I think it's revenge...

Hi Global Recap readers,

I hope you had a good weekend.

• I was a bit skeptical of the polls ahead of Sunday’s Moldovan elections, but still held out for a potential upset that might shift Moldova closer to Russia.

• While voting was underway, Telegram's famously topless founder, Pavel Durov, posted a strongly worded accusation on X, which some are calling "election interference."

Whether it’s true is unclear, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he harbors some bitterness toward the parties he’s calling out... 😬

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇲🇩 Moldova Picks Europe

Despite initial worries last week, Moldova’s pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity just secured 50.1% of the vote in Sunday’s parliamentary election, giving it a clear majority over pro-Russian rivals.

• Result: With nearly all ballots counted, PAS will control about 55 of the 101 seats in parliament, while the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc trailed with 24.2%.

• Leadership: President Maia Sandu, who founded PAS in 2016, is expected to re-nominate Prime Minister Dorin Recean to continue steering the government.

• Interference: Moldovan authorities accused Russia of waging a "hybrid war," including over 1,000 cyberattacks, vote-buying schemes, and disinformation campaigns.

• Reaction: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Moldovans for choosing "Europe. Democracy. Freedom," while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it "a very important victory."

• Turnout: About 1.6 million people voted, representing 52.1% of eligible voters, with 280,000 ballots cast abroad.

🇫🇷 France Pressures Telegram

But here's the "bombshell" that Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, dropped on the weekend. He accused French intelligence of trying to censor Moldovan political channels in exchange for leniency in his ongoing court case in Paris.

• Accusation: Durov stated that in 2024, while under judicial supervision in France, an intermediary asked him to silence specific Moldovan voices on Telegram. In return, French intelligence would "say good things" about him to the judge overseeing his case.

• Batches: The first requested set of channels violated Telegram’s rules and were removed. The second set did not, so Telegram refused. The only shared trait between both sets was their criticism of the French and Moldovan governments.

• Election: The request allegedly came as Moldovans voted in a parliamentary election on September 28, 2025, a contest that could decide whether the country moves closer to the EU or toward pro-Russian opposition.

• Response: France’s foreign ministry dismissed the claim, noting Durov had made similar allegations during Romania’s elections earlier this year.

🇵🇱 Missile Hits Embassy

Russia’s overnight strike on Kyiv pierced the roof of Poland’s embassy on Sept. 28, scattering debris into the kitchen but leaving no casualties.

• Scale: President Zelenskyy said Russia launched nearly 500 drones and over 40 missiles in the attack.

• Casualties: At least four people died and more than 70 were injured, with 36 of those injuries in Kyiv and its surrounding region.

• Response: Poland scrambled fighter jets to secure its airspace, repeating a pattern from earlier incidents when Russian drones crossed its border.

• Pattern: Russian aircraft and drones have repeatedly violated NATO airspace this month, including incidents in Poland, Romania, Estonia, and Hungary.

🇺🇸 Vance Predicts Shutdown

Vice President JD Vance bluntly said the US is headed for a government shutdown after a tense White House meeting with Democrats failed to break the deadlock.

• Deadline: Congress faces a midnight Tuesday cutoff to extend funding or thousands of federal workers, from NASA engineers to park rangers, will be furloughed.

• Standoff: Democrats demand that any short-term funding bill also preserve expiring health benefits, while Trump’s Republicans insist healthcare must be debated separately.

• Money: The fight centers on $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending, about one-quarter of the $7 trillion federal budget, while the rest covers health, retirement, and interest on the $37.5 trillion debt.

• Impact: If no deal passes, federal courts could close, small business grants could stall, and 24 million Americans could see higher insurance costs as Affordable Care Act subsidies expire.

• Politics: Democrats want to energize their base ahead of the 2026 midterms, but aides worry a shutdown could backfire if Republicans frame them as simply opposing Trump.

🇮🇱 ISRAEL
Netanyahu Backs
Trump Gaza Plan

Benjamin Netanyahu just stood at the White House and said Israel has basically won the Gaza war if Hamas signs onto Donald Trump’s plan. The deal promises hostages home in 72 hours, a partial Israeli pullback, and a new international body to strip Hamas of its weapons.

The White House Moment

The announcement was not casual. It was staged in Washington with Trump at Netanyahu’s side.

• On September 29, 2025, Netanyahu endorsed Trump’s Gaza plan during a joint press conference at the White House.

• The 20-point plan calls for Hamas to release all hostages within 72 hours, Israel to halt military operations, and Gaza to be demilitarized under an international "Board of Peace" chaired by Trump.

• Trump warned Hamas: accept the deal or face Israel’s full military campaign with US backing.

What the Plan Demands

So what exactly is on the table? Military pause, international oversight, and economic incentives.

• A new international body would disarm Hamas and oversee Gaza’s demilitarization.

• A technocratic interim government would run Gaza, supervised by a “board of peace” chaired by Trump and including the UK's Tony Blair.

• Hamas members who renounce violence would be granted amnesty and allowed to leave Gaza.

• The plan includes a large humanitarian aid package and a Trump economic development program to rebuild Gaza.

Netanyahu’s Red Lines

Netanyahu made clear that some things are non-negotiable.

• He said the Palestinian Authority cannot govern Gaza unless it undergoes "radical and genuine transformation," including ending payments to families of attackers and rewriting schoolbooks.

• He rejected the idea of a Palestinian state, saying it would "reward terrorists, undermine security, and endanger Israel’s very existence."

• He warned Hamas: "This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way. But it will be done."

Reaction

• European leaders, including French President Macron, UK PM Keir Starmer, and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, welcomed the plan, while Palestine's Islamic Jihad condemned it as a "recipe for regional explosion."

• Eight Muslim-majority nations plus the Palestinian Authority issued a joint statement backing Trump's "sincere efforts," though the plan stops short of US recognition of a Palestinian state.

Hamas and Delay Tactics

But will Hamas agree? Analysts are skeptical.

• Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to Washington, said Hamas has "no options" but predicted they will stall with questions and excuses.

• He described the plan as "checkmate," arguing Hamas must either surrender or face the IDF with US support.

• Oren added that for Hamas, mere survival counts as victory: "All they need to do to win is to emerge from their tunnels with [a peace sign] and they’ve won the war."

Regional Diplomacy

The deal also touches Qatar and Egypt, which are mediating with Hamas. Qatar’s PM and Egypt’s intelligence chief presented the plan to Hamas negotiators, who are reviewing it "in good faith."

But here's where things get awkward... Earlier this month, Israel struck Qatar, targeting Hamas leaders in Doha as they took part in hostage negotiations. The attack followed a Hamas mass shooting that killed commuters at a Jerusalem bus stop.

(Qatar has been hosting Hamas terrorists in Doha since 2012, with critics framing it as "housing terrorists.")

• However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just apologized to Qatar for missile strikes on Doha.

• Netanyahu told Qatari PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani that Israel had violated Qatari sovereignty and promised not to repeat the attack.

• President Trump personally arranged the Oval Office call today, pressing Netanyahu to smooth ties with Qatar.

• As a result, Israel, Qatar, and the US agreed to set up a trilateral channel to improve communication and prevent future escalations.

Next Moves

The plan is now in Hamas’s court, but Netanyahu and Trump framed it as a win-win for Israel.

• If Hamas accepts, hostages return, and Gaza is disarmed under international supervision.

• If Hamas rejects, Trump pledged “full backing” for Israel to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed.

• Netanyahu linked any further Israeli withdrawals to progress on disarmament, making the plan conditional and phased.