A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Spainsat Next Generation 2 (NG-2) satellite lifted off into at 0130 UTC on Oct. 24, from Space Launch Complex (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida marking the company's 139th mission of the year and setting a new record for the most launches in a single calendar year.

This Falcon 9 booster B1076, which had previously flown 21 times, was used in an expendable configuration to meet the additional performance requirements needed to deliver the heavy satellite to its intended orbit. This decision allowed for weight savings by omitting landing legs and grid fins, thereby increasing the rocket's lift capacity. The payload fairing halves were recovered via parachutes after descending into the Atlantic Ocean.

"This launch marks the 22nd and final launch for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting today’s mission as additional performance is required to deliver the SpainSat NG II satellite to geosynchronous orbit," SpaceX wrote on X. "The first stage booster supporting today’s mission previously launched CRS-26, OneWeb Launch 16, Intelsat IS-40e, SES O3b mPOWER-C, Ovzon-3, Eutelsat 26D, Turksat 6A, Maxar 2, SXM-9, and 12 Starlink missions."

The Falcon 9's upper stage deployed the Spainsat NG-2 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit about 34 minutes after liftoff.

The Spainsat NG-2 satellite, manufactured by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space on behalf of Spain-based Hisdesat, is designed to provide military-grade secure communications for the Spanish Armed Forces and their international partners. It is part of a larger constellation that will cover extensive global regions, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America, and the United States, enabling effective command and control over approximately two-thirds of the Earth's surface.

The satellite, with a fully fueled mass of 6.1 tonnes, will operate at the 29 degrees East orbital position and is expected to remain in service until 2037.

The Spainsat NG-2 mission is a key component of Spain’s effort to modernize its military communications infrastructure and is aligned with NATO and EU GOVSATCOM programme requirements.

The satellites represent a significant technological advancement, offering 16 times greater X and Ka-band capacity compared to their predecessors and enhanced resilience against jamming, spoofing, and high-altitude nuclear phenomena.

The project, led by a consortium including Airbus D&S and Thales Alenia Space, has seen over 45% of its components manufactured in Spain, contributing to more than 500 skilled jobs during development and maintaining over 100 engineers annually during its operational lifespan.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Wednesday, sweeping sanctions targeting Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, as part of a broader effort to pressure Moscow into agreeing to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

Rosneft and Lukoil account for nearly half of Russia’s total crude-oil exports, with combined daily exports of 3.1 million barrels, making them critical to Russia’s economy and war funding.

OFAC designated both companies for operating in the Russian energy sector, effectively prohibiting transactions involving them or any entity in which they hold a 50% or greater ownership stake.

The move, the first direct economic action against Russia’s energy sector under President Donald Trump’s second term, was justified by the Treasury as a response to Russia’s "lack of serious commitment to a peace process" and President Vladimir Putin’s "refusal to end this senseless war."

The sanctions, enacted under Executive Order 14024, block all property and interests in property of the designated companies and their subsidiaries within U.S. jurisdiction, aiming to degrade the Kremlin’s ability to fund its war machine and weaken its energy-dependent economy.

The sanctions were announced just hours after President Trump canceled a planned summit with Putin in Budapest, stating it "didn’t feel right" and that he felt it was "time" to act.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that the targeted companies fund the Kremlin’s "war machine" and called for an immediate ceasefire, stating, "Now is the time to stop the killing." He said the sanction is a response to Putin’s "refusal to end this senseless war."

The move follows similar sanctions imposed by the UK a week prior and is part of a coordinated effort to isolate Russia economically, with the U.S. urging its allies to align with the new measures.

The European Union also approved its 19th sanctions package, including a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), with short-term contracts phased out within six months and long-term deals ending by January 1, 2027.

Wednesday's announcement coincided with Russia’s large-scale nuclear training drills and a significant air attack on Ukraine, including Kyiv, further escalating tensions.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S., Olga Stefanishyna, welcomed the sanctions, stating they align with Ukraine’s position that peace is possible only through strength and pressure on the aggressor.

The sanctions have already caused global oil prices to surge, with Brent crude rising 5% following the announcement

The U.S. is also pressuring major Russian energy buyers like China and India to halt purchases, warning of potential secondary sanctions if they continue.

Putin has delivered a defiant response to new U.S. sanctions calling the measures an "unfriendly act" with "certain consequences" but asserting they will not significantly affect Russia's economic well-being. He emphasized that no self-respecting country yields to pressure, declaring Moscow would never bow down to Washington or any other nation. He described the U.S. sanctions as a "hostile act" that damages Russian-American relations but insisted Russia's energy sector remains confident.

In reaction to reports that Ukraine might use long-range Tomahawk missiles acquired from the U.S., Putin stated this constitutes an "attempt at escalation." He explicitly threatened that if such weapons are used to attack Russian territory, the response would be "very serious, if not overwhelming," urging the West to "think about it."

While the sanctions are seen as a significant symbolic and economic move, analysts suggest their long-term effectiveness in forcing a diplomatic breakthrough remains uncertain, as Russia’s economy may adapt, and Putin’s position on Ukraine’s territory has not shifted.

US Senator Ted Cruz delivered a speech at Pastor John Hagee Ministries' 45th annual Night to Honor Israel in San Antonio on Tuesday, where he warned of what he claims to be a "growing cancer" of so-called right-wing anti-Semitism in the United States, saying he had never seen such a rise in the last six months.

The U.S. senator criticized what he claims to be the spread of anti-Semitic rhetoric among young Christians, attributing it to the dissemination of "lies" and "theological lies" like replacement theology, which he claims undermines the validity of God's promises to Israel and the Jewish people. He also expressed concern over prominent right-wing figures making statements he claims, downplay the evil of Hitler and the Holocaust, and he highlighted the alleged influence of foreign actors like Iran and Qatar in spreading anti-Semitic content online.

Cruz claimed that even a simple X post by him can generate hundreds of anti-Semitic responses. He referenced conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who initially attributed anti-Semitic online activity to foreign state actors but later acknowledged it was also organic and spreading among real individuals.

The U.S. senator condemned the rise of replacement theology, a doctrine, he claims, falsely teaches that the Christian church has replaced Israel and that God’s promises to the Jews are no longer valid. However Christian leaders have historically understood so-called chosen people to mean practicing Christians who accept and live by the teachings of Jesus Christ, as the He himself said in the Bible (John 14: 6).

Cruz also defended U.S. aid to Israel ($3 billion annually) as a national security bargain, yielding intelligence worth "tens of billions," and rooted his stance in Genesis 12:3 ("I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you"). Cruz ended with an Esther reference: "We are placed here for such a time as this... As for me and my house, we shall stand with Israel."

However critics point out that both the fake and real intelligence provided by the Israeli intelligence, Mossad, had led to thousands of American troops fighting and dying in wars to defend Israeli interests in the middle east in the last two decades costing the U.S. trillions in dollars.

Cruz's remarks drew swift ire and mockery online, with many social media users, dubbing the senator "Tel Aviv Ted" and demanded he "resign and lobby for Tel Aviv." Critics accused him of prioritizing Israel over America. "Ted Cruz is biblically ignorant and bribed," one X post reads.

The neoconservative U.S. senator has publicly clashed with other conservative figures, including Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, over their positions on Israel and anti-Semitism. The senator has faced backlash for declaring, during an interview with Carlson, that he ran for senate and was elected to serve the state of Israel.

Hagee, an 85-year-old televangelist and founder of CUFI, the largest pro-Israel group in the U.S., delivered a sermon drawing from Deuteronomy 7:6 in the Bible, which describes the Jewish people as a "holy people" and "treasured possession" chosen by God "out of all the peoples on the face of the earth."

He said: "For you, Israel, are chosen, a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the people on the face of the earth. That includes the United States of America."

The remark, captured in a widely circulated video clip, sparked immediate online backlash for its phrasing, which critics interpreted as promoting Jewish supremacism over other nations, including the U.S.. The addition of "that includes the United States of America" amplified perceptions of it as inflammatory or cult-like devotion.

Reactions to Cruz's and Hagee's remarks expose rifts in the right-wing ranks amid post-October 7, 2023 debates. There has been growing anti-Israel sentiment in the west, even among the only remaining base of strong support for Israel: the American right.

Many pro-Israel neoconservatives and liberals, have in recent years, faced backlash for smearing conservatives and other right-wing voices who criticize Israeli influence on American or European foreign policy in the middle east. The pro-Israel activists, critics argue, are mostly Jewish supremacists, Zionists and war hawks who care more about the interests of Israel than their own countries.