Russian and Iranian propaganda operations have sought to exploit the violent protests sweeping France, spreading misleading claims and fabricated news reports to portray the country as descending into chaos, according to a new assessment by the Disinformation Commission. The report reveals how Russian-linked networks, Iranian government officials and far-right social media influencers have used the unrest to spread false information to millions of people across Europe and beyond. It also warns that Russian propaganda has appeared among sources retrieved by artificial intelligence search engines, raising concerns about attempts to influence information presented to the public. The 15-page assessment, dated October…

Egypt is planning to send troops to Saudi Arabia to help defend the kingdom against escalating missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. The country’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has requested parliamentary approval for a possible deployment, with politicians expected to vote on Tuesday after three days of deliberations. The proposed mission would bring Cairo closer to direct military involvement in the widening regional conflict, as attacks on Saudi infrastructure and shipping routes threaten the interests of both countries. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have longstanding political, economic and military ties. Riyadh has been one of Cairo’s most important financial…

The man who ran Chávez’s secret channels to Havana, Tehran and Pretoria is now talking to Manhattan prosecutors. That changes the arithmetic of the trial. By André Pienaar  On Thursday, Nicolás Maduro stood shackled at the ankles before Judge Alvin Hellerstein in the Southern District of New York and refused, twice, to enter a plea to the new charge that he and his wife had presided over a state torture machine. He denounced the indictment, through an interpreter, as “false accusations and false testimony.” The judge entered the not-guilty plea for him and set the trial for 14 June 2027.…

A Chinese technology company has allegedly offered to supply Russia with nearly £2.2 million worth of communications equipment designed to extend the operational range of its attack drones. The disclosure comes as Moscow expands its drone warfare capabilities, with a major new launch facility near Ukraine nearing completion that experts estimate could launch 100 or more jet-powered attack drones daily. Mike Monnik, founder of the private intelligence company DroneSec, told Reuters: “The speed of construction … demonstrates the ease with which Russia can bring now-established offensive capabilities to bear rapidly.” Shenzhen Xingkai Technology offered to provide 500 communications modems to…

Iran has intensified its attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with two cargo vessels sinking in the latest wave of violence in the waterway. The surge comes less than three weeks before the US midterm elections, with Iranian officials revealing that Tehran is deliberately increasing attacks to keep oil prices high and put pressure on President Donald Trump. Two senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran had changed its military tactics to step up attacks and extend their reach, partly to influence the November 03 elections. One official said: “The aim is to frustrate efforts by the…

The world is edging towards a Third World War as conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East threaten to merge into a global confrontation involving Russia, Iran, North Korea and potentially China, a former senior British Army commander has warned. Colonel Harry Fullerton said the growing links between hostile states, combined with an escalating campaign of sabotage, cyber warfare and attacks on critical infrastructure, had created a dangerous international crisis that could spiral out of control. The former commanding officer of the Household Cavalry Regiment warned that world leaders risked sleepwalking into a devastating conflict as regional wars increasingly became…

By Ben Farmer Ethiopia has condemned neighbours for trying to shut it out of governance of the Red Sea, as the country’s feud with Eritrea over maritime access has put the region on the brink of war. A summit between Egypt, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan earlier this month decreed that only nations with a Red Sea coast should have any say in governing the strategic waterway. The pact has been seen as a deliberate stance to keep landlocked Ethiopia out of the waterway, as tensions rise on the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia lost direct access to the sea in 1993…

MI5 is devoting more resources to countering threats from Russia and other hostile states than it did during the Cold War, the head of the Security Service has warned. Sir Ken McCallum said the threat from foreign powers had quadrupled, with Russia remaining Britain’s “aggressor number one”. In his annual speech at MI5 headquarters in London, he warned that Moscow was increasingly recruiting criminals to carry out acts of sabotage and espionage across Europe. Sir Ken said the threat from hostile states had grown to such an extent that MI5 was now devoting almost as much operational effort to countering…

The United States is considering military action against the Houthis after repeated missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia exposed weaknesses in the kingdom’s air defences, despite billions of dollars being spent on American weapons systems. US president Donald Trump warned he could join Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Iranian-backed rebels after attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport at the weekend killed 14 people and injured more than 300. The attacks have raised concerns over Saudi Arabia’s ability to defend its cities and infrastructure, with reports that its military is running dangerously low on interceptor missiles. Saudi officials…

NATO will press ahead with its annual nuclear exercise next week, despite Russia’s recent warning that it could use nuclear weapons to defend its territory. The 10-day Steadfast Noon exercise begins on Tuesday, 13 October, in Italy, with dozens of aircraft from 17 NATO countries expected to take part. Nassima Barrows, NATO’s head of nuclear policy, stressed that the exercise was routine and posed no threat to Russia. Barrows said: “Our exercise Steadfast Noon is routine. We have been doing this every year and we have not postponed.” She added: “There is no need to worry. This is predictable.” The…

The US military is preparing for possible renewed strikes against Iran as fighting intensifies across the Middle East, with Syria considering military support for Saudi Arabia and fresh threats to vital oil shipping routes. The Pentagon has instructed US Central Command to prepare for renewed military operations against Iran, Axios reported on Thursday. President Donald Trump has not made a final decision, but military action could take place before the US midterm elections in November. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Hamas could launch attacks to influence Israel’s October 27 election. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday,…

Israel is marking three years since the October 07 attacks, as the country remembers those killed in the Hamas-led attack that triggered a war which has since spread across the Middle East. Around 1,200 people were killed after Hamas and other armed groups breached the border from Gaza on October 07, 2023, attacking communities, military positions and the Nova music festival. Another 251 people were taken hostage. At 06:29am on Wednesday, marking the time the Hamas-led attack began three years ago, President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog lit a memorial candle at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. Across…