Category World News

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has urged US President Donald Trump to pressure China into reducing its support for Russia because of Moscow’s dependence on oil revenues to finance its war.

Trump is getting ready to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week with Zelenskyy’s call on Tuesday. Russia’s two largest oil companies are currently facing sanctions from the US, while Ukraine’s military has been focusing on the infrastructure of the country’s oil industry.

Zelenskyy is eager to take advantage of Trump’s plan to buy US energy from Russia all over the world. The US president recently requested that all Russian energy purchases be stopped, and he is attempting to do so through tariffs.

According to the text of a briefing to journalists, Zelenskyy said, “I think this may be one of]Trump’s] strong moves, especially if, following [his] decisive sanctions step, China is ready to reduce imports.”

Trump and Xi will meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju, South Korea. This is their first direct encounters since the US president’s abrupt departure from office and global trade.

Observations of disruption

Washington has not yet responded to Zelenskyy’s remarks.

Russia’s offer of top-quality energy at a “lower price” was met with a statement from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who did not respond directly.

However, the Russian oil industry exhibits signs of resurgence.

Lukoil, the second-largest oil producer in the nation, along with state-controlled Rosneft, made a late Monday announcement that it would seek the prompt sale of several overseas assets.

In addition to refineries and gas station networks in various European states, Lukoil holds stakes in oil and gas projects in 11 nations.

Transactions would be conducted under a sanctions grace period that runs until November 21, according to the company, which it claimed is already in conversation with potential buyers.

It further stated that if the fast-tracked transactions were required, it would seek an extension.

Recovering from missiles

Russia’s military is also attempting to increase its pressure by attacking the country’s energy infrastructure.

Zeleneskyy said that long-range strikes on Russian refineries have reduced Moscow’s oil refining capacity by 20%, citing information from Western governments.

He urged allies to support Kyiv in continuing to use longer-range missiles in response to a European Union plan to rob Russian assets to support Ukraine.

He claimed that more fighting needs to be done in the European Union for another two or three years.

We will spend this money on recovery if the war ends in a month. If it doesn’t come to an end in a month but does eventually add up, we will spend it on weapons. Zelenskyy remarked, “We simply have no other choice.”

Uncertain impact

Trump’s military strategy will likely have an impact on how much the focus on Moscow’s oil revenues will affect the country’s economy.

Nearly 20% of China’s total energy imports came from Russia, which was a record 109 million tonnes last year.

India has already indicated that it will reduce purchases in order to comply with US sanctions and imported 88 million tonnes.

Earlier reports claimed that Chinese state oil companies had suspended purchases of sea-borne Russian oil.

Russia’s situation is likely to become even more complicated by the US sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil. The two companies export 3.1 million barrels of oil annually, which accounts for 70% of Russian crude oil exports.

Chris Berwick, a New Yorker, is running for mayor of the largest city in the country, saying things he never imagined he would.

As the November 4 election day approaches, the self-described moderate conservative has been weighing the three-way contest between Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

“I have to do what’s best for New York”, the 58-year-old told Al Jazeera outside his apartment complex in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Andrew Cuomo is best for New York, according to my gut instincts.

Naturally, Berwick, a regular Republican voter, chose Sliwa, a veteran of New York City who rose to prominence by leading a contentious volunteer crime-fighting organization, the Guardian Angels, in the 1980s.

But in the Democrat-dominated metropolis, he feels it would be a waste.

The retired contractor claimed that “it’s the lesser of two evils.” Cuomo is not a fan of socialism, but I don’t believe this country was built on it.

Cuomo’s campaign hopes that there are many voters in the city like Berwick, willing to hold their nose and vote for a Democrat to stop Mamdani, an avowed democratic socialist who surged to surprise success in the June Democratic primary on a broad and ambitious platform of affordability and progressive reform.

Cuomo’s best chance of winning may be rallying independents and Democrats who are skeptical of Mamdani.

Even the most charitable polls show the 67-year-old political scion trailing the 34-year-old frontrunner, Mamdani, by at least eight percentage points. Mamdani leads between 13 and 24 percentage points, according to the majority of polls that are deemed to be the best. Between 9 and 23 percent of Sliwa’s polls are conducted.

Cuomo, who left his post as governor amid sexual misconduct allegations in 2021, has leaned into the conservative outreach, touring right-wing media megaphones and the city’s Republican strongholds in the final weeks of the race.

In a speech made in mid-October, Cuomo told firebrand conservative host Sid Rosenberg, “I need your listeners to vote for me.”

He assured me that “I don’t have horns.” &nbsp,

Not interested in experimental plans

Many of Cuomo’s supporters are hopeful that the city’s pollsters are not accurately measuring the city’s temperature, hoping that both Republicans and independents, who were unable to cast a closed Democratic primary, will determine the outcome.

About 20 percent of the 4.7 million registered voters in New York City were unaffiliated with a party in 2024. Only 1% of Republicans were present.

Cuomo supporters believe that the calculus may be altered by Mamdani’s inexperience and concerns about the enormous obstacles to his affordability plans as the election day approaches.

Mamdani has run a campaign on pledges of rent freezes, universal childcare and free buses, paid for, in part, by increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthiest city residents. State lawmakers would have to give the city’s tax code extensive, hard-won support. Mamdani has been endorsed by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, who asserted that a tax increase would be ineffective.

“I like to wish that Zohran supporters will take a little bit of a more critical lens to what he’s proposing”, said Yiatin Chu, 58, from White Stone Queens, who leads the Asian Wave alliance, a political group that supports Cuomo.

Under Mamdani, who has pledged a number of police reforms, Chu expressed her concern for public safety in particular. She supports Cuomo’s plan to increase the NYPD’s force by 5,000 officers, according to her supporters.

“A city this size is not up for experimental plans”, Chu told Al Jazeera. You can say all these wonderful things, but I’m sorry you can’t just step into and wing it in a city with a $116 billion budget and 300,000 city employees.

Cuomo has argued that Mamdani’s policies will force the wealthiest residents of the city to flee, and he did well in the primary in wealthy neighborhoods of Manhattan. He did well with Black voters and in the farthest reaches of the outer boroughs of many middle-class and upper-class neighbourhoods.

Cuomo has released his own affordability plans since the primary, aiming to penetrate Mamdani’s base and portraying them as more realistic than his rival. That included unveiling a policy in August to make buses free to the poorest New Yorkers. He claimed that the proposed reforms are more equitable than Mamdani’s signature pledge, which would provide them for everyone.

Michael LaRosa, a 30-year-old man from Middle Village, Queens, predicted a swell from all political parties, particularly those who work in industries like his.

“My father’s a carpenter. LaRosa, whose union has supported the former governor, said, “I’m an electrician and we rely on people who have our backs.” Cuomo has our back, according to what we can tell.

Angie Tobie, 63, who lives in public housing in the Mott Haven neighbourhood in the Bronx, said that many voters see the same youth that has energised Mamdani’s as a liability in a leader.

She expressed particular concern about Mamdani’s previous statements, including one that called for the police to be defunded in 2020. In response, Maddani has since apologized to police officers in full.

“He’s so young, he’s got no experience”, she told Al Jazeera. He’ll come into office and realize that he made unfulfilled promises.

Islamophobia, hate speech, and “fear-mongering”

To be sure, the most expedient path to victory for Cuomo would be Sliwa’s last-minute exit from the race.

A vote for Sliwa is a “vote for Mamdani,” according to Cuomo. Sliwa has continued to be defiant, arguing that Cuomo should leave the race to “hang out with your billionaires in the Hamptons.”

Some conservatives, including prominent businessman John Catsimatidis, who funds Sliwa’s radio show, have also called on the Republican to drop out of the race.

Joe Borelli, a former top Republican on the New York City Council, stated on Fox News that he would support Cuomo if he didn’t “light my vote on fire.”

In the run-up to the rallying effort, Cuomo has re-used his increasingly vicious tactics, including a months-long attack that pitted Mamdani against his pro-Palestine beliefs and baselessly accusing him of anti-Semitism. Prior to his run, Cuomo had joined a legal team representing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes committed in Gaza.

Cuomo appeared to agree with Rosenberg’s assertion that Mamdani would be “cheering” if attacks like those on September 11, 2001, occurred again in the US.

In response to what many perceived as blatant Islamophobia and racism, Cuomo said, “That’s another problem.” Mamdani would be the first Muslim, first person born in Africa and first person of South Asian descent to lead the city.

In response to the exchange, Governor Hochul, Cuomo’s former deputy, said, “Fear-mongering, hate speech, and Islamophobia are beneath New York … and everything we stand for as a state.”

Cuomo has also bolstered his criticism of Mamdani’s affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), attempting to capitalize on the deep distrust of US conservatives toward the term “socialist” The DSA does not define Democratic Socialism, but it is usually interpreted as a collection of broad progressive policies aimed at creating a more equitable society, achieved through democratic means.

Cuomo warned of a “socialist city” under Mamdani in a recent Fox News interview, referring to what he called the “death of New York as we know it, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican.”

Experience versus experimentation

On a gusty day in October, Sidcornia Winston, a 48-year-old from East New York, was one of two volunteers attending a canvassing event for Cuomo in front of the Barclays Center arena, a hulking mass of oxidised steel in the Prospect Heights neighbourhood of Brooklyn.

The race’s final weeks have served as a campaigning contrast. Despite utilizing the DSA’s sprawling infrastructure, Maddani has leaned into an army of volunteers who are omnipresent in his personalized social media videos.

Cuomo’s ground game has been far less pronounced, with his run buoyed instead by advertisement buys in traditional media.

Between June 25 and October 20, pro-Cuomo and anti-Mamdani political action committees (PACs) collectively raised more than $ 14.5 million, according to a Bloomberg News analysis. In that time, pro-Mamdani PACs had raised more than $1.7 million.

Mamdani’s base has been particularly critical of Cuomo’s top supporters, including business and real estate industry leaders and renowned pro-Israel billionaires Miriam Adelson and Bill Ackman.

However, Winston, a volunteer for the Cuomo, sees an advantage in the perceived proximity to Trump, who has promised to use the National Guard to attack city funding and if Mamdani wins.

“Trump has promised to bankrupt the city if Mamdani is elected”, said Winston, a certified chef. We don’t need to pick a fight right now with the federal government because I don’t care who you are.

Anne, a second volunteer in her late 60s, hoped to persuade skeptical voters that Cuomo had the skills necessary to lead the city in the era of Trump.

“It’s experience versus experiments”, she said. “That’s why we’re here,” the statement read.

I still have potential to change.

As election day approaches, Cuomo has received a boost from the endorsement of current Mayor Eric Adams after he abandoned the race.

However, shifting electoral allegiances can be disastrous.

Junior Shall, 67, was drawn to a well-known face in Cuomo during the primary in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Shall, a worker in child care, described him as a “understanding the older people in the city.”

However, Mamdani’s excitement has prompted a second look.

Central Vietnam’s Imperial City of Hue, aUNESCO-world heritage site, has been submerged by record-breaking rainfall, which has caused severe flooding to sweep central Vietnam. Due to the dangers of severe flooding and landslides, thousands of people have been evacuated from the area.

The first of their five-game series in the format is played on Wednesday as India prepares for its white-ball tour of Australia, which includes stops in Canberra and the T20s.

The matches, which take place following the teams’ one-day internationals (ODIs), are crucial preparations for India and Sri Lanka’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup.

India will be the front-runners to defend its world title on home soil next year after defeating Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in September. They have won seven of their last eight T20 matches.

The series’ pivotal clashes are examined more closely by Al Jazeera Sport:

What took place during the one-day international series between Australia and India?

In the one-day international series that launched the current tour, the Australians defeated the tourists 2-1. However, the Indians came away with a memorable 50-over victory thanks to an unbeaten partnership between centurion Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, which put an end to concerns about a whitewash by the hosts.

Australia won the series opener by seven wickets in Perth, and they took the series’ second match by two wickets in Adelaide.

In the T20 series, will Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play?

Following the 2024 T20 World Cup victory in the Caribbean, India’s legendary pairing of Rohit and Kohli announced their retirement from international cricket.

Both players had significant contributions to the victory, but both had already rearranged their T20I careers following the final, and they would soon have had their Test careers ended.

The pair will still be able to compete in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia’s 50-over 2027 Cricket World Cup.

Which side, India or Australia, is better in T20 cricket?

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has declared India to be the world’s No. 1 T20 player. Australia is closely followed by England and New Zealand, who are respective in third and fourth place.

What transpired when Australia last faced India in a T20 match?

Since India defeated Australia in the Super Sixes stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup, this is the first T20 match between the two teams.

Mitch Marsh’s Australia was eliminated from the tournament after India won the match in St Lucia by 24 runs.

Before the T20s in Australia, what has India said?

Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of India, stated on Wednesday that “we’re regrouping after the Asia Cup.”

“The team looks good and the atmosphere is good,” the team said. We enjoyed the last two days of the series on the (Canberra) ground, so we’re excited about this series.

Canberra📍

Despite a chilly evening, the fielding intensity is still high in the T20I series.

🎥 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝, ft. #TeamIndia&nbsp, #AUSvIND pic. twitter.com/W4otqJo9pe

The T20 World Cup will take place in 2026, when and where?

India and Sri Lanka will host the 2026 T20 World Cup in February and March. The final will take place on March 8 at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, where the opening game will take place on February 7 and the final will take place on February 7.

What time will the Australia-India T20 series take place?

First T20I vs. India, October 29; Canberra’s Manuka Oval
• Second T20I vs. India, MCG, Melbourne on October 31.
• Third T20I match between India and Australia on November 2 at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
• Fourth T20I vs. India, November 6 at Gold Coast Stadium in Gold Coast
• Fifth T20I vs. India, The Gabba, Brisbane on November 8.

news from the Australian national team

Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott are only available for the series’ initial stages, with one eye on England’s upcoming Ashes tour of Australia. Before lining up against the English, the pair will both play first-class Sheffield Shield matches.

Adam Zampa is taking paternity leave, but Cameron Green will miss the series so that he can concentrate on the Ashes.

Due to the severity of the issue, Pat Cummins was always going to miss India’s tour and was forced to miss the first Test against England.

Ben Dwarshuis and Glenn Maxwell, both of whom are recovering from a broken wrist, are mid-series reinforcements, while Glenn Maxwell also has an injury to his name. Midway through the series, Mahli Beardman could make his international debut.

News from the India team

After missing the ODI series, Jasprit Bumrah makes his T20 debut. Since his devastating performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series last summer, he will make his first appearance in Australia.

The Asia Cup winning team has one change, and Nitish Kumar Reddy replaces Hardik Pandya, who is out injured.

Shreyas Iyer was a member of India’s T20 team.

Iyer, who suffered a serious injury in the third ODI, did not make the series’ T20 squad. The 30-year-old’s return to action following a laceration of the spleen is unknown. India’s ODI vice-captain was reportedly in “stable” condition after the incident, according to Suryakumar’s report on Wednesday.

What T20 team will Australia have?

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott (games 1-3), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman (games 3-5), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (games 1-2), Glenn Maxwell (games 3-5), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, and Marcus Stoini are just a few examples.

What T20 team will India have?

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar

The Australia-India T20 series tickets are still on sale.

The Canberra opener game is sold out. Following an early sellout of the initial public ticket, it is anticipated that Melbourne’s game will have a late release of tickets. Hobart, the Gold Coast, and Brisbane will have limited tickets available.

How to follow the T20 series between Australia and India.

As the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford approaches the Venezuelan coast, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US government of “fabricating a new eternal war” against him.

The US deployment of the carrier – the world’s largest warship – follows 11 US strikes&nbsp, on boats in Venezuelan waters, which the US claims are trafficking drugs and are linked to the Tren de Aragua criminal gang.

Venezuela suspended a significant gas deal with Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, citing Trinidad and Tobago’s rejection of the island nation’s version of the USS Gravely, another US warship.

So far, the US has not produced any evidence that the Venezuelan boats it has targeted were carrying drugs, and Maduro denies it. He stated last week that “Venezuela is a nation that does not produce cocaine leaves.” Furthermore, experts say that most drugs are smuggled into the US via the Mexican land border – by US citizens.

Venezuela is attracting more and more rumors that Trump may be trying to change the country’s government, but Trump is not the only nation whose domestic affairs or relations with other nations Trump appears to be interested in. The US president has also made comments about, or direct moves towards, the internal affairs of Brazil, India, Israel and Argentina, among others.

What and why is the US doing in the Caribbean?

The US has built up a huge military presence, including nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and elite special operations forces, in the Caribbean. It asserts that this is necessary to safeguard its security and avert a “invasion” by Venezuelan drug gangs.

Trump has said he is considering land attacks and has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela.

11 boats have been attacked by US forces since September 2, with eight of the attacks claiming to be drug traffickers, with eight of the attacks taking place in the Caribbean. At least 49 people have been killed in the attacks – but the US has not provided any evidence to back its claims.

While the notorious criminal gang Tren de Aragua has been named in response to its accusations of drug trafficking, Tren de Aragua is primarily known for contract killings, extortion, and people smuggling. It is not known for major global drug trafficking operations.

In 2023, the world’s cocaine production reached a record 3,788 tonnes. It mainly originated in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Venezuela, which is only a small transit corridor, is where the majority of the US-bound cocaine routes pass through.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported last year that 84 percent of US-seized cocaine comes from Colombia and did not mention Venezuela as a source.

Trump: Does he really want a change in Venezuela’s government?

Maduro has alleged this, but it is an allegation Trump has not responded to.

In a statement from Maduro in September, they are attempting to change the regime through military threats.

“The purpose of US actions is to create legitimacy for an operation to change the regime in Venezuela, with the ultimate goal of taking control of all the country’s resources”, the Maduro government stated again this month.

In a national broadcast on Friday last week, Maduro claimed that they are fabricating an extravagant narrative that is “invading” the US and that Venezuelan drug gangs are “invading” it.

Maduro returned to power last year following a disputed election. The US and some Latin American nations frequently charged him with election fraud. The Carter Center and UN experts reported that the election lacked international standards and transparency.

Since then, the US has not formally recognized Maduro as president or maintained diplomatic relations with Venezuela. This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to key opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, who is currently in hiding for fear of arrest.

Additionally, Trump has asserted that Tren de Aragua’s leader is Maduro without providing any supporting evidence.

On October 15 at the White House, reporters questioned Trump on his stance towards Caracas.

Does Maduro belong to the CIA? one journalist asked.

Trump responded, “Oh, I don’t want to respond to that question.” That’s a ridiculous question for me to be given. Wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer, but that’s not really a ridiculous question? But I think Venezuela’s feeling heat”.

Trump’s intentions regarding Venezuela: Why?

Experts say Trump has a number of incentives.

Popularity at home

The first reason is that his actions towards Venezuela are popular with his MAGA support base, who are demanding a crackdown on immigration, drugs and crime.

Salvador Santino Regilme, an associate professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands, stated on Al Jazeera that “visible pressure in the Americas helps him claim results on migration, drugs, and crime, which resonates with parts of his coalition in Florida and Texas.”

Heading off Russia and China

Trump might want to say to his supporters that he is disbanding the world’s geopolitical rivals for a second reason.

“Venezuela is a stage to undercut the presence of Russia, Iran, and China in the hemisphere and to reassert a modern version of the Monroe Doctrine”, Regilme said, referring to the US foreign policy doctrine coined by President James Monroe in 1823, which decrees that North and South America should be free from European influence.

A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank revealed that Latin America and the Caribbean were experiencing a rise in China and Russia’s military diplomacy in September of this year. The report states China has hosted frequent high-level defence meetings, such as the China-LAC Defense Forum, and maintained regular bilateral dialogues with senior officials from Brazil, Argentina and others.

China engaged in 97 military exercises between 2022 and 2025 with 18 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Russia has also conducted high-level meetings with countries, including Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Negotiating capacity

Third, Trump is building negotiation leverage in Latin America through his aggressive stance towards Venezuela.

According to Regilme, “Sanctions relief and oil licensing are bargaining chips that Washington can exchange for political concessions in Caracas and for neighborly cooperation.”

Control of resources

Venezuela’s energy sources, particularly ultra-heavy crude oil, also play a role in this.

“It holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but much of that is extra-heavy Orinoco crude that requires diluents, upgrading, and major capital to bring to market”, Regilme said.

Venezuela’s oil and gas industry has suffered from years of poor investment and international sanctions, he continued. Despite having a large supply, Venezuela is not a leader in the field, he continued.

“In practice, Washington’s leverage is less about seizing hydrocarbons and more about controlling the regulatory choke points that determine who can invest, ship, insure, and refine Venezuelan barrels. According to Regilme, selective licensing determines the margins of global supply, affects price stability, and sets the conditions for any political concessions in Caracas.

“Energy is therefore a lever inside a broader political strategy, not the singular objective”.

Where else has Trump ingested in domestic affairs?

Regilme said Trump’s foreign policy actions such as his stance towards Venezuela were predictable. He claimed that it continues his transactional, leader-to-leader approach, which combines coercive leverage with public spectacle.

“In office, he has paired tariffs, sanctions, and overt intelligence signalling with personal diplomacy to pressure both allies and adversaries. The strategy is consistent across all three terms: personalize authority, reward ideological friends, punish opponents, and stage toughness for a domestic audience.

Furthermore, his interference in foreign countries has not damaged his popularity back home.

These “high-visibility moves” consistently energize core supporters in places like Florida and some parts of Texas, but they haven’t been successful in gaining support for independents or younger voters unless they cause pocketbook expenses, border visibility issues, or US casualties.

Since he started his second term, Trump has intervened in the domestic affairs of a handful of countries, including:

Bolsonaro case in Brazil

On September 11, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting to stage a coup in order to hold on to power after he lost the country’s 2022 elections to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Close friends, Trump and Bolsonaro, who frequently refers to themselves as the “Trump of the south,” and Trump had a very active interest in the trial. In July, Washington hit Brazilian imports with a 50 percent trade tariff and restricted US visas for Brazilian officials. Trump directly connected the tariffs to his anger over Bolsonaro’s trial, which he deemed a “witch-hunt,” by justifying them in a letter.

In July, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Bolsonaro was “not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE”.

A journalist contacted White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt to inquire whether Trump was considering further action in response to the censorship of US social media sites in Europe and Brazil as well as convictions or crackdowns preventing candidates like Bolsonaro from competing in Brazilian elections on September 9.

Leavitt responded: “The president is unafraid to use the economic might, the military might of the United States of America to protect free speech around the world”.

Russia’s oil

In August, Trump announced an additional 25 percent trade tariff for India – bringing the total to 50 percent for most Indian goods – and linked his decision to India’s continuing purchase of Russian oil, revenues from which are funding the war in Ukraine, he said.

He claimed in a late July post on his Truth Social platform that “Russia is Russia’s largest buyer of energy, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing of Ukraine – ALL THINGS NOT GOOD”!

This month, Trump claimed that the pressure had paid off and that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pledged to stop buying oil from Russia. That represents a significant step. Now we’re going to get China to do the same thing”, Trump told reporters in the White House back then.

India’s imports of Russian energy have significantly increased since the European Union imposed sanctions and a price cap on Russian oil in response to the conflict in Ukraine.

The biggest importer in India of Russian seaborne crude oil is Reliance Industries (RIL), for which Russian crude comprised a mere 3 percent of total crude imports in 2021. According to data from the Finnish-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), that has increased by 50% since the end of the conflict in Ukraine in 2025.

In 2023, 16.8 percent of Russian mineral products such as crude and refined petroleum went to India. $66.1 billion was exported from these countries. India was second only to China, which received $129bn worth, or 32.7 percent of Russian mineral exports.

Israel: Netanyahu’s corruption trial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been charged with corruption in three separate cases, including those involving bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, since 2020.

When Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal which aims to end the war in Gaza, Trump was welcomed to the Israeli Knesset and hailed as “the president of peace”.

Trump used the opportunity to lobby on Netanyahu’s behalf while speaking at the Knesset on October 13 and speaking to Israeli President Isaac Herzog. “Mr President, why don’t you give him]Netanyahu] a pardon”?

Argentina: Increasing the economy

Trump has thrown his support behind far-right Argentinian President Javier Milei, who led his party to a landslide victory in Sunday’s legislative elections, earning a strong mandate to push forward with his overhaul of the economy, including free-market reforms and deep austerity measures.

Trump may have had access to Milei’s tools, who on October 1 described her as a “truly fantastic and powerful leader.”

“I’m doing something I don’t often do … I’m giving my full endorsement to him”, Trump told reporters after meeting with Milei on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September.

Following a number of meetings with Argentina in September, the US offered strong support, including the consideration of a $ 20 billion bailout loan and other financial measures to aid in Argentina’s recovery.

Iran: Nuclear programme

Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, three important nuclear enrichment sites in Iran, were hit by the US in June as a result of Israel’s conflict with Iran.

Trump’s rationale for this was that the strikes were part of a strategy to prevent Iran from refining uranium to a weapons-grade level.

Football’s talent pipeline has migrated from Africa to Europe for decades. Morocco is, however, changing that pattern. Samantha Johnson examines how Morocco’s football ecosystem can challenge the game’s traditional hierarchy.