Shin Bet probes suspected Qatari, Turkish funding to boost Arab turnout in Israeli election
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) is investigating suspicions that foreign entities, potentially including Qatar and Turkey, funneled money into Israel to influence voting in Arab communities, following a directive from Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg to investigate suspected foreign funding and election bribery.
The investigation will not delay publication of the final election results, a Central Elections Committee source told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. The source said it would also not prevent President Isaac Herzog from selecting a party leader to begin the coalition-building process.
Middle Eastern Christians fear if ‘future in the region is sustainable’ amid rising persecution: watchdog
A report published Tuesday by a Roman Catholic persecution watchdog found that conditions for Christians have worsened in more than half of the 18 countries it has been closely monitoring for two years, with Christians in the Middle East reportedly fearing that their future in the region is unsustainable.
Germany’s New Antisemitism Commissioner Warns of Hatred at Levels Unseen ‘Since the Holocaust’
Germany’s newly appointed federal antisemitism commissioner, Katharina von Schnurbein, has warned that the country is facing an alarming resurgence of open, brazen anti-Jewish hatred, vowing to confront the crisis as she begins her new mandate.
“We have reached a point that has probably never existed since the Holocaust, ” Schnurbein told the Düsseldorf-based newspaper Rheinische Post in an exclusive interview.
“Antisemitism has never gone away,” the new German official continued. “But those who make antisemitic statements today no longer fear any consequences.”
Antisemitism in Czech Republic surges over 400% since 2020, European human rights report finds
A new human rights monitoring report published has formally confirmed a massive, unprecedented surge in antisemitism across Czechia following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.
The evaluation was conducted by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, an independent human rights monitoring body of the Council of Europe specializing in questions relating to racism, intolerance, and discrimination across the continent’s member states.
British Jews show growing interest in aliyah amid antisemitism concerns
More than 1,300 British Jews attended a recent aliyah fair and related events in London, as interest in immigration to Israel grows amid concerns about antisemitism. The events included MedEx UK, which brought together around 130 British medical professionals to meet with Israeli government representatives, hospitals and health maintenance organizations to explore employment opportunities in Israel.
At Least Seven Killed in Two Attacks on Christian Communities in Nigeria’s Plateau State
Gunmen killed at least seven people in two attacks on Christian farming communities in Nigeria’s Plateau State. In Gero village, in Jos South Local Government Area (LGA), police reported six deaths, while a local youth association reported seven. In an earlier attack on October 24, gunmen ambushed women harvesting crops in Gwom-Ajang village, in Barkin Ladi LGA, killing a 60-year-old woman and injuring two others.
The Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM), which represents young people of the Berom ethnic group, said attackers entered Gero at about 9:30 p.m. on Monday, October 26, and opened fire on residents at shops and a restaurant. BYM National Publicity Secretary Rwang Tengwong told Channels Television that seven people were killed and their bodies taken to a mortuary.
France’s Senate Approves Bill Expanding Police Powers Over Online Speech
France’s Senate has approved a bill that was originally tabled as a means to make rioters pay for the damages they cause – but ended up with provisions that are meant to allow for faster removal of online content at the police’s behest, ban people from social media for committing protest-related offenses, allow the police to fly as many drones as they want equipped with cameras, and use AI to analyze footage from those drones, as well as from CCTV cameras.
“Social networks can contribute decisively to violence and damage, in particular through the dissemination of content calling for these offenses to be committed,” is how the government justified its amendment that was adopted with 219 votes to 115.
The amendment allows the administrative authority, rather than a judge, to order platforms and hosts to remove content that is seen as provoking crimes such as attacks on life, theft and destruction, where it is likely to cause a serious disturbance of public order.
China Loses Three Million in Largest Population Drop Since 2022
China’s National Bureau of Statistics published the 2026 edition of its yearbook this week, revealing that the national population declined by 3.39 million in 2025 — the fourth decline in a row, and the worst since 2022.
U.S. Intel Warns China’s Space-Based Directed Energy Weapons Could Soon Threaten Satellites
By the end of the decade, China could threaten satellites with space-based directed energy weapons, according to a new report from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). This would add a dangerous new anti-satellite (ASAT) capability to Beijing’s arsenal, which already includes ground-based directed energy weapons that can disrupt, degrade, or damage satellites. The report, released Monday, offered another glimpse into what is to come as the potential for conflict in space only continues to grow.
The unclassified DIA report is based largely on open-source information, with a cutoff date of July. It was published to detail growing threats from China, Russia and emerging powers Iran and North Korea to global interests in the space domain. The report’s release also took place as the U.S. is becoming increasingly open about its own ASAT capabilities. Last month, for instance, U.S. military officials acknowledged for the first time that America has weapons in orbit.