The IDF has confirmed suspicions that its mortar strike on a group of terrorists in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. DNA and fingerprint checks have been conducted…

Sinwar has been leader of Hamas in Gaza since 2017. Another step towards total victory…

David Lammy’s visit to China has been officialy confirmed. He will fly tomorrow for a two-day trip…

The Foreign Secretary has been busy warming up to China. Along with handing the Chagos Islands to China-ally Mauritius, he said earlier this year: “We have been very concerned that the government seems to have given up entirely on engagement with China. No one seems to have gone from our government to China, which is very, very bizarre.” Lammy is obsessed with attacking Tories for refusing to “engage” with China while sending his ministerial team for meetings with Xi Jinping’s strategic mastermind Wan Huning…

The government refuses to call China a threat because the “deep and complex” relationship can’t be “boiled down to one word.” Now Lammy visits China before Commonwealth allies Australia, Canada, or New Zealand. Eyebrows will be raised very high down under, where China is a major strategic enemy…

Before the election Labour promised “a full audit across Whitehall of our relationship with China so that we can set the direction and a course.” The government is refusing to explain what its status is, and today defends the visit as a “necessary pragmatic engagement.” Lammy is visiting before the “direction and course” are set – Where is the audit?

It’s a rude awakening for French President Macron. He’s had to admit that the EU is “over-regulating and under-investing”. Coming round to the UK’s realisation 8 years later…

Speaking to Bloomberg TV, the ‘Macaron’ said:

“We are over-regulating and under-investing. So just if in the 2 to 3 years to come, if we follow our classical agenda, we will be out of the market, I have no doubt…I think the simplification agenda and the let’s say pause in terms of regulation, but even deregulation in some issues, it’s absolutely critical.”

Not the best advertisement for the Bloc coming from the EU’s Champion-in-Chief. Meanwhile, the UK – now free from the shackles of the EU’s red tape – is the top destination for investment in financial services and has the highest GDP growth in 2024 than any other European country in the G7. Condoléances, Monsieur President…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has weighed in on the EU’s hardening migration policy today by pushing for “return hubs” to be adopted by member states. She praised Italy’s recently activated return deal with Albania as a model to replicate and wrote in a letter ahead of a meeting of EU interior ministers this week:

“We should continue to explore possible ways forward as regards the idea of developing return hubs outside the EU, especially in view of a new legislative proposal on return.”

Under current proposals return hubs would house migrants served with deportation orders. Germany’s migration commissioner said last month that the bloc should explore third-country processing. The EU is reversing its previous reticence in order to follow the UK’s example – until Starmer scrapped it…

Boris met up with Argentine President and libertarian hero Javier Milei last night. Quite the way to keep up the book tour…

Great conversation with @JMilei in Buenos Aires. Truly uplifting to hear his defence of freedom, capitalism, open markets and democracy worldwide. pic.twitter.com/xwTmcsVjwo

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 15, 2024

Milei is locked in a battle with Congress and the unions to unleash the Argentine economy. Lots to chat about…

UPDATE: MercoPress writes up the visit:

“During Monday’s encounter, Johnson gave Milei a copy of his latest book, in which he confesses to having evaluated ‘a water raid’ in the Netherlands to steal doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccines. Johnson’s book went on sale in Great Britain last Thursday and will be available in the rest of the world in the coming weeks.

After a meeting lasting more than an hour, Johnson appeared on the Casa Rosada balcony to greet bypassers.

During their encounter, Milei recalled his teenage years’ band in which he sang cover versions of Rolling Stones songs, impersonating Jagger both in voice and dancing. At the same time, the Malvinas issue was never addressed, according to Casa Rosada sources.”

Nick Clegg is finally facing the reality of Brussels bureaucracy. The former Deputy Prime Minister-turned tech bro took to X to beg the new Commission to cut the red tape that is currently blocking Meta AI from expanding within Europe. Thanks to Brexit, the new technologly can operate within the UK…

We’re expanding Meta AI to more countries, including Brazil and the UK. Unfortunately, we still can’t roll it out in the EU because of the regulatory uncertainty we face there. I hope the new Commission looks afresh at these issues, consistent with President Von Der Leyen’s aim…

— Nick Clegg (@nickclegg) October 10, 2024

Guido is old enough to remember when Clegg personally led a group of Remainers to persuade European leaders to stop Brexit from going ahead… two years after the vote. The remoaner-in-chief will be breathing a sigh of relief that he failed in that mission, now that Brexit’s provided him with an additional client…