😒 European Commission Fights Vaccine Transparency Court Ruling - Politico

Ursula von der Leyen's Commission won’t accept claims that it was not transparent enough about its lucrative Covid-19 vaccine contracts – even as it defies requests to reveal her texts with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.

In a last attempt to defend its position over its alleged duplicity of the contracts, the Commission is challenging an EU court ruling in July.

The appeal will be heard in Europe's highest court, the Court of Justice, although a date has not yet been set.

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➡️ UPDATE: Two Dead in Kiryat Shmona – IDF Launches Investigation into Air Defense Failure (Channel 12)

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⚠️ JUST IN: Pope Francis to Meet Zelensky at Vatican on Friday

The former comedian had been previously stood up by Biden who cancelled his trip to Germany earlier this week.

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💲 Geopolitical Conflict Could Cost Global Economy “$14.5TN over 5 Years”

"With more than 80% of the world's imports and exports - around 11bn tons of goods - at sea at any given time, the closure of major trade routes due to a geopolitical conflict is one of the greatest threats to the resources needed for a resilient economy," insurance market Lloyd's of London said Wednesday.

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⚠️ DPRK Severs All Road, Rail Links to South Korea - KCNA

The announcement on Wednesday signals a further fortification of the heavily militarised border separating North and South since the Korean Peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s.

Pyongyang had already been installing more landmines and barriers and creating wasteland next to the demarcation line for months.

Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has also recently overseen artillery drills simulating an attack on an enemy island, NK News reported.

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⚡️NOW: Hezbollah Rocket Barrage Strikes Safed, Israel - Numerous Impact Sites

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⚡️ Spain's Sanchez Touts Benefits of Migration as European Neighbors Tighten Borders

Pedro Sanchez announced measures Wednesday to make it easier for immigrants to settle in Spain - championing migration and its economic benefits.

Initiatives include recognising academic qualifications for temporary workers, simplifying contracts as part of a new labor migration program, and reducing red tape for residency applications, Sanchez said.

Germany, Slovakia and Hungary have recently reintroduced temporary border controls – with France considering something similar.

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🟠Trump Will Bring Peace to Ukraine Before Inauguration – Viktor Orban

If Donald Trump wins the US election, he will “immediately” begin to resolve the Ukrainian conflict in November, Orban told a presser in Strasbourg.

“I am happy that the informal summit of European leaders will take place in Budapest on Nov 7, two days after the election,” the Hungarian PM noted.

“I think this is the most appropriate occasion to discuss what we should think individually and as a community [about] the outcome [of Ukraine conflict] and how to evaluate what should be done afterward.”

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China slams military supplies to Taiwan as instigation of war

The US is escalating regional tensions and pushing Taiwan step by step to the brink of war through arms sales to Taiwan and repeated violations of its commitments, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman, Wu Qian, stated in response to US President Joe Biden’s recent approval of a $567 mln military package to the island.

"The US side, ignoring China's strong objection, continues to provide military support to Taiwan, which is a flagrant violation of the ‘one China’ principle and the three joint Sino-US communiqués. This seriously jeopardizes China's sovereignty and security interests, and undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We express strong condemnation of it and lodge representations with the US," Wu Qian said in a statement on WeChat social network.

He added that “attempts to use Taiwan to contain China will only turn out to have bitter consequences for those who undertake them.”

The situation around Taiwan significantly escalated after Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited the island in early August 2022. China condemned Pelosi's visit, viewing her trip as America's support for Taiwanese separatism.

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