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Europe
United Kingdom
16 July 2025 Based in a Brutalist 1960s office block near London’s Waterloo station, Zinc Network has managed to stay largely out of the public eye. In recent years the company has recruited hundreds of internet celebrities for various clients, particularly in central and eastern Europe, a key battleground in the information war with Russia. Young influencers are often grateful for the funding and rarely question who the funder is. They just take money and sell their followership to a paying client. The influencers are instructed to sign non-disclosure agreements prior to being told about Foreign Office involvement. In 2022, Zinc signed a £9,450,000 contract with the Foreign Office, which is due to end in December this year. The documents show that Zinc was contracted to help counter disinformation in 22 countries across Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, and in the Baltics. Influencers’ videos for the Foreign Office are devised with direct input and oversight from Zinc Network staff and ensured that every video “feels authentic', are ultimately sent to government officials for final approval before being posted online. Zinc has also conducted similar projects for other major clients. They include working with USAID in the South Caucasus to 'build a new brand identity' that expresses 'physical and emotional solidarity' with people, in a bid to make them 'more resilient to Russian hostile influence'. The work has included a campaign to mobilise young voters in the 2023 Slovakian elections. That election was ultimately won by Robert Fico’s left-wing nationalist Smer party, which is seen as being pro-Russian and which has been “dependent on older voters” – compared to the younger, pro-Europe Progressive Slovakia party. One former employee said that, by targeting younger voters, Zinc Network’s campaign amounted to 'interference in a sovereign country’s internal affairs'. The source said that the company’s executives “see the world through their British eyes”, adding: 'It looked like dictating the foreign will.' (Source: Declassified UK - United Kingdom)
by Williams, the Declassified UK's chief investigator. His book, ‘Parliament Ltd’, exposed widespread corruption in British politics and sparked multiple inquiries by Westminster authorities.
Asia
Turkey
16 Jul 2025 Fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party have been laying down their arms in ceremonies conducted within the framework of Turkish-Kurdish peace negotiations. The PKK members’ symbolic gesture received a very positive response from Ankara. The doors to a great, strong Turkey - Century of Turkey - have been fully opened, Turkish President Erdogan said during a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on 12 July, describing the disarmament ceremony as a victory for Turkey’s 86 million citizens, Turks, Kurds and Arabs. Urging the public to have confidence in the government that is working to secure a better future, he said that “we will facilitate the process with care and urgency, without harming anyone, and closely monitor the laying down of weapons.” Any peace process will have to navigate through obstacles posed by the hardline factions on both sides, whether the Kurdish militants or the far right Turkish ethnonationalists. Clarity in the form of a concrete vision or roadmap so far, remains lacking. (Source: Al Ahram - Egypt)
North America
United States
16 July 2025 - 07:30 US President Trump said yesterday Zelensky should not target Moscow and Russian President Putin should agree to a ceasefire deal by a 50-day deadline or sanctions will kick in. His comments came 'after The Financial Times, citing people briefed on discussions, reported yesterday that Trump had privately encouraged Ukraine to step up deep strikes on Russia'. The newspaper said Trump asked Zelensky whether he could strike Moscow if the US provided long-range weapons. "No, he shouldn't target Moscow," Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House when asked if Zelensky should attack the Russian capital. (Source: TimesLive - South Africa)
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