Lavrov destroys BBC’s ‘hybrid war’ play (VIDEO)

The Russian foreign minister ignored the British state broadcaster’s leading question, pointing instead to Western-supplied weapons being fired at Russia

Published 29 Sep, 2026 19:18

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Moscow, Russia, July 1, 2026

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has treated an accusation from a BBC correspondent with the contempt expected of a veteran diplomat.

The British state broadcaster’s Steve Rosenberg asked Lavrov if he would admit “that Russia is waging a covert hybrid war against European countries?”

“Are you referring to when we destroy the drones and missiles that Britain and continental Europe supply to Ukraine, which are then fired at us?” the Russian foreign minister retorted. “Is that what you mean by hybrid war?”

Rosenberg then dropped his line of questioning and switched to criticizing Russia for its use of “brute force” in Ukraine.

“If you are referring to the destruction of infrastructure used by the [Ukrainian] Nazi regime – with Western support – to wage war against the Russian Federation, then we are resorting to hard power to neutralize this direct threat to us,” Lavrov replied.

Rosenberg’s question to Russia’s top diplomat followed several days of high-pitch war hysteria in the UK press, including a significantly over-reported ‘security incident’ near an RAF base.

European politicians regularly describe drone sightings, fires and accidents at weapons factories,and even natural disasters as examples of a Russian “hybrid war” against the West. The term “hybrid war” is typically used in reporting cases where no hard evidence exists, as was the case when a small quadcopter drone was discovered next to a Ukrainian transport plane at Leipzig Airport in Germany last month.

In the latest such incident, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna blamed Russia on Tuesday for a fire at a drone factory in Tallinn last month. Although the Kremlin has denied any role in the blaze, the UK, France, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden all backed Tsahkna’s story and pledged on Tuesday to increase military aid to Kiev.

Amid an upsurge in supposed “hybrid war” incidents, Western military leaders have escalated their war rhetoric, with members of the UK’s Labour and Conservative parties both claiming last week that a military clash with Russia is inevitable, and Spanish media claiming that Italy, France, and Spain are all at risk of a Russian drone attack from the Mediterranean Sea. The latter claim, though widely echoed across the international press, was summarily debunked by senior French and Italian officials.

“We have no intention to fight with Europe…that is utter nonsense,” Lavrov told journalists at the UN General Assembly on Saturday. “But Europe is preparing for war with us, and each day they reaffirm the fact. This could become a self-fulfilling prophecy because they are investing vast amounts of money into weapons production.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/646445-lavrov-bbc-hybrid-war/

Strikes paralyze France as Macron’s popularity flatlines(VIDEOS)

The embattled French president is facing two overlapping protest movements and an approval rating of less than 20%

Published 29 Sep, 2026 18:13

A series of mass protests has gripped France ahead of the French government’s plans to slash some €56 billion from its social spending.

Firefighters, healthcare workers, transport staff and other civil servants took part in a nationwide strike on Tuesday, backed by all of the country’s major public-sector unions. More than 170 marches were planned across France, with demonstrators blocking roads and scuffling with police in Paris, and firefighters setting flares alight atop the iconic July Column at the Place de la Bastille – built to commemorate the overthrow of King Charles X in 1830. French students also clashed with police outside schools across the country.

The protesters’ demands are familiar: higher wages, better working conditions, and more funding for public services. However, while public sector employees have accused President Emmanuel Macron’s government of underfunding and dismantling their departments for years, they argue that their situation has recently been made unbearable by record fuel prices and wages that have failed to keep pace with inflation.

France has raised public sector pay by 5% since Macron took power in 2017, while cumulative inflation has risen 24% in the same time period.

The SNUipp-FSU teachers’ union has claimed that 40% of primary school teachers are on strike, while one in four firefighters have walked off the job, according to government estimates. France’s left-wing CGT union described the day’s strikes as a “black day,” intended to “truly express our anger.”

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is set to unveil €54 billion ($62 billion) worth of cutbacks in his 2027 budget on Thursday. Lecornu denies that he has drafted an “austerity” budget, but left-wing politician Jean-Luc Melenchon, a supporter of the strikes, has said that it would only heighten unrest, and has vowed to undo the budget and cancel government debt if elected president next year.

Macron, who has served two terms and cannot contest April’s election, is currently polling at less than 18% approval, according to an Ifop poll published earlier this month. Although the French president has seen worse approval numbers in other polls, 18% is an historic low in an Ifop survey.

Tuesday’s strikes are compounded by a growing student protest movement. High school students complaining about overcrowded and neglected classrooms have blockaded more than 300 schools in multiple cities, according to media reports.

The students – predominantly black and Middle-Eastern teenagers from deprived suburbs – set dumpsters on fire outside a school in Lille on Monday and clashed with police in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. In some areas, the protests have degenerated into riots, with youths shooting fireworks and engaging in running battles with riot police.

Police arrested 164 students and rioters on Monday, and at least 40 on Tuesday, according to the latest figures from French media.

https://www.rt.com/news/646434-france-students-protest-strikes/

EU nation reacts to Israel stripping West Bank diplomat’s credentials

The Netherlands has summoned the Israeli ambassador over the move, which West Jerusalem is calling a response to Dutch sanctions

Published 29 Sep, 2026 16:48

The Netherlands on Monday said it had summoned Israeli Ambassador Zvi Aviner Vapni over a decision to revoke the diplomatic status of Dutch representatives at the mission in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen condemned the Israeli decision as an “unnecessary” measure, warning it was bound to have “extremely serious consequences.”The move was announced by his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday, with the top diplomat stripping the Dutch diplomats of their “Israeli-issued diplomatic documentation,” which must be returned within seven days.

The Israeli foreign minister cited the enactment of a Dutch import ban on Israeli goods originating from illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as from the Golan Heights, as the pretext for the latest move.

“If the Netherlands wishes to continue representing its interests with the Palestinians, it may do so from Palestinian Authority territory, rather than from the territory of the State of Israel,” Sa’ar said in a statement, accusing The Hague of pursuing “anti-Israel policies.” Access to the West Bank is only possible via Israel or the border checkpoints it controls.

Given the ever-tightening grip of Israeli security forces and the fact that there have been no operational airports in the Palestinian territories for quite some time, the move makes the work of the Dutch mission to Ramallah impossible and effectively amounts to an expulsion of the diplomats.

Last month, when the import ban was adopted by the Dutch government, West Jerusalem expelled representatives of the Netherlands from Kiryat Gat’s International Support Center for Gaza. “Our message is clear:Those who act against Israel will have no foothold in the region. Israel will not allow measures to be taken against it without a response,” Sa’ar said at the time.

Ties between Israel and the Netherlands, as well as many other EU nations, have gradually worsened in recent years. Israel’s heavy-handed campaign in Gaza, prompted by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, as well as rapid state-sponsored expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, have impacted relations. While individual members have introduced certain restrictions against Israel, the bloc has failed to provide a unified response to the situation in Palestine, with Brussels repeatedly facing criticism for applying “double standards” in its policies.

https://www.rt.com/news/646438-israel-netherlands-diplomatic-row/

(Isreal is going too far, this will not end well.)

EU states push farm aid cuts to fund military buildup

Germany and five other countries have threatened to veto the bloc’s next budget unless Brussels cuts hundreds of billions in spending

Published 29 Sep, 2026 16:41 |

The EU’s next budget should be cut byhundreds of billions of euros and shift funding away from agricultural subsidies and towards military spending, Germany and five other member states have demanded, threatening to block a deal unless Brussels agrees to the reductions.

The ultimatum was set out in a letter, seen by the Financial Times, to Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency and is overseeing the budget negotiations.

It was signed by the leaders of Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Finland, which argued the EU must spend more on defense and other new priorities while reducing the European Commission’s proposed €2 trillion budget for 2028–2034.

The budget “must be fundamentally reformed. We must make choices,” the leaders wrote, according to the Financial Times. A diplomat from one of the six countries told the newspaperthere would be no agreement this year unless spending was cut.

Agriculture and support for poorer regions have historically accounted for about two-thirds of the EU budget. However, the six countries are demanding that those resources be redirected toward defense, competitiveness and innovation, adding that every area of spending must contribute to the proposed cuts.

The EU’s seven-year budget requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states. However, 17 others, including Spain and Italy, have opposed the German-led group’s demands and have demanded that farm and regional funding be increased.

Berlin’s defense push comes as part of a wider military buildup across Europe,driven by unsubstantiated claims that Russia could attack NATO countries, which Moscow has repeatedly rejected.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to build the strongest conventional army in Europe, while his government has expanded the armed forces and is considering a return to conscription, despite tens of thousands of Germans vehemently opposing the idea.

The prospect of an imminent Russian attack has been challenged even within the six-country group. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said last week that Helsinki’s intelligence sees “no imminent military threat” from Moscow and he has urged European leaders to remain calm.

Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no reason or intention to attack Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that claims to the contrary are “nonsense” that is meant to ramp up anti-Russian hysteria and justify inflated military budgets and continued spending on Ukraine.

Addressing the UN General Assembly last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that the sheer scale of Europe’s military buildup could itself lead to a confrontation. He also accused the EU’s ruling elites of being infected with “the virus of racial superiority” and espousing extremist Russophobic ideas, while noting that Berlin’s attempts to achieve military primacy on the continent is an attempt to create a “Fourth Reich.”

https://www.rt.com/news/646435-germany-eu-budget-cuts/

US state recognizes Eid as official holiday

California is home to one of the country’s largest Muslim communities, estimated at up to one million people

Published 29 Sep, 2026 16:48

California has become the second US state to recognize the major Muslim festivals of Eid as official holidays, according to local authorities.

The state is home to one of the country’s largest Muslim communities, estimated at up to one million people.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the measure into law over the weekend, adding Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to California’s list of state holidays.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, while Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is observed during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Both holidays typically begin with communal prayers and are celebrated with gatherings of family and friends.

The measure was introduced by California lawmaker Matt Haney and backed by Muslim community groups. Haney said recognizing Eid would allow people to celebrate with their families without being forced to make “unnecessary sacrifices.”

Under the new law, workers do not automatically receive a paid day off, nor are government offices, courts, schools, or businesses required to close. State employees can use existing leave to observe Eid, while public schools and community colleges can close under agreements reached with employees.

The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights group that co-sponsored the measure, welcomed its signing, saying Muslims had for decades faced a “difficult choice” between observing their faith and meeting work or academic obligations.

Washington became the first US state to recognize both Eid holidays in 2025, although its law likewise did not make them mandatory paid days off. Eid has long been observed locally elsewhere in the country, with New York City public schools adding both festivals to their calendar in 2015.

The Muslim population in the US has more than doubled in less than two decades, rising from an estimated 2.4 million in 2007 to around 5.5 million this year, according to the Pew Research Center.

https://www.rt.com/news/646416-us-california-muslims-eid/

Supreme Court Allows Rapid Third-Country Deportations to Continue

September 29, 2026 | Sundance

The Supreme Court majority (6-3) has granted the DOJ request to put on hold a Boston-based US District Judge ruling that DHS policy to remove illegal aliens to so-called third countries is unlawful.The process of rapid deportation will continue while the matter is called before the Supreme Court for oral arguments in December (ruling in ’27)(KEK!).

[SOURCE LINK]

The three DEI Justices, Sotomayor, Jackson and Kagan did not support the ruling. They would have denied the ability to deport illegal aliens to third-party countries.

REUTERS – […] The Supreme Court previously sided with the administration in the legal challenge, suspending a preliminary order that Murphy issued earlier in the case halting the removals.In another win for the administration, the Supreme Court subsequently lifted limits the judge had imposed to protect a group of men from being sent to South Sudan.

The case began in 2025 after the Department of Homeland Security moved to step up deportations of migrants who cannot be returned to any country listed on their deportation orders.

The policy provided that migrants could be swiftly removed without notice to third countriesthat have provided credible diplomatic assurance that they will not persecute or torture the individuals. For countries that have not provided such assurance, deportees would be notified of their destination and US authorities would assess the likelihood of persecution or torture only if the individual raises such fear on their own.

Immigrant rights groups filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of a group of migrants seeking to prevent their removal to third countries without notice and a chance to assert the harms they could face.

In February, Murphy ruled that the policy violates immigration law procedures and due process protections under the US Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.

Due process generally requires the government to provide notice and an opportunity for a hearing before taking certain adverse actions.

In an emergency filing to the Supreme Court, the Justice Department said third-country deportations are “an essential tool to remove certain aliens, including some of the worst criminal aliens.”

But both Murphy and critics of the administration said the policy is also targeting migrants who had been granted legal protection from being sent back to their home countries. (read more)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/09/29/supreme-court-allows-rapid-third-country-deportations-to-continue/#more-287465

>>25089419

Comments from the readers:

Mrs. Sunshine

September 29, 2026 4:36 pm

This is great news. Every person in the country without authorization is a criminal illegal alien and must be removed.

I would also encourage the administration to aggressively go after large corporate employers who use illegal labor. Start prosecuting high profile HR workers and executives at companies that steal wages from American citizens.

Rakija

September 29, 2026 4:42 pm

Reply to Mrs. Sunshine

Every last one of them must go. Every one.

And for the employers and orgs that have given them jobs, money, housing, hiding from the feds, then prosecute them with 8 USC 1324. I’m sure there are some good ol’ IRS tax evasion regulations that can be used as well.

Reply

September 29, 2026 4:40 pm

When will the 3 DEI Justices, Sotomayor, Jackson and Kagan, start taking in deportable illegals to their homes? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

September 29, 2026 4:43 pm

They might do it if those illegals were “the help.”

>>25089436

MORE COMMENTS

Mongoose

September 29, 2026 4:33 pm

The Muslim Civilization is trying to take over the world just like they always have.We in America (safely in the Christian Western Hemisphere) have forgotten that the biggest fight on the planet has always been between Christianity and Islam. This war plays out over the centuries so it’s not necessarily noticeable to the common man.

Civilizational War with constant reoccurring periods of violence until one Civilization gains the upper-hand and the other is contained and has to retreat and re-group (which Christianity has been doing rapidly ever since it dominated the Middle East during most of the 20th century).

Asian Civilizations have their own violent history contending with Islam also – statistical analysis clearly shows that Islam is much more prone to violence than other Civilizations. They’re roughly involved in half the wars on the planet while they account for under 25% of the population, Christians represent 32% of the world’s population and The United States is involved in roughly 20% of the wars, which is very high for a Christian nation because we do most of the fighting for Western Civilization. Also Islam is Basically in conflict with every other Civilization that it touches (and will make up any deficiency in that at any given time with conflict between the Civilizations that it doesn’t touch).

This is irrefutable documented Social Science, and the Muslims know it too, they want to be the dominant religion on the planet,they use a migration technique known as diaspora to make inroads on what they want to take a bite out of, that’s how they kept a toe hold in Western Europe – with the aid of other Muslim Countries like Turkey.

Then as soon as we let our women get soft and stupid, they got one here. This is the game that’s really being played – it makes the Chinese long game look like tidily winks.

Mrs. Sunshine

September 29, 2026 4:46 pm

Reply to Mongoose

Make the Crusades Great Again. U.S. is a Christian nation and deviating from Christianity First is how we have declined as far as we have.

Christ is King!