Professor David Betz has warned that Britain is drifting towards civil war. No, says P.K. O'Sullivan: the war has already started, one broken friendship, family row and motorway blockade at a time.
The post The Civil War Has Already Begun appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The landscape of asphalt and concrete that defines La Paz can give way, within just a few miles, to hot, dense forests clinging to the mountainsides. The steep, unforgiving streets north of Bolivia’s administrative capital are replaced by thick vegetation and winding rivers that descend more than 5,000 meters toward the Amazon.
© Claudia Morales (REUTERS)
La Guardia Civil investiga la muerte de una mujer cuyo cuerpo fue hallado semienterrado en la playa canina de Lavaculos, en la zona de Sancti Petri, localizada en la localidad gaditana de Chiclana de la Frontera. Fuentes del Instituto Armado han concretado que el cadáver fue hallado este domingo, aunque presentaba signos de llevar varios días en el lugar.
Según ha informado el medio local Diario de Cádiz, el hallazgo tuvo lugar en torno a las 11.00 horas en una duna situada a la entrada de la playa para perros, en el paraje conocido como Lavaculos. Una pareja que había acudido al lugar con su mascota encontró los restos y dio aviso a los servicios de emergencia.
Hasta el lugar de los hechos se desplazaron efectivos de la Guardia Civil, Policía Local y una ambulancia. La mujer todavía no ha sido identificada puesto que el cadáver estaba en avanzado estado de descomposición y la Guardia Civil se ha hecho cargo de la investigación.
El citado periódico ha avanzado que, según los primeros datos arrojados por la autopsia, presenta signos de violencia como consecuencia de varios golpes en la cabeza. Una de las hipótesis que se está investigando es si se trata de un caso de violencia machista. Por el momento no han trascendido más detalles sobre el caso.
The data show that 300,202 battery-electric cars were registered during the month, accounting for 32.6 per cent of new passenger-car registrations in the markets surveyed.
The figures emerge three days after Paris and Berlin announced a joint position on the future of Europe’s automotive industry, proposing greater flexibility in the EU’s 2035 emissions regime while introducing measures intended to favour vehicles manufactured in Europe.
The latest figures, compiled by E-Mobility Europe, New Automotive and Fier Automotive, indicate that electric vehicle demand accelerated sharply during September.
According to the industry data published on 19 October, approximately 1.98 million battery-electric cars have been registered across the 17 markets during the first nine months of 2026, an increase of 38.1 per cent compared with the equivalent period last year.
Higher oil prices, government incentives and the introduction of more affordable electric models have all contributed to demand.
The figures represent a substantial change in the composition of European new-car sales, although they cover selected markets rather than constituting a complete statistical account of the EU’s 27 Member States.
France recorded 65,243 battery-electric registrations in September, representing 41.7 per cent of its new-car market. Germany registered 88,724 electric vehicles, giving the technology a market share of 34.6 per cent.
Both countries have substantial automotive manufacturing industries and are directly involved in negotiations over Europe’s future emissions legislation.
Despite the overall increase, electric vehicle adoption remains uneven across the continent.
Norway retained its position as Europe’s most electrified new-car market, with battery-electric vehicles accounting for 98.8 per cent of registrations in September.
Denmark followed with 88.8 per cent, while Finland recorded 62.7 per cent and Sweden 49 per cent.
Electric models also accounted for approximately half of new-car registrations in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and Portugal.
At the other end of the market, battery-electric vehicles represented only 11.2 per cent of registrations in the Czech Republic, 7.6 per cent in Italy and 6.2 per cent in Poland.
These differences illustrate the difficulty of establishing a uniform European transition timetable.
Household incomes, purchase incentives, vehicle prices and charging infrastructure differ substantially between countries. The availability of affordable electric cars is particularly important in markets where buyers are more sensitive to the initial purchase price.
The varying national figures also complicate the EU’s industrial calculations, since manufacturers must operate across markets progressing at different rates.
On 16 October, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed on a joint approach to changes in European automotive regulations.
Under the proposed compromise, car manufacturers would be required to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from new vehicles by 90 per cent by 2035 compared with the 2021 reference level.
The agreement would also remove a proposed requirement to compensate for the remaining emissions through measures such as the use of low-carbon steel.
The change would create additional opportunities for manufacturers to continue selling vehicles powered by combustion engines beyond 2035, subject to the final legislative framework.
In their joint declaration on the automotive industry’s future, the French and German governments argued that emissions reduction must be combined with industrial competitiveness, investment and European manufacturing capacity.
The agreement also envisages preferential treatment for vehicles produced in Europe under certain public procurement and subsidy arrangements.
Britain could potentially benefit from provisions allowing selected European partners to qualify under the proposed industrial framework.
The Franco-German understanding is not, however, a final EU legislative decision. Changes to the regulatory regime require agreement through the relevant European legislative procedures.
The principal argument advanced by supporters of greater regulatory flexibility is that European manufacturers need additional time to adapt production, protect employment and compete with international rivals.
German manufacturers retain extensive investment in combustion-engine and hybrid technology, while French producers have placed considerable emphasis on electric vehicles and maintaining European supply chains.
The negotiations therefore concern more than emissions limits. They also involve battery production, access to raw materials, manufacturing costs and the ability of European companies to compete with producers in China and other markets.
Supporters of the existing transition timetable argue that weakening long-term requirements could discourage investment in electric manufacturing capacity just as consumer demand is increasing.
Manufacturers seeking greater flexibility maintain that regulatory targets must account for uneven market conditions and the cost of developing new technologies.
September’s sales figures provide evidence that electric vehicle adoption is accelerating, but they do not establish whether the same rate of growth will continue without existing incentives.
The debate now centres on whether regulatory relaxation will preserve Europe’s automotive industry during the transition or slow investment in the technology that is already capturing an increasing share of the market.
The worst flooding struck parts of Valencia and Alicante, where swollen rivers overwhelmed roads, flooded residential districts and disrupted transport. Authorities ordered residents of 145 municipalities to remain indoors as rescue operations continued on Monday, 19th October.
The disaster has revived memories of the October 2024 floods, which killed more than 230 people in the Valencia region and prompted widespread criticism of the authorities’ emergency warnings and response.
The coastal town of Oliva, in Valencia province, was among the worst affected areas. Approximately 2,000 people were evacuated from seven campsites as floodwaters spread through low-lying neighbourhoods, while residents elsewhere sought refuge on upper floors and rooftops.
According to reports from the Spanish news agency EFE, emergency crews were reinforced by Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit, whose personnel were deployed from their base at Bétera to assist local firefighters and rescue teams.
Helicopters were used to reach people trapped by the rising water. Roads became impassable, vehicles were swept away and several settlements were temporarily isolated as streams and drainage channels overflowed.
The scale of the rainfall was exceptional even for a region accustomed to intense autumn storms. In parts of Valencia and Alicante, precipitation approached 700 litres per square metre over approximately 48 hours, equivalent to 700 millimetres of rain.
Pego, in neighbouring Alicante province, recorded more than 600 millimetres within approximately 36 hours, placing considerable pressure on local waterways and drainage infrastructure.
Two women died during the weekend, including one swept away by floodwaters near Cabrera de Mar, north of Barcelona, and another whose body was recovered near Sagunto, in Valencia.
A third woman was found dead inside a flooded property in Oliva during rescue operations on Monday. Separately, a 64-year-old man died after suffering a heart attack at a flooded campsite in the same town, according to EFE’s account of the incident.
The regional authorities activated level-two emergency arrangements, enabling additional resources to be mobilised as local services confronted the consequences of prolonged rainfall.
At the height of the emergency, stay-at-home restrictions covered approximately 800,000 people. These measures were subsequently eased in many municipalities, although restrictions remained in force in particularly exposed districts.
Schools were closed in affected areas, roads were blocked and rail services disrupted. The situation remained particularly difficult where floodwaters had entered homes, commercial premises and tourist accommodation.
Storm Adam has inevitably drawn comparisons with the disaster of October 2024, when catastrophic flooding in eastern Spain exposed serious weaknesses in emergency communication, evacuation procedures and coordination between public authorities.
That earlier disaster generated disputes over responsibility between regional and national institutions, particularly concerning the timing of warnings and the deployment of rescue resources.
The latest flooding places those questions back on the political agenda. Spain’s decentralised administrative structure gives regional governments substantial responsibility for civil protection, while the central government can provide military assistance and additional emergency resources.
The deployment of the Military Emergencies Unit demonstrates how rapidly local incidents can require national intervention when extreme rainfall affects several municipalities simultaneously.
The challenge extends beyond issuing weather warnings. Authorities must determine whether warnings reach vulnerable residents, whether evacuation routes remain accessible and whether emergency personnel can intervene before flooding becomes dangerous.
In communities close to rivers, floodplains and coastal drainage systems, these decisions become particularly consequential when rainfall accumulates over a short period.
The disaster also raises questions about infrastructure investment and the application of European flood-risk legislation.
Under the EU’s Floods Directive, Member States are required to assess flood risks, prepare hazard maps and develop management plans designed to reduce the consequences for human health, economic activity and the environment.
Those obligations require national and regional authorities to identify vulnerable areas and consider preventive measures, including land-use planning, flood defences and emergency preparedness.
Extreme rainfall does not produce the same consequences everywhere. The effects depend partly on local geography, drainage capacity, urban development and the condition of waterways.
Meteorological warnings had also extended towards Catalonia as the weather system moved northwards, creating additional concern in areas where saturated ground could increase the risk of further flooding.
For the affected municipalities, the immediate priorities remain the completion of rescue operations, restoration of essential services and assessment of damage to homes, roads and businesses.
The longer-term examination will concern whether the emergency arrangements and infrastructure improvements undertaken since the 2024 disaster were sufficient to reduce the consequences of another major autumn storm.
Los convivientes con hijos en común tendrán derecho a pensión de viudedad si acreditan que en los dos años previos a la solicitud han vivido juntos ininterrumpidamente, sin necesidad de estar casados o haber formalizado la relación como pareja de hecho. Esta es una de las medidas contenidas en el decreto ley que prevé aprobar este martes el Consejo de Ministros, según el último documento al que ha tenido acceso EL PAÍS y que el Gobierno maneja la tarde de este lunes, cuyas líneas generales adelantó este diario. El texto equipara así a los convivientes que no tengan un vínculo legal con los matrimonios y las parejas de hecho, los dos colectivos que hasta ahora podían solicitarla. Se recupera así una medida que el Ejecutivo ya planteó a los sindicatos y a las patronales en la negociación para reformar la incapacidad temporal y que concretó en un texto en julio. Ahora, la propuesta de la Seguridad Social llega a la reunión del Gabinete como parte de una norma que entrará en aplicación tras ser aprobada. Para seguir en vigor, eso sí, deberá ser convalidada por el Legislativo en el plazo de un mes. El Gobierno tiene ese trámite más fácil ahora que antes de la disolución de las Cortes, dado que en la Diputación Permanente no necesita el voto favorable de Junts.
© Mariscal (EFE)
Una fuerte tromba de agua y granizo caída en la tarde de este lunes en Arcos de la Frontera (Cádiz) ha provocado una veintena de avisos por viviendas, locales y calles anegadas de agua, sin que se hayan producido daños personales. Fuentes del servicio de Emergencias 112 Andalucía han indicado que el grueso de las llamadas se han producido entre las 15.20 y las 16.00 horas de este lunes.
Algunos de los daños identificados son caídas de muros debido a la fuerza del agua, dejando daños en algunos vehículos aparcados, así como el desplazamiento de contenedores de basuras, que han sido arrastrados calle abajo en algunos puntos de la localidad debido a la abundante agua que ha inundado varias vías.
Desde el Ayuntamiento de Arcos de la Frontera se ha iniciado ya el balance de daños y está supervisando las zonas afectadas para poder hacer un control de seguridad tras esta tromba de agua. La fuerte lluvia ha coincidido con el aviso naranja decretado por la Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (Aemet) para este lunes en la Campiña de Jerez y la Sierra de Grazalema, y que por el momento sigue vigente hasta las 21.00 horas.
En Grazalema, uno de los puntos de la provincia de Cádiz que se vio más afectado durante el pasado invierno por una sucesión de borrascas, se han registrado desde las 15.00 horas más de 25 litros por metro cuadrado, aunque sin que haya reportes de momento de daños destacados.
En sus redes sociales, el Ayuntamiento ha trasladado su "afecto, empatía y solidaridad" a todas las zonas del país afectadas por la DANA Adam y las fuertes lluvias que están asolando distintos puntos de la geografía española. "Todo nuestro ánimo y un abrazo muy fuerte a las personas y familias que han tenido que ser desalojadas de sus hogares, así como a todos los que están sufriendo las consecuencias de este temporal.
Queremos enviar también nuestro reconocimiento a los equipos de emergencia, Protección Civil y Fuerzas de Seguridad que trabajan sin descanso en estas zonas. Sabemos muy bien lo que supone su trabajo y apoyo", ha escrito el Ayuntamiento.
© Paul Kooiker for The New York Times
© Carl Court/Getty Images
Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez congratulated citizens who participated on Sunday in the Second 2026 National Popular Consultation and emphasized that investment funds for the selected projects are ready for implementation.
RELATED:
Venezuela Popular Consultation: 37,205 Projects Put to Historic Vote
The Acting President described participation as extraordinary and expressed satisfaction with the process’s results. “I could only say that I feel very happy. I thank you and congratulate you,” she said.
Rodriguez said the consultation reflects a democracy that is growing stronger and respects the decisions of communities organized into neighborhood circuits. “I want to congratulate all Venezuelan citizens who have participated in this consultation because it represents a genuine belief in a democracy that is growing stronger,” the president said during a telephone interview.
Rodriguez said the next step is to fulfill the commitments and implement the approved projects, for which investment funds are already available. “I am making the most important announcement: The investment funds for these projects are already ready to be allocated for their implementation,” she emphasized.
Venezuela’s acting president called for continuing along the path of respect for democratic and peaceful coexistence, in which popular organizations guide decisions within their communities and condominium boards.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: teleSUR
The foreign ministers also demanded that GCC member states participate in any negotiation or agreement that could affect their security and interests.
According to the final resolution, the ministers highlighted the need to address pending issues related to Iran’s nuclear program, missiles, drones and Tehran’s support for allied groups, while calling for respect for state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.
RELATED: Iran: Supertanker Catches Fire After Striking a Naval Mine in the Strait of Hormuz
The statement comes amid the confrontation between Washington and Tehran that began on February 28, and the stagnation of diplomatic efforts due to differences over Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. sanctions and maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. In that context, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reiterated Iran’s willingness to reopen the maritime route within a week, provided Washington accepts Tehran’s conditions, including lifting the blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on its oil exports.
BREAKING: Iran announces an oil tanker has hit a naval mine while exiting the Strait of Hormuz through the US-backed southern Omani corridor, with a massive fire in the engine room. pic.twitter.com/kzMnoJr4Q0
— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) October 18, 2026
On navigation, the GCC ministers called for the situation in Hormuz to return to the conditions existing before February 28, in accordance with international law, the sovereignty of coastal states and the rights of affected countries. They stressed the importance of guaranteeing maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea, and warned against closing those routes, obstructing traffic, attacking merchant ships and crews, laying mines and imposing illegal fees or restrictions on passage. They also rejected making navigation subject to prior authorizations or imposed routes in contradiction with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary international law.
Marco Rubio on Iran:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 19, 2026
They chose to take the straits hostage. They would have done it anyway.
Imagine if Iran had a nuclear weapon.
At that point, they could say, "And by the way, we own the Strait of Hormuz, and you guys can't do anything about it because we won't just hit… pic.twitter.com/OUgeE88qon
The meeting was chaired by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, with the attendance of his counterparts from member countries and the organization’s secretary-general.
El alcalde de Algeciras, José Ignacio Landaluce, ha anunciado en sus redes sociales que dimitirá de su cargo el próximo 25 de octubre, tres días antes de la moción de censura que han presentado el PSOE y Vox tras las denuncias por supuestas agresiones sexuales.
En un vídeo difundido en sus redes sociales, Landaluce ha lamentado que esta moción le "obliga" a presentar su dimisión como alcalde, reiterando que los hechos que se le atribuyen, en relación a presuntas agresiones sexuales a dos militantes del PP, son "falsos".
"Frente a un gran montaje con injustos ataques, frente a un gran montaje, yo me defenderé ante la justicia, lucharé por mostrar mi inocencia y espero que puedan tener sus responsabilidades los que han hecho todo este montaje", ha aseverado.
"Reitero mi absoluta inocencia frente a unas acusaciones falsas, rotundamente falsas y defenderé mi honor y el de mi familia por las vías legales. Me marcho con serenidad, la conciencia tranquila y el orgullo de haber servido a Algeciras. La verdad y la justicia van a prevalecer", ha expresado.
Landaluce dice que la decisión de dimitir es "forzada" por la falta de apoyos en el gobierno municipal y que se irá "con la conciencia tranquila" el próximo domingo, dos días después de su cita en el juzgado por una de las dos denuncias que ha recibido de dos militantes del PP por presuntas agresiones sexuales y tres días antes de que el 28 se celebrase la moción de censura que le iba a desalojar del cargo que ha ocupado 15 años.
La joven militante de Nuevas Generaciones del PP que ha denunciado al alcalde de Algeciras, José Ignacio Landaluce, por una presunta agresión sexual, ha confesado en una carta abierta que, si algo le frenó de denunciar antes los hechos, fue el temor "a lo que vendría después" y ha asegurado que, a pesar de que "parte de esos miedos se han hecho realidad", ahora "el miedo ha cambiado de bando".
La joven militante, cargo de confianza en la Oficina de Atención al Mayor del Ayuntamiento, ha publicado en el periódico Europa Sur una carta abierta a sus vecinos de Algeciras para pedir que sus opiniones sobre el caso vayan acompañadas "de responsabilidad, de empatía y de un mínimo de humanidad".
"Se está cuestionando por qué he tardado tres meses en denunciar. Si algo me ha frenado, ha sido precisamente el miedo. Miedo a lo que vendría después, a tener que enfrentarme a todo esto, a que se cuestionara mi palabra y a leer comentarios como algunos de los que hoy estoy leyendo. Miedo a que, además de afrontar lo sucedido, tuviera que defenderme públicamente de quienes no conocen mi historia. Y, desgraciadamente, parte de esos miedos se han hecho realidad", ha explicado la denunciante.
El presidente del Gobierno ha anunciado que el Consejo de Ministros aprobará este martes un paquete de 45 millones de euros para cofinanciar “casi” 2.000 nuevas plazas en pisos compartidos para universitarios con zonas comunes de las que pueda disfrutar toda la comunidad; aunque Pedro Sánchez los ha descrito como “residencias”. Anteriormente, el Gobierno cifró el proyecto en 1.525 plazas. Encontrar alojamiento se convierte en una odisea por la escasa y cara oferta de residencias y colegios mayores, los precios del alquiler disparados y la competencia de los pisos turísticos. Por ello, el techo de los universitarios se ha convertido en una de las reivindicaciones de la acampada por una vivienda justa en la Puerta del Sol.
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