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The EU’s “illusion” of geopolitical might has “evaporated,” Mario Draghi has said US President Donald Trump has delivered a “brutal wake-up call” to the EU, shattering the bloc’s illusion of geopolitical power rooted in its economic might, ex-Italian Prime Minister and former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi has said, warning that the bloc must undergo major reforms to remain relevant. Trump has pressured the bloc’s NATO members to boost military spending, forced Brussels into a new trade deal that imposes a 15% tariff on most EU exports, scraps duties on US industrial goods, and opens wide market access to American products…

Sergio Gor’s nomination comes amid strained ties, with Washington threatening tariffs over New Delhi buying Russian oil US President Donald Trump has announced the appointment of a new ambassador to India and special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs. Sergio Gor, who originates from the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, has served the Trump administration as Director of Presidential Personnel, playing a critical role in recruitment, and is regarded as one of the president’s most trusted advisers. Announcing the move on social media, Trump described Gor as a “great friend” and longtime ally, praising his loyalty and wo…

Upcoming ‘Zapad’ military drills will feature the Russian Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile Ukraine has told Minsk to stay away from its borders during upcoming joint military exercises with Russia to be held in Belarus. The warning came ahead of the ‘Zapad-2025’ military drill, scheduled for September 12–16. Belarus allowed Russian forces to use its territory when the conflict with Ukraine escalated in February 2022. Since then, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly said that Minsk has no intention of attacking Kiev and will only resort to military action if his country is attacked In a statement on…

The munitions will reportedly be delivered by the end of 2025 The US has approved the sale of 3,350 air-launched ERAM cruise missiles to Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing two unnamed US officials. The munitions, which have a range of up to 280 miles, will reportedly arrive in Ukraine within six weeks. Several US officials told the WSJ that Ukraine would have to seek the Pentagon’s approval when using them. While US President Donald Trump had criticized the previous administration of Joe Biden for its unconditional aid to Kiev, he said earlier this week that Ukraine has “no chance of winning” unless it is…

The UAV caused a small fire at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant on Sunday A Ukrainian kamikaze drone has been shot down near a power plant in Russia’s Kursk region, part of which had been under Ukrainian occupation for several months. According to the plant’s management, in the early hours of Sunday the downed UAV damaged part of the electrical grid and triggered a small fire. In August 2024, Ukrainian forces crossed into Russia’s internationally recognized territory, advancing into the Kursk region in an effort to disrupt Russian offensives elsewhere and strengthen their position in peace talks. They quickly seized dozens of village…

Moscow says a German-led probe has faced delays and lacks transparency Russia has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting following the arrest of a Ukrainian man in Italy, allegedly involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September 2022. Explosions measuring 2.1 and 2.3 on the Richter scale ruptured lines laid to carry Russian gas to direct Germany, one of which was loaded. Moscow has repeatedly accused Germany and neighboring countries of delaying the investigation and excluding Russia from the probe. “We will highlight the delays in the German investigation and the absence of transparenc…

The reported restrictions have been part of US President Donald Trump’s renewed push for peace talks The Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from striking deep inside Russia with American-supplied missiles, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Saturday, citing US officials. According to the paper, the Department of Defense has been preventing Kiev from firing long-range ATACMS missiles since late spring. On at least one occasion, Washington reportedly turned down a Ukrainian request to hit a target on Russia’s internationally recognized territory. The WSJ linked the policy shift to President Donald Trump’s effort to “entice” Moscow into…

The decision could be made within the next two months, according to State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin Russian lawmakers will draft a bill to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes, also known as vapes, and related liquids, within the next couple of months, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin has announced. In a post on the Russian Max platform on Saturday, he argued that “vapes and other electronic cigarettes are harmful to human health and can lead to severe illnesses.” On Friday, Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor Gleb Nikitin asked President Vladimir Putin to grant local authorities the power to impose region-wide bans on v…

Tackling the challenges the country is facing has proven harder than expected, the German chancellor has admitted The German economy is experiencing a “structural crisis” rather than just temporary “weakness,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said, admitting that steering the country’s economy back on track has proven harder than he had anticipated. Merz made the remarks on Saturday in a speech before members of his Christian Democratic Union party in the Lower Saxony city of Osnabrueck, the home state of major carmaker Volkswagen. “I say this also self-critically – this task is bigger than one or the other may have imagined a year a…

Coalition government partners refused to back Caspar Veldkamp’s call for punitive measures against the Jewish state over the Gaza conflict Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp has stepped down in protest over the coalition government’s refusal to impose sanctions on Israel for its actions in Gaza. The resignation of Veldkamp, along with the country's Minister for Foreign Trade Hanneke Boerma, has reduced the Dutch caretaker government to holding just 32 out of 150 seats. In a statement on Saturday the foreign ministry said that “after a meeting of the cabinet on the situation in Gaza,” the Social Contract (NSC) party, of which …

The British authorities have reportedly demanded that Beijing explain “greyed out” areas in the layout of the massive compound Plans for China’s so-called “super embassy” in London have been delayed after UK officials demanded clarification over “greyed-out sections” of its design and Beijing refused to disclose further details, according to the Financial Times. China has slammed the move. The project, dubbed a “super embassy” in British media, would be the largest such compound in Europe. It has faced multiple bureaucratic setbacks since Beijing first applied for a permit in 2022. On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Chinese embass…

Malicious deep state actors have been working against the American people, the US intel chief has said The US intelligence community has been infiltrated by deep state actors, who are busy “inserting their own partisan political opinions and views” into intel products and effectively working against the American people, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has said. The DNI chief, who has repeatedly pledged to root out rogue actors from the US intel community, made the remarks on Thursday while speaking to FOX Business, stating that the deep state has created entire “pockets” within America’s intelligence agencies. “…

As Europe edges toward recognition of Palestine and Trump shows signs of impatience, Israel’s uncompromising war risks turning into a lonely fight This week the Israeli army launched a full-scale ground operation to seize the city of Gaza. The plan is ambitious and ruthless: 60,000 new reservists will be called up and another 20,000 troops will have their service extended. For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this is a “necessary step” to ensure Israel’s security. For the international community, it looks like a gamble that could push Israel into near-total isolation. The United Nations has already warned that the offensive will t…

The country is facing a record number of applications from asylum seekers St. George’s and Union Jack flags have appeared in towns across Britain under a campaign known as Operation Raise the Colours, in what is widely seen as a public display of patriotism and defiance of the government’s migration policies. However, the movement has met pushback from some local residents, who describe it as unsettling and divisive. The campaign, which began in Birmingham and East London, has spread to Manchester, Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich, Worcester, Redditch, and York. Patriotic images have been painted on streets, while Scottish and Irish col…

The funds have come as loans to be repaid with the profits from Moscow’s frozen assets The EU has allocated to Ukraine €9 billion ($10.5 billion) in loans backed by the profits from Russia's frozen central bank assets this year to date, European Commission data released on Friday shows. Russia has called the scheme illegal and destructive to the credibility of the Western financial system. Western nations froze an estimated $300 billion in Russian assets following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, some €200 billion of which are held by Brussels-based clearinghouse Euroclear. The funds have accrued billions in interest,…

The Kurds, caught up in the violent restructuring of the Middle East, face an uncertain future Amid the rapid disintegration of the old world order – one that had been built over decades around a unipolar architecture – the global landscape is entering a phase of tectonic change. Global processes, from shifts in the geo-economy to the loss of monopolies on interpreting norms and rules, have stirred regional dynamics, awakening dormant or suppressed potentials. Against this backdrop of turbulence, more and more regions are emerging from a state of dependency and inertia, seeking to rethink their role in the world. This process is pa…

The Russian president stressed that the global scientific community can not be destroyed as it is rooted in unity, not disengagement Russia has continued to work with Western scientists in several fields of endeavor, despite sanctions and political obstacles, President Vladimir Putin has said. Speaking to workers in Russia’s nuclear sector in the town of Sarov on Friday, Putin noted that the global scientific community cannot be destroyed because it is rooted in unity, not disengagement. Scientific progress has always relied on cooperation, he said, even during the height of the nuclear arms race. “Science, like sports and art, is …

Moscow has consistently maintained it cannot be excluded from discussions on security guarantees for Kiev, the Foreign Ministry has said The Russian Foreign Ministry has pushed back against Western media reports claiming Moscow undermined Ukraine peace talks with the US by insisting it must take part in discussions about security guarantees for Kiev. On Friday, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the principles of “indivisible security” in Europe have “effectively fractured Russia’s talks with the US,” while describing Moscow’s stance as “an attempt to stall the [settlemen…

The US president reportedly believes Moscow has “the upper hand” in the conflict, while Kiev is pliable due to its reliance on the West US President Donald Trump believes Moscow should be ‘coaxed’ into peace talks with Ukraine, whereas Kiev can be ‘pressured’ due to its dependence on Western aid, Politico reported on Friday, citing sources. The sources claimed that Trump sees Russia as holding “the upper hand” in the conflict. The report follows speculation over a potential summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. The idea emerged after Trump met Putin in Alaska – their first face-to-fa…

In the French political class, both for right and even left sides, the idea of colonial reparations seems an absolute taboo On August 12, French President Emmanuel Macron took a historic yet cautious step by acknowledging, in a letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, that France had waged a full-scale war against the Camerooninan independence movement, using methods of extreme brutality. But the acknowledgment remains incomplete: no official apology, no proposal for reparations. Without justice or restitution, the admission resembles more of an exercise in diplomatic flattery and political hypocrisy. A colonial war finally brough…

Moscow has not ruled out direct talks but said it must be preceded by serious diplomatic groundwork Ukraine is ready to discuss its territorial dispute with Russia at direct talks between Vladimir Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior Ukrainian foreign ministry official has said, adding that the current frontline should be the starting point for the negotiations. In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislitsa reiterated that the country’s population “is categorically against trading our land for peace.” “I think President Zelensky made it very clear he’s ready to s…

Matteo Salvini has ridiculed the French leader’s calls for Western troops in Ukraine, suggesting he should “hop on a tram” and go himself France has summoned Italy’s ambassador following “unacceptable” remarks made by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini about President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to send troops from EU members to Ukraine, French media has reported, citing a diplomatic source. Salvini suggested on Wednesday that the French leader should go himself. Macron, who this week called Russian President Vladimir Putin “an ogre at [Europe’s] gates,” has repeatedly floated the idea of a “reassurance force” to be deployed to Uk…

Such a summit may happen – not because it will resolve the war, but because it serves the broader game of diplomacy There were no surprises in the latest round of Ukraine diplomacy. After his much-publicised meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump followed up with talks in Washington with Vladimir Zelensky and his European backers. The result was predictable: the peace process derailed once again. The conditions set out by Russia in Anchorage are already forgotten. Instead, the West is now obsessing over the prospect of a direct Putin-Zelensky encounter. The Americans have already mapped out not on…

Pete Hegseth has reportedly fired the head of the Defense intel agency following a leak claiming the US did not destroy Iran’s nuclear program US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired three senior officials at the Pentagon, including the head of its intelligence agency, several media outlets reported on Friday. The exact reason for the dismissals has not been clarified, but they followed leaks suggesting that US strikes on the Iranian nuclear program did not destroy it completely, contrary to claims by US President Donald Trump. According to three US officials cited by Reuters, Hegseth has dismissed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who l…

The late financier’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has told US investigators that she doesn’t believe in the official version of his death Jeffrey Epstein’s confidante and partner Ghislaine Maxwell has said she does not believe the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender committed suicide behind bars. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking women including one child to the sexual predator Epstein, was interviewed by the Department of Justice last month due to renewed interest in the case. According to a transcript released Friday, Maxwell told investigators, “I do not believe he died by suicide, no.” She di…