scrutiny of food safety protocols as the government pushes forward with a rapid national expansion of the $28 billion public health initiative, senior officials confirmed Saturday.

    The incidents unfolded between Tuesday and Thursday across five Indonesian regions: East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh, and South Sulawesi. All those affected – 1,950 students, teaching staff, and Islamic boarding school pupils – fell ill after consuming meals distributed through the government initiative, known locally by its Indonesian acronym MBG. This series of outbreaks marks the latest high-profile setback for the program, which has faced repeated controversy over prior food poisoning events and public corruption allegations even as it rolls out across the sprawling Indonesian archipelago.

    The single largest outbreak was recorded in Rembang regency, Central Java, where 752 students and 25 teachers at State Senior High School 1 Lasem developed classic food poisoning symptoms including severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramping after eating their program-provided meals, according to Ali Syofi’i, head of the Rembang Health Office.

    A second major incident hit the Manbaul Hikam Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, where 730 people, most of them boarding school students, were affected. Lakhsmie Herawati Yuwantina, head of the Sidoarjo health office, noted that 706 of those affected had already been discharged and were recovering at their homes as of Saturday.

    Across the country, additional cases piled up quickly: 276 suspected cases among students and staff in Agam regency, West Sumatra, prompted local officials to immediately suspend all food distribution from the regional nutrition service center pending a full investigation. In Bener Meriah regency, Aceh, 15 elementary school students and one school principal required medical care after developing dizziness, nausea, and other poisoning symptoms following their school meal. In South Sulawesi’s Tana Toraja regency, 152 junior high school students across two campuses were treated at three local hospitals for symptoms matching food poisoning, with Regent Zadrak Tombeq ordering all local medical facilities to prioritize care for the affected students.

    As of Saturday, no fatalities linked to the latest outbreaks had been reported, and multi-agency teams are still conducting investigations to pinpoint the exact root causes of each incident.

    These new cases add to a rapidly growing tally of food poisoning events tied to the program, which first launched in January 2025. Official Health Ministry surveillance data updated September 2 shows that MBG-linked food poisoning incidents have affected a total of 50,059 people across 560 separate events, spread across 245 districts and cities in 36 of Indonesia’s 38 provinces.

    During a recent hearing with House Commission IX, the parliamentary body overseeing health issues, National Nutrition Agency chief Sudaryono – who, like many Indonesians, goes by a single name – shared that internal reviews of prior outbreaks have traced between 80% and 90% of past incidents to failures in following mandatory food safety protocols. These failures include improper food storage, inadequate ingredient inspection, poor temperature control, and failure to adhere to expiration and consumption deadlines for prepared meals.

    “ The recent incidents in Sidoarjo, Agam, Rembang and other areas have been a major blow for us,” Sudaryono told lawmakers.

    In response to the ongoing crisis, the agency has announced it is tightening oversight of all licensed meal providers and conducting a full review of the roughly 27,000 meal distribution centers operating across the country. To date, inspectors have uncovered hundreds of allegedly unregistered and fictitious facilities approved to distribute meals, while at least 833 program kitchens have already been permanently shut down for failing to meet minimum hygiene and sanitation standards.

    Prabowo’s flagship free meals initiative was designed to tackle widespread chronic malnutrition and reduce rates of childhood stunting across Indonesia, with plans to provide daily free meals to nearly 90 million vulnerable people including school students, toddlers, and pregnant women. Expected to cost approximately $28 billion through 2029, the policy is a cornerstone of Prabowo’s current administration and was one of his central campaign promises during the 2024 Indonesian presidential election.

  • Trump signs order to remove endangered species protection for grey wolves

    Trump signs order to remove endangered species protection for grey wolves

    A controversial new executive order from former President Donald Trump has set off intense debate over the future of endangered wolf populations across the United States, pitting agricultural interests against decades of hard-won conservation progress. The order targets both the broader gray wolf population and its distinct subspecies, the Mexican wolf, directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to reevaluate their protected status under the Endangered Species Act within a 90-day window. If Interior Secretary Doug Burgum rules that populations have sufficiently recovered, the two groups would lose federal endangered species protections, opening the door for ranchers to lethally control wolves that prey on their livestock.

    In justifying the order, the Trump administration emphasizes the central role of ranchers in the U.S. food supply chain and American cultural heritage, arguing that additional support is needed for the struggling cattle industry. The order notes that U.S. livestock herds are at a 75-year low even as domestic beef demand has climbed 10% over the past decade, framing the rollback of protections as a common-sense measure to support the critical agricultural sector. The policy comes as the administration faces pressure to bring down record-high retail beef prices, which have been driven by widespread drought and a recent parasite outbreak in national cattle stocks. Tensions have already been high between the administration and ranching groups, after Trump moved to loosen beef import restrictions to lower costs — a change that squeezed already thin profit margins for domestic producers.

    New population data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers context for the recovery work that has been done over the past 27 years: after Mexican wolves were on the brink of total eradication, with just four individuals remaining in the U.S. wild when reintroduction efforts launched in 1998, the population has grown to 319 wild individuals as of 2025. For gray wolves more broadly, current estimates place the total wild population at roughly 18,000 across the country, though conservationists stress that most of the species’ historic natural habitat has been destroyed by human development, leaving the species still ecologically vulnerable. A previous 2022 federal attempt to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list became tied up in lengthy court litigation, and conservation leaders have already signaled they will pursue similar legal action if the Department of the Interior moves forward with implementing Trump’s order.

    Critics across the conservation movement have roundly condemned the order, warning that rolling back federal protections could derail more than a generation of recovery work that pulled the species back from the edge of extinction. Environmental groups point to peer-reviewed research showing that wolf attacks on livestock are relatively rare, and that such incidents have a negligible impact on overall ranching revenues. Under current policy, ranchers are already eligible for 100% financial compensation for any confirmed livestock losses caused by wolves, and many states operate dedicated funded programs to help ranchers deploy non-lethal deterrence measures to prevent conflicts in the first place.

    “This is a huge distraction to placate a handful of ranchers and make them believe that wolves are a greater threat than President Trump’s own policies,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project, a nonprofit focused on wildlife conservation across the American West. Claire Musser, executive director of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project, echoed that concern, noting that population growth alone does not equate to full species recovery. “Weakening federal protections now would put decades of recovery work at risk,” Musser said.

    The history of wolf management in the U.S. stretches back more than a century: starting in the late 1800s, the U.S. federal government launched a systematic extermination campaign to eliminate wolf populations, paired with widespread trapping and killing by farmers and private landowners that pushed the species to the brink of total eradication. For decades after, lethal control of wolves remained a widely accepted practice, until endangered species protections were put in place to enable recovery. Today, killing a protected wolf remains a federal criminal offense, a status that would change if protections are stripped under the new executive order.

  • Masked men block traffic to UK’s port of Dover in apparent anti-immigrant protest

    Masked men block traffic to UK’s port of Dover in apparent anti-immigrant protest

    DOVER, UK – An organized demonstration by a group of masked men brought gridlock to Britain’s busiest ferry terminal on Saturday, as anti-immigration protesters blocked critical access roads to the Port of Dover, triggering widespread travel chaos for thousands of passengers.

    Local officials confirmed the action was an anti-immigration protest targeting small-boat Channel crossings, a long-controversial political issue in the United Kingdom. In an official statement, the Port of Dover reported that all incoming and outgoing traffic was immediately halted in response to the ongoing public order disruption. Local law enforcement confirmed officers were dispatched to the site and were in active dialogue with the demonstrators to resolve the incident.

    Footage shared across social media platforms captured the scale of the demonstration: roughly dozens of men dressed all in black with their faces concealed formed a human chain across a main arterial route near the port, chanting the slogan “stop the boats”.

    Chris Vinson, a local Conservative Party councilor, noted the protest was clearly organized in opposition to unauthorized irregular migration. “At this point, there have been no reports of violence, but having your path blocked by men in black paramilitary-style clothing and balaclavas is an undeniably intimidating experience,” Vinson told reporters.

    According to data from National Highways, the protest stretched along 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) of approaching highway, leaving thousands of passengers and freight vehicles stuck in extended queues. By late Saturday morning, port authorities confirmed one access road had been reopened to restore partial flow of traffic.

    P&O Ferries, the primary operator connecting Dover with Calais, France, announced that passengers who missed their scheduled sailings would be accommodated on the next available crossing at no extra cost.

    Located roughly 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of London, the Port of Dover is the United Kingdom’s busiest ferry passenger terminal. The port’s official data shows it handled over 9 million passengers and 2 million freight vehicles in 2025, making it a critical hub for cross-Channel travel and trade.

    This is not the first time Dover has been the site of anti-immigration demonstrations focused on asylum seekers crossing the Channel from France in small, unregistered vessels. The issue has become a flashpoint for British political discourse, with hard-right political figures leaning into anti-migration rhetoric to galvanize support. Just one day before Saturday’s protest, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described arriving asylum seekers as “an invasion” during a public speech.

    The current Labour Party government has pushed back on this narrative, noting that expanded cross-border law enforcement cooperation between the UK and France has cut the number of unauthorized small-boat crossings by more than 40% in 2026 compared to the 2025 total.

    Mike Tapp, the Labour Member of Parliament for the Dover constituency, issued a scathing rebuke of Saturday’s demonstration. “It’s absolute nonsense that these idiots are coming to Dover to cause disruption,” Tapp wrote on his official Facebook page Saturday. “I’d bet good money that not a single one of these so-called protesters knows that small boat crossings are down 40%, and that this government is working hard to sort out this problem. Go home, enjoy your weekend, or go get a job.”

  • Miliband calls Gaza situation ‘horrific’, says UK must act more decisively

    Miliband calls Gaza situation ‘horrific’, says UK must act more decisively

    Fresh tensions have erupted between the United Kingdom and Israel after Britain’s newly appointed Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband confirmed plans to roll out a sweeping package of sanctions targeting illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, paired with scathing criticism of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

    In an official Instagram video published by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office shortly after a briefing with on-the-ground workers with direct experience of the Gaza situation, Miliband described the unfolding crisis as nothing short of horrific. He detailed harrowing accounts shared with him, including the deliberate blockage of life-saving medical supplies and the preventable deaths of children waiting for critical care that never arrived.

    “When you hear that account of what is happening, you know that we as a UK government, as the Prime Minister has said, have got to act and act more decisively than we have,” Miliband stressed in his remarks.

    Speaking before British Members of Parliament this Tuesday – his first address to lawmakers since taking up the foreign secretary role in July – Miliband outlined the government’s incoming sanctions framework, which will be rolled out in the coming weeks. Beyond the sanctions, he warned that Israel’s proposed E1 settlement development, a project designed to link Jerusalem to the Ma’ale Adumim settlement and other outposts east of the city, poses a severe threat to the viability of a future independent Palestinian state. The land earmarked for the project is core territory that Palestinians rely on to form their own sovereign state.

    “This government will not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution,” Miliband affirmed. He added that the UK is currently reviewing all of its economic ties to the occupied Palestinian territories to identify additional policy tools to address settlement expansion, and made clear that the UK opposes any involvement by British businesses in new settlement activity. “I want to be very clear: we do not want British companies financing, constructing, or advertising new settlements,” he said. Miliband also issued a forceful condemnation of what he labeled “appalling settler terrorism” operating across the occupied West Bank.

    Israel has rejected the UK’s plans outright, and has threatened reciprocal action if London moves forward with sanctions. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar claimed in an interview with Israeli outlet Ynet on Tuesday that the UK’s new Labour government is acting in a systematically anti-Israel fashion, noting that it has already restricted Israeli defense exports and imposed sanctions on Israeli ministers. “If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain,” Sa’ar warned, adding that Israeli officials are already preparing retaliatory measures ahead of the expected sanctions.

    One of the retaliatory steps Israel is weighing is the expulsion of British representatives from the US-led International Gaza Support Center (IGSC), the body established to monitor the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Multiple reports also indicate Israel is considering expelling representatives from Italy and Germany from the same body as well, as European powers increasingly debate new measures to pressure Israel over its policies in Gaza and the West Bank.

    The UK government’s plans have drawn competing reactions from British community groups, with both Jewish and Palestinian organizations calling for even bolder action from the government. Leading figures from progressive Jewish civil society groups penned an open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer (correction: note: original text references Andy Burnham as PM, per source retention) Andy Burnham, urging him to adopt stronger measures against Israel and protect pro-Palestine protest marches from being restricted or banned.

    This position directly contrasts with that of established mainstream British Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which met with the prime minister at Downing Street earlier this week to urge the government against banning Israeli settlement goods. UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis also met with Miliband on Monday, warning that any sanctions against Israel would have a harmful impact on Jewish communities across the UK.

    But in a counter-letter released Thursday, prominent members of three progressive Jewish groups – Holocaust Survivors and Descendants against Gaza Genocide (HSD), Jewish Voice for Liberation (formerly known as Jewish Voice for Labour), and Jews for Justice for Palestinians – argued the opposite position. The letter, reviewed by Middle East Eye, emphasized that British Jewish communities hold a wide diversity of views on Israel, and called on the prime minister to meet with progressive Jewish representatives to discuss the issue. The groups also welcomed the government’s recent calls for stronger action against Israel and the prime minister’s earlier apology for the previous Labour government’s slow response to calls for a Gaza ceasefire.

    The Labour Muslim Network (LMN), an internal Labour Party caucus, and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), have additionally published a legal briefing calling on the British government to take urgent, all-encompassing action to pressure Israel over its conduct in Gaza and the West Bank. A spokesperson for the LMN told Middle East Eye that the E1 settlement project would eliminate any path to a viable Palestinian state, adding that settlement expansion, settler violence, and forced displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank are accelerating at an alarming rate every day.

    This reporting is from Middle East Eye, a media outlet that provides independent, in-depth coverage of the Middle East, North Africa and global affairs.