October 17: Russia Sanctions Waiver and Protests in Albania and France
Protests in Albania and France Albanian police fired rubber bullets and arrested hundreds as anti-government protests entered a fifth consecutive day. Demonstrators are demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. Euronews Albania reported that protesters in Tirana threw stones at police, who responded with tear gas. In France, tens of thousands demonstrated over living costs and education, with students joined by trade unionists and Yellow Vest campaigners. More than 400 people were arrested on Saturday. Police used tear gas in several cities, and protesters stormed a town hall in Marseille. Officials blamed the violence on the “ultra-left.” Russia sanctions and Ukraine talks President Donald Trump signed an executive order waiving some U.S. sanctions against Russia, including measures in the Graham Act passed by Congress. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Ukraine remained open to U.S.-led negotiations to end the war. His comments followed Trump’s decision to put sanctions on hold days before they were due to take effect. Zelensky wrote that “the American negotiating track will continue.” Reform UK candidate’s remarks An ITV investigation recorded a prospective Reform UK member of Parliament telling an undercover reporter that asylum seekers should be put in “concentration camps” and that Muslims could not be British. The investigation has also prompted accusations of extreme racism against Reform. In the West Bank and Gaza Israeli settler militants attacked European diplomats, a French mayor and the archbishop of Cambrai in Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, on Saturday. Three people were injured during an attempt to stop Palestinians from harvesting olives on their land. Mayor Bernard Baudoux was knocked to the ground while trying to enter a vehicle with diplomatic plates. In Gaza, Israeli drone attacks killed six Palestinians despite a ceasefire. UNICEF says more than 340 children have been killed since the ceasefire began a year ago. Nottingham medical records breach Nottingham University Hospitals says it has now fired 15 employees for accessing the medical records of the three people killed in the June 2023 attacks without a legitimate reason, up from 11 dismissals announced in May. The trust also issued 17 written warnings and apologized to the families. Investigations involving surviving victims’ records continue. Royal Navy spending Britain’s Ministry of Defence says HMS Iron Duke received a £102.9 million refit before returning to service in 2023 and being withdrawn in 2025. Another £4.7 million went toward a canceled sonar conversion. The ministry said further structural repairs could not be justified given the frigate’s remaining service life and the availability of other frigates.
