"The White House has warned Sir Keir Starmer that Britain’s failure to prosecute two suspected Chinese spies risks damaging the special relationship and could jeopardize intelligence sharing between London and Washington.
US President Donald Trump is said to be increasingly concerned about Britain’s reliability after charges were dropped against two Britons accused of spying for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Ex-parliamentary assistant Chris Cash, 30, and academic Christopher Berry, 33, had charges of alleged espionage dropped last month after Whitehall refused to provide evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service that indicated China is a "threat to national security".
A senior White House aide said that the US has been "warning allies about the Chinese threat to our combined national security since President Trump first came into office in 2017". GBN
"The Special Operations Centre Alpha of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) launched long-range drones in the morning striking the Bashneft-Ufa Oil Refinery in the Russian city of Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan, some 1,400 kilometres from Ukraine." Pravada
"Severe flooding triggered by days of heavy rainfall has left at least 28 people dead and caused widespread damage across central and southeastern Mexico. Authorities report major impacts in Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, and Querétaro, with continuing search-and-rescue operations under way." W
"Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, who is leading polls ahead of this month's election, onFriday cancelled an appearance at a high-profile campaign event due to a possible security threat.
Wilders, in a post on X, cited a Belgian media report that he had been among the targets of a group that was seen to be planning attacks on politicians including Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever.
"Investigations are ongoing to see if these reports are correct or not. I am not going anywhere until I know," Wilders said.
The anti-Islam populist had been scheduled to join a debate with leaders of other political parties on Friday afternoon, seen as the start of the campaign for the vote on October 29.
Belgian prosecutors on Thursday said the group had been thwarted by a police operation in which two suspects had been arrested." Reuters
"Hungary has begun collecting signatures against the European Union's military plans, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
Orban said that he would initiate a petition in Hungary against Brussels' military plans, which presented a strategy for "defeating Russia" at the EU summit.
"We can't watch this without doing anything! We must show once again that the Hungarian people do not want war. That is why today we are starting to collect signatures against Brussels' military plans. We will be in every town and village, because right now we need every Hungarian who wants peace," Orban said on social media." Sputnik
"A very strong magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred in the Philippine Sea near the coast of Caraga, Philippines at 14:32 GMT. The quake had a shallow depth of 59 km (37 mi) and was felt over a large region. The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicenter than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would." VD
"President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump discussing Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy grid and U.S. peace efforts in the Middle East, Zelensky said.
The conversation follows a mass Russian drone and missile attack on Oct. 10 that caused blackouts in Kyiv and across Ukrainian regions.
"I informed President Trump about Russia's attacks on our energy system — and I appreciate his willingness to support us," Zelensky said on X, praising the discussion as "very positive and productive." KI
"A low-pressure system forming off the southeastern United States is expected to strengtheninto a nor’easter according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The storm will travel north along or just off the East Coast, reaching New England by late Sunday or early Monday.
Forecast models, including the Global Forecast System (GFS) and the European model (ECMWF), show the storm becoming stronger as it moves north.
The system will pull in moist air from the Atlantic, bringing widespread rainfall to parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Rainfall totals of 50–125 mm (2–5 inches) are likely, with some areas seeing more. The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has warned about possible flash flooding in parts of the Mid-Atlantic." W
"203 combat clashes between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Russian troops, with the fiercest fighting taking place in the Pokrovsk, Oleksandrohrad, and Kostiantynivka sectors of the frontline.
Four combat clashes took place in the Northern Slobozhanshchyna and Kursk sectors over the past day. The enemy carried out ten air strikes, dropping a total of 23 guided bombs and firing 168 artillery rounds, including seven from multiple launch rocket systems.In the Southern Slobozhanshchyna sector, there were 23 combat engagements in the areas of Vovchansk, Odradne, Zapadne, Kutkivka, and toward Obukhivka, Bolohivka, Dvorichanske, and Kolodiazne.
In the Kupiansk sector, there were 15 attacks by the invaders over the past day. Defense Forces repelled enemy assaults in the areas of Kupiansk, Petropavlivka, Bohuslavka, Nova Kruhliakivka, and Stepova Novoselivka.
In the Lyman sector, the enemy attacked 14 times, trying to advance in the areas of Shandryholove, Derylove, Kolodiazi, Kopanky, Karpivka, Serednie, Drobysheve, Torske, and toward the settlement of Lyman.
In the Sloviansk sector, the enemy carried out six attacks on the positions of Ukrainian units in the areas of Yampil, Serebrianka, Vyimka, and Dronivka over the past day.
In the Kostiantinivka sector, the enemy carried out 21 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Oleksandro-Shultyne, Shcherbynivka, Pleshchiivka, Rusyn Yar, and Poltavka.
In the Pokrovsk sector, Ukrainian defenders stopped 58 offensive actions by the aggressor in the areas of the settlements of Volodymyrivka, Novomykolaivka, Novopavlivka, Zatyshok, Boikivka, Fedorivka, Shakhove, Sukhetske, Myrnohrad, Chervonyi Lyman, Myroliubivka, Novoekonomichne, Zvirove, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, Filiia, and toward the settlement of Pokrovsk.
In the Oleksandrohrad sector, the Defense Forces repelled 36 attacks on the positions of Ukrainian troops near the settlements of Malynivka, Poltavka, Oleksandrohrad, Pavlivka, Zelenyi Hai, Sichneve, Sosnivka, Novohryhorivka, and toward Orestopil.
In the Orikhiv sector, invading forces attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders six times near the settlements of Kamianske, Stepnohirsk, Stepove, and toward Prymorske.
Over the past day, the enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Kramatorsk, Huliaipole, and Prydniprovske sectors." Ukrin
