Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has died at 69, according to statements from Scotland’s main political parties and UK media reports.

Salmond was taken ill while in North Macedonia, collapsing after delivering a speech on Saturday, according to British media reports.

“I will never be able to thank Alex for all his lessons, advice, guidance, mentorship, love and friendship and for everything he did for Scotland. For many years he was the father of the nation and for several years he has been a father-like figure to me. All of our thoughts are with all of the family and everyone across Scotland who are in mourning,” the General Secretary of Alex Salmond’s Alba Party Chris McEleny said Saturday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “For more than 30 years, Alex Salmond was a monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics. He leaves behind a lasting legacy. As First Minister of Scotland he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history, and culture, as well as the communities he represented as MP (member of parliament) and MSP (member of the Scottish parliament) over many years of service. My thoughts are with those who knew him, his family, and his loved ones. On behalf of the UK government, I offer them our condolences today.”

Salmond stood down as first minister and SNP leader following defeat in the September 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, which he had long championed. He was replaced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. He later campaigned for Scotland’s independence under the newly formed Alba Party, which he founded in 2021.

After losing his seat in parliament, Salmond remained a major figure in both Scottish and British politics, working as a commentator and hosting the Alex Salmond Show on Russian state broadcaster RT.

In 2018, he took the country’s government to court over accusations of sexual misconduct made against him. Salmond said the Scottish government denied him the opportunity to properly defend himself against the claims, which related to his alleged behavior toward a member of staff at the official Bute House residence, according to the Daily Record of Scotland.  Salmond was eventually cleared of all charges by a jury in a March 2020 trial.

“The sad news of Alex Salmond’s passing today will come as a shock to all who knew him in Scotland, across the UK and beyond. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time and on behalf of Scottish Labour I offer our sincere condolences to all who will be mourning his loss,” said the leader of the Scottish Labour Party Anas Sarwar. “Alex was a central figure in politics for over three decades and his contribution to the Scottish political landscape cannot be overstated.”

The Scottish National Party (SNP) also reposted multiple Scottish media reports of Salmond’s death on social media.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Police in Toronto, Canada, are opening a hate crime investigation after shots were fired overnight into the window of a Jewish girls’ elementary school – the second time this year the school was targeted by gunfire, officials said.

The incident occurred around 4 a.m. Saturday at the Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the year in Judaism, Toronto Police Service Inspector Paul Krawczyk said at a news conference.

No arrests have been made and police are not releasing information about suspects at this time, Krawczyk said. The investigation into the incident will be led by the agency’s Gun and Gang Task Force with assistance from its hate crime unit, he added.

There were no injuries or reports of gunshots heard, and the building was empty because the school is currently closed for the Jewish High Holidays, Krawczyk said. In a news release, police said the suspect or suspects were in a motor vehicle when they discharged a firearm at the school. Evidence of gunfire was located at the scene, the release said.

The same school was also hit with gunfire in a similar incident in May, Krawczyk said.

“I appreciate the significant trauma that this can cause those in the Jewish community,” he said. “While we can’t say whether these incidents are connected at this time, it’s certainly a key aspect of our investigation.”

Krawczyk said officials would consider releasing video camera footage from the incident, which will be examined as part of the investigation. The agency has increased police presence in Jewish neighborhoods in recent weeks and will also do so at the school as the investigation unfolds, Krawczyk said.

“We’re asking anyone who is in the area or who could have dash cam footage or other CCTV footage to please step forward and provide us with that evidence. Your help is vital to the work we do and to find those responsible,” he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement on the shooting, saying: “I’m very disturbed to hear that last night, as families marked Yom Kippur, there were shots fired at a Jewish school in Toronto.”

“As we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, staff, and parents who must be terrified and hurting today,” Trudeau said on X. “Antisemitism is a disgusting and dangerous form of hate — and we won’t let it stand.”

It seemed like an unlikely stage for Kanye West to unveil his new music.

But last month the American rapper – now known as Ye – held not just one but two sold-out “listening parties” in China, a country that imposes some of the toughest censorship in the world.

Playing on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, his first concerts in the country in 16 years, Ye astounded fans by announcing his new album “Bully” and left some wondering why the country’s ruling Communist Party would allow such a controversial artist to perform.

Just six years ago, Chinese authorities clamped down on hip-hop, blacklisting songs and dropping rappers from shows. Its media regulator banned Chinese television from featuring “actors with tattoos (or depict) hip-hop culture, subculture and immoral culture.” One Chinese rapper, PG One, even apologized for lyrics that came under fire for glorifying drugs and sex.

As well as his own frequent lyrical references to sex and drugs, along with cutting social and political commentary, Ye has made a number of controversial statements in his personal life. He wore a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt in public, and an antisemitic outburst he made lost him an extremely lucrative sneakers deal with German brand Adidas.

Yet, he managed to stage his “Vulture Listening Experience” at the Wuyuan River Sports Stadium in Hainan’s provincial capital Haikou, an arena with more than 41,000 seats, on September 15 and September 28.

He is among a growing number of Western artists returning to the world’s second-biggest economy since the lifting of Covid restrictions.

The Chinese Communist Party, which views popular culture as a key ideological battleground, has long kept the entertainment sector on a tight leash with stringent censorship. But it has also encouraged its growth, especially its domestic industries like film and music, often using them to instill patriotism.

Under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the party has grown ever more focused on ideological and cultural control. The dazzle of stardom and the frenzy of fandom are increasingly viewed as a dangerous, pernicious influence – especially on the country’s youth.

In 2021, the party cracked down on China’s entertainment industry and what it called “toxic” celebrity culture, accusing it of “advocating wrong values” to Chinese youth.

Experts say Ye’s shows could mark a turning point. Allowing him to play shows in China “sends a signal that Western artists are welcome to play in China if they comply with local restrictions,” said Chen Dan, an associate professor at the University of Richmond’s political science department.

Several other American megastars have also recently set their eyes on performing in China.

Mariah Carey performed two shows in Beijing in September, sharing photos on X of her visiting the Great Wall of China with her children. John Legend also played gigs in Beijing and Shanghai in October.

American singer Charlie Puth is also set to perform in China in early December.

Boosting China’s economy

Letting in these Western stars could be a way for Beijing to boost consumer spending, Chen says, as it tries to revive a flailing economy plagued by high youth unemployment, a protracted property crisis and lukewarm consumer confidence.

In recent weeks, the country has unveiled a raft of stimulus measures, including freeing commercial banks to lend more money and making borrowing cheaper. The government also announced rare cash handouts to disadvantaged citizens while pledging subsidies for recent graduates struggling to find a job.

“The primary motivation for approving Kanye West’s performance may be commercial, that is, to revive the cultural and tourism industry,” Chen said. “China needs commercial revival and more cultural exchange.”

Chinese state media has boasted about the economic benefits Ye’s concerts brought to the tropical island, praising the rapper for “not only firing up his fans, but also sparking a surge in the local holiday tourism economy.”

Almost all fans at his first performance came from outside the province, with the highest ticket sales recorded in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, according to state-run China Daily.

Ye’s first show coincided with the first day of the Mid-Autumn festival holiday, and the average hotel occupancy rate in Haikou jumped by about a half to 83%, year on year, on the same holiday a year earlier. Travelers generated an estimated 373 million yuan ($52.6 million) in tourism revenue for the port city, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.

China’s growing music market also represents a massive opportunity for artists and labels looking to expand their audiences and generate revenue, and for domestic companies looking to capitalize off the growth.

One of the fastest-growing in the world, China’s music market became the fifth-largest market globally in 2022, according to IFPI, a trade body for the recorded music industry. China’s recorded music revenues grew 28.4% in 2022 from the year prior, compared with the global market rise of 9%, IFPI said.

But the embracing of foreign acts also poses a conundrum for Beijing.

“Local governments always want more concerts and activities to boost [the] local economy, while the higher authorities allegedly require more and more vetting of lyrics and contents,” said Hung Ho-fung, sociology professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Top stars blacklisted

But while there is a strong financial incentive to crack China’s market, the country’s tough censorship and stringent oversight of performances, including the unpredictability of having shows canceled at the last minute, have presented challenges for artists in the past.

In 2015, two fairly uncontroversial American rock bands – Bon Jovi and Maroon 5 – both had planned shows in Beijing and Shanghai abruptly canceled.

Bon Jovi’s management did not address media queries at the time but social media users speculated the decision may have stemmed from the band’s 2009 video for “We Weren’t Born to Follow,” which featured imagery of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing – a taboo topic for the Chinese government. Others pointed to a 2010 Bon Jovi gig in Tokyo that featured images of the Dalai Lama – a staunch enemy of Beijing – on the stage background.

In the case of Maroon 5, no official reason was given but many speculated that permits had been pulled over a band member wishing the Dalai Lama happy birthday on social media.

Similarly, promoters for Oasis said they were forced to cancel mainland China shows in 2009 after authorities reportedly discovered a member of the British rock band had played at a Tibetan Freedom gig two years earlier. The rest of the band’s Asia tour, including a concert in Hong Kong, went ahead as planned.

Other US musicians such as Justin Bieber, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga have been barred from even entering China.

Bieber “engaged in a series of bad behaviors, both in his social life and during a previous performance in China,” China’s Ministry of Culture announced in 2015, without going into details.

American rapper Jay-Z’s debut concerts in the country were canceled in 2006 because the Ministry of Culture “decided to protect the city’s hip-hop fans from nasty lyrics about pimps, guns and drugs,” according to state-run newspaper China Daily.

Some analysts and Chinese fans have speculated whether Ye may have gotten a pass to perform in Hainan because of his brief time living in China as a child. The rapper lived in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing for a year while his mother was teaching at Nanjing University, according to China Daily.

“Kanye West’s childhood experience in Nanjing may have made him an artist to welcome in China,” Chen, from the University of Richmond, said.

Ho, from Johns Hopkins, said it’s too early to tell whether Ye and others’ progress in China will inspire more artists to play there.

Logistical challenges like securing visas, obtaining permits and official approval, play a major role in the decision-making process for bands and their management, which are also concerned about the backlash of having to self-censor and staging up a show deprived of spontaneity.

“This tightening scrutiny, on top of the sluggish economy, makes many foreign performers simply decide not to bother and skip China,” he said.

But he added: “If the recent stimulus works, and leads to a genuine and sustained rebound of consumption, Western entertainers’ calculation may change and (they may) become more willing to take the trouble and the risk.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he shares a “very close” worldview with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, as the sanctioned leaders held a friendly inaugural meeting just as the Middle East braces for Israel’s response to Tehran’s largest-ever missile attack last week.

The meeting at a regional summit in Ashgabat, the capital of the Central Asian country Turkmenistan, also comes against a backdrop of closer military ties between Iran and Russia’s military in recent years, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“We are actively working together in the international arena and our assessments of events taking place in the world are often very close,” Putin said during the landmark meeting, according to Russian state media outlet TASS.

“Since Ukraine, the two countries have been more equal in terms of both needing each other and relying each other on specific issues. And that, I think, has been seen as beneficial from the Iranian side,” said Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, senior analyst and associate fellow, at UK think tank Chatham House.

Moscow and Tehran have a de facto military alliance in the region to support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Analysts say the countries have found further common ground as they are increasingly isolated by global sanctions.

There is a perception in Moscow that Iran can teach Russia about the tools to evade sanctions, Bassiri Tabrizi noted, adding, “I think it’s overall a goal from the Iranian side, so that has been part of the broader conversation about being part of the BRICS,” the bloc of major emerging economies that Iran formally joined early this year.

Pezeshkian, a reformist who won Iran’s election in July following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, has already emphasized his desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Russia to counter the “cruel” sanctions of the West.

In a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Tehran last week, the Iranian leader called for accelerating joint projects. Meanwhile, Russia expressed interest in expanding trade and economic cooperation as well as diversifying its bilateral trade with Iran.

The Russian prime minister also invited Pezeshkian to attend the October BRICS summit in Russia, where the two countries are expected to sign a comprehensive strategic agreement.

The Russian foreign ministry has touted these meetings as evidence that Russia-Iran relations are at an “all-time high,” according to TASS.

Ahead of the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the agenda will focus on “primarily bilateral Russian-Iranian relations,” according to TASS. “But, of course, the situation in the Middle East will not be ignored, it will also be on the agenda. In any case, there will be a serious conversation.”

There have also been reports of Russian involvement in arms transfers to the Iran-backed Houthis. Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who was exchanged in a prisoner swap for American basketball star Brittney Griner, has allegedly reentered the arms trade to broker the sale of $10 million worth of automatic weapons to the Yemen-based rebels, The Wall Street Journal and other Western media outlets reported this week, citing unnamed Western officials. Bout has denied that.

However, developments in the Middle East have not necessarily strengthened Iran-Russia relations, Bassiri Tabrizi noted, and some analysts argue that Russia stands to benefit from the conflicts involving Iranian proxies distracting from the war in Ukraine on the international stage.