GERMANY - The delivery of another German-built submarine to the Israeli navy is imminent. According to media reports, the vessel is named INS Drakon and is currently being completed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) at its Kiel shipyard. Work and sea trials are almost finished and the sub – to be the IDF’s most expensive combat weapon – can be handed over very soon. It will be the next in a long line of weapon systems and components that Germany has supplied to Israel’s armed forces. The Merkava tanks that Israel is likely to use in a possible ground offensive in Lebanon are powered by German engines. Experts in the field say that this armaments partnership is essentially based on common interests. The closely woven German-Israeli arms cooperation is, in fact, increasingly accompanied by direct military cooperation – a further intensification of bilateral relations.

UKRAINE - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky returned from his trip around Western Europe, including Berlin, at the weekend without the hoped for PR success and without any real new pledges of support. Zelensky had already been duped by the American cancellation at short notice of the planned Ramstein summit. That was to be his major opportunity to promote his so-called “victory plan”. On his visits to London, Paris, Rome and Berlin Zelensky largely heard Western leaders only repeating long-standing promises. Ukraine not only finds itself increasingly on the defensive militarily, losing more and more territory; Zelensky’s government is also coming under growing pressure at home. There has been a significant rise in army desertion numbers. A sharp tax hike, which Ukrainian politicians admit is likely to be highly unpopular, has become unavoidable to help finance the war.

USA - Dear Faithful American Catholics, I am addressing all of you, a few days before the Presidential Election that will call millions of American citizens to the polls. Even in conditions of relative normality, the exercise of the vote is your moral duty, through which you cooperate in the first person in choosing the person who will lead the Nation for the next four years. But in this coming electoral round – just as in 2020 and indeed much more so – you are not simply called to choose between two candidates who happen to be on different political sides but who both nevertheless have the common good at heart in compliance with the Constitution and the Law. No; in this election you must choose between two radically opposed ways of conceiving the government of your Nation: you are called to choose between democracy and dictatorship, between freedom and slavery.

USA - Rev Franklin Graham exhorted attendees at the 11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting, an event for faith leaders and others, that God is central to saving the United States from its current state of disarray. Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, began his remarks in Concord, North Carolina, on Monday by asking, “Have you ever thought that our country would be in such trouble? The only hope for this country is God.” Graham then shifted to talking about Trump, who was in attendance, saying that the Republican nominee holds the best political rallies in American history, with massive crowds and lots of energy. “However, rallies and positive poll numbers are not going to win this election. It’s going to be God. There’s a spiritual element that’s at work here. There are dark forces that are arrayed against this man,” the preacher asserted. “They’ve tried to put him in prison,” Graham continued. “They’ve tried to assassinate him twice. He’s attacked every day in the media. And the only hope for Donald J Trump and our nation is God.”

ISRAEL - IDF warplanes launched multiple missiles early on Saturday, targeting a number of facilities in the Islamic Republic. Israel relayed a warning to Iran through several third parties ahead of its missile strike against the Islamic Republic on Saturday, Axios has reported, citing three anonymous sources. According to the media outlet, West Jerusalem indicated what type of targets it would attack, while cautioning Tehran against retaliating.

FRANCE - France is set to ramp up the intensity of border controls with European neighbours amid fears of uncontrolled migration and terror threats just weeks after Germany announced a similar policy. French authorities informed the European Commission last week that its borders with six of its neighbouring Schengen members - namely Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland - will be reinforced with increased checks as of November 1 for at least six months. The controls will be applied to travellers entering France via land, sea and air routes from all six nations and are set to expire on April 1, 2025, but authorities have said they could be extended further.

GERMANY - Germany in shock as its biggest automaker lays off thousands, closes 3 plants and cuts pay. Volkswagen to shut three factories, axe jobs and cut pay by 10%, says union. The German carmaker Volkswagen is planning to shut at least three factories in its home country, lay off thousands of workers and cut pay by 10%, according to the company’s union. The deeper-than-expected cuts come as the company faces weak sales and slow expansion in the electric vehicle (EV) sector amid tough competition from Chinese manufacturers. “The board wants to close at least three factories in Germany,” the works council chief, Daniela Cavallo, told employees at VW’s headquarters in Wolfsburg on Monday. Its remaining manufacturing sites will reduce capacity, she said, citing information provided by management.

MIDDLE EAST - As everyone was expecting, Israel’s retaliation for the Iranian ballistic missiles attack of 1st October was launched last Friday night. Some 140 IDF warplanes attacked roughly 20 targets including Islamic Republican Guard Corps missile launching sites and bases and also air defence (AD) locations. According to the IDF all its planes returned safely, which tells you everything about their complete superiority in the air. The message to Iran’s leadership is quite clear; the Israelis can do what they want and when they want, and there is little the Iranians can do about it.

USA - Legendary financial and geopolitical cycle analyst Martin Armstrong says we are getting down to the wire with the 2024 Election, and the Deep State Dems are in panic mode. Could we have a false flag, martial law, debt crisis, default, war or all of the above? Armstrong says, “They want war. There is no question about that… Lindsey Graham was on Face the Nation a couple of months ago, and he slipped and told the truth for once. He said there was a $10 trillion to $12 trillion natural gas asset under Crimea, and we can’t allow Russia and China to get that… This is like Iraq. We are going after the oil.”

UK - A host of "forgotten" diseases that plagued Victorian Britain more than 150 years ago are making a shocking comeback in modern life, medics have revealed. Cases of scurvy, rickets, scabies and measles are all on the rise due to poor diet, lifestyle and low uptake of essential vaccines. The cost of living crisis has also resulted in an increase of malnutrition with almost 11,000 people admitted to hospital being undernourished, according to NHS figures. The increase is believed to be a contributory factor in the resurgence of diseases such as scurvy and rickets which are caused by vitamin deficiencies. He said: "The idea we are starting to suffer the same diseases that in Victorian times people on long ocean voyages suffered because of the shortage of citrus fruits is simply horrendous."

USA - The number of migrants who have crossed illegally into the US under Kamala Harris is 25 per cent higher than official figures suggest, The Telegraph can reveal. Almost nine million people have headed across the border since Ms Harris became vice-president and was tasked with tackling the “root causes” of illegal immigration from Central America more than three years ago. However, when immigration data is collated every month it does not include those who evaded detection by Border Patrol, known as “gotaways”. Jason Owens, the head of Border Patrol, told CBS News in February that he lay awake at night worrying about the number of “gotaways” and considered the situation a “national security threat”. "What do they have to hide? What are they bringing in? What is their intent? Where are they coming from?” he said. “We simply don’t know the answers to those questions.”

USA - With the spooky season nearing its climax, Americans are as scared as ever – and they are generally afraid of more things, too, according to a new survey. Those findings are contained in the latest edition of the Survey of American Fears that California’s Chapman University has been publishing annually around Halloween. Corrupt government officials, the US becoming involved in a third world war, and terrorism (cyber or otherwise) are all among the top 10 fears flagged by the study released in the waning stages of the 5 November presidential election – and as Russia and Israel continue warring with Ukraine and Hamas, respectively.

RUSSIA - Vladimir Putin has warned NATO countries Russia's Defence Ministry is drawing up plans for a response to any western supplied missiles being fired into Russia by Ukraine. Speaking in an interview on Russian state TV, Putin stopped short of saying how Russia would respond but explained that they would be left with no choice if Russia were attacked in that way. Putin said: "The Russian Defence Ministry is thinking about how to respond to the possible long-range strikes on Russian territory. It will offer a range of options.” The ability to fire western-supplied missiles into Russia is something that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has lobbied for over a year. Currently, Ukraine is supplied with missiles from countries such as the US, France, and the UK on the condition that they only use them in a defensive capacity.

CHINA - China has intensified combat patrol in the strait of Taiwan in response to the US approval of $2 billion (£1.54 billion) worth of arms sales to the self-governing island. Washington approved the sale to the territory on which China lays a sovereignty claim of three units of the Raytheon-manufactured National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, costing $1.16 billion, and $828 million of radar systems. In response, the Chinese Liberation Party (PLA) launched an intimidating show of force which saw at least 22 aircraft and seven warships patrolling the waters around the island. US intelligence has long believed that the annexation of Taiwan is one of President Xi Jinping’s long term strategic aims, a move that could potentially bring the US and China into indirect conflict.

ISRAEL - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a second wave of airstrikes against Iran early Saturday morning, as hits were reported across the entire breadth of the country. As Breitbart News reported, the IDF announced earlier that it had begun attacks on Iranian military targets in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attacks and other attacks. Iran would essentially be defenseless against Israel if the IDF were able to destroy its missile sites and air defenses. Formerly, Iran used its terrorist proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen as deterrents — and, indeed Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel after the Israeli retaliation began. However, these proxies have been severely downgraded in their capabilities after a year of war, in which they attacked Israel and the IDFresponded with devastating force.