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Fears of escalation in the Middle East mounted Saturday night after the U.S. military carried out a strike on a civilian vessel in the Gulf of Oman.“U.S. Central Command forces disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman, Oct. 10, after the ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to run the ongoing naval blockade against Iran,” reads a statement from U.S. Central Command. “The large cargo vessel was attempting to transit regional waters after having previously departed an Iranian port.”According to U.S. Central Command, the vessel, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, was struck with a “precision munition,” which fully disabled the ship’s propulsion “without harming the crew.”Reacting to news of the strike, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned what the Trump administration’s long-term strategy was, arguing that the U.S. blockade had no clear endgame despite its exorbitant cost to taxpayers.“What is this all for? Why are taxpayers paying billions to hit [commercial] ships?” Murphy asked in a social media post on X. “Apparently the goal is to gain leverage in order to convince the Iranians to let us pay them billions to return everything to the way it all was before the war. What a disaster.”Geopolitical expert Brett Erickson noted that the strike was “the first strike we have seen from the United States in a long time now,” and questioned whether it would prompt Iranian retaliation.“This will be interesting to see whether or not Iran escalates in retaliation to this, or if this was merely a test to see if the U.S. would seriously maintain their blockade in the lead-up to the midterms,” Erickson wrote in a social media post on X.President Donald Trump’s deeply unpopular war against Iran has sent fuel prices soaring across the United States and has coincided with the president’s approval plummeting to career lows in the lead-up to the midterms next month.What is this all for? Why are taxpayers paying billions to hit commericals ships?Apparently the goal is to gain leverage in order to convince the Iranians to let us pay them billions to return everything to the way it all was before the war.What a disaster.— Chris Murphy ???? (@ChrisMurphyCT) October 11, 2026

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said over the weekend he will force a House vote to block Russian oil purchases. The move directly challenges President Donald Trump’s new diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Axios reported.Fitzpatrick co-chairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. He said he would introduce the “Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act” and use a discharge petition to get around Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). A discharge petition needs 218 signatures to bring a bill to the floor without leadership’s approval.“It will be forced to the Floor via discharge and it will pass overwhelmingly,” Fitzpatrick wrote on X.Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Axios he has “already agreed” to sign it.Trump announced Friday that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to U.S. and global markets. He has pitched the deal as a way to lower fuel prices, but energy analysts doubt it will make much difference. Critics also warn it could help pay for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the deal “not fair and not honest.” On Saturday, Trump called for Ukraine to replace Zelensky.Fitzpatrick and Bacon used the same tactic earlier this year to force a House vote on Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions. That bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate.Time is short this time too. The House isn’t scheduled to vote again until after the Nov. 3 midterms. Any bill would still need to pass the Senate and could face a Trump veto.

Recommended dose of hepatitis B vaccine will be withheld from thousands of newborns by Danish researchersA controversial research trial that will withhold hepatitis B vaccines from some African newborns was given approval to move forward this week.It is a central part of the vaccine vision for Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a longtime vaccine opponent.This article was amended on 13 October 2026. A previous version said CIDRAP first reported news that the research trial was approved by the Denmark ethics committee. Rolling Stone had actually reported the news first. Continue reading...

Committee recognises work of South African who chaired UN commission that concluded Israel was guilty of genocide in GazaThe Nobel peace prize has been awarded to Navi Pillay, the South African former UN human rights chief who chaired the UN commission that concluded Israel was guilty of genocide in Gaza.The Norwegian Nobel committee said Pillay, who is serving as a judge at the international court of justice (ICJ), has “shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence”. Continue reading...

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