UK - Labour is likely to have to introduce further early-release measures for prisoners despite its radical overhaul of sentencing, according to a report that warns the criminal justice system is in “slow-motion collapse”. An annual “performance tracker” of public services carried out by the independent Institute for Government (IfG) warns that criminal justice services are failing to cope with the level of demand. Prisons are back at 98 per cent capacity and have only avoided running out of space because a quarter of inmates are living in cells that are deemed to be a fire risk. By 2027, these cells will become unlawful to house prisoners, adding to the pressure on capacity.

UK - After years of being briefed daily on the threat of everything from organised crime to biological weapons developed by terrorists, I am often asked what keeps me awake at night. My answer usually revolves around the internet and its immense power to spread information, including information that radicalises and exploits. But having returned from another visit to the United States, I think my greatest fear of all is the end of trust. The internet has turbo charged people’s cynicism and allowed us all to retreat into a self-selecting bubble. This is no accident. Two forces are driving us towards an era where we trust no one.The first force is the dark side of us all. A 2024 study from Cambridge’s Judge Business School and King’s College London found that negative stories have a much greater pick up than positive ones on social media. The second force is that many internet sites use a business model that is specifically designed to keep you watching content, and only their content. This means more advertising and more money for them.So what keeps me awake at night? A world where trust is dead. We must seek to reward authenticity and never forget that politics is about real people.

UK - Britain has deployed troops to Israel as part of an international task force led by the United States to monitor the ceasefire in Gaza. On the request of the US, a small contingent of military planning officers has been embedded in the stabilisation force, known as the civil-military coordination centre (CMCC), the Ministry of Defence said. The US is providing up to 200 troops but Britain has not revealed how many of its forces will be deployed, although the cadre will include a two-star deputy commander. The task force, which is said to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, will ensure adherence to the ceasefire and assist with the flow of aid.

USA - Wall Street sounds alarm over strain throughout car lending market as experts warn of potential risks for wider economy. Alarm bells are ringing on Wall Street. The recent collapses of Tricolor, a used car seller and sub-prime auto lender, and First Brands, an auto parts supplier, have put the finance industry on edge, almost two decades after problems in the sub-prime mortgage lending market set the stage for the global financial crisis. “When you see one cockroach, there are probably more,” Jamie Dimon, the JPMorgan Chase CEO, ominously cautioned analysts this week, after the US’s largest bank disclosed a $170 million charge tied to Tricolor’s bankruptcy. “Everyone should be forewarned on this one.” An estimated 100 million Americans hold auto loans, with 85% of new car purchases and 55% of used car purchases financed. It is the third-largest consumer credit market in the US, behind mortgages and student loans.

USA - As national debt accelerates to $38 trillion, watchdog warns it’s ‘no way for a great nation like America to run its finances’. The US national debt has surged past $38 trillion, according to the US Treasury Department, just two months after surpassing previous forecasts to reach $37 trillion in August. This means the federal debt rose by $1 trillion in a little over two months, which the Peter G Peterson Foundation calculates is the fastest rate of growth outside the pandemic. Peterson emphasized that the costs of carrying this debt are mounting rapidly. Interest payments on the national debt now total roughly $1 trillion per year, the fastest-growing category in the federal budget.

CANADA - Government-funded doctors in Canada are increasingly pressuring disabled patients to “choose” euthanasia instead of long-term care, according to explosive new testimony before Parliament. Krista Carr, CEO of a national disability rights organization called Inclusion Canada, revealed that Canadians with disabilities are being urged to “choose” Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). Many disabled patients and their families are complaining that they are being bullied into “assisted suicide” instead of receiving long-term treatment or financial support. As Slay News previously reported, Canada’s socialized healthcare system is now saving tens of millions of dollars per year by euthanizing patients instead of treating them.

USA - There has been a lot of talk about “peace” this year, but meanwhile global leaders just continue to push us toward more war. Negotiations between the US and Russia have broken down, President Trump just threatened Hamas with military action again, Venezuela is bracing for a potential invasion by the US military, the president of Colombia wants to “take out Trump”, and the Iranians have announced that there will be no restrictions as they rebuild their nuclear program. 2025 has certainly been a year of war, but I have a feeling that global conflict is going to escalate to an entirely new level during the months ahead.

MIDDLE EAST - Barrack Threatens ‘Major’ Israeli War If Lebanon Fails to Disarm Hezbollah. US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack is once again threatening Lebanon with war, this time from Israel, if they fail to meet US demands to fully disarm Hezbollah. He suggested that even hesitation would “inevitably” lead to a major war with Israel, and dire consequences. Israel is already actively attacking Lebanon on a virtually daily basis, and indeed has been since the ceasefire was signed in November of last year. At least three strikes were reported Monday.

CHINA - China’s state-run Global Times on Monday reported that 25 provincial authorities are set to begin distributing “maternity allowances” to women on November 1. In other words, having exhausted every other strategy to combat demographic decline, China will start paying women to have babies. “Since September, provinces such as Jiangxi, Anhui and Shaanxi have successively rolled out direct payments of maternity allowances to individuals province-wide,” the Global Times noted.

JAPAN - Conservative Sanae Takaichi is Japan’s first female prime minister after the 64-year-old triumphed Tuesday in an historic vote to clear the way for her ascendancy. Takaichi is also the first woman to lead the dominant Liberal Democratic Party that has forged Japan’s postwar politics. The former TV presenter leads a new ruling coalition and is expected to discuss an increase in defense spending, potential tax cuts and consider a push to restart Japan’s suspended nuclear power plants, the Financial Times reports. She also stands with the imperial family’s male-only succession and opposes same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples.