NATO secretary-general departs to US on emergency visit

#NATO Secretary General Mark #Rutte is departing to the United States on an emergency visit to meet with US President Donald Trump, the alliance’s press service announced.

"On 21-22 October 2025, the NATO Secretary General, Mark, Rutte, will travel to Washington D.C. The Secretary General will meet the President of the United States, Mr. Donald J. Trump. There is no planned media opportunity," the alliance’s press service said. Up until recently, the visit was not on the secretary general’s schedule.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that European countries, together with Kiev, are developing a 12-point plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

Effect of sanctions and inflation in Europe! Many Europeans can’t afford food anymore as before.

Food prices grew by:
Estonia 57%
Latvia 55%
Lithuania 52%
Slovakia 52%
Croatia 47%
Slovenia 39%
Netherlands 39%
Belgium 38%
Spain 34%
Austria 33%
Malta 32%
Portugal 32%
Greece 30%
Luxembourg 29%
Italy 28%
France 27%
Germany 27%
Ireland 26%
Finland 25%
Cyprus 20%

Trump says his team found answer to why autism cases in children have increased

President #Trump stated that his administration has found an answer to why the number of children with #autism in the United States is increasing each year. "I think we found an answer to autism. How about that? Autism. Tomorrow, we're going to be talking in the oval office in the White House about autism," he said in the city of Glendale, Arizona, during a farewell ceremony for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed in an assassination attempt.

"How it happens, so we won't let it happen anymore, and how to get at least somewhat better when you have it, so that parents can help their child," Trump added. President Trump noted that 20 years ago, autism affected only one in 10,000 children, whereas now it affects one in twelve.

Earlier, The Washington Post, citing sources, reported that the Trump administration will announce that the rise in autism cases among children may be linked to women’s use of acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy. Additionally, authorities plan to claim that leucovorin (also known as folinic acid) can treat autism.

China takes the Arctic Route: First ship set to arrive in Europe via the Northeast Passage

The Europe #Arctic Express and could revolutionize European trade, shortening the distance between #China and #Europe by ten days (it takes 18 days via the Arctic, compared to about 30 using the Suez Canal).

The ship will set sail with 5,000 containers from the port of Qingdao, opposite North Korea, and then dock in Europe at the ports of Felixstowe in Great Britain, Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Gdansk. A stable flow of ships through this new route would render the ports of the Mediterranean marginal. This revolution was made possible by climate change. The shrinking of the polar ice cap is significantly accelerating the melting of the ice, which in those latitudes is occurring at a rate of 12 percent every ten years. It is only “thanks” to this that one can today speak of a “Northwest Passage.” In recent years, Russian and Chinese container ships have mainly navigated the Arctic route.

According to Norway’s Centre for High North Logistics (CHNL), between the beginning of June and the end of August, approximately 52 Russian or Chinese ships transited through this route, mainly loaded with Russian oil for export.

[BREAKING] 4 Israeli soldiers have fallen in combat in southern Gaza.

Omri Chai Ben Moshe, (26)
Ron Arieli, (20)
Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak, (22)
Eran Shelem, (23)

They were the best of us. May we be worthy of their sacrifice.

Zapad-2025 drills to practice troop management in event of aggression against ally

Military personnel at the joint Belarus-Russia drills #Zapad-2025 will practice managing troop groupings during the localization of aggression against the Union State, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"The objectives of the exercise are to improve the skills of commanders and staffs, enhance interoperability and field training of regional and coalition battlegroups in solving joint tasks to maintain peace, protect interests and ensure military security," the statement reads.

According to Russia’s top brass, the troops will practice actions "at firing ranges in the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation and in the Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea." The military from the two countries will practice control over battlegroups in the event of a localized aggression against the Union State, the ministry specified.

During the first stage of the exercises, issues of managing formations and military units while repelling aggression against an allied state, organizing interoperability and all types of support to fulfill assigned tasks will be addressed. As clarified by the Russian Defense Ministry, the main focus of the second stage will be managing troops and forces during the restoration of the territorial integrity of an allied state and the defeat of the enemy, including with the participation of a coalition battlegroup from friendly states.

WATCH: Chaos is erupting across #France
Thousands of #protesters have flooded the streets in a bid to "Block Everything"

BREAKING: At this time, absolute chaos is erupting across France as thousands of protesters flood the streets, clashing with police and rioting in opposition to the government’s economic policies. Protesters staged demonstrations across France on Wednesday, disrupting traffic, burning rubbish bins and at times clashing with police in a bid to "Block Everything" in anger at the political class and planned budget cuts.

Security forces deployed across the country to try to remove any blockades as fast as possible, officials said, meaning that France was, for now, not blocked. Dozens of protesters were arrested and there were some scuffles with police.

SURVEY - France's Macron’s approval rating hits record low

French President Emmanuel Macron's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since his election in 2017, according to the results of a poll by the sociological service Verian for Le Figaro Magazine. The poll reveals that 15% of French respondents approve of the job Macron is doing in the capacity of the head of state. Eighty percent of the polled respondents do not trust him, and another 5% of those surveyed found it difficult to answer.

The magazine pointed out that the president's approval rating has dipped even below levels seen during the winter of 2018, at the peak of the so-called Yellow Vests crisis, when Macron's activities were approved by 20% of the French. As for the level of confidence in French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, it has dropped to 14%, while 82% opposed his policies. Another 4% declined to express their opinion on this issue.

The survey was conducted via an online questionnaire involving 1,000 people over the age of 18.

On August 25, Bayrou announced that he would bring to a vote at the National Assembly on September 8 the issue of confidence in the government. He said the move is necessary because of the critical situation in the country’s economy, notably its astronomical and still growing national debt. According to him, "France's public debt is increasing by 12 million euros every hour" and has already reached 3.4 trillion euros. Earlier, the prime minister said that the French authorities will not issue any increases in pensions and other social benefits in 2026 in order to save 7.1 billion euros and curtail the growth of the national debt.

Humanity again has to choose between peace and war, claims China's Xi Jinping

At present, the humanity is once again facing the choice between war and peace, Chinese President Xi Jinping said before the start of the parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War Two.

"Today, the humanity is again facing the choice: peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, mutual benefit or zero-sum game. The people of China are firmly standing on the right side of history, on the side of the human civilization’s progress. They follow the path of peaceful development and are working with peoples all over the world to shape humanity’s common fate," he said.