Protracted battle over migration at EU meeting

 

Wiktor Nummelin/TT

 

Published 19.33

 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during an EU summit in Brussels last year. File photo. Photo: Francois Walschaerts/AP/TT

Italy and Spain have agreed to remove the internal border controls they had imposed on each other.

Nevertheless, a long and contentious debate on migration took place at the EU summit in Brussels.

The arduous two-day meeting did not conclude until around 6:30 p.m. on Friday. During the proceedings, Denmark, Italy, and Poland, in particular, spent a significant amount of time pushing for language in the summit’s joint statement that would call for a tougher stance on migration.

Much of the frustration was directed at a decision made by Spain earlier this year, which allows individuals who have been in the country without authorization to apply for a one-year formal residence permit—a policy that Denmark and others have identified as a factor that encourages migration.

Despite the disagreement, Spain and Italy have agreed to let the additional border controls they introduced against one another this summer expire soon, the news agency AFP reports.
 

Half a billion for Ukraine in winter aid

 

TT

 

Published 15:24

 

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels on Friday. Photo: Olivier Hoslet/AP/TT

Sweden is providing 522 million kronor in an additional civilian aid package to Ukraine ahead of the winter.

The funds are intended to address the “most urgent needs” leading up to and throughout the winter of 2026.

This includes, among other things, electricity and heating for Ukrainian homes, support for energy and water supplies, and funding for essential services such as hospitals and schools.

“By targeting infrastructure like electricity and heating, Russia is attempting to make the approaching winter unbearable for the Ukrainian people,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa in a press release.

With this new aid package, Sweden’s total support to Ukraine since 2022 now amounts to approximately 158 billion kronor, of which about 29.6 billion kronor is civilian aid, the government states.

Pope urges Putin to agree to a ceasefire

 

TT

 

Published 20:38

 

Pope Leo XIV. The image is from October 8. Photo: Gregorio Borgia / AP / TT

Pope Leo XIV and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday, according to the Vatican.

Pope Leo urged the Russian leader to initiate a ceasefire in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to the Vatican, Leo expressed “deep concern regarding the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region.”

Pope Leo—who has just undergone surgery following the discovery of lung cancer—also stated that a Russian ceasefire is necessary “to facilitate the delivery of food and medical supplies, as well as the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population.”

According to the Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti, Putin responded by emphasizing the importance of “cooperation between Russia and the Vatican in promoting spiritual and moral values,” reports the Italian news agency ANSA.

Trump’s new press secretary has been fired

 

Oskar Forsberg

 

Published 19:39 | Updated 20:51

 

The White House’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, has been fired—after only five days. Photo: Andrea Hanks / White House / Stella

Katie Zacharia’s first press briefing also became her last.

President Trump’s new press secretary has now been fired—after less than a week on the job.

This is reported by The New York Times.

Donald Trump told reporters today that the role of White House press secretary might not be a good fit for the heavily criticized Katie Zacharia, 41.

A few minutes later, The New York Times reported that she had been fired—after less than a week on the job.

The newspaper cites three sources with knowledge of the matter.

Initially, neither the White House nor Zacharia would provide comment to the newspaper regarding the reports. Later, however, it was confirmed that the press secretary had been fired.

Earlier on Friday, Trump told journalists that he had urged Zacharia to “reconsider” her position.

“Honestly, if I were you, I’d rethink this,” he told the journalists, recounting his conversation with the press secretary.

He added:

“Katie, do you really need this? I don’t think you need this.”

Zacharia had a, to put it mildly, rocky start to her new job. Her first press briefing on Tuesday also became her last.

Following the press briefing—which was unusually short, lasting only 14 minutes—a wave of critical articles emerged, questioning whether Zacharia had falsely represented herself as a lawyer. The president had described her as a “lawyer,” even though she had not passed the exam required to qualify to practice law in the United States. 

Homeless man insults Erdogan to secure a place to stay

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 13.56

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. File photo. Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik/Kremlin/pool photo via AP/TT

A homeless man in the Turkish resort town of Alanya sought a roof over his head for the night. He achieved this by standing in the street and hurling insults at the country’s president—ensuring his own arrest.

The 66-year-old was apprehended in a park in Alanya, the newspaper *Sözcü* reports. During a court hearing regarding his detention, he made his motive for the offense clear:

"I have nowhere to live; I sleep in piles of trash. That is why I did it."

It is not specified exactly what the man said. He is reported to have attempted the same thing at least three times previously, but on this occasion, a decision was made to place him in custody.

Insulting the President of Turkey is a criminal offense punishable by up to four years in prison. The use of this law has become significantly more frequent—often targeting those with opposition-leaning views—since the country transitioned to a more presidential system under the current leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in 2018.

Missiles aimed at Riyadh shot down by Saudi Arabia

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 16.55

 

Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. Photo: Baraa Anwer/AP/TT

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi movement in Yemen states that missiles and drones heading toward targets in Saudi Arabia have been intercepted.

The attacks were directed at the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and other areas.

The Houthi movement in Yemen continues to target locations in Saudi Arabia, while also carrying out attacks in southwestern Yemen and the key coastal city of Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognized government is based.

“We have intercepted and destroyed three drones in the southern regions and Riyadh, as well as two cruise missiles over the Red Sea,” coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki stated on X.

The attacks took place on Friday afternoon, according to al-Malki, who added that a ballistic missile was destroyed near the port city of Yanbu in western Saudi Arabia.

 

Rassvet Starts Operating West Ukraine Badly Hit Zelensky Rushes To Brussels; Russian Nuclear Warning

Alexander Mercouris