Google has added former U.S. President Donald Trump’s social media app 'Truth Social' to its Play Store, over a month after it banned the app over policy issues, especially moderating user-generated content.

According to the Alphabet Inc spokesperson, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which operates Truth Social, is expected to make the app available in the Play Store shortly. 

"Apps may be distributed on Google Play provided they comply with our developer guidelines, including the requirement to effectively moderate user-generated content and remove objectionable posts such as those that incite violence," a Google spokesman was quoted by Reuters. 

Truth Social has reportedly agreed to enforce the content moderation measures on users, which include removing or blocking users who publish posts that incite violence.

The TMTG spokesperson too expressed pleasure in working with Google, and claimed to be happy about bringing the app to all Americans.

Truth Social app

The former president started the app after he was booted out of social media giant Twitter in January 2021 "due to the risk of further incitement of violence" following the coup that saw hundreds barging into the Capitol Hill.

According to its website, it is America's "Big Tent" social media platform that encourages an open, free and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology. 

So far, the app is available only in the US. Before Google blocking it in August, Android users had to access the app on their phone web browser or by "sideloading" it through another website. The app has been available on Apple’s App Store, according to CNBC. 

The app's addition to the Play Store also perked up the shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp., the company aiming to take the app, during after-hours trading.

However, the former President only a fraction of his followers on Truth Social as compared to Twitter. While he has 4.18 followers at Truth Social, he had 88.8 million on Twitter and the 35.4 million on Facebook before being booted out.

The Connecticut jury on Wednesday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $965 million to people who suffered from his false claim that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. 

The verdict is the second big judgment against the Infowars host over his relentless promotion of the lie that the 2012 massacre never happened, and that the grieving families seen in news coverage were actors hired as part of a plot to take away people's guns.

It came in a lawsuit filed by the relatives of five children and three educators killed in the mass shooting. An FBI agent, who was among the first responders to the scene, was also among those who filed the lawsuit. 

A Texas jury in August awarded nearly USD 50 million to the parents of another slain child.

Some plaintiffs hugged in the courtroom after the verdict was read. Jones wasn't there, but live video from the court played on a split screen on his Infowars show. 

The trial featured tearful testimony from parents and siblings of the victims, who told about how they were threatened and harassed for years by people who believed the lies told on Jones' show.

Strangers showed up at their homes to record them. People hurled abusive comments on social media.

Erica Lafferty, the daughter of slain Sandy Hook principal Dawn Hochsprung, testified that people mailed rape threats to her house.

Mark Barden told of how conspiracy theorists had urinated on the grave of his 7-year-old son, Daniel, and threatened to dig up the coffin.

Testifying during the trial, Jones acknowledged he had been wrong about Sandy Hook. The shooting was real, he said. But both in the courtroom and on his show, he was defiant.

He called the proceedings "kangaroo court", mocked the judge, called the plaintiffs' lawyer an ambulance chaser and labelled the case an affront to free speech rights.

He claimed it was a conspiracy by Democrats and the media to silence him and put him out of business.

I've already said 'I'm sorry' hundreds of times and I'm done saying I'm sorry, he said during his testimony.

Twenty children and six adults died in the shooting on December 14, 2012. The defamation trial was held at a courthouse in Waterbury, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) from Newtown, where the attack took place.

The lawsuit accused Jones and Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, of using mass killing to build his audience and make millions of dollars.

Jones now faces a third trial, in Texas around the end of the year, in a lawsuit filed by the parents of another child killed in the shooting.

According to media reports, it is unclear how much of the verdicts Jones can afford to pay. During the trial in Texas, he testified he couldn't afford any judgment over USD 2 million.

(With inputs from PTI)

During an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on the Ukraine conflict, India slammed Pakistan for raising the issue of Kashmir. India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said that such statements by Islamabad deserve "collective contempt" of the international community. 

"We have witnessed unsurprisingly yet again an attempt by one delegation to misuse this forum and make frivolous and pointless remarks against my country. Such statements deserve our collective contempt and sympathy for a mindset which repeatedly utters falsehoods," Kamboj said. 

"It is important, however, to set the record straight. The entire territory of Jammu and Kashmir is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India irrespective of what the representative of Pakistan believes or covets. We call on Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism so that our citizens can enjoy their right to life and liberty," Kamboj said.

Pakistan's ambassador to the UN Munir Akram in his remarks to the UNGA emergency special session raised the issue of Kashmir, saying that under international law, the right of self-determination applies to peoples who are under foreign or colonial domination and those who have not yet exercised the right to self-determination "as in the case of Jammu and Kashmir".

He said the exercise of the right to self-determination should be conducted in an environment free of military occupation and under impartial auspices species, preferably under the supervision of the United Nations.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Following India's decision, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian envoy. Trade ties between Pakistan and India have largely been frozen since then.

India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of the country. India has said it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

(With inputs from PTI) 

On Tuesday, 23 years after he was convicted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, US native Adnan Syed became a free man. The Baltimore prosecutors dropped all charges against Syed after the results of advanced DNA testing of the victim's shoes, skirt, pantyhose and jacket ruled out his involvement.

The case against the Baltimore man, which garnered worldwide attention through the hit true crime podcast 'Serial,' is finally closed. He can never be charged again.

"Finally, Adnan Syed is able to live as a free man," his lawyer, Erica Suter, said in a statement. "Adnan is innocent and lost 23 years of his life serving time for a crime he did not commit," she added. 

His conviction was quashed last month after the state declared it "lacks confidence in the integrity of the conviction." But, his innocence was declared only Tuesday after Baltimore's state attorney Marilyn Mosby dropped the charges, reported CNN. 

"The items that we tested had never before been tested," Mosby said. "We used advanced DNA to determine that it was not Adnan Syed. Prosecutors will continue to investigate Lee’s death and prosecute whoever is responsible. As for Syed, “this case is over," she added.

Mosby said the responsibility for the conviction belonged to past administrations. Tendering an apology to Lee’s family and Syed and his family, Mosby said, "Equally heartbreaking is the pain and sacrifice and trauma that has been imposed not just on (Lee’s) family, but Adnan and his family, who together spent 23 years imprisoned for a crime as a result of a wrongful conviction." 

Syed's case

Hae Min Lee was found strangled to death in 1999 in a forest, three weeks before she went missing. Lee was Syed's ex-girlfriend and high school classmate. 

Syed, who was 17 at that time, was charged with her killing. A year later, a jury found 'the scorned lover' guilty of first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping and false imprisonment. He was sentenced to life in prison despite professing innocence.

His numerous appeals went in vain and Syed remained in prison for over two decades. In 2014, the turning point happened when his story was featured in the 'Serial' podcast that cast shadow over his conviction. 

The podcast went viral and the case gained the limelight. The episodes of the show have been downloaded more than 340 million times and Syed's case went on to be featured in many more programmes, including the HBO docuseries The Case Against Adnan Syed.' 

However, last month, Baltimore's state attorney's office, which studied the case over the past year, revealed that the investigation found that despite there being the involvement of two other people in the case, these were not properly turned over to the defence attorneys. 

The reliability of cell phone data records also came under question in the new investigation besides the account of the man who claimed he helped Syed cover up the body.

Finally, the conviction was quashed on 20 September "in the interest of fairness and justice" and Syed walked out of the court as a free man.

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday there will be "consequences for Saudi Arabia as the Riyadh-led OPEC+ alliance moves to cut oil production and Democratic lawmakers call for a freeze on cooperation with the Saudis.

Biden suggested he would soon take action as aides announced that the administration is reevaluating its relationship with the kingdom in light of the oil production cut that White House officials say will help another OPEC+ member, Russia, pad its coffers as it continues its nearly eight-month war in Ukraine.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Rep. Ro Khanna of California introduced legislation that would immediately pause all US arms sales to Saudi Arabia for one year.

This pause would also halt sales of spare and repair parts, support services and logistical support.

But it remains to be seen how far Biden is willing to go in showing his displeasure with the Saudis, a vital but complicated ally in the Middle East.

Biden came into office vowing to recalibrate the US relationship because of Saudi Arabia's human rights record but then paid a visit to the kingdom earlier this year.

Biden said in a CNN interview he would look to consult with Congress on the way forward, but stopped short of endorsing the Democratic lawmakers' call to halt weapons sales.

There's going to be some consequences for what they've done, with Russia, Biden said. I'm not going to get into what I'd consider and what I have in mind. But there will be there will be consequences.

John Kirby, a White House National Security Council spokesman, said Biden believes it's time to take another look at this relationship and make sure that it's serving our national security interests.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday the White House has no timeline for its review nor has the president appointed an adviser to serve as point person.

Meanwhile, officials underscore the central role that Saudi Arabia plays in addressing broader national security concerns in the Middle East.

Blumenthal and Khanna unveiled their legislation one day after Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said it was unacceptable that OPEC+ had moved to cut oil production and effectively assist Moscow in its war on Ukraine.

Menendez promised to use his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to block any future arms sales to the Saudis.

Menendez did not warn the White House before announcing his intention to block future Saudi arms sales, Kirby said.

OPEC+, which includes Russia as well as Saudi Arabia, announced last week it would cut production by 2 million barrels a day, which will help prop up oil prices that are allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to keep paying for his eight-month invasion of Ukraine.

The production cut also hurts US-led efforts to make the war financially unsustainable for Russia, threatens a global economy already destabilised by the Ukraine conflict and risks saddling Biden and Democrats with newly rising gasoline prices just ahead of the US midterm elections.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told Saudi-owed Al Arabiya on Tuesday that his government's justification of the production cuts was purely economic.

Biden and European leaders have urged more oil production to ease gasoline prices and punish Moscow for its aggression in Ukraine. Putin has been accused of using energy as a weapon against countries opposing Russia's invasion.

They are certainly aligning themselves with Russia," Jean-Pierre said. This is not a time to be aligning with Russia.

As for the Saudis, Sen. Blumenthal said, We cannot continue selling highly sensitive arms technology to a nation aligned with an abhorrent terrorist adversary.

However, the White House takes note that its weapon sales to Riyadh serve, in part, as an important counterweight in the region to Iran, which is quickly moving toward becoming a nuclear power.

There's 70,000 Americans living in Saudi Arabia right now, not to mention all the other troops we have throughout the region, Kirby said. "So, it's not only in our interest that missile defence in the region become more integrated and cooperative. It's in the interest of our allies and partners in that part of the world as well."

Still, the pressure is mounting for Biden. As a candidate for the White House, he vowed that Saudi rulers would pay the price under his watch for the 2018 killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the kingdom's leadership. Biden said that he'd look to make the oil-rich country a pariah".

But in July, amid rising prices at the pump around the globe, Biden decided to pay a visit to Saudi Arabia. During the visit, he met with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who he once shunned as a killer for the death of Khashoggi.

The US intelligence community determined that the crown prince, often referred to by his initials MBS, likely approved the killing of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. MBS denies he was involved.

The Saudis have also drawn international criticism for airstrikes killing civilians in the years-long war between the kingdom and Houthi rebels in Yemen as well as for embargoes that exacerbated hunger and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

Saudi Arabia's disastrous decision to slash oil production by two million barrels a day makes it clear that Riyadh is seeking to harm the US and reaffirms the need to reassess the US-Saudi relationship," Khanna said.

There is no reason for the US to kowtow to a regime that has massacred countless civilians in Yemen, hacked to death a Washington-based journalist and is now extorting Americans at the pump. 

(AP) 

US President Joe Biden has said that he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin to be a "rational actor" who, however, misjudged his ability to invade Ukraine. He added that Putin wrongly believed Ukrainians would submit to a Russian invasion.

"I think he is a rational actor who has miscalculated significantly," Biden told CNN in an exclusive interview. 

He added that threats emanating from Russia could result in catastrophic "mistakes" and "miscalculations," but did not say how Washington would respond if Putin deploys a tactical nuclear device on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Biden also termed Putin's aims in Ukraine, which he spelt out in February during the start of the war, as "ridiculous."

"You listen to what he says. If you listen to the speech he made after when that decision was being made, he talked about the whole idea of – he was needed to be the leader of Russia that united all of the Russian speakers. I mean, it’s just I just think it’s irrational," Biden said.

"I think the speech, his objectives were not rational. I think he thought he was going to be welcomed with open arms, that this was the home of Mother Russia in Kyiv, and that where he was going to be welcomed, and I think he just totally miscalculated," Biden added.

The President also ruled out meeting Putin at next month’s Group of 20 summit in Indonesia. "I think he’s committed war crimes. And so I don’t, I don’t see any rationale to meet with him now." However, Biden said he would be open to talking about jailed American basketball star Brittney Griner.

Biden added that he doesn't think the Russian President would use a tactical nuclear weapon on Ukraine. "I think it’s irresponsible for him to talk about it, the idea that a world leader of one of the largest nuclear powers in the world says he may use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine," Biden added. 

Warned of potential errors in judgment that could ensue, Biden refused to disclose what a US response would look like should Putin follow through on his nuclear threats.

On the red line for the US, Biden said "there have been discussions of that." "But I’m not going to get into that. It would be irresponsible of me to talk about what we would or wouldn’t do," he added.

The President also said it was time to "rethink the US relationship with Saudi Arabia after the kingdom partnered with Russia to cut oil production.  The Saudi-led OPEC+ oil cartel decided to cut production last week, angering the White House. 

"I am in the process, when the House and Senate get back, they’re going to have to – there’s going to be some consequences for what they’ve done with Russia," Biden said.

NATO will push ahead with long-planned nuclear exercises next week despite rising tensions over the war in Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin's insistence that he is not bluffing about using all available means to defend Russian territory, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday.

The exercise, dubbed Steadfast Noon, is held annually and usually runs for about one week.

It involves fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads but does not involve any live bombs. Conventional jets, and surveillance and refuelling aircraft also routinely take part.

Fourteen of the 30 NATO member countries will be involved in the exercise, which was planned before Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

“The main part of the manoeuvres would be held more than 1,000 kilometres from Russia,” a NATO official said.

“It would send a very wrong signal if we suddenly now cancelled a routine, long-time planned exercise because of the war in Ukraine. That would be absolutely the wrong signal to send,” Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.

“NATO's firm, predictable behaviour, our military strength, is the best way to prevent escalation,” he said. "If we now created the grounds for any misunderstandings, miscalculations in Moscow about our willingness to protect and defend all allies, we would increase the risk of escalation," he added.

With the Russian army retreating under the blows of Ukrainian forces armed with Western weapons, Putin raised the stakes by annexing four Ukrainian regions and declaring a partial mobilisation of up to 300,000 reservists to buttress the crumbling front line.

As his war plans have gone awry, Putin has repeatedly signalled that he could resort to nuclear weapons to protect the Russian gains. The threat is also aimed at deterring NATO nations from sending more sophisticated weapons to Ukraine.

NATO as an organisation does not possess any weapons. The nuclear weapons nominally linked to NATO remain under the firm control of three member countries the US, UK, and France. The alliance's secretive Nuclear Planning Group will meet on Thursday among defence ministers.

Stoltenberg described Putin's spiralling nuclear rhetoric as dangerous and reckless, and underlined that the allies have also conveyed clearly to Russia that it will have severe consequences if they use nuclear weapons in any way.

"We are closely monitoring Russia's nuclear forces," Stoltenberg said. We have not seen any changes in Russia's posture, but we remain vigilant.

Russia on Tuesday placed Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram on its list of extremists and terrorist organisations. 

Russian news agency Tass reported that Russian financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring placed the US corporation Meta on its list of extremists and terrorists. The corporation is listed under the name of Meta Platforms Inc by the agency on its website, the agency reported.

A Moscow court in March declared social network platforms Instagram and Facebook extremist and banned them across the country. The court in June rejected Meta's appeal against declaring it a terrorist organisation. In court, Meta's lawyer at the time said Meta was not carrying out the extremist activity and was against Russophobia, Reuters reported.

Israel's prime minister said Tuesday that the country has reached a historic agreement with neighbouring Lebanon over their shared maritime border after months of US-brokered negotiations.

It's a rare agreement between two countries that are bitter enemies. But the deal still faces some obstacles, including some expected legal challenges in Israel. There was no immediate confirmation by Lebanon that a deal had been reached.

At stake are rights over exploiting undersea natural gas reserves in areas of the eastern Mediterranean that the two countries which do not have diplomatic relations claim.

Premier Yair Lapid called the deal a historic achievement that will strengthen Israel's security, inject billions into Israel's economy, and ensure the stability of our northern border.

The agreement is expected to enable additional natural gas production in the Mediterranean. Lebanon hopes gas exploration will help lift its country out of its spiralling economic crisis.

Senior US energy envoy Amos Hochstein, who Washington has appointed a year ago to mediate talks, delivered a modified proposal of the maritime border deal to lead Lebanese negotiator, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab late Monday night, according to local media and officials.

The final draft of the agreement will be brought before Israel's caretaker government for approval this week, less than weeks before the country goes to the polls for the fifth time in under four years.

Lebanon and Israel have been officially at war since Israel's creation in 1948 and both countries claim some 860 square kilometres of the Mediterranean Sea.

Bou Saab delivered a draft proposal to President Michel Aoun, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri last Thursday. He told the press that the proposal was in its final form.

Aoun's office in a statement said the latest version of the proposal satisfies Lebanon, meets its demands and preserves its rights to its natural resources, and "will hold consultations with officials before making an announcement,” he said.

New Zealand's government on Tuesday proposed taxing the greenhouse gasses that farm animals make from burping and peeing as part of a plan to tackle climate change.

The government said the farm levy would be a world first, and that farmers should be able to recoup the cost by charging more for climate-friendly products.

But farmers quickly condemned the plan. Federated Farmers, the industry's main lobby group, said the plan would rip the guts out of small town New Zealand and see farms replaced with trees.

Federated Farmers President Andrew Hoggard said farmers had been trying to work with the government for more than two years on an emissions reduction plan that wouldn't decrease food production.

Our plan was to keep farmers farming," Hoggard said. Instead, he said farmers would be raising prices so fast you won't even hear the dogs barking on the back of the ute (pickup truck) as they drive off.

Opposition lawmakers from the conservative ACT Party said the plan would actually increase worldwide emissions by moving farming to other countries that were less efficient at making food.

New Zealand's farming industry is vital to its economy. Dairy products, including those used to make infant formula in China, are the nation's largest export earner.

There are just 5 million people in New Zealand but some 10 million beef and dairy cattle and 26 million sheep.

The outsized industry has made New Zealand unusual in that about half of its greenhouse gas emissions come from farms. Farm animals produce gasses that warm the planet, particularly methane from cattle burping and nitrous oxide from their urine.

The government has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make the country carbon neutral by 2050. Part of that plan includes a pledge that it will reduce methane emissions from farm animals by 10 per cent by 2030 and by up to 47 per cent by 2050.

Under the government's proposed plan, farmers would start to pay for emissions in 2025, with the pricing yet to be finalized.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said all the money collected from the proposed farm levy would be put back into the industry to fund new technology, research and incentive payments for farmers.

New Zealand's farmers are set to be the first in the world to reduce agricultural emissions, positioning our biggest export market for the competitive advantage that brings in a world increasingly discerning about the provenance of their food," Ardern said.

Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said it was an exciting opportunity for New Zealand and its farmers.

Farmers are already experiencing the impact of climate change with more regular drought and flooding, O'Connor said. Taking the lead on agricultural emissions is both good for the environment and our economy.

The liberal Labour government's proposal harks back to a similar but unsuccessful proposal made by a previous Labour government in 2003 to tax farm animals for their methane emissions.

Farmers back then also vehemently opposed the idea, and political opponents ridiculed it as a fart tax although a burp tax would have been more technically accurate as most of the methane emissions come from belching. The government eventually abandoned the plan.

According to opinion polls, Ardern's Labour Party has slipped in popularity and fallen behind the main opposition National Party since Ardern won a second term in 2020 in a landslide victory of historic proportions.

If Ardern's government can't find agreement on the proposal with farmers, who have considerable political sway in New Zealand, it's likely to make it more difficult for Ardern to win reelection next year when the nation goes back to the polls. 

(AP)  

A government-appointed expert panel on Monday proposed a two-stage system for distributing up to 200 billion euros (USD 195 billion) in subsidies Germany has announced to ease the strain of high gas prices, a plan that the group said would still encourage people to save energy.

The panel suggested that the state take on the cost of natural gas customers' monthly bill in December, followed by a price subsidy for part of their consumption starting next spring.

“Gas and heating price brake would kick in next March and apply until April 2024,” panel co-chair Veronika Grimm said.

Private gas customers would pay 0.12 euros per kilowatt hour for the first 80 per cent of last year's use.

“That corresponds roughly to the price level that is expected in the future,” Grimm said, telling reporters in Berlin that the plan aims to introduce a new normal but prevent price rises beyond that. “It's not going to be the case that the price goes back down to 7 cents in the future, we won't receive Russian gas for a long time,” Grimm added.

Grimm argued that the plan still incentivises people to save gas, because people who do so will avoid paying higher prices beyond the cap level.

She noted that Germany, which has Europe's biggest economy, needs to reduce its previous gas consumption by about 20 per cent to prevent a potential shortage this winter.

Co-chair Siegfried Russwurm, the head of the Federation of German Industries, said the proposal foresees businesses paying 0.07 euros per kilowatt hour for 70 per cent of their 2021 gas use, starting at the beginning of January.

Russwurm said that gas price rises are posing an existential threat to an increasing number of companies. “This is not just about the fate of individual companies and their jobs; it is about the strength and the export successes of German industry, because they are the backbone of the German economy,” he said.

The panel, which included representatives of industry and labour unions, scientists and lawmakers, earlier on Monday presented its conclusions to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the country's economy and finance ministers.

Many European countries have proposed similar subsidies on fossil fuels, prices for which have increased sharply worldwide in the wake of Russia's attack on Ukraine. But some of Germany's neighbours have criticised the huge sum Berlin is setting aside, arguing that it will price others out of the market.

Scholz argues that the criticism is based on a misunderstanding of his government's plans and says Germany's subsidy will prevent a shortage of gas that might occur under a system of enforced price caps proposed by other countries. He also has noted that it applies to a relatively long period.

Russia started reducing gas supplies to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the main supply route, in June and cut them off completely over a month ago. The pipeline has since been damaged by underwater explosions. Germany got a bit over a third of its gas supplies from Russia before the disruptions started, and previously more than that.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Monday that the country would respond toughly if Ukraine attempts terror attacks on Russian territory.

"If attempts continue to carry out terror attacks on our territory, Russia’s responses will be tough and by their scope correspond to the level of threats created for the Russian Federation," Russian News Agency quoted Putin saying in a meeting of Russia's security council.

Putin said, “By its acts, the Kyiv regime has put itself on a par with international terrorist organizations and, therefore, these crimes simply cannot be left unanswered,” the agency reported.

Putin said strikes were launched on Ukraine's military and energy facilities on Monday on the recommendation of the defence ministry. The strikes were seen as retaliation by Russia for Ukraine's attack on Russia's key bridge connecting Crimea, a region it annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

“Under a plan of the Russian General Staff, a massive strike by Russia’s long-range air-, sea- and ground-based precision weapons was delivered against Ukrainian energy, military command and communications facilities,” the agency quoted Putin saying. Putin advised his defence minister to report to him on the results of the strikes.

According to reports, 75 missiles were fired on Ukraine by Russia. Ukraine air defences claimed that it neutralised 41 missiles. Strikes were reported in cities like Lviv, Ternopil, Dnipro besides Kyiv on Monday morning. Over eight civilians got killed and infrastructure got destroyed in the strikes. 

While the country was distracted by polls that showed a lopsided lead likely to turn into an electoral rout, election night resulted in the unexpected defeat of the anointed “rescuer of democracy”, and in the process unveiled the creation of a powerful national movement.

You would be forgiven for thinking this is a reference to Trump’s remaking of the American political landscape. But this is what Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, until recently a politician without a party, did in the first round of this year's elections, on October 2.

The methods, actions, and the way the political climate in Brazil has descended into vicious verbal attacks and fears of violence are an export of the Trump populist prototype and the globalisation of a conservative movement that taps into already existing feelings among the population. Trump's friend Bolsonaro owns the Brazilian franchise.

The Trump operating system is easily recognisable in its norm-breaking, attacks on the traditional media as biased political opponents, the mockery and bile toward political opponents and gay groups, the talk of god and anti-abortion rhetoric, the distortions of reality, and the spreading of fake news while labeling unpleasant facts as “fake news.” All of those have become Bolsonaro trademarks in Brazil, an ongoing attack on objective truth and inclusiveness.

As the elections played out, no one garnered 50 per cent of votes needed for an outright win, so a runoff election is scheduled for October 30. But former president Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva is the Left’s once-and-future-king, and was predicted to win by some 10-14 points over Bolsonaro.

Lula did come in first place, but Bolsonaro won. The 48.4 per cent to 43.2 per cent margin represented a significant shift toward Bolsonaro from those supporting minor candidates, and undecideds. Further, Bolsonaro elected consequential numbers of those he endorsed in the legislature and governorships, creating a strong bench of support for his policies.

The impact is that something has changed in a meaningful way, there is a real polarisation in the electorate and in elected office.

While Lula’s campaign-closing rhetoric celebrated an upcoming early and decisive victory, it focused on the shiny object of outrageous, seemingly unacceptable comments of the opposition as if to convince itself that its side had the moral high ground. It ignored the other side, not looking at the fervor, financing and organisation of its candidates and missing the undercurrent of support in the electorate.

There is a deeper story, however. In electing eight governors, 21 out of 27 senators, and gaining nearly twice as many seats as Lula’s party in the lower chamber while also showing a stunning strength and staying power himself, Bolsonaro reproduced the Trump formula in tapping into a part of the electorate yearning for leadership and creating a political movement to stay.

The establishment is now under Bolsonarian threat, a silent movement has gained new voice and a good share of elected offices; it is the beginning of a new political era.

“Bolsonaro really did create a new movement,” says noted historian, author, and Historical Institute secretary general José Theodoro Mascarenhas Menck who has written books on the history of Brazil, including the first Brazilian election, its independence, constitution, monarchs, monarchy, and republic.

He changed the Brazilian right, said Menck of Bolsonaro. “He built a strong ideological bench.”

There used to be a so-called right, he notes. “Apparently, they are elements much more ideological in the sense of conservative positions that appeal to the electors, and that surprised the analysts.”

Bolsonaro showed he has political weight in electing a lot of people, added Menck. “He had a lot more strength.”

In elections for governors and the legislature in current and former Lula stronghold states of Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, the election showed that Bolsonaro expanded his base of support.

“I believe that the right is finally organising itself,” said Menck, explaining that in the history of Brazil since the dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas (1930-45) there has always been a strong state paternalism and that this may be a point of inflection that leads to a more liberal society.

“Statism was good but for more than 20 years it has not been working. Until 1980 the country prospered well, but since then it has not been able to maintain that growth. The right thinks that is due to excess protectionism on the part of the state.”

In that context, Bolsonaro’s dismantling of agencies protecting the environment, women’s rights, gender issues, indigenous people, indigenous lands and others generates an action-backed far-right ideological frame of reference, a new rightist paradigm.

Bolsonaro is not the originator of that thinking, points out Menck, adding, “but it did coopt the ideas and political winds of Olavo de Carvalho.”. Carvalho, who died earlier this year, was a former communist who was worshipped by the right and dismissed by others as an extremist who became a virulent voice against the Left in Brazil.

Bolsonaro made himself the spokesman and figurehead for the quiet movement spurred by Carvalho’s online waves, according to Menck.

“At its core it is a classic liberalism with an anti-Communist vision,” explains Menck. “Carvalho’s philosophies crystallized in the postures of Bolsonaro...He inspired a whole generation, and it is now bearing fruit.”

In Brazil, rightism has been very rigid; this is the first time there is an alternative possibility, explains the historian.

That is strikingly similar to what analysts say is Trump’s genius, that he tapped into the undercurrent of a feeling that needed open expression and a champion.

“The election poured a Bolsonarismo purified and homogeneous,” says political scientist and author Camila Rocha, who has been devoting her time since 2019 conducting polls to understand how presidential voters think and how they identify themselves, according to communication from the Historical and Geographic Institute of Brazil’s Federal District, (IHGDF).

The gains in Bolsonaro’s party in the legislatures extended to many of the candidates with the largest margin of victory in legislative, federal and state elections, noted the IHFDF text. That shows deep underlying strength.

“Nearly all of them share the same characteristic, they form a hard core of Bolsonarismo,” wrote Rocha, who is also the author of 'Less Marx, More Mises; Liberalism and the New Right in Brazil', a book based on her award-winning doctoral thesis.

Her thesis concurs with Menck’s assessment that the origins of this new right in Brazil has its genesis in the proliferation of digital counter-publics like Carvalho’s audiences that thrived during the height of Lula’s rule.

“These candidates align with people who voted for Bolsonaro four years ago, and who, with the passing of time adopted speeches that practically copied the president’s declarations in live feeds and social networks,” observes Rocha in her analysis.

“By the results of the elections this year, it is an expressive group. They impacted by specific action in favor of Bolsonaro. They criticize traditional media, they are against the possible legalisation of abortion, they battle against a supposed gender ideology, and talk of God, family, and freedom.”

These are elements imported from the Trump movement in America, noted Menck.

“Another portion of those who elected Bolsonaro in 2018 became disenchanted with the president and some even regretted their vote, yet they had no alternative. They are people that do not vote for [Lula’s] Worker’s Party and at any time they will end up staying with the actual president at the last minute for lack of options,” writes Rocha.

In some ways, a most interesting similarity with the Trump surprise in the 2016 US election, is that in the October 2 results, the voters ended up surprising the analysts and the pollsters that had predicted that Bolsonaro would have a ceiling of support between 20 to 37 per cent.

The first-round final 5 per cent margin of difference between Bolsonaro and Lula showed they were wrong, the analysts were wrong, and the polls were wrong. Further, widespread gains in electing Bolsonaro supporters showed that there is a Bolsonarismo that is stronger and deeper than estimated.

Just like in the post-mortems of the US polls failure to predict a Trump victory, the explanation is that Bolsonaro voters in Brazil are embarrassed to reveal themselves to pollsters.

“There are people that speak of an embarrassed voter, I think it is a silent vote. That person was waiting to see what was going to happen. That is why we can’t talk about a failure of the polls,” says Rocha.

Since the 1930s, the state right has been a wrestling match between elites, says Menck. “Now it is the electorate, they want a return to old values, they do not want to accept political correctness, they are very conservative.”

Initially, much of Bolsonaro’s support was anti-PT (Lula’s Workers’ Party), explains Menck. “But now it can be the creation of a Bolsonaro base. I don’t believe it is as much Bolsonarismo as an ideology as it is fitting into the undercurrent of a movement. It is a question of ideas such as anti-communism and a repudiation of the left’s victimism.”

Victimism is the view that the left’s traditional support for reforms that oppress people turns those people into victims.

“The phenomenon is that the electorate got tired of that victimism, the elections showed a strong current, highlighting a polarisation. The great victory of Bolsonaro was to show that the liberals are more numerous than what the press says,” concluded Menck.

In those numbers may lie the outline of a Bolsonarismo independent of Bolsonaro.

While Lula won the state of Minas Gerais, it elected a governor closely aligned with Bolsonaro ideology, pointed out Menck.

In Sao Paulo, the country’s most populous state, its industrial capital, and Lula stronghold, Bolsonaro’s former infrastructure minister outperformed forecasts of his defeat, taking a 42.6 to 35.5 lead into a runoff.

In the state of Para, which Lula won by nearly 12 points, Sergio Moro, the former judge who led the investigation that put Lula in prison, then became Bolsonaro's justice minister, and who was later discredited when ethics violations resulted in the vacating of Lula’s conviction, was elected as senator with a 4-point margin over an ex-governor closely linked to Lula’s Workers Party.

Those gains mark the foundation of a mounting Bolsonarist movement that is conservative and populist, and at the same time comfortable with the idea of coming to power by democratic means and then subverting the state from within, even discrediting democracy and delegitimizing elections through unfounded accusations, fake news, and blaming mainstream journalism for bias in order to remain in power.

Like Trumpism, Bolsonarismo comes with a simple visual image—a yellow shirt instead of a red hat that immediately identifies his followers to one another. It also comes with authoritarian actions they see as badges of straight talk and strength, showing contempt for the left, gays, indigenous people, women, environmentalists, and human rights groups.

Like Trump, Bolsonaro did not elaborate an ideology, but he has generated a movement, a language of power, and an identity that is a far-right infrastructure that will remain in Brazilian society through those he elected with his support.

“It is a global movement, and this is the repercussion here,” said Menck. 

This year's Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded in equal parts to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless for developing way of snapping molecules together that can be used to design medicines.

Their work, known as click chemistry and bioorthogonal reactions, is used to make cancer drugs, map DNA and create materials that are tailored to a specific purpose.

Hans Ellegren, secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, announced the winners Wednesday at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

Bertozzi is based at Stanford University in California, Meldal is at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Sharpless is affiliated with Scripps Research, California.

Sharpless previously won a Nobel Prize in 2001. He is the fifth person to receive the award twice.

Last year the prize was awarded to scientists Benjamin List and David W C MacMillan for finding an ingenious and environmentally cleaner way to build molecules that the Nobel panel said is "already benefiting humankind greatly.

A week of Nobel Prize announcements kicked off Monday with Swedish scientist Svante Paabo receiving the award in medicine for unlocking secrets of Neanderthal DNA that provided key insights into our immune system.

Three scientists jointly won the prize in physics Tuesday. Frenchman Alain Aspect, American John F Clauser and Austrian Anton Zeilinger had shown that tiny particles can retain a connection with each other even when separated, a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement, that can be used for specialized computing and to encrypt information.

The awards continue with literature on Thursday. The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday and the economics award on Monday.

The prizes carry a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (nearly USD 900,000) and will be handed out on Dec. 10. The money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, in 1895.

Three scientists jointly won this year's Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for their work on quantum information science that has significant applications, for example in the field of encryption.

Alain Aspect, John F Clauser and Anton Zeilinger were cited by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for "pioneering quantum information science.

Quantum information science is a vibrant and rapidly developing field," said Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel committee. It has broad and potential implications in areas such as secure information transfer, quantum computing and sensing technology.

Its origin can be traced to that of quantum mechanics, she said. "Its predictions have opened doors to another world, and it has also shaken the very foundations of how we interpret measurements.

While physicists often tackle problems that appear at first glance to be far removed from everyday concerns tiny particles and the vast mysteries of space and time their research provides the foundations for many practical applications of science.

Last year the prize was awarded to three scientists Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi whose work has helped to explain and predict complex forces of nature, thereby expanding our understanding of climate change.

A week of Nobel Prize announcements kicked off Monday with Swedish scientist Svante Paabo receiving the award in medicine Monday for unlocking secrets of Neanderthal DNA that provided key insights into our immune system.

They continue with chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday and the economics award on October 10.

The prizes carry a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (nearly USD 900,000) and will be handed out on December 10. The money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.

Elon Musk's tweet asking Twitter users to weigh in on Donbas referendum has irked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who retorted with his own poll. 

Musk, the CEO of Tesla, tried out a Twitter poll where he asked users: "Let’s try this then: the will of the people who live in the Donbas & Crimea should decide whether they’re part of Russia or Ukraine," with a 'yes' and 'no' option. 

His other proposals to bring peace in the region included redoing elections of annexed regions under UN supervision. 

"Russia leaves if that is the will of the people. Crimea is formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783 (until Khrushchev’s mistake). Water supply to Crimea assured. Ukraine remains neutral," he tweeted. 

However, his tweet invited the wrath of Ukrainian leaders with Zelenskyy himself floating a poll of his own. 

"Which @elonmusk do you like more?," Zelenskyy tweeted, offering two responses: "one who supports Ukraine, one who supports Russia."

Besides Zelenskyy,  Lithuania's president Gitanas Nausėda too hit out at Musk. "Dear @elonmusk, when someone tries to steal the wheels of your Tesla, it doesn't make them legal owner of the car or of the wheels. Even though they claim both voted in favor of it. Just saying," Nausėda's tweet read. 

Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak too suggested a "better peace plan" under which Ukraine took back its territories including Crimea; Russia was demilitarised and denuclearised, and "war criminals" faced an international tribunal.

However, Musk said he "didn't care if his proposal was unpopular" adding that he did care "that millions of people may die needlessly for an essentially identical outcome."

"Russia has >3 times population of Ukraine, so victory for Ukraine is unlikely in total war. If you care about the people of Ukraine, seek peace," he posted on Twitter.