Tesla hiring Nordic policy expert as 'WWE-like standoff' with unions intensifies (www.cnbc.com)
Polish government dismisses public media chiefs in reform start (www.saltwire.com)
WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland’s new government dismissed executives from state media to restore “impartiality”, the Culture Ministry said on Wednesday, while a public news channel went off the air as Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s reform drive faced its first big test....
Venezuela expected to release up to 36 people, including Americans, in prisoner swap (www.reuters.com)
Gas, drones and convict recruits: Ukrainian soldiers describe Russia’s deadly surge on the frontlines (www.cnn.com)
The front lines where Ukraine and its allies had hoped for a summer breakthrough now epitomize the bleak, dark winter ahead — of Russian resurgence and Kyiv’s mounting losses....
Blocked by Polish Truckers, Ukraine Turns to the Black Sea to Boost Trade (www.nytimes.com)
The blockade at the border with Poland has crippled Ukraine’s land trade. But a new Black Sea route is providing an economic lifeline....
French MPs pass controversial immigration reform (www.bbc.com)
The French parliament has passed legislation toughening France’s immigration policy....
EU reaches ‘landmark’ agreement on asylum reform but deal still faces challenge of ratification (www.cnn.com)
The European Union has reached a provisional agreement to “thoroughly overhaul” its laws on asylum and migration, a move being hailed as a landmark but which could face challenges when each member state comes to approve it....
Japan hands over air radar system to Philippines (www.japantimes.co.jp)
Japan formally handed over an air surveillance radar system to the Philippines on Wednesday, the first export of a complete defense product since its long-held arms trade ban was eased in 2014....
Greece to legalise papers for thousands of migrants to counter labour shortage (www.theguardian.com)
Mexican cartels are accessing a database used by the government to monitor their victims in real time: report (www.businessinsider.com)
Cocoa grown illegally in a Nigerian rainforest heads to companies that supply major chocolate makers (apnews.com)
Men in dusty workwear trudge through a thicket, making their way up a hill where sprawling plantations lay tucked in a Nigerian rainforest whose trees have been hacked away to make room for cocoa bound for places like Europe and the U.S....
Ireland to take UK to ECHR over ban on Troubles-era court cases (www.telegraph.co.uk)
Russia Claims Google Hosts ‘Extremist’ LGBTQ Content—Levies $50 Million Fine (www.forbes.com)
EU reaches asylum deal that rights groups say will create ‘cruel system’ (www.theguardian.com)
Red Sea Maritime Coalition Much Bigger Than Originally Disclosed (www.thedrive.com)
Chinese Spaceplane Trailed By Six Mysterious Objects Transmitting Repeating Pattern (www.iflscience.com)
Modi's opposition furious as India suspends 141 parliamentary members (www.nbcnews.com)
The suspended lawmakers were protesting a security breach in the parliament earlier this month which saw a man storm the lower house and released a gas canister....
To build a better world, stop chasing economic growth (www.nature.com)
Pornhub among porn sites to be policed by strict EU digital rules (www.euronews.com)
Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos will need to abide by the European Union’s strictest digital regulations after they were designated “very large online platforms” (VLOPs) by the EU executive on Wednesday....