Egyik 19

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United States
May 10, 2020  In Europe, the collapse in business activity is triggering wage support programs that are keeping millions on the job, for now. In contrast, in the United States more than 33.5 million people have applied for jobless benefits and the unemployment rate has soared to 14.7%. Congress has passed $2 trillion in emergency support, boosting jobless benefits and writing stimulus checks of up to $1,200 per taxpayer. Europe depends on existing programs kicking in that pump money into people’s pockets. The U.S., on the other hand, relies on Congress taking action by passing emergency stimulus programs, as it did in 2009 under President Obama, and the recent rescue package under President Trump. Budget policy in the U.S. plays partly the role that Europe’s welfare system plays because the American welfare system is less generous and a recession can be much harsher on workers. U.S. employees can lose their health insurance if they lose their job and there’s also a greater risk of losing one’s home through foreclosure. On the other hand, Europeans typically pay higher taxes, meaning they earn less in the good times. In the U.S. you need to keep pumping money into the economy so that people continue to be employed, because it is through being employed that they are protected. The U.S. tends to rank below average on measures of social support among the 37 countries of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation, whose members are mostly developed democracies. The U.S. came last in people living in relative poverty, meaning living on half the median income or less, with 17.8%. Countries like Iceland, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Finland have less than 6%. Americans on unemployment were collecting an average of about $372 weekly before the coronavirus struck. But that average could range from $215 in Mississippi to $543 in Hawaii. The rescue package gave jobless workers an additional $600 a week through July. It also extended benefits to those who lost work, which could include parents who needed to leave their jobs because schools were closed. Most states offer six months of unemployment but the emergency legislation adds 13 weeks. By comparison, Germany’s jobless benefit pays 60% of previous salary for a year. France provides up to 75% of the previous average daily wage for up to two years. Unemployment benefits in France are on average 1,200 euros ($1,320) per month. And there’s Europe’s short-hours programs, which pay most of worker salaries if companies put them on shorter hours through a temporary disruption. More than 10 million workers are being paid that way in Germany and about 12 million in France, helping hold eurozone unemployment to only a 0.1 percentage point increase in March over February, to 7.4%. The U.S. emergency package included money for cheap loans to businesses that can be forgiven if the money is used mostly for payroll. Nearly half of Americans receive health insurance through their employers, while another 34% get benefits through the government programs Medicare and Medicaid. Separately, 6% are insured individually and 9% in 2018 had no insurance at all. In Europe, universal health coverage is the rule, generally funded by payroll or other taxes. U.S. workers are entitled to unpaid family leave, but no federal law requires private employers to provide paid family leave. In the private sector, 16% of workers had access to paid family leave as of March 2018. Some states offer paid family leave insurance for 4 to 10 weeks. The United States is the only country in the OECD to not offer paid leave to new mothers. In France, by contrast, mothers are entitled to at least 16 weeks of leave for their first child and must take at least 8 weeks. From the third child onward, they are allowed 26 weeks. Workers get a daily maternity leave allowance of up to 89 euros. Denmark gives 52 weeks of parental leave after a birth or adoption, to be shared by the parents; whether at full salary or not depends on workplace agreements. Roughly 8.3 million Americans collect disability benefits earned through Social Security contributions. The payments average $15,100 annually, just above the poverty level for a one-person household of $12,760. People who don’t qualify may wind up on food stamps, a basic subsistence program. The U.S. ranks 30th among 36 OECD countries in spending on all forms of disability related to work or illness. In France, the totally disabled are eligible for public health insurance payments of at least 292.80 euros a month and no more than 1,714 euros. Europe’s more generous social safety nets come at a cost, largely paid through taxes levied on workers and employers. In the United States, Social Security contributions amounted to 6% of GDP in 2018, according to the OECD. In France it was almost three times higher, at 16% of annual GDP, while in Germany it was just over 14%. (Source: AP)

May 10, 2020  Three members of the White House coronavirus task force placed themselves in quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19: Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the task force, Dr. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Hahn. All three men are scheduled to testify before a Senate committee on May 12. (Source: HuriyetDailyNews)

May 9, 2020  Transition to Greatness? Traditionally, the White House medical unit, led by the Navy and led by the White House doctor, has been responsible for dictating health safety protocols for personnel at the 18-acre White House complex. During past epidemics, including the SARS epidemic in the early 2000s, this unit had considered the precautions to be taken by White House staff and had developed a set of protocols to protect the president and his staff, as well than the rest of the government at the flu, known as H1N1, when it arrived in the country in 2009. But as the new coronavirus spread in January, it was surprising that they did not take these measures. Since early April, those visiting Trump or Pence have been undergoing rapid coronavirus tests from Abbott Laboratories, which can deliver results in 15 minutes. The president and vice-president, as well as assistants, were tested regularly, at least once or more than once a week. The new protocols may require that they be tested daily. In the country the death toll continued to rise, approaching 77,000. (Source: FR24News)

May 9, 2020  After earlier measures led to a steep drop in arrests, the New York Police Department is preparing for a jump in crime when New York City reopens businesses and eases restrictions on social gatherings. More than 1,600 people were released from city jails during the coronavirus pandemic. A bail law enacted in January allows many defendants to remain free as they await trials. In the weeks after Mayor de Blasio declared a state of emergency and enacted rules to stop the spread of the disease in mid-March, major crimes in the city fell by more than a quarter, and arrests plummeted by more than half. However, auto thefts, commercial burglaries, shootings and murders increased. At the NYPD, one in five officers were out sick at the peak of the outbreak in the city, now 1,624 uniformed members, accounting for about 4.5% of the department’s uniformed workforce. (Source: TheWallStreetJournal)

May 9, 2020   81% percent of those who were issued summonses for social distancing violations in New York City were people of color. 374 summonses were handed out from March 16 to May 5. 193 of those issued summonses were black and 111 were Hispanic. In Brooklyn, there were 206 summonses issued, 121 of which were issued at 12 social gatherings. In the Bronx, 99 summonses were issued, 42 of which were issued at five social gathering. Two-thirds of the summonses distributed to white people were the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in the Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods. (Source: CNN)

9 May 2020  Trump has said coronavirus will “go away without a vaccine” and is expecting 95,000 or more deaths in the US. The current toll stands at just over 77,000, with nearly 1.3 million infections, including nearly 29,000 new infections added to the count. Unemployment had risen to 14.7%, up from 3.5% in February, with 20 million people losing their jobs in April. (Source: TheGuardian)

May 9, 2020  More than 78,400 people with COVID-19 have died in the United States and more than 1.3 million people have tested positive. Former President Obama harshly criticized President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an “absolute chaotic disaster” during a conversation with ex-members of his administration. Obama’s comments came during a yesterday call with 3,000 members of the Obama Alumni Association, people who served in his administration. Obama urged his supporters to back his former vice president, Biden, who is trying to unseat Trump in the Nov. 3 election. His call indicates that he’ll be playing an active role in the coming election. (Source: AP)

May 9, 2020  Gov. Noem sent letters yesterday to leaders of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Oglala Sioux Tribe demanding that checkpoints that have been set up on those reservations along state and U.S. highways be removed immediately. Last month, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs issued a memorandum regarding tribal government authority to close or restrict travel on state and U.S. highways, calling on tribes to get permission from state authorities before closing or restricting travel. The tribes have taken action because they are concerned the virus could overwhelm fragile health care systems that serve many people with underlying health problems. They are still allowing essential businesses on to the reservations and said the checkpoints were set up to keep out tourists or other visitors who could be carrying coronavirus infections. Tribal chairman Frazier issued a statement addressing Noem, saying, “You continuing to interfere in our efforts to do what science and facts dictate seriously undermine our ability to protect everyone on the reservation.” Iron Eyes, a spokesman for Oglala Sioux President Bear Runner, said he expected the tribe to defend its rights as a sovereign nation to keep out threats to their health. (Source: USAToday)

May 8, 2020 President Trump in recent weeks has sought to block or downplay information about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic as he urges a return to normalcy and the rekindling of economy. His administration has sidelined or replaced officials not seen as loyal, rebuffed congressional requests for testimony, dismissed jarring statistics and models, praised states for reopening without meeting White House guidelines and, briefly, pushed to disband a task force created to combat the virus and communicate about the public health crisis. “If the message were to go out with complete objectivity, it would be disastrous for Trump,” said Skidmore, a political science professor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and the author in 2016 of a book on presidential responses to pandemics. “So he is doing his best to prevent experts from speaking out or using their expertise, and he’s simply trying to divert attention.” Trump’s information-control tactics are being replicated in states across the country, where governors are lifting stay-at-home orders against the advice of public health officials. Governors in Georgia, Texas, Iowa, Arizona and elsewhere have been praised by Trump as they ignored recommendations from doctors and health officials in their states to begin phased reopenings. States such as Florida have limited or redacted public information about their coronavirus deaths. The evolution is being driven in part by the political calendar, with just six months before voters decide the president’s fate. The administration has not released guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that have been in the works for weeks and offered advice on how to reopen certain businesses and facilities. The CDC has seen its public role significantly downsized since the early days of the crisis, continues to play a more limited part in the coronavirus response than it has in previous viral outbreaks. The administration released multiple statements this week disavowing a draft report that projected as many as 3,000 daily coronavirus deaths beginning on June 1. The report, carried a CDC logo and was featured in a Federal Emergency Management Agency briefing. “These models have been so wrong from day one, both on the low side and the upside,” Trump said. “They’ve been so wrong, they’ve been so out of whack. And they keep making new models, new models and they’re wrong.” An alternative “cubic” model, produced by the White House Council of Economic Advisers, was widely panned by economists and health experts after it appeared to show coronavirus deaths plunging toward zero by May 15. Outside of New York, cases continue to rise nationally. The president has blamed widespread testing for the high number of positive cases and continues to dismiss governors’ and public health experts’ persistent calls for more testing before relaxing social distancing restrictions. (Source:msn)

May 8, 2020  The nation would record a noticeable increase in deaths other than Covid “at least for some, some time period”. As some states in the US prepare to lift restrictions to try and kickstart the economy, there appears to be a growing awareness that the figure of 75,000 deaths does not tell the full story. Abnormally low volumes of patients are seeking routine medical care. In New York there had been a ninefold increase of people dying at home from heart attacks. New figures, taken from nine hospitals located across the country, has suggested an almost 40 per cent drop in reported heart attacks. the findings in the Journals of the American College of Cardiology show. The true number of people who have died during the coronavirus pandemic in America could be double the official figure, as evidence emerges that large numbers of seriously ill people have failed to seek medical attention for life-threatening conditions such as heart failure, strokes or cancer because of the contagion. Hospitals across the country have warned they are seeing fewer patients than they normally do in the emergency room, or else attending clinics. The message that came out to public initially was Don’t go to the hospitals – that’s where the Covid patients go. A survey by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network discovered half of all cancer patients who had recently undergone treatment found the virus had impacted their care. Of those, 25 per cent reported a delay. (Source: TheIndependent)

May 6, 2020  President Trump has complained to advisers about the way coronavirus deaths are being calculated, suggesting the real numbers are actually lower - and a number of his senior aides share this view. Experts believe coronavirus deaths in the U.S. are being undercounted, the official count of coronavirus-related deaths is still missing tens of thousands of people. Experts believe the formal death count is inaccurately low because testing problems persisted for so long and still persist; some states don’t count probable deaths and there are still thousands of “excess deaths” even after accounting for probable coronavirus cases. Intentionally misdiagnosing patients with coronavirus would be fraud, and so far no one in the administration has publicly leveled such an accusation. Some members of the president's team believe the government has created a distorting financial incentive for hospitals to identify coronavirus cases. Medicare is giving hospitals a 20% bonus for their treatment of coronavirus patients as a way to help them make up for the money they’re losing because they’ve had to postpone a lot of non-coronavirus care. But until mid-April, a person was only identified as having died from the coronavirus if they had tested positive for the coronavirus and then died. But testing in the U.S. has been inadequate. Many people who have the virus weren’t able to get tested; those patients weren’t recorded as official coronavirus cases, and therefore weren’t counted as coronavirus deaths if they died. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control said it would include “probable” coronavirus deaths in the official tally - cases in which no formal diagnosis is available, but doctors believe a patient died from COVID-19. Some states do not report probable deaths to the CDC, but among those that do, the change did make a difference: Probable cases added roughly 3,700 people to New York’s official death toll. (Source: Axios)

May 6th, 2020  There are now 19,877 deaths in New York state and more than 321,000 cases of the virus. Of 1,000 patients, 66 percent were people staying at home and 18 percent had come from nursing homes. 73% of the new hospitalizations were people aged 51 and over and 96% had underlying health conditions. Most were in Manhattan - 21% - but 18% of the new hospitalizations were in Long Island. In New York City, 90% of those who answered said they had not been taking public transport. The state remains in lockdown until May 15. Recent data shows that while New York's numbers are decreasing, the rest of America's are on the rise. Across America, there have been more than 1million cases and 72,000 deaths. (Source: DailyMail)

May 6, 202 0 It’s probably going to have to be a lottery. Hospitals and physicians around the country are sharply criticizing the federal government for the uneven and opaque way it is distributing its supply of the Covid-19 drug remdesivir. The experimental drug received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration last week, after preliminary data from a clinical trial showed that it reduced how long it took hospitalized Covid-19 patients to recover. Now, as the drug’s producer, Gilead Sciences, tries to ramp up production, the U.S. government is starting to distribute the limited number of vials that aren’t needed for ongoing research, so that patients can start to see the benefit outside of clinical trials. About two dozen hospitals are believed to have been chosen to receive the drug so far, but clinicians told is unclear why some medical centers were chosen to receive coveted doses while others weren’t - and who is making those decisions in the first place. The vendor is - AmerisourceBergen. The Department of Health and Human Services is handling remdesivir distribution. The data on the drug’s efficacy are still preliminary. While many clinicians suspect treating a patient earlier in their illness may provide more benefit, the evidence isn’t published yet. That leaves hospital systems in the unenviable position of choosing who will receive medication without all the relevant information. (Source: StatNews)

May 6, 2020  It was March 1 when Florida announced its first two cases of the novel coronavirus. The spread of COVID-19 in Florida likely began in January, if not earlier. State health officials have documented at least 170 COVID-19 patients reporting symptoms between Dec. 31, 2019, and February 29. During January, testing for the contagion didn’t exist in the U.S and in Florida wasn’t available until late February. The earliest confirmation of a COVID-19 case in the United States came Jan. 21 - a Washington state man who traveled to China. An additional 13 cases were diagnosed in six states through Feb. 23, with 11 of those people having visited China, according to the CDC. Medical examiners across the country are now investigating possible COVID-19 deaths in the United States from as far back as November, (Source: msn)

May 6, 2020  The Trump administration failed to prepare for the onslaught of the coronavirus, then sought a quick fix by trying to rush an unproven drug to patients, a senior government scientist alleged in a whistleblower complaint. Dr. Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, alleges he was reassigned to a lesser role because he resisted political pressure to allow widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug pushed by President Trump. He said the Trump administration wanted to “flood” hot spots in New York and New Jersey with the drug. “I witnessed government leadership rushing blindly into a potentially dangerous situation by bringing in a non-FDA approved chloroquine from Pakistan and India, from facilities that had never been approved by the FDA,” Bright said yesterday. Bright filed the complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, a government agency that investigates retaliation against federal employees who uncover problems. He wants his job back and a full investigation. (Source: AP)

May 4, 2020 Trump administration models predict near doubling of daily death toll by June, reaching about 3,000 daily deaths, nearly double from the current level of about 1,750. The projections, based on modeling by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and pulled together in chart form by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, forecast about 200,000 new cases each day by the end of the month, up from about 25,000 cases now. The primary fear of public health experts is that a reopening of the economy will put the nation right back where it was in mid-March, when cases were rising so rapidly in some parts of the country that patients were dying on gurneys in hospital hallways. Mr. Gottlieb, Mr. Trump’s former commissioner of food and drugs said Americans “may be facing the prospect that 20,000, 30,000 new cases a day diagnosed becomes the new normal.” (Source: NewYorkTimes)

May 4, 2020  President Trump predicted on yesterday night that the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the country might reach as high as 100,000 in the United States. Mr. Trump, last month forecast that 60,000 lives would be lost. But he credited himself with preventing the toll from being worse. “If we didn’t do it, the minimum we would have lost was a million two, a million four, a million five, that’s the minimum. We would have lost probably higher, it’s possible higher than 2.2.” He also acknowledged that he was warned about the coronavirus in his regular intelligence briefing on Jan. 23, but he asserted that the information was characterized as if “it was not a big deal.” “On Jan. 23, I was told that there could be a virus coming in but it was of no real import,” Mr. Trump said. “In other words, it wasn’t, ‘Oh, we’ve got to do something, we’ve got to do something.’ It was a brief conversation, and it was only on Jan. 23. Shortly thereafter, I closed the country to China. We had 23 people in the room and I was the only one in the room who wanted to close it down.” Mr. Trump was referring to his decision on Jan. 30 to limit travel from China, a move that in fact came only after major American airlines had already canceled flights. Mr. Trump said his travel limit was not driven by the Jan. 23 warning. “I didn’t do it because of what they said,” he said. “They said it very matter-of-factly, it was not a big deal.” (Source: TheNewYorkTimes)

3 May 2020  All the information was public. St. Louis County had urged the community to share details of anyone not following guidelines in response to the coronavirus pandemic in March. After more than 900 submitted tips, 29 businesses were reprimanded. Many tipsters reported their own jobs for not following social distancing rules. Some people may not have read the small print submitted tips via an online form and email from the end of Marchthe which stated their tips would be open public record subject. The names and addresses of approximately 900 people in Missouri were released as part of a media request under the Sunshine Law, which allows for the release of information submitted to a public agency (except for wrongdoing and abuse tips). /Source: DailyMail)

May 2, 2020  The Appropriations Committee sought Dr. Fauci as a witness at next week's Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee hearing on COVID-19 response. The White House is blocking him, a key member of the administration's coronavirus task force, from testifying before the Democratic-led House next week. The decision comes as House Democrats are preparing for a multi-front investigation into the federal coronavirus response. The CARES Act coronavirus aid package created a Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, made up of 21 members from offices of inspectors general across the federal government, to help coordinate investigations into various elements of the outbreak response. Some of the investigations are already underway. The inspectors general from three key agencies updated the House Oversight Committee on April 28 on four investigations into potential issues with the federal government's coronavirus response. The watchdogs referenced plans for the use of "flash reports" to provide frequent updates on the probes, as well as possible protections for the inspectors general in light of Trump's ouster of several such independent watchdogs. (Source: CNN)

May 2, 2020  With queens that can grow to two inches long, Asian giant hornets can use mandibles shaped like spiked shark fins to wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours, decapitating the bees and flying away with the thoraxes to feed their young. For larger targets, the hornet’s potent venom and stinger - long enough to puncture a beekeeping suit - make for an excruciating combination that victims have likened to hot metal driving into their skin. In Japan, the hornets kill up to 50 people a year. Now, for the first time, they have arrived in the United States. Two of the predatory insects were discovered last fall in the northwest corner of Washington State. (Source: dnyuz)
See also: November 23, 2018 Stung by a giant hornet /video - 20 940 614 views/ (Source: YouTube): https://tinyurl.com/y9jvbtny

05/02/20  The House Oversight and Reform Committee found that the FDA allowed a flood of antibody tests on the market without review, resulting in hundreds of flawed tests that are still available for purchase. The agency has verified and allowed just 10 tests under a formal emergency-use authorization (EUA), while close to 150 are being marketed directly to customers without any review. It is not known yet whether a positive result for antibodies means a person is immune to the disease, and experts caution against making major decisions based on the test results. (Source: TheHill)

May 1, 2020  Emergence of an inflammatory syndrome in children that appears to be linked to coronavirus infections. Across the U.S., more than 24,000 children have tested positive for the new coronavirus. 201 infected children under age 18 have been admitted into pediatric intensive care units and 20 people under the age of 20 have died. It is probably only a small fraction of all who have the disease, because of a shortage of tests and very limited testing of children. It is estimated that the total number of children infected in the U.S. is now at least 478,000. A recently described phenomenon is likely just another manifestation of the new coronavirus. Some children present with what looks like aseptic meningitis. Some present with diarrhea. Before you treat a child for Kawasaki, you now have to step back and say, is this Covid-19? The most common symptoms of coronavirus infections in children are cough and fever, which occur in over half of patients who become sick. Many children also have sore throats and coughs. About 10 percent of children sick with the virus have diarrhea or vomiting. (Source: TheIntercept)

1 May 2020  Maryland governor Hogan orders National Guard to protect and distribute 500,000 coronavirus tests at a secret location after they were flown in from South Korea amid fears federal government will try to confiscate them. The federal government seized a delivery of N95 masks bound for Massachusetts in March. Hogan and his Korean-born wife Yumi worked with the South-Korean embassy, the state department in South Korea, eight different state agencies and scientists, and LabGenomics over 22 days to secure half a million tests - a $9.4 million purchase - for his state after conflict between governors and the Trump administration about the level of testing being made available. The tests landed at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on April 18. (Source: DailyMail)

May 1, 2020  U.S. probes University of Texas links to Chinese lab scrutinized over coronavirus. Education Department investigation into foreign financial ties also seeks records of school system’s dealings with Huawei, Zoom CEO. (Source: TheWallStreetJournal)

1 May 2020  Demonstrators, including some carrying guns, entered the capitol building in the US state of Michigan yesterday and demanded the Democratic governor lift strict coronavirus lockdown orders. The protest comes a day after a Michigan court ruled that stay-at-home directives issued by Whitmer on March 24 do not infringe on residents’ constitutional rights. The state has seen more than 3,500 people killed by the coronavirus. On April 16 around 3,000 protesters, some of them armed, descended on Lansing for "Operation Gridlock," causing a massive traffic jam around the capital building. A day later Mr Trump appeared to lend his support to them and scattered protests elsewhere, tweeting "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!." Whitmer's name has emerged as a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Biden. (Source: TheTelegraph)

May 1, 2020  A new model from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania: Coronavirus policy response simulator: Health and economic effects of state reopenings. This simulator forecasts the state-level health and economic effects of reopening businesses and relaxing stay-at-home orders. This simulator will be updated regularly as new data arrive. It is an epidemiological framework along with empirical estimates to simulate the health and economic effects of easing state lockdown policies. Users specify both a “policy” level and “behavior” level. The policy level represents the extent to which states reopen and has three settings: Baseline Policy: Each state maintains its current restrictions as of April 30. Some states are subject to an additional adjustment to bring their infection rates under control. Partial Reopening: States immediately lift emergency declarations, stay-at-home orders, and school closures. Full Reopening: States immediately lift all orders listed above as well as restrictions on the operation of businesses and restaurants.The behavior lever represents individuals’ decisions on whether to continue social distancing practices. This behavior level has two settings: Baseline Behavior: Each individual maintains their current social distancing practices. Reduced Distancing: Individuals relax their social distancing efforts, returning fully to pre-pandemic behavior by the end of December 2020. (Source: BudgetmodelWharton): https://tinyurl.com/y89q5xb5

Colombia
2 May 2020  How an ex-Green Beret organized a 'private coup' funded by US billionaires to remove Venezuela's Maduro and trained 300 soldiers in Colombia before it spectacularly fell apart. The operation failed due to skimpy planning, feuding among opposition politicians and a poorly trained force. The ringleader, retired Venezuelan General Alcalá, is now jailed in the US on narcotics charges. Questions about the role of Alcalá's American adviser, a Canadian-born, former Green Beret Goudreau, an American citizen and three-time Bronze Star recipient for bravery in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he served as a medic in US Army special forces. In 2018, he set up Silvercorp USA, a private security firm, near his home on Florida's Space Coast to embed counter-terror agents in schools disguised as teachers. Silvercorp's website touts operations in more than 50 countries, with an advisory team made up of former diplomats, experienced military strategists and heads of multinational corporations - none of them named. It claims to have 'led international security teams' for the president of the United States. Goudreau's focus on Venezuela started in February 2019, when he worked security at a concert in support of Guaidó organized by British billionaire Branson on the Venezuelan-Colombian border. Alcalá, a retired major general in Venezuela's army, explained how he had selected 300 combatants from among the throngs of low-ranking soldiers who abandoned Maduro and fled to Colombia in the early days of Guaidó's uprising. He seemed an unlikely hero to restore democracy to his homeland. In 2011, he was sanctioned by the US for allegedly supplying FARC guerrillas in Colombia with surface-to-air missiles in exchange for cocaine. And last month, Alcalá was indicted by US prosecutors alongside Maduro as one of the architects of a narcoterrorist conspiracy that allegedly sent 250 metric tons of cocaine every year to the US. In Colombia he had been living since 2018, He maintained three camps in and around the desert-like La Guajira peninsula that Colombia shares with Venezuela. There was no running water and men were sleeping on the floors, skipping meals and training with sawed-off broomsticks in place of assault rifles. Five Belgian shepherds trained to sniff out explosives were as poorly fed as their handlers and had to be given away. A three-page document was listing supplies needed for a three-week operation. Items included 320 M4 assault rifles, an anti-tank rocket launcher, Zodiac boats, $1 million in cash and state-of-the-art night vision goggles. The document's metadata indicates it was created by Goudreau on June 16. Alcalá openly touted his plans for an incursion in a June meeting with Colombia's National Intelligence Directorate and appealed for their support. Alcalá retained influence in the armed forces that Maduro's opponents, mostly civilian elites, lacked. He also knew the terrain, having served as the top commander along the border. Some 300 heavily armed volunteers would sneak into Venezuela from the northern tip of South America. Along the way, they would raid military bases in the socialist country and ignite a popular rebellion that would end in President Maduro's arrest. Goudreau told Alcalá his company could prepare the men for battle. The rag-tag army would cross the border in a heavily armed convoy and sweep into Caracas within 96 hours. Goudreau told the volunteers that - once challenged in battle - Maduro's food-deprived, demoralized military would collapse like dominoes. The plot quickly crumbled in early March when one of the volunteer combatants was arrested after sneaking across the border into Venezuela from Colombia. Shortly after, Colombian police stopped a truck transporting a cache of brand new weapons and tactical equipment worth around $150,000, including spotting scopes, night vision goggles, two-way radios and 26 American-made assault rifles with the serial numbers rubbed off. Alcalá claimed ownership of the weapons shortly before surrendering to face the US drug charges, saying they belonged to the 'Venezuelan people.' In the aftermath of Alcalá's arrest, the would-be insurrection appears to have disbanded. As the coronavirus spreads, several of the remaining combatants have fled the camps and fanned out across Colombia, reconnecting with loved ones and figuring out their next steps. Most are broke, facing investigation by Colombian police and frustrated with Goudreau, who they blame for leading them astray. (Source: DailyMail)

Cuba
May 01, 2020  The Cuban government has jailed more than 300 people on charges of “spreading an epidemic,” but has sent home 6,579 inmates in an attempt to avoid coronavirus contagion in prisons - an “early release” under parole. Another 412 people in provisional custody were released in March and April to await trial at home under surveillance. Prisoners Defenders, a Cuban exile group, believes the number of inmates in Cuban prisons could be as high as 123,000. According to a petition signed by 15 Cuban exile organizations, political prisoners are receiving the worst treatment during the pandemic. “They are confined to punishment cells, they are usually transferred to prisons distant from their families, their food and hygiene products are confiscated, and their rights to make phone calls are suspended,” the petition said. “To all this, we must add overcrowding, poor hygiene and food, and inadequate medical care,” the organizations wrote. The Cuban government does not recognize political prisoners as such, and claims they are criminals. (Source: MiamiHerald)

Ecuador
May 5, 2020  One of Ecuador's indigenous communities fears it could be wiped out as coronavirus infections rise in its territory, prompting dozens of its members to flee into the Amazon rainforest for shelter from the pandemic which has killed nearly 1,600 in the country. The Siekopai nation along the border between Ecuador and Peru, with some 744 members, has 15 confirmed cases of the virus and two elderly leaders died in the last two weeks after showing symptoms of COVID-19. A large number of Siekopai have presented symptoms related to the outbreak but, after they sought help from a government health center in nearby Tarapoa city, doctors told them they just had a "nasty flu." Siekopai leaders urged Ecuador's government to fence off the community and test the inhabitants but have received no response. Fearful of the coronavirus, dozens of children and elderly Siekopai fled in canoes to Lagartococha, one of Ecuador's largest wetlands in the heart of the jungle, to avoid infection. Siekopai who stayed behind in their territory in Ecuador's Sucumbios province are turning to homeopathic medicines to cope with respiratory problems. Other indigenous groups in Ecuador's Amazon also have confirmed coronavirus cases, according to indigenous organization CONFENIAE. Ecuador has reported more than 30,000 cases. In neighboring Peru, indigenous groups submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations in late April, saying the government had left them to fend for themselves against the coronavirus, risking "ethnocide by inaction." (Source: Reuters)
See also: Confeniae: https://tinyurl.com/ybdoaeyn

WHO
May 2, 2020  The WHO says coronavirus restrictions must be eased slowly to prevent a deadly second wave. Countries should be ready to bring back restrictions if the number of coronavirus cases increases again, the World Health Organization says. Vulnerable people in institutions, including those in long-term care facilities, prisons and migrant dormitories, must be protected, the WHO's top emergencies expert Dr Ryan said. Even if the virus is coming under control, communities must know to still follow physical distancing and hygiene measures, and testing of suspect cases must continue. "But at the same time we want to avoid a situation where we release measures too easily and then we bounce back into intense transmission and we have to do it all over again," he said. More than 3.29 million people have reportedly been infected by the coronavirus globally and 232,806 have died. WHO director-general Ghebreyesus gave defence of his and the WHO's "timely" actions in declaring the coronavirus an international emergency at the end of January. The January 30 declaration was made in "enough time for the rest of the world to respond" because at that stage outside China there were only 82 cases of infection and no deaths, he said. Dr Tedros said the WHO had used the days before declaring the global emergency as time to visit China to learn more about the new virus. During that visit, they also won a "ground-breaking agreement" with China to send in investigators, Dr Tedros said. He, asked about relations with the United States - its biggest donor which has suspended funding after criticising WHO's handling of the pandemic -, said: "We are actually in constant contact and we work together." (Source: SBSNews)

Globalization
May 6, 2020  Drug dealers, mobsters and terrorists are also battling the bug. The sons of notorious drug kingpin “El Chapo” Guzman have been threatening those who break Mexico’s lockdown with beatings with boards, arrests and fines. They have heavily armed henchmen roaming the streets of the state capital of Sinaloa to enforce a curfew. Their sister, and several other cartels have also tried to win over despairing locals - shown in videos handing out coronavirus relief packages to the needy in an apparent PR campaign. Drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro that have been over-running some of Brazil’s most dangerous favelas have also been enforcing strict curfews. The Mafia has been exploiting Italy’s devastating outbreak by hiring the newly unemployed workers as foot soldiers. La Cosa Nostra is also stepping in with its hefty cash supplies to support companies facing bankruptcy, in exchange for part ownership. Liquidity is now “the center of everything” in the wake of the crisis. Mafioso soldiers have also been handing out food parcels to win over the needy. Latin America’s most feared gang, MS-13, has also joined the fight, enforcing curfews in areas of El Salvador where police often fear to go. After years of urging its terrorists to attack major European cities, isis is now telling them to steer clear due to the coronavirus - as well as handing out safety guidance to would-be jihadis. The “healthy should not enter the land of the epidemic and the afflicted should not exit from it,” the group wrote in its al-Naba newsletter. The militants have plenty of experience in covering their faces. Instead of a call for violence, the group wants to save all its followers - urge them to use time in isolation to study the Quran. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has put safety first - putting out videos on disinfection and photos of its fighters handing out face masks and soap. The group has also conducted door-to-door temperature checks and distributed hand sanitizer, even bragging about setting up public health information teams and even quarantine centers. The Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah said it would mobilize 25,000 people including frontline medics to help confront the coronavirus in Lebanon. (Source: NewYorkPost)
Note: Accompanying text of a photo: Locri hospital in southern Italy, patients are often sent elsewhere for lack of doctors, the elevators are endlessly in disrepair and the CT scan works one day, but not the next. Infiltration by the mafia, major doctor shortages, and a regional health agency hundreds of millions of euros in debt are just a few of the challenges the hospital confronted in 2019 alone. And that was before coronavirus.

Space
May 5, 2020  A previously unseen asteroid the size of a truck flew about 7,000 kilometers over the Pacific Ocean. 2020 JJ comes in as the sixth closest approach ever recorded. It is estimated to be 2.7 to 6 meters across, making it a pretty puny little hunk of space junk. (Source: cnet): https://tinyurl.com/ydgkx654

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Europe

France
April 9, 2025  French Industry Minister Ferracci warned Wednesday that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s upcoming trip to meet U.S. President Trump threatens to undermine European unity against American tariffs. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

Poland
10.04.2025  Above all, we should be ready for the EU to fall apart, Confederation MP Wawer told Polish broadcaster Radio ZET on Wednesday, as support for Poland’s ’far-right’ Confederation party rises ahead of May’s presidential election. A few years ago, we even prepared a document called ‘PolExit – Safe Emergency Exit’. A situation may arise in which Poland wants or must leave the EU, and we should focus on preparing for it at the moment, he said. Wawer also criticized what he called the EU’s incompetent response to US-imposed tariffs. “It looks like the race between the tortoise and the hare, and America is already about three laps ahead of the EU,” he said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

9 April 2025  Poland has downplayed the significance of a US decision to pull its troops out of the key Polish base Rzeszów-Jasionka, south-eastern Poland, supplying military aid to Ukraine. The move to redeploy of US personnel from was “the result of plans adopted after the NATO summit in Washington in 2024″, said a post on X from the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces yesterday. US troops remain in Poland!, Kosiniak-Kamysz, defence minister and deputy prime minister in Donald Tusk’s government, wrote on X: They would be “in different locations”, while now the mission in Jasionka involves mainly Norwegian, German, British and Polish troops, he added. US army newspaper Stars and Stripes reported: “The “US forces’ exit from Polish city key to arming Ukraine is [the] latest shift of burden to Europe.” The American’s removal from the Jasionka complex showed “real signs of an end to US financial aid for Ukraine”, wrote Polish MEP Buczek on X. (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)

April 9, 2025  General Donahue, the commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, has announced the relocation of American troops and equipment from a temporary base in Jasionka, Poland, established in 2022 about 30 miles from the Ukrainian border. He said the move was driven by budgetary concerns. Poland had already developed permanent infrastructure at the site. The base which has served as a key hub for the delivery of military assistance to Ukraine, will remain in use by Polish forces and NATO troops. Facilitating military aid to Ukraine via Jasionka will continue under Polish and NATO leadership, supported by a streamlined U.S. military footprint, read a press release from U.S. Army Europe and Africa. (Source: Meduza – based in Riga, Latvia)

European Commission
April 10, 2025  The European Union has announced it is pausing the retaliatory measures against the United States for 90 days, following President Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that he is temporarily halting reciprocal tariffs. 'If negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will kick in', European Commission President der Leyen wrote on X. (Source: Greek Reporter - Greece)

April 10, 2025 Yesterday, the European Commission has disbursed an additional €1 billion tranche of its exceptional Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loan to Ukraine, to be repaid with proceeds from immobilised Russian State assets in the EU. This payment brings the total MFA disbursements to Ukraine to €5 billion. The EU’s €18.1 billion MFA forms part of the G7-led Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) initiative, which aims to provide around €45 billion in support to Ukraine. Also, the Commission announced that this week it will receive €2.1 billion due in windfall profits generated from immobilised assets of the Russian Central Bank, held by the Central Securities Depositories. The proceeds from this tranche will be channelled via the European Peace Facility (EPF) and the Ukraine Facility’ to help strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities’ and contribute to the country’s recovery and reconstruction. Three finance contracts worth €300 million were signed yesterday between the European Investment Bank and Ukraine. The funding will empower local actors to swiftly rebuild essential infrastructure such as water systems and energy-efficient facilities, alleviating pressure on government administration while ensuring effective delivery. A major business summit co-hosted by the European Commission, the Ukrainian government, the Polish Presidency of the EU Council, and Italy, is taking place today and tomorrow. It aims to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and reform efforts, with over 700 stakeholders attending. On this occasion, European Commissioner Kos and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will launch a new EU-Ukraine Business Partnership to deepen economic ties between the EU and Ukraine and supporting its path to EU accession and integration into the EU Single Market. (Source: EUNeighbours east - under the guidance of the European Commission)

April 9, 2025 6:10  All member countries of the European Union except Hungary voted Wednesday in favor of proposals that would impose tariffs on specific U.S. products sold into Europe, starting next week. The proposals were first published on Monday by the European Commission. (Source: NPR - U.S.)

Moldova
09/04/2025  Moldovan court places  Gutul, leader of autonomous Gagauzia region under house arrest for 30 days. Gagauzia is an autonomous region in Moldova with a population of approximately 120,000 Gagauz people – an Orthodox Christian, Turkic community that speaks Gagauz Turkish. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Ukraine
April 10, 2025  The Ukrainian soldiers clambered from the ruined house at gunpoint - one with arms raised in surrender to the Russian troops - and lay face-down in the early spring grass. Two videos. Two stories. In one, the prisoners appear to live. In the other, they die. (Source: AP - U.S.)

April 09, 2025  A Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian cities of Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kramatorsk late yesterday wounded more than two dozen people. (Source: RFE/RL - U.S.)

09/04/2025  Ukraine says at least 155 Chinese nationals - mercenaries allegedly recruited by Moscow - fighting for Russia, claims Beijing is aware. (Source: France 24 "with AFP = France, AP" - U.S.)

United Kingdom
10 Apr 2025  Artificial intelligence programs could manipulate markets by creating intentional crises in order to boost profits, according to new information from the Bank of England. Robot rogue traders could rule world and make bankers even richer, a report by the bank’s financial policy committee said. "Models might learn that stress events increase their opportunity to make profit and so take actions actively to increase the likelihood of such events.' (Source: Daily Star – United Kingdom)

Asia

China
April 9, 2025  China retaliates against Trump with total 84 percent tariff on US goods. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

Iran
April 10, 2025 3:55 AM  Iran showcased new nuclear achievements just days ahead of talks with the United States on its nuclear program. It announced advancements in uranium enrichment, progress on nuclear plant projects at Bushehr and Karoun, and applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry, according to Iranian news reports. (Source: Miami Herald / Newsweek = U.S.)

.5 7 4 11:11

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 "A Pride fecsegő felszínének káprázatos látványtechnikája alatt a hallgatag mély
e felszínnél sokkal izgalmasabb rétegei nyílhatnak meg azok előtt, akik elegánsan elemelkednek az anyázás-technika hétköznapi világától.

A legmélyebb szint egyszerűen az, hogy a mindenségben a rend uralkodik,
és minden, ami szembe megy ezzel az előbb vagy utóbb „széthull darabokra”.

A második szint, hogy a világot irányító globális élősködő szándékosan rugdalja lefelé
a létezés entrópikus lejtőjén az emberiséget, amely így sokkal könnyebben kifosztható.

A harmadik szint, hogy nem a pride vagyis büszkeség a lényeg számukra, hanem az,
hogy (lévén a büszkeség ellentéte a szégyen) szégyenként élje át létét mindenki, aki nem „más”.

És végül a negyedik réteg az, hogy minden politikai erő a saját politikai pecsenyéjét süti a Pride tüzén."

Pride (Pénz, Pin@ & Politika), avagy a büszkeség és szégyen diszkrét dialektikája

Bogártól

- Video -

https://tinyurl.com/yv2wwrwt

 (Forrás: YouTube / Egy Bogár Naplója)

16 980 megtekintés

Kulcsszavak:    Európai Bizottság    Európai Parlament    Európai Unió    film    Föld    Magyarország    video

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Europe

Germany
30.06.2025  "Germany is not on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons," government spokesman Merz told reporters in Berlin today. He reiterated that his government "does not seek nuclear weapons." Over the weekend, Spahn, head of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's close political ally urged his country to join the nuclear weapons umbrella of Great Britain and France. ’Europe must become capable of deterrence. For this purpose, American atomic bombs are stationed in Germany. But this is not enough in the long term. We must talk about German or European participation in the nuclear arsenal of France and Great Britain,’ Spahn said in an interview with the daily Welt newspaper. Germany has committed to non-nuclear defense in international treaties, which prohibit it from acquiring nuclear weapons. It is also cooperating in NATO weapons-sharing agreements. NATO has said the US has deployed a limited number of B-61 nuclear weapons to locations in Europe. It is reportedly believed that about 20 US nuclear warheads are stored at the Buechel Air Base, located in southwestern Germany. In 2022, Germany chose Buechel as the future home of 35 American-made F-35 aircraft. They will replace their aging Tornado jets, which Germany has relied on for decades. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Italy
June 30, 2025  Italy’s cabinet approved a decree that lets almost 500,000 documented immigrants enter the country in the next three years - “the entry into Italy of essential labor that is indispensable to the national economic and production system and otherwise unavailable domestically,’ according to a government statement. Italy needs workers due to its aging population. The needs of the job market will include a mix of seasonal and non-seasonal workers, nannies and carers for the elderly as well as highly skilled workers. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pointed out on repeated occasions that while some legal entries are needed, the fight against those who do not have their paperwork in order will continue. There’s been a significant decline after Meloni’s first year in office, partly due to deals signed or renewed with north African countries including Tunisia. The new decree includes preferential treatment for citizens coming from states that promote media campaigns against illegal migration. Last year, only 7.8% of entries turned into residency permits and stable employment. (Source: Bloomberg - U.S.)

30.06.2025  Italy’s government is considering reclassifying a long-discussed €13.5 billion (approximately $14B) bridge to Sicily as a military project in a bid to help meet NATO’s new defense spending target of 5% of gross domestic product by 2035. Officials say the planned bridge over the Strait of Messina, set to be the world’s longest suspension bridge, could serve dual civilian and strategic purposes. Italian Foreign Minister Tajani and Infrastructure Minister Salvini argue the bridge would boost NATO military mobility by enabling the rapid transfer of troops and equipment between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean region. Italy spent just 1.49% of its GDP on defense in 2023. Final government approval for the project is expected in July. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Russia
30.06.2025  "The Russian side has decided to introduce counter restrictions on access from the territory of the Russian Federation to the web resources of fifteen media outlets of the bloc’s member states involved in the dissemination of false information,” said a Russian Foreign Ministry statement. No details were given regarding which European media outlets were sanctioned by Moscow. The statement said the measures were taken in response to restrictions imposed by the 27-member bloc within the framework of its 16th sanctions package approved in February against eight Russian media outlets. On Feb. 24, the EU announced its 16th sanctions package against Russia, which included suspending the bloc's broadcasting licenses of eight Russian media outlets, namely Eurasia Daily, Fondsk, Lenta, NewsFront, RuBaltic, SouthFront, Strategic Culture Foundation, and Krasnaya Zvezda. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Asia

China
30 Jun 2025  China’s Communist Party membership rose to 100.27 million by the end of 2024, an increase of 1.1 per cent from the previous year, official data shows. That compares with 1.2 per cent growth in 2023 and 1.4 per cent in 2022. The rate of membership growth has continued to slow, with one insider attributing this to stricter screening by the Central Organisation Department (COD), the party’s top personnel office, resulting in more rejections and longer probation periods. China’s ruling party continues to be the world’s No 2 political party by membership strength, after India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party – which claimed to have crossed 140 million members last week. As of September 2024, the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States had 45.1 million and 36 million registered voters. Communist Party members in China are subjected to tighter regulations. This includes membership fees of up to 2 per cent of their monthly pay, which goes into the party funds, and regular attendance at party meetings and basic organisational “cell” activities. “[Investigations by] the anti-corruption agency show many corrupt officials had wrong motives when they joined the party. The organisation department at all levels has been instructed to weed out those who show early signs of little conviction and could easily fall prey to temptation,” an official said. Membership is still widely regarded as a prerequisite for a meaningful political career. By the end of 2024, there were 21.42 million applicants waiting in line, an increase of 440,000 applicants over 2023. Nearly 58 per cent are holding a college degree or higher in the 2024 data. Members are also getting markedly older, with the number of those aged 35 or below falling by 2.4 per cent to 23.04 million in 2024. Those above 61 years of age totalled 28.97 million, making up 29 per cent of the total membership and marking a 4 per cent increase, more than double the increase recorded in 2023, when their total number was 27.87 million. (Source: South China Morning Post)

South Korea
2025Jun30  Managing decline? NATO’s uneasy future after the 2025 Summit. South Korea and NATO agreed to establish a Defense Industry Consultative Group, led at the director-general level. This Issue Brief examines what the 2025 NATO Summit reveals about the trajectory of the alliance as well as its implications for South Korea’s approach to alliance burden-sharing with the United States and its relationship with NATO more broadly. (Source: Center for Foreign Policy and National Security – based in Seoul, South Korea)
by Dr. Kim,  an associate research fellow in the Center for Foreign Policy and National Security at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. Her research focuses on South Korea-Europe relations, multilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and middle power diplomacy. She was previously a resident fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and a resident fellow at Pacific Forum International.

Syria
Jun 30, 2025  Alawite women snatched from streets of Syria. (Source: Japan Times / Reuters - United Kingdom)

North America

United States
Jun 30, 2025  Polls: Americans don't support Trump's unprovoked, broadly unpopular war on Iran. The president tapped into mass distrust of the Military Industrial Complex to win re-election, which remains true in recent surveys. “I will expel the warmongers from our national security state and carry out a much needed clean-up of the Military Industrial Complex to stop the war profiteering and to always put America first,” he promised during a speech in Wisconsin in September. 'We have these people, they want to go to war all the time,' he said of people embedded in the Military Industrial Complex. “You know why? Missiles are $2 million apiece. That’s why. They love to drop missiles all over the place.' After the election an overwhelming majority of the country - 77% - agreed with Trump that 'war profiteers' and 'war profiteering' are a problem in the U.S., according to a nationally representative online poll conducted by ReThink Media. After winning, Trump doubled down: “I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars,” he promised in his victory speech. Nationwide, people understand that another in a long series of endless wars will primarily benefit weapons makers, Pentagon contractors, and other parts of the Military Industrial Complex while harming Iranians, Israelis, and, potentially, untold Americans. People understand all too well that when bombs start dropping, ordinary people suffer while war profiteers get rich. (Source: Responsible Statecraft - U.S.)
by Vine, a political anthropologist and the author of a trilogy of books about war and peace, including "The United States of War: A Global History of America’s Endless Conflicts, from Columbus to the Islamic State.'

Jun 30, 2025  According to a lengthy report by the New York Times, President Trump’s decision on June 22 to authorize airstrikes at nuclear sites across Iran was influenced in part by Fox News. The president watched a lot of Fox News, which was dominated by defense contractor voices advocating US strikes. The pro-war onslaught on Fox throughout the war was relentless, with prominent right-wing dissenters such as Bannon and Carlson nowhere to be found. Carlson said it “feels like Fox is playing a central role in the pro-war push,' calling his former employer 'warmongers.' (Source: Responsible Statecraft - U.S.)
by Cleveland-Stout, a Research Associate in the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute.

.5 6 30 17:33

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Europe

Magyarország - Hungary
2025. VI. 29. Pride /Video/ (Source: YouTube / Mandiner)
14 923 megtekintés / views

29/06/2025  Hundreds of thousands of people from across Europe (including Luxembourg) marched through Budapest yesterday, joining the city’s Pride parade. The capital's municipality organised this march ’in a move to circumvent a law’ that allows police to ban LGBTQ marches. Hungarians and visitors from across Europe ’flouted’ a government ban on the event that drew many first-time participants. Among the participants were at least 70 MPs from 33 countries. Angel (LSAP) with EU and rainbow flags and Metz (Déi Gréng), both members of the LGBTIQ+ intergroup of the EU Parliament, travelled to the hungarian capital from Luxembourg. “I have never been to Pride but I came precisely because the government wanted to ban this event,’ said István, a 72-year-old pensioner. Nationalist groups went on to blockade Liberty Bridge, forcing Pride participants to alter their route and cross the Danube river via a different bridge. Paraders crossed Elizabeth Bridge - one of the capital’s widest - for more than an hour. Budapest’s opposition mayor, Karácsony, co-organized the Hungarian capital’s 30th iteration of the parade. under the banner of celebrating freedom. Police blocked the event under a law passed in April by lawmakers aligned with Orbán that cast LGBTQ-themed public gatherings as potential threats to children. Orbán’s lawmakers changed the constitution earlier this year to be able to ban the event. Critics say it ’was an attempt to ramp up his culture war and reverse his fading political fortunes before elections next year’. A constitutional amendment has since empowered authorities to restrict such events, even at the expense of curtailing freedom of assembly. One notable absentee from the parade is Magyar, a 'former Orbán ally. He has described the banning of Pride as a “political trap” designed to distract voters and rally conservatives ’against his surging movement, newly formed Tisza party’. European Commission President der Leyen in a statement late Wednesday was ’calling on Hungarian authorities’ to allow people to take part. Organizers and participants will face legal consequences, most likely fines, Orbán said Friday, adding that police wouldn’t use force to break up the march. The embassies of France, Germany and the UK were among 33 to sign a joint statement supporting ’the right’ to stage the parade. Diplomats, lawmakers and government officials from around Europe ’were expected’ to take part. Hungary’s supreme court has taken a critical stance against excessive police restrictions on public assemblies. On Friday, the court annulled - for a second time - a police ban on an LGBTQ equality march, a separate event scheduled to coincide with yesterday’s Pride celebrations. “Order must always be established and then it must be kept,” Orbán told graduating police cadets yesterday, without making a specific reference to Pride. (Source: Luxembourg Times)

Ukraine
June 29, 2025 11:00 pm ET  Russian forces are just 12 miles from the northern Ukrainian regional capital of Sumy, a new target for Moscow, as the Kremlin presses its manpower advantage at a growing number of places along the front. With 50,000 troops in the area, they outnumber the Ukrainians roughly 3-to-1, according to soldiers fighting there. Over the past year, the front line has grown by more than 100 miles and now stretches more than 750 miles in an arc from the northeast to the south, Gen. Syrskiy, Ukraine’s top military commander said. Earlier this month, Ukraine sent elite commando units from its military intelligence directorate, known as HUR, to help stabilize the situation. Since then, the Russian advances in Sumy have been largely stopped. Ukrainian forces are outnumbered nearly everywhere across the front. Soldiers in the area say that holding Sumy is coming at a greater human cost than necessary. After a chaotic and costly retreat from Kursk, they found outdated trenches, with no overhead cover from drones. The soldiers are now digging their own positions under drone fire in some cases. They also complained that areas that the Russians are now advancing across weren’t mined. (Source: WSJ - U.S.)

June 29, 2025 'Zelenskyy is begging Trump for more Patriot missile batteries'. Can he deliver? After a 24-hour delay caused by the Middle East crisis, President Trump and his foreign policy team traveled to the NATO conference in The Hague, Netherlands, where Zelenskyy also made an appearance - in a suit, no less! Ukraine is not a member of NATO, however, Zelenskyy has regularly appeared at the bloc’s annual conference in order to meet with American and European leaders, rally support for Ukraine’s defense, and ask for further military aid. This time around, the embattled leader needs American Patriot missile batteries. Before the conference, the Americans needed Patriot missiles in the Middle East. Whether the Americans would, in fact, be handing the America’s finite arsenal of Patriot missile batteries over to the Ukrainians? The Russians have proven capable of targeting warehouses in Ukraine where sensitive US military equipment is stored, and can destroy those vital US systems before Ukraine can even deploy them. Patriot missiles are highly effective, featuring an AN/MPQ-53 or -65 phased-array radar that tracks up to 100 targets at ranges over 93 miles, distinguishing between friendly and hostile launches. Patriot missile batteries are truck-mounted, each holding four interceptors (PAC-2 or PAC-3 missiles). They possess command-and-control stations that coordinate the targeting of incoming enemies along with the missile launches. The missiles used to intercept incoming drones and missiles are known as PAC-2 and PAC-3. The former uses proximity detonation to destroy targets, effective against aircraft and older missiles. The PAC-3, however, is a hit-to-kill interceptor optimized for ballistic missiles, with higher precision but fewer missiles per launcher. A single Patriot battery costs around $1 billion, with each launcher costing around $10 million. PAC-3 interceptors cost around $4 million each. This high cost limits the Patriot system’s use to high-value targets, as using a $4 million missile against a $50,000 Iranian-made drone is extremely uneconomical. As of May 2025, Ukraine has eight Patriot systems, with six operational and two under refurbishment. The United States, Germany, and the Netherlands have supplied batteries, with deliveries starting in April 2023. In January 2025, around 90 Patriot interceptor rockets from Israel (decommissioned by the IDF) were transferred to Ukraine via the United States, boosting Kyiv’s missile stocks. The Zelenskyy government in Kyiv has called for at least seven additional Patriot systems to protect major cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv, which are subjected to intense Russian attacks. Such a request, however, is highly unlikely to be met. After all, in total, the United States only has around 14 Patriot batteries globally. Allies like Germany, Poland, and Greece have more, but are understandably reluctant to put their own national security at risk by donating theirs. Raytheon is expanding production of the launchers, but demand will continue to outstrip supply for the foreseeable future. Frankly, there are so few Patriots available that, even if the Americans acceded to Kyiv’s request, it would make little difference - there is no leverage to be gained. No amount of military aid will negate the massive advantages Russia has amassed over the last three years of fighting. Only peaceful negotiations can save Ukraine from Russia’s wrath. But the country’s leaders have yet to realize this - and the hour is late. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
By Weichert. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine.

29 Jun 2025 at 13:48  Russia used hundreds of drones, cruise and ballistic missiles to attack western, southern and central Ukraine overnight. Sounds of explosions were heard in Lviv, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy regions. The Ukrainian military said Russia had launched 477 drones and 60 missiles of various types to Ukraine overnight while Ukrainian forces destroyed 211 drones and 38 missiles. It said 225 drones were lost - in reference to the Ukrainian military using electronic warfare to redirect them - or they were drone simulators that did not carry warheads. Industrial facilities were hit in the southern Ukrainian Mykolaiv and central Dnipropetrovsk regions The governor of the Lviv region said the attack targeted critical infrastructure. A Ukrainian pilot was killed and his F-16 fighter jet lost while repelling a large-scale Russian nighttime missile and drone attack. It was the third such loss of an F-16 of the war. (Source: Bangkok Post - Thailand)

Asia

Gaza
29.06.2025  Israeli army orders mass evacuation, warns of expanded attacks in at least 17 areas across northern Gaza as death toll surpasses 60 yesterday alone. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Iran
29/06/2025 - 08:49  At least 71 people were killed in an Israeli air offensive on Monday, June 13 that struck the Evin prison, a large, heavily fortified complex in the north of Tehran, where numerous political prisoners and foreign nationals were held, Iran's judiciary said today. According to judiciary spokesman Jahangir, Evin's medical centre and visiting rooms had been targeted. The victims at Evin included administrative staff, guards, prisoners and visiting relatives as well as people living nearby. The inmates at Evin have included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohammadi as well as several French nationals and other foreigners. (Source: France 24 "with AFP" = France)

North America

United States
29 June 2025  In a rare Saturday vote, the US Senate narrowly passed Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ as the July 4 deadline approaches. The bill was passed by a 51-49 vote, after Vice-President Vance broke the tie by casting his vote at the Capitol. It is a tax break package which includes spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds. An estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office showed that the House-passed version of Trump's tax bill would cost around 10.9 million more people their healthcare, and at least 3 million their food aid. Top income-earners would see about a $12,000 tax cut under the House bill, while the package would cost the poorest Americans $1,600, the CBO said. In the latest 940-page version of the bill, if all the existing tax breaks are kept and the new ones are added. Some of the other changes in the bill include an increased proportion of tax deductions for older Americans under Social Security taxes, increasing the deduction limit for state and local taxes (SALT). Money from the cuts would go for hiring 10,000 new ICE, aka Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with $10,000 signing bonuses and a surge of Border Patrol officers. The goal is to deport some 1 million people per year. The bill is expected to cost $3.8 trillion over the decade, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said in one of its analyses. The CBO further estimates that the House-passed package would add $2.4 trillion to the nation’s deficits over the next decade. North Carolina Senator Tillis said he is concerned about the fundamentals of the package and will not support the procedural motion to begin debate. Kentucky Senator Paul opposes the measure to raise the nation's debt limit by $5 trillion. Wisconsin Senator Johnson is pushing for deeper cuts and said he needed to see the final legislative text. Montana Senator Sheehy said he would agree to proceeding to the bill only after being assured a provision for public lands sales he opposes would be taken out with an amendment. All of these senators belong to the Republican Party. Musk stands as the forerunner of voicing his dissent for the Big Beautiful Bill, once again renewing his stance on X, stating: "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country.' (Source: Outlook - India)

International Atomic Energy Agency

(Sunday, 29 June 2025)  Iran has the capacity to start enriching uranium again - for a possible bomb - in ’a matter of months', Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has said. He told CBS News the US strikes on three Iranian sites last weekend had caused severe but not total damage, contradicting Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear facilities were ’totally obliterated’. Earlier this week, a Pentagon intelligence assessment found the US strikes only set the programme back by months. In a speech on Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said the strikes had achieved nothing significant. Its foreign minister Araghchi, however, said excessive and serious damage was done. On Wednesday, Iran’s parliament moved to suspend cooperation with the atomic watchdog, accusing the IAEA of siding with Israel and the US. The two countries attacked Iran after the UN body last month found Tehran to be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years. Under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran was not permitted to enrich uranium above 3.67% purity - the level required for fuel for commercial nuclear power plants - and was not allowed to carry out any enrichment at its Fordo plant for 15 years. Iran resumed enrichment at Fordo in 2021 and had amassed enough 60%-enriched uranium to potentially make nine nuclear bombs, according to the IAEA. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

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Europe

Hungary
28/06/2025 - 22:11  Record numbers of people marched in the Budapest Pride parade today - organisers estimated up to 200,000 people took part. The governing coalition amended its laws and the constitution this year to prohibit the annual celebration, citing "child protection." Hungary is the first EU nation to ban a Pride march. The opposition-run Budapest city hall ’decided to co-host the march so it could go ahead’. It was held ’in a festive atmosphere’ and came in spite of a police ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government. Orbán said yesterday that while police would not break up the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of "legal consequences". Parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, and attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($590). ’Dozens’ of European lawmakers also attended in defiance of the ban. Earlier this week, EU chief ’der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities’ to reverse the ban. A woman who gave only her first name, Katalin, told AFP she agreed with the ban though she hoped there would be no clashes. "Disgusting... it's become a fad to show off ourselves,' she said. Hungarian government spokesman Kovács in a post on X after the march claimed the opposition staged the parade at Brussels' command. ’With Pride, the opposition incited against laws they don't like, mocked Hungary's sovereignty, and - with foreign backing - tried to force woke culture onto us,’ he wrote. (Source: France 24 / AFP = France)

(Saturday), 28/06/2025 - 17:06  Despite a police ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government, with rainbow flags flying high tens of thousands marched in Budapest today, defying a new law by PM’s ruling coalition that bans Hungary's annual Pride celebrations. Since Orbán's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights. Orbán's governing coalition amended laws and the constitution this year to prohibit the annual celebration, justifying his years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights on "child protection" grounds. The latest legal changes also empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those who take part, and newly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the parade route. Earlier this week, EU chief der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban. EU equalities commissioner Lahbib travelled to Hungary and spoke in support of the parade yesterday. Parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, and attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($590). Orbán said yesterday that while police would not break up the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of legal consequences. Dozens of European lawmakers attended in defiance of the ban. Budapest's opposition mayor Karácsony has insisted that no attendee should face any reprisals 'as the march is a municipal event that does not require police approval'. Thirty-three nations, including most EU countries, have also released a statement in support of the march. Orbán is employing a tried-and-tested recipe ahead of next year's election by generating a conflict, political analyst Mikecz told AFP, saying that Orbán was polarising society. AFP journalists saw the festive crowd filling squares and streets along the route. A woman who gave only her first name, Katalin, told AFP she agreed with the ban though she hoped there would be no clashes. "Disgusting... it's become a fad to show off ourselves,' she said. Some people holding religious books and a cross adorned with protest messages also gathered along the route to protest against LGBTQ rights at the urging of ’far-right’ groups. (Source: France 24 „with AFP”)

Saturday 28 June 2025 11:39 BST  Tens of thousands to march in Hungarian capital in defiance of Pride ban. Making the march a key topic of political discourse has allowed the Orbán government to take the initiative back from the opposition to mobilise its voter base. The crackdown is unfolding ahead of a crucial general election next year, where Mr Orbán faces an opposition challenge. In the past 15 years, Fidesz decided what topics dominated the political world. Under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary has systematically curtailed the rights of its LGBTQ+ community. A law passed in March further empowered authorities to ban Pride events, to "protect children" – a justification ’widely seen by critics as a pretext for a broader assault on democratic liberties’. Opponents view the government's actions against the LGBTQ+ community as part of a wider erosion of democratic norms, with the Pride march serving as a focal point for resistance. More than 30 embassies have expressed support for the march and European Commission President der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to let the parade go ahead. Organisers anticipate a massive turnout, with participants travelling from 30 different countries to show ’solidarity’. Among the attendees expected are European Commissioner for Equality Lahbib and approximately 70 members of the European Parliament. Seventy Hungarian civil society groups, including the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Transparency International Hungary and the Hungarian Helsinki Commission, published an open letter yesterday in support of the march, saying the law that led to the police ban 'serves to intimidate' the entire society. Budapest Mayor Karácsony ’tried to circumvent the law by organising the march' as a municipal event, which he said does not need a permit. Police however banned the event, arguing that "it fell under the scope of the child protection law". Mr Orbán, whose government promotes a Christian-conservative agenda, provided some clues yesterday about what participants can expect when he warned of legal consequences for organising and attending the march. Earlier this week Justice Minister Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organising a prohibited event is punishable by one year in jail, while attending counts as a misdemeanour. The law that allows for the ban of Pride lets police impose fines and use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend. When asked about the threat of a one-year jail term, Mr Karácsony said at a press briefing yesterday that such a sentence ’would only boost his popularity’. 'But I cannot take it seriously', he said. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)
by’ Komuves’

Danube
Sat, 28 June 2025  Revealing a lesser known stretch of the Danube. / Photo/ (Source: The West Australian – newspaper, published in Perth, Western Australia)
by de Moeller

United Kingdom
June 28, 2025  UK’s announcement of its plan to purchase approximately 12 F-35A nuclear-capable aircraft from the United States is a crucial step in deterrence messaging. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)

Africa

Democratic Republic of Congo
Jun 28, 2025  Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement yesterday in Washington. The agreement comes after the M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel force linked to Rwanda, sprinted across the mineral-rich east of the DRC earlier this year, seizing vast territory including the key city of Goma. The deal calls for Rwanda to end ’defensive measures’ it has taken. It does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 in the area torn by decades of on-off war. Rwanda has denied directly supporting the M23 but has demanded an end to another armed group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by ethnic Hutus linked to the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The agreement calls for the ’neutralization’ of the FDLR, with Rwandan Foreign Minister Nduhungirehe saying the irreversible and verifiable end to state support to the Hutu militants should be the first order of business. His Congolese counterpart, Kayikwamba Wagner, highlighted the agreement's call for respecting state sovereignty. The agreement sets up a joint security coordination body to monitor progress and calls vaguely for a regional economic integration framework within three months. Trump has’ trumpeted’ the diplomacy that led to the deal, and started his White House event by bringing up a journalist who said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. Earlier yesterday, Trump said the United States will be able to secure „a lot of mineral rights from the Congo’. Lithium and cobalt are vital in electric vehicles and other advanced technologies. U.S. rival China now is a key player in securing the resources. Mukwege, a gynecologist who shared the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end the DRC's epidemic of sexual violence in war, voiced alarm about the agreement, saying it effectively benefited Rwanda and the United States. The deal ’would amount to granting a reward for aggression, legitimizing the plundering of Congolese natural resources, and forcing the victim to alienate their national heritage by sacrificing justice in order to ensure a precarious and fragile peace,’ he said in a statement ahead of the agreement’s signing. (Source: The Japan Times / AFP - France; JIJI - Japan)

Asia

Gaza
June 28, 2025 | 10:09 AM  ’At least 39 Palestinians were martyred tonight, and dozens were injured, as a result of intensive airstrikes and shelling carried out by the Israeli occupation forces on several areas in the northern, central, and southern Gaza Strip’. (Source: Gulf Times – Qatar)

Iran
June 28, 2025 5:39 PM CET  Iran decided to ban the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency from its nuclear facilities and to remove surveillance cameras from them, claiming it discovered Israel’s government obtained sensitive facility data. The vice speaker of the Iranian parliament, Haji Babaei, announced the decision during funerals of top military officials and nuclear scientists killed by recent Israeli strikes, Mehr news agency reported today. Iran previously allowed the IAEA to access and inspect its nuclear plants and use sophisticated surveillance devices as a crucial commitment within the nuclear deal Tehran signed with France, Russia, the U.K., the U.S., Germany and the European Union in 2015 to keep its nuclear program under control. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

North America

United States
Sat June 28, 2025  The US military did not use bunker-buster bombs on one of Iran’s largest nuclear sites last weekend. The site is so deep that the bombs likely would not have been effective, the US’ top general told senators during a briefing on Thursday. The comment by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Caine is the first known explanation given for why the US military did not use the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb against the Isfahan site in central Iran. US officials believe Isfahan’s underground structures house nearly 60% of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, which Iran would need in order to ever produce a nuclear weapon. US B2 bombers dropped over a dozen bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites. But Isfahan was only struck by Tomahawk missiles launched from a US submarine. During the briefing, Ratcliffe told lawmakers that the US intelligence community assesses that the majority of Iran’s enriched nuclear material is buried at Isfahan and Fordow. An early assessment produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency in the day after the US strikes said the attack did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program, including its enriched uranium, and likely only set the program back by months, CNN has reported. It also said Iran may have moved some of the enriched uranium out of the sites before they were attacked. The Trump officials who briefed lawmakers this week sidestepped questions about the whereabouts of Iran’s stockpile of already-enriched uranium. President Trump again claimed today that nothing was moved from the three Iranian sites before the US military operation. But Republican lawmakers emerged from the classified briefings on Thursday acknowledging that the US military strikes may not have eliminated all of Iran’s nuclear materials. They argued that doing so was not part of the military’s mission. 'The purpose of the mission was to eliminate certain particular aspects of their nuclear program. Those were eliminated. To get rid of the nuclear material was not part of the mission,” GOP Rep. Murphy told CNN. 'The program was obliterated at those three sites. But they still have ambitions,' said Republican Sen. Graham of South Carolina. “I don’t know where the 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium exists. But it wasn’t part of the targets there.” '(The sites) were obliterated. Nobody can use them anytime soon,' Graham also said. “There were a moderate number of vehicles present at Isfahan on June 26 and at least one of the tunnel entrances was cleared of obstructions by mid-morning June 27,” weapons expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies Lewis said. Additional satellite imagery captured on June 27 by Planet Labs show the entrance to the tunnels were open at the time, according to Lewis. The preliminary DIA assessment noted that the nuclear sites’ above ground structures were moderately to severely damaged, CNN has reported. That damage could make it a lot harder for Iran to access any enriched uranium that does remain underground. 'Iran still has the know-how to put back together a nuclear program. And if they still have that enriched material, and if they still have centrifuges, and if they still have the capability to very quickly move those centrifuges into what we call a cascade, we have not set back that program by years. We have set it back by months', Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat, told on Thursday night. Caine and Hegseth on Thursday said the military operation against Fordow went exactly as planned but did not mention the impacts to Isfahan and Natanz. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

(Saturday), 28 June 2025  Speaking at a press conference at the White House yesterday, the US President told reporters he would consider ’without question’ attacking Iran again if intelligence reports conclude Iran could enrich uranium to concerning levels. Mr Trump reiterated his claim that Iranian nuclear sites had been ’obliterated’ in the attacks. In a speech on Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader said the US president had exaggerated the damage to the nuclear facilities and that the strikes did not accomplish anything significant. Iran's foreign minister Araghchi admitted on Thursday evening that ’excessive and serious’ damage was done to the country's nuclear facilities by the US strikes. (Source: LBC – United Kingdom)

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Europe

Hungary
June 27, 2025  Dozens of ’prominent’ European politicians - more than 70 members of the European Parliament - are heading to Hungary for Pride. Hungary is making clear the foreign dignitaries will be breaking the law. The country’s conservative government insists the parade is illegal. Brussels is attacking Hungary again: European Commission President der Leyen backed the celebrations in a video statement on Wednesday. ’To the LGBTIQ+ community in Hungary and beyond: I will always be your ally.’ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hit back on social media and urged der Leyen “to refrain from interfering in the law enforcement affairs of member states.” In a letter addressed to several embassies this week, Justice Minister Tuzson insists the parade is banned. He reiterated that organizers could be imprisoned and that the celebrations are illegal. “Kindly ensure that your co-workers and colleagues are duly informed of these facts, in order to maintain clarity,” Tuzson wrote. “The legal situation is clear: The Pride parade is a legally banned assembly, organising or announcing which qualifies as a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment for up to one year under Hungarian law … Those who take part in an event prohibited by the authorities commit an infraction.” The letter was prompted by a joint statement from dozens of Budapest-based ambassadors, mostly from EU countries, backing the event and its organizers. During a press briefing yesterday, Orbán said he was calling on people not to attend but noted the use of force was not planned. “Hungary is a civilized country. We do not hurt each other,” he added. Budapest mayor Karácsony - calling for the city council to organize the march - effectively freed event organizers from having to obtain a police permit - which they were always unlikely to get. Hungary, with its ’far-right’ government led by Fidesz, has led the charge against the continent’s liberal approach to sexual and gender freedoms. In recent years, Orbán has adopted rhetoric styled after the conservative MAGA movement in the U.S., becoming the European firebrand of a global charge against gender ideology and ’woke’ culture. Hungary,after Orbán came to power in 2010, banned same-sex marriage and adoption. In 2021 his government passed a child protection law that allowed authorities to ban content for children portraying or promoting homosexuality and gender reassignment. This past March, Orbán’s government passed legislation prohibiting public assemblies that promote or display the LGBTQ+ community, under the pretext of protecting children, effectively banning Pride celebrations nationwide. (Source: Politico – based in U.S., owned by a German company)

Denmark
Fri 27 Jun 2025  Denmark is to clamp down on the creation and dissemination of AI-generated deepfakes by changing copyright law to ensure that everybody has the right to their own body, facial features and voice. The department of culture plans to submit the amendment in the autumn. It defines a deepfake as a very realistic digital representation of a person, including their appearance and voice. “Human beings can be run through the digital copy machine and be misused for all sorts of purposes and I’m not willing to accept that,” the Danish culture minister, Engel-Schmidt, said. The changes to Danish copyright law will, once approved, theoretically give people in Denmark the right to demand that online platforms remove such content if it is shared without consent. Violation of the proposed rules could result in compensation for those affected. The government said the new rules would not affect parodies and satire, which would still be permitted. Engel-Schmidt plans to use Denmark’s forthcoming EU presidency to share its plans with his European counterparts. (Source: The Guardian - United Kingdom)

European Council
Fri Jun 27 2025 - 19:59  Splits have emerged between European governments over talks to avert crippling tariffs on trade. Ireland, Germany, Italy and others are keen to land a quick deal with the Trump administration, while the French government is concerned about the European Union giving too many concessions. Mr Trump has threatened to put tariffs of 50 per cent on imports sold into the US from the EU, unless the two sides agree a trade deal by July 9th. Near-blanket tariffs of 10 per cent have been charged on EU goods since early April, with cars and steel subject to higher 25 per cent duties. Germany and Italy want the commission to make sure it agrees some type of deal, or the broad strokes of an agreement that heads off steeper tariffs. French president Macron has said that if some US tariffs became permanent, the EU would have to consider putting similar duties on goods coming from the US. Negotiators from the European Commission, that leads on trade policy, have been putting more pressure on US counterparts, to get some form of tariff deal over the line before the July 9th deadline. European Commission president der Leyen briefed EU leaders at a summit in Brussels late yesterday about the ’progress’ of talks. Officials have largely accepted that any deal will not remove Mr Trump’s 10 per cent “liberation day” tariffs, which apply to nearly all trade except pharmaceutical products and computer chips, which he has promised to hit with separate levies. EU trade commissioner Šefčovič said he is continuing to work towards a negotiated solution, after a phone call with US trade representative Greer today afternoon. The commission is preparing a package of retaliatory tariffs as leverage to levy on US trade if negotiations stall. It has proposed targeting Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers. The EU’s retaliatory package would only affect €25 billion worth of US trade, rather than €95 billion, if the EU was to remove from the tariff list every product member states want off, the commission recently told diplomats in a closed-door meeting.automobile industry and a host of other US products and sectors. Dublin and other capitals are eager to land at least a preliminary agreement, rather than extend the US tariff deadline beyond July 9th. There is concern in Government that existing tariffs will become the new 'baseline'. Cementing tariffs at that rate would still have a significant economic impact, given the huge amount the Republic exports to the US. The Government has asked the commission to reconsider putting counter tariffs on aircraft, medical devices, bourbon and agricultural products, to shield Ryanair, Irish whiskey distillers and the medtech sector from US crossfire in the event of a full-blown trade war. (Source: The Irish Times Ireland)

27/06/2025 - 15:50  "European Union leaders considered new US trade proposals ahead of the July 9 deadline for US President Trump's tariffs at a Brussels summit yesterday. They also addressed the Mercosur trade agreement, Russia sanctions, and restructuring the World Trade Organization'. (Source: France 24)

Russia
(June 27, 2025)  Putin signed a decree that reduces the scope of classified information accessible to government ministries. The decree removes the Ministry of Internal Affairs' access to information concerning operational activities around mobilization and individuals who confidentially cooperate with counter-terrorism agencies. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Development loses its access to data related to the quantity and combat readiness of troops, the import and export of armaments and military-technical assistance provided to other nations. (Source: Conflict Intelligence Team - Georgia)

(June 27, 2025)  Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Medvedev announced that more than 800 participants in the war will represent the ruling United Russia [Putin’s ruling party] in elections at various levels on the country’s Single Voting Day. (Source: Conflict Intelligence Team - Georgia)

(June 27, 2025)  Court in Perm region [Russia’s federal subject] sentenced photographer Skvortsov to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of treason. According to investigators, the photographer gave a book about Soviet bunkers titled "Secret Bunkers: Urban Special Fortifications of the 1930s–1960s" to an American journalist. The book is freely available for sale in stores. Skvortsov was arrested in November 2023. (Source: Conflict Intelligence Team - relocated to Georgia since 2022 )

Asia

Azerbaijan
June 27, 2025  Iran’s President Pezeshkian urged Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev during a call on June 26 to “investigate and verify” reports that Israeli drones, including micro-drones, may have entered Iranian air space via Azerbaijani territory. According to the official Iranian readout of the conversation, Aliyev denied the claims and insisted that his government would not allow Azerbaijan’s territory to be used against Iran. However, there is no mention of this exchange in the official Azerbaijani account of the call. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Israeli-made weapons constituted approximately 69 percent of all major conventional arms imported by Azerbaijan between 2016 and 2020. (Source: RFE/RL - U.S.)

China
June 27, 2025  China's top legislature has voted to remove senior military official Miao, 69, the former political ideology chief of the People's Liberation Army from the Central Military Commission, its highest-level military command body and suspended him from his post. He was also removed from China's national legislature on March 14, for "serious violations of discipline and law,’ according to a communique released by the legislature last month. Miao was put under investigation for "serious violations of discipline" in November. The move marks another stage in President Xi’s ongoing anti-corruption purge of China's military, in which over a dozen PLA generals and a handful of defence industry executives have been implicated. Miao was stationed in the coastal province of Fujian when Xi worked there as a local official. Xi personally elevated Miao to the Central Military Commission. Another senior military official, Vice Admiral Li, was stripped of his parliamentary delegate status today. He was chief of staff of the PLA Navy and its third-ranking officer. Another Central Military Commission member and China's second-ranking general, He, has not been seen in public since the March 11 closing ceremony of the annual parliamentary sessions in Beijing. He is the third-most powerful commander of the People's Liberation Army and is considered a close associate of President Xi, the army's commander-in-chief. Two former Chinese defence ministers have been removed from the Communist Party for corruption. One of them, Li, was suspected of corruption in military procurement. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

India
27.06.25  On the sidelines of the meeting of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Qingdao, Indian Defence Minister Singh told his Chinese counterpart Dong today, that the two countries should seek a "permanent solution" to their decades-old border dispute. Singh stressed on solving issues between the countries through a structured roadmap. Singh also stressed on border management and to have a permanent solution of border demarcation by rejuvenating the established mechanism on the issue, the India's defence ministry statement said. Beijing says the border dispute should not affect the larger relationship and differences should be managed properly until a mutually acceptable solution is found through dialogue. The world's two most populous nations - both nuclear powers - share a 3,800 km, largely undemarcated and disputed border in the Himalayas and have gone to war over it in 2020, resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. The clash led to a four-year military standoff with both armies deploying tens of thousands of troops in the mountains until they reached a pact in October to step back. The defence ministers agreed to continue consultations to achieve progress on "disengagement, de-escalation, border management and eventual de-limitation", the statement added. Beijing and New Delhi said this month that they have agreed to expedite the resumption of direct air services, which were suspended after the 2020 clash, and step up communication. SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping whose members include China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran. Their defence ministers' meeting was held as a precursor to the annual summit of its leaders set for the autumn. The SCO defence ministers were unable to adopt a joint statement at the end of their meeting due to a lack of consensus on referring to ’terrorism’, India said yesterday. (Source: The Telegraph – India)

Asia
June 27, 2025  Iran war highlights Asia's vulnerability. According to our analysis, Asia would be the region most severely impacted if the strait were to be shut down. Roughly 80% of the crude oil transported through the Strait of Hormuz -- which narrows to just over 30 kilometers at its tightest point - is destined for Asia. Major economies like China and India are expected to face particularly severe consequences in the event of a disruption. Crude oil prices surged following the U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. However, just a few days later, President Trump unilaterally declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran via Truth Social. His statement sent oil prices tumbling and Asian stocks soaring. A shaky ceasefire has since taken hold. Whether this marks the end of the latest crisis remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: Any conflict that spreads globally will have a profound impact on Asia. (Source: Nikkei /Jiji = Japan)
by Tanaka, Nikkei Asia's editor

North America

Canada
27 Jun 2025  Separatist sentiments have been energised in Alberta, the western Canadian province that is the largest foreign supplier of oil to the US and has always considered itself a little bit different than the rest of Canada. Its independence movement poses a threat to Prime Minister Carney’s push for national unity and his ability to respond to the economic threats unleashed by Trump, the US president. This turmoil has been amplified by premier Smith, the 54-year-old United Conservative party leader who regularly rails against Ottawa and has opened the door to an independence referendum. Smith said she was against separating from Canada or Trump’s idea of joining the US. The day after Carney won the national election in April, she introduced a law that lowers the threshold to hold a provincial vote on whether Alberta should breakaway from Canada. From next month, only 177,000 signatures are needed for a referendum petition, down from 600,000. Only 29 per cent of Albertans support the idea of Alberta becoming its own country, according to a May Leger public opinion survey(. The Angus Reid Institute reported that at least 36 per cent of Albertans wanted a vote to leave Canada while highlighting similar tensions exist in neighbouring Saskatchewan. On Monday, the separatist Republican Party of Alberta came third in a by-election dominated by Smith’s United Conservative party. Canada is no stranger to an identity crisis. French-speaking Quebec in the country’s east held unsuccessful votes for independence in 1980 and 1995. Now, it is the west that is voicing its frustration, particularly over how their abundant oil reserves pay for less prosperous provinces. But even if a “Yes” vote wins more than 50 per cent of the vote, independence could only happen after long negotiations with Ottawa and other provinces. It also has to contend with First Nations groups that are fiercely against the idea. Smith said the anger today is the result of a decade of Liberal party rule under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, whose climate-focused agenda, such as the carbon tax, was devastating to families and stifled industry. Smith met Trump in January at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in a bid to promote Alberta’s energy abundance. Smith was the first premier Carney visited after becoming prime minister. His election promise to make Canada an “energy superpower” with the “strongest economy in the G7” heavily relies on Alberta’s support. Smith’s inner circle includes figures such as chief of staff Anderson, an author of the Free Alberta Strategy, a manifesto urging the province “to assert its sovereignty, (and) offload the burden of Ottawa’s tyrannical economic policies”. (Source: Financial Times - United Kingdom)

United States
June 27, 2025  Parents with religious objections to storybooks with L.G.B.T.Q. themes may withdraw their children from public schools when the L.G.B.T.Q. Storybooks are discussed, the Supreme Court ruled on today. Maryland parents have a religious right to withdraw their children from classes on days that stories with gay and transgender themes are discussed, the court ruled. The logic of Justice Alito’s majority opinion in the 6-to-3 decision seemed to sweep quite broadly, allowing parents with religious objections to demand that their children not be instructed about gay and transgender themes but also about many other topics. Some legal scholars said the ruling would have broad consequences for the ability of public schools to manage their curriculums. Justice Sotomayor announced her written dissent. She wrote that public schools offer to children of all faiths and backgrounds an education and an opportunity to practice living ’in our multicultural society.’ ’That experience,’ she added, ’is critical to our nation’s civic vitality’. A lawyer for the parents, Baxter of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, welcomed the decision. “This is a historic victory for parental rights in Maryland and across America,” he said. “Kids shouldn’t be forced into conversations about drag queens, pride parades or gender transitions without their parents’ permission.” (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

June 27, 2025  Since the late ’70s Hezbollah has maintained a well-documented presence in the U.S., mainly for terror fundraising, but these so-called sleeper units can instantly morph into violent and lethal operational cells. In Iran's 'forever war' against the US, Hezbollah is the most prolific and capable terrorist organization in the world. The misguided prioritization of the FBI during the Biden administration on "white supremacist' organizations diverted precious resources away from the greatest threat in its mission portfolio. The Biden administration’s reckless open-border policies created an unprecedented opportunity for a host of additional international terror cells and individual fanatics to infiltrate into the U.S. A June 2022 study by the George Washington University program on extremism identified 128 individual examples of Hezbollah activity in the US. Border Czar Homan reported that Biden’s policies resulted in the capture and release of over 1,272 Iranian nationals who have melted into this country unvetted and unmonitored. In addition, there were over 2 million got-aways. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)
by Swecker, who served 24 years in FBI as Special Agent. He retired from the Bureau as Assistant Director with responsibility over all FBI Criminal Investigations.

International Atomic Energy Agency

27.06.2025  UN nuclear watchdog says radiation levels in Gulf remain normal after Iran's nuke sites hit by Israel, US. Today, IAEA Director General Grossi said data from the International Radiation Monitoring System, which includes 48 countries, showed no significant radioactive release from Iran's nuclear facilities. “From a nuclear safety perspective, Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and the Tehran Research Reactor represented our main concern, as any strike affecting those facilities - including their off-site power lines - could have caused a radiological accident with potential consequences in Iran as well as beyond its borders in the case of the Bushehr plant. It did not happen, and the worst nuclear safety scenario was thereby avoided,” Grossi said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

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Europe

France
26.06.2025 Speaking during a parliamentary debate on the Middle East yesterday evening, French Defense Minister Lecornu confirmed that the country's military forces intercepted multiple Iranian drones aimed at Israel during the recent conflict between the two countries. He said fewer than 10 drones were brought down by French forces as part of self-defense measures. “Our armies did not participate in the strikes on Iran. But we are protecting our bases in the region, in self-defense. Our deployed ground-to-air defense systems and Rafale aircraft intercepted several Iranian drones whose trajectory towards Israel was flying over our areas,” he said on X, referring to his remarks in the National Assembly. The minister also said that approximately 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones were launched by Iran against Israel during the 12-day war. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Spain
26.06.2025  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez today responded to US President Trump’s threats to raise tariffs on Spain for refusing to spend 5% of its GDP on defense. “Europe and the world are already suffering from a trade war being waged by the US, with tariff measures that we believe are unfair and unilateral,' Sanchez told reporters in Brussels when asked about Trump’s remarks the day prior. Yesterday, Trump said he would negotiate “directly” with Sanchez on trade, saying: ’We’re going to make them pay twice as much,’ in terms of tariffs. „In the case of Spain, it’s double the lie because we have a trade deficit – not surplus – with the United States,’ Sanchez added. He pointed out that the EU is negotiating trade with the US on behalf of all member states. Individual nations are not carving out their own trade deals. “Spain is committed to members of the alliance, but is also sovereign,” said Sanchez. In the Hague Summit Declaration signed yesterday, allies commit to investing 5% of GDP on core defense requirements and security by 2035. However, Spain has said it secured a deal to allow for some exemptions. “Spain’s Ministry of Defense says that the capacities agreed upon … represent 2.1% of our GDP, and that’s what we are going to do,” said Sanchez, who has argued that spending 5% on defense would entail massive tax increases and cuts to Spain’s welfare state. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Council
26.06.2025  EU heads of state and government gathered in Brussels today for the final summit of the regular term and the conclusion of Poland's six-month presidency of the Council focusing on Europe's strategic competitiveness, defense readiness, and external relations amid ongoing crises in Ukraine and the Middle East. The meeting follows the NATO summit in The Hague, with NATO allies EU members who are expected to align efforts on readiness and industrial capacity. Amid growing concerns about economic fragmentation and global trade tensions, in light of recent geopolitical tensions affecting global markets, leaders are expected to address Europe's industrial resilience strengthening the EU's strategic autonomy, bolstering critical supply chains, and maintaining a level playing field in global trade. Trump's threatened tariffs are putting pressure on the EU, which handles trade negotiations for all 27 member states.  The US, under Trump, currently maintains a 10% tariff on most EU goods, on top of higher sector-specific rates (25% on cars and 50% on steel/aluminum), implemented since April 2025. Yesterday, he criticized Spain for ’insufficient’ defense spending and hinted at additional tariffs. France's president pushed back, accusing Trump of launching a trade war against traditional allies. A looming deadline of July 9 approaches: Trump has threatened to raise reciprocal tariffs to 50% if a deal isn't reached by then. Brussels has offered concessions such as aligning self-driving car regulations and increasing gas/arms purchases to seek relief on steel, cars, semiconductors, and pharma. However, European Commission President der Leyen has emphasized the EU will not compromise its regulatory autonomy, particularly regarding digital standards and environmental norms. Leaders will explore options to increase pressure on Russia, debating an 18th package of sanctions and the future of the price cap on Russian oil - measures some countries resist over concerns ’they could drive up energy costs’. ’EU leaders are expected to reiterate their unwavering support for Ukraine, with discussions set to include Ukraine’s path toward EU membership and military support’. Zelenskyy is scheduled to join the summit via video conference. The summit will also address the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and the risk of further regional escalation. EU leaders are expected to underline the need for de-escalation, humanitarian access, and support for a two-state solution. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin told he plans to raise the revision of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank - topics that are also expected to be part of the discussions. Leaders will also review the bloc's ability to counter hybrid threats and reinforce internal security structures. In response to recent crises and emerging threats, leaders will also discuss strengthening the EU's overall preparedness, including civil protection, crisis management, and resilience against hybrid activities. Migration remains a key issue, with leaders set ’to follow up on implementation of previous agreements’ and assess progress on securing external borders. ’The European Commission is expected to provide input on operational measures and long-term migration management’. The summit will end with a statement of conclusions that will shape the EU’s agenda for the next four months. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

United Kingdom
26 June 2025  Underlining the Britain’s commitment to the US and the alliance, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the country would purchase US jets – capable of carrying US-owned and controlled tactical nuclear weapons. The US allowed NATO to refer to the 'long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security' in the communique. (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)

Asia

Gaza
26.06.2025  At least 47 Palestinian civilians were killed and dozens injured in new Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip today, medics said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Iran
June 26, 2025, 8:46 AM  Iran says it captured 700 'mercenaries' working for Israel during war. Tehran intensifies a crackdown based on public reports and intelligence operations on what it has labelled ’espionage and sabotage networks’. It came after Israel's military chief said ground commando units had operated secretly inside Iran during the conflict, with Israel's spy chief hailing assistance from US intelligence. Iranian media said a number of Mossad operatives had also been arrested in Iran during the war. Fars said arrests were made in Kermanshah, Isfahan, Khuzestan, Fars and Lorestan provinces. Yesterday, Iran said it executed three men accused of spying for Israel. Human rights groups have accused Iran of carrying out sham trials and issuing sentences for spying without credible evidence in an effort to crack down on dissent. (Source: The National – United Arab Emirates)

Pakistan
Jun 26th, 2025  The deterrence doctrines are eroding and arms control collapsing in a way that is reshaping the nuclear rules of engagement. A broader analysis of global nuclear risks published in a new article in Foreign Affairs suggested Pakistan’s strategic ambitions may be expanding far beyond its neighborhood. U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Pakistan could be seeking to deter not just New Delhi, but is developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the United States. The move, if confirmed, could redefine geopolitics. The authors, MIT nuclear security experts Narang and Vaddi, both held senior U.S. defense roles recently. Islamabad insists its nuclear program is solely aimed at deterring India., But according to the influential policy journal, the country’s hope is an ICBM threat might dissuade the U.S. from attempting to preemptively eliminate Pakistan’s arsenal or intervene in the event of another India-Pakistan conflict. 'If Pakistan acquires an ICBM,' the report notes, 'Washington will have no choice but to treat the country as a nuclear adversary – no other country with ICBMs that can target the United States is considered a friend.' (Source: Mediaite - U.S.)

North America

United States
6/26/2025  Investors, unnerved by fresh signs of an erosion in U.S. central bank independence, waste no time in pushing the greenback back to its lowest levels against a basket of other major currencies in over three years, erasing a brief respite provided by safe-haven flows related to Middle East tensions earlier in the week. Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management, noted that the dollar had not benefited as much as expected in the past two weeks from heightened Middle East tensions, a sign the dollar's safe-haven role had been hurt. In recent years, the currency has risen when oil rallies, but it gained just 0.7% last week. The dollar, the world's No.1 reserve currency, has come under fire this year from erratic U.S. policy making that has exacerbated economic uncertainty and put the notion of U.S. exceptionalism into doubt. Down 10% so far this year and set for its worst year since 2003, the dollar was expected to weaken further as renewed concern about Fed independence comes amid increased expectations for rate cuts and a looming July 9 deadline for trade agreements. Respect for independent institutions such as central banks has long been viewed as a key attraction of major economies, helping anchor economic stability and provide policy certainty. Concern about Fed independence adds to the damage, investors said. President Trump yesterday called Federal Reserve Chair Powell "terrible" in his latest attack on the Fed chief and said he has three or four people in mind as contenders for the top Fed job. The leading contenders for next Fed chief reportedly include former Fed Governor Warsh, National Economic Council head Hassett, current Fed Governor Waller, and Treasury Secretary Bessent. Trump's confrontations with longstanding allies over trade and security, and his attacks on the Fed, have revived questions in Germany around its holdings of central bank gold, some of which is stored at the New York Fed. And European Central Bank supervisors are asking some of the region's lenders to assess their need for dollars in times of stress, gaming out scenarios in which they cannot rely on tapping the Fed under the Trump administration, Reuters reported last month. "Talk about having the next Fed chair announced within the next couple of months, that would be fairly disruptive,' said Shah. 'It brings up the whole concern about the credibility and reliability of U.S. institutions again, which is typically something that people don't like'. (Source: MSN - U.S.)

June 19, 2025  More Americans than ever, including many who voted for President Trump, are seeing through the lie that the only way we can be safe is to surrender our liberty to politicians, bureaucrats, and crony capitalism. On March 20, President Trump signed an executive order “Eliminating Information Silos.” The order directed heads of federal agencies to make sure officials designated by the president “have full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, data, software systems, and information technology systems.” It was more recently revealed that the administration was working with tech company Palantir to create a database containing all information collected by all federal agencies on all US citizens. A database consisting of all the information of American citizens collected by the various federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Pentagon would be a major step in creating a total surveillance state. This database could come in handy to future Dr. Faucis seeking to enforce mask and vaccine mandates. Those with access to this database could see personal health records, education records, and tax returns. They may even be able to see how many firearms individuals have purchased and if they were associated with any organizations the government had labeled ’extremist.’ Some commentators and ’influencers’ who would normally oppose, or at least be skeptical of, expansion of the surveillance state are supporting it because they believe it will be used to locate illegal immigrants. Some conservatives are supporting this proposal because it will help identify students who have publicly opposed the U.S. government’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. The abandonment of liberty because fear drives people to trust government promises of safety is a phenomenon we have witnessed several times this century. An obvious example is the way many former friends of freedom supported the PATRIOT Act and other infringements on liberty following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. We also saw it during the covid hysteria when many embraced mask and vaccine mandates. Palantir, founded in 2003, is one of the first companies to see the potential in the surveillance-industrial complex that developed following 9-11 and the PATRIOT Act. Palantir is literally the creation of the surveillance state since one of its early investors was In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm controlled by the CIA. (Source: The Orange County Register - U.S.)
by Paul, a former member of the House of Representatives. The piece was published by the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

June 26, 2025  In a letter to The Times, a personal lawyer for the president Trump yesterday threatened to sue The New York Times and CNN for publishing articles about a preliminary intelligence report that said the American attack on Iran had set back the country’s nuclear program by only a few months. He said the newspaper’s article had damaged Mr. Trump’s reputation and demanded that the news organization retract and apologize for the piece, which the letter described as false, defamatory and “unpatriotic.” The Times, in a response today, rejected Mr. Trump’s demands, noting that Trump administration officials had subsequently confirmed the existence of the report, issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency, and its findings. No retraction is needed, the paper’s lawyer, McCraw, wrote in a letter. No apology will be forthcoming, he added. We told the truth to the best of our ability. „We will continue to do so.” (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

26.06.25  Mamdani's victory - who won 43.5 per cent of the votes with 90 per cent of the ballots counted at the New York City's mayoral primary election - hasn't gone down well with US President Trump. Mamdani has repeatedly said he is not antisemitic. Referred to him as a '100% communist lunatic' by the US President, Trump went on to write: 'We've had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks terrible, his voice is grating, he's not very smart, he's got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Schumer, is groveling over him. Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country!" Mamdani, born in Uganda to Indian parents, would be the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor. (Source: Telegraph India "with inputs from Reuters")

NATO

Jun 27, 2025  NATO has just handed Ukraine over to Putin. The alliance has not condemned Russia for its full-scale aggression, and has also made no mention of Ukraine joining the pact. Even the presence of Zelensky did not hide the fact that the alliance is tired of Ukraine. US President Trump continues to signal that he is not willing to provide military assistance. Arms supplies to Kiev may be further reduced. As Russia steps up its drone and missile strikes, Ukraine is prioritizing air defense systems, including the “Patriot“, and is abandoning previous requests for more sophisticated offensive weapons. The prospect of the US handing over “Tomahawk“ cruise missiles or aircraft capable of completely neutralizing the Russian Su-35 fighters are not realistic. Ukraine can only count ’on help’ from its European allies. At the NATO summit, Britain announced plans to fund joint drone production initiatives with Ukraine and Germany. Such promises, however, are not a panacea for Ukraine's weapons problems. Ukraine's defense industry cannot develop fast enough to neutralize ’Russia's military assistance from North Korea’. Moscow is not interested in de-escalating the war. „In the final communiqué, the lack of mention of Ukraine's future membership in NATO, as well as the ignoring of a full-scale Russian invasion, sent clear signals - Ukraine had been betrayed’. (Source: The Telegraph - United Kingdom)

26 June 2025 Taking credit for a 'fantastic' outcome that “no one really thought possible” after NATO’s 32 members agreed to his headline target of 5 per cent of gross domestic product on defence spending, Trump described the spending hike as "a monumental win for the United States', according to AFP. Trump said it was 'terrible” that Spain would not commit to meeting the target by 2035. "The economy is [doing] very well. And that economy could be blown right out of the water with something bad happening,' he said. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Madrid considered current defence spending of 2 per cent of GDP as “sufficient, realistic and compatible with the welfare state”. He also reportedly thanked NATO allies for “respecting Spain’s sovereignty”. 'So, they want a little bit of a free ride but they will have to pay it back to us on trade because I am not going to let that happen. It’s unfair,' Trump said. The US leader was visibly delighted at the red carpet welcome and the praise lavished on him by Rutte among others. 'Without the United States, they couldn’t really have NATO. Wouldn’t work,' Trump said. 'It will in the future, because now they’re paying much more money.' (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)

.5 6 26 16:09

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Europe

Hungary
25.06.2025  Speaking ahead of NATO leaders meeting in The Hague, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán today called for a revision of the EU's budget regulation framework, warning that no member state would be able to meet NATO’s 5% of GDP defense spending target under the current rules. Orbán said the biggest threat Europe faces today is not military, but economic. "The real threat is not security wise, it's economic and losing our competitiveness on the global trade." "I think Russia is not strong enough to represent a real threat to us. We are far stronger," he added. On Ukraine, he said: "NATO has no business in Ukraine. Ukraine is not member of NATO, neither Russia. My job is to keep it as it is." (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Ukraine
25/06/2025 - 13:40  Russian missile strikes killed at least 26, injured over 200 on the city of Dnipro yesterday. (Source: France 24)

United Kingdom
25.06.2025  In a statement, the UK government said 350 ASRAAM air defense missiles will be provided to Ukraine using £70 million (approximately $95.2 million) raised from interest on seized Russian assets. The move comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defense Secretary Healey travel to The Hague, the Netherlands, for an annual NATO leaders' summit. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Asia

Gaza
Jun 25, 2025 11:36 AM EDT  7 Israeli troops were killed in Gaza bombing as Palestinian officials say Israeli attacks kill 79. Over 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, including more than 400 during the fighting in Gaza. Gaza health authorities had announced yesterday that the number of Palestinians killed in the war has risen above 56,000. (Source: PBS / AP = U.S.)

Iran, Israel
2:40 a.m. CEST June 25  Israel and Iran claim victory as cease-fire takes hold. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

Turkey
25.06.2025  Turkish President Erdogan, Trump discuss regional, bilateral issues at NATO summit in The Hague. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

North America

United States
25.06.2025  US President Trump said today that NATO allies' commitment to defense spending equal to 5% of member state’s gross domestic product will add 'more than $1 trillion a year' 'to collective defense'. ​​​​​​​Trump said the achievement represents dramatic progress from the previous 2% target, crediting his direct pressure on allies. "A couple of them came up to me, one in particular, said we've been trying to get it up to 3% for 20 years, we haven't been able, and you got it up to 5%,' he said. Trump identified Spain as "just about the only one" not committed to the 5% target, calling them "the most hostile" toward the increase. 'I'm going to negotiate directly with Spain. I'm going to do it myself. They're going to pay,' he said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

25 June 2025  Yet it appears that, early in his second term, Trump came under pressure from both the Israeli government and the neocons in his administration, who convinced him that he could take a middle route: smashing this long-term adversary while avoiding another extended military debacle; assisting Israel without indulging its desire for sustained conflict. The goal, it seems, was a limited mission that would procure Iran’s ’unconditional surrender’, winding down its nuclear programme and further weakening its regional position. This policy was forced through over the objections of less interventionist Republicans in the president’s inner circle. Trump’s ceasefire deal was announced on 23 June as evidence that his approach has succeeded: hobbling Iran while containing a wider conflagration. Yet his declaration of “peace” turned out to be premature. While the US was desperate to broker this short-term solution, Israel remains set on its long-term objective of an all-out war that would draw in the hegemon. Even if Tel Aviv accepts a temporary pause in the hostilities (which can hardly be taken for granted, given its flouting of similar agreements in Gaza and Lebanon), it nonetheless sees the past two weeks as a significant stride towards meeting this ambition: a test-case which suggests that, when push comes to shove, America will intervene on Israel’s side, even if this threatens to undermine its own geopolitical priorities. Secure in this knowledge, Israel can wait until the moment is right to manufacture another crisis and force a further reckoning. In the meantime, it can simply deploy the same tactics it has used against Hezbollah, launching semi-regular strikes to keep Iran in check and prevent any rebuilding of its defensive capability. Where is Europe in the equation? Since the eruption of conflict in Ukraine and Gaza, the fantasy of European ’strategic autonomy’ has been exposed as precisely that. The EU and UK have reaffirmed their subservience to American power, at the cost of both their energy security and moral credibility, while embarking on a frenzied armament drive to bolster „the West’ against its civilisational enemies. More than ever, the continent has been reduced to an enclave of empire. (Source: The New Statesman - United Kingdom)
by Eagleton

(June 25, 2025) 15:57  Closed-door meeting between U.S. President Trump and Zelensky at the NATO summit lasted 50 minutes. (Source: JFeed - Israel)

2:09 AM CEST, June 25, 2025  Early report says US strikes only set Iran’s nuclear program back months. (Source: AP - U.S.)

(June 25, 2025) Germany and Italy pressed to bring $245bn of gold home from US. (Source: Financial Times - United Kingdom)

NATO

(June 25, 2025)  Nato leaders meeting in The Hague have agreed to ramp up defence spending to 5% of their countries' economic output by 2025, following months of pressure from US President Trump. The commitment to raise defence spending over 10 years involves at least 3.5% of each member state's GDP on defence expenditure by 2035, plus up to 1.5% on a broadly defined series of investments loosely connected to security infrastructure. In a statement they said they were united against profound security threats and challenges, ’in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security’ and the persistent threat of terrorism. Secretary General Rutte said ’decisions made today would include continued support for Ukraine’ while pushing for peace. The leaders also said they were reaffirming their ironclad commitment to collective defence. The Hague summit, was due to last only two and a half hours, with a short communique agreed at the end. In their final communique, Nato member states stressed their commitments to providing support for Ukraine, ’whose security contributes to ours’, adding that direct contributions to Kyiv's defence and its defence industry would be included in assessment of allies' defence spending. Trump was due to meet Zelensky on the sidelines afterwards. The US president was more keen to talk about conflict in the Middle East than the war in Ukraine, when he spoke to reporters today. "He's got a little difficulty, Zelensky, a nice guy’, said Trump. "I've spoken to Putin a lot... he volunteered help on Iran. I said do me a favour, help us on Russia, not Iran." (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Pacific Ocean

Wednesday, June 25, 2025  The leaders of the three key U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific did not join President Trump at this year’s NATO summit in the Netherlands - a reversal of their previous stances. Australia, Japan and South Korea are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but their leaders have attended the annual summits by special invitation since 2022. None accepted NATO’s invitation this year. Each nation offered different reasons for its non-attendance, but foreign policy experts are pointing to Washington’s America First agenda as the common cause. In Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese turned down the NATO summit as he was unable to secure a bilateral meeting with Mr. Trump. Defense Secretary Hegseth urged Australia to raise its defense spending from 2% of GDP to 3.5%, Mr. Albanese shot back, “We’ll determine our defense policy.” Bilateral tensions hang over the most expensive defense program in Australian history, the $239 billion AUKUS - the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The deal will see the U.K. and the U.S. supply Australia with nuclear attack submarines. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was unable to win any concessions on U.S. tariffs at the unhappy meeting with Mr. Trump early last week at the Group of Seven summit in Canada. 25% U.S. tariffs set to apply to Japanese goods on July 8. On Friday, Japan canceled a meeting between its and the U.S.’ senior defense and foreign affairs officials in Tokyo. The issue: U.S. demands that Japan raise defense spending to 3.5% of GDP. Japan pledged to double defense spending to 2% in 2022. NATO also has irked Japan. Japanese media reported that the opening of a NATO liaison office in Japan - a plan supported by Mr. Ishiba - had been shelved for unclear reasons. South Korean President Lee took office on June 4. As an opposition politician, Mr. Lee had criticized U.S. troops in Korea as an occupying force and stood accused of being anti-Japan and pro-China and pro-North Korea. Mr. Lee has never been pro-NATO or pro-Ukraine. In February 2022, Mr. Lee said: “In Ukraine, a novice politician of six months became president and declared accession to NATO, which provoked Russia and eventually led to a clash.” On June 15, 2025, his administration said no new aid for Ukraine was planned. (Source: The Washington Times - U.S.)

.5 6 25 17:08

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United States
June 24, 2025 / July/August 2025  Beware the Europe you wish for - The downsides and dangers of independence of United States’ allies in Europe. II.    The EU is adopting new rules to standardize planning and purchasing. A 2023 provision incentivizes and facilitates joint defense procurement and production. Right now, Europe is plagued by redundancy and poor interoperability, largely because each state is responsible for its own procurement. The changes resulted in the signing last year of a $5.6 billion contract by Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Sweden to procure Patriot missiles. European states are also stepping up in terms of leadership. Since 2017, NATO has established nine battle groups, one for each of its nine ’frontline countries’. The alliance has adopted a distributed leadership approach for these groups; only in Poland does the United States lead. In Finland, Sweden is the leader. In Estonia, it is the United Kingdom. Canada is leading in Latvia. Germany leads in Lithuania, Spain in Slovakia, France in Romania, and Italy in Bulgaria. Hungary has taken leadership of its own battle group. European forces within the NATO alliance, with Finland and Sweden as NATO members, has forces that can better manage challenges from China and Russia in the Arctic. To counter Russia’s use of the Black Sea as a platform for striking Ukraine, NATO’s European members are developing new coastal defense forces and autonomous vehicles that can enhance ’U.S. operations’ in the Mediterranean’. The United States will need its European friends, with their newfound strength, ’to help it handle aggressors in multiple regions’.’ across the globe’. Americans overcorrected in their quest to get Europe to do more. Europe has seemingly decided to buy fewer goods from American defense manufacturers. Countries drawing from the EU’s new $163.5 billion defense procurement loan pool must spend the funds only for purchases from European defense companies. Purchases from U.S. defense companies might qualify if their products are manufactured in Europe. The contracts will require employing European workers and paying European taxes. Europe’s newfound autonomy is also causing strategic difficulties. For instance, the United States wants to put a quick stop to the war in Ukraine, and it has therefore argued for lifting sanctions on Russia in step-by-step peace negotiations. The continent has declared that it will not lift sanctions until Ukraine is ready to settle. Europe holds two-thirds of the $330 billion of the Russian assets that U.S. allies agreed to freeze in 2022 to deny Moscow access to financing for its war in Ukraine. The White House cannot dangle this carrot before Putin without European permission. Europe is also home to SWIFT, the payments mechanism that is keeping Russian banks from gaining access to the global financial system. Unlike the United States, the vast majority of European countries will not concede that Russia should be able to dictate whether Ukraine can be a member of NATO - not least because Putin has stated that a peace settlement with Kyiv should also revisit previous rounds of NATO’s enlargement. If a sense of a common transatlantic purpose continues to fray, Europe might wind up undermining Washington’s objectives elsewhere in the world. Should the United States decide to conduct a major military campaign against Iran’s nuclear facilities, for example, it will want to use its military bases in Europe. This would require seeking permission from European countries. Many European countries might refuse. Washington would then either have to start its offensive from far-off bases in the United States - or from partner bases in the Middle East, which are easier for Iran to hit than bases in Europe. European countries may no longer trust that Washington will defend them should the need arise. European leaders are seriously discussing whether the continent should acquire its own credible nuclear deterrent. France and the United Kingdom both have nuclear weapons, but neither currently has the number of warheads and the variety in delivery vehicles that the U.S. arsenal does, or the strategic depth. There is, of course, another force splitting Washington and Europe: Trump. In a poll of 18,000 Europeans conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations just after Trump’s victory in November, more than half of respondents considered the United States merely a ’necessary partner” rather than an “ally,” a term that just 22 percent were willing to apply. Relations have deteriorated. Washington’s NATO policy seems to change every day. During his first term, Trump had advisers and cabinet members who supported the transatlantic relationship and restrained some of his worst impulses. European officials, for their part, now speak of relations with the United States using a term that they once reserved for China: “de-risking.” This time around, those in his administration are far more in sync with Trump’s deep-seated antagonism toward Europe. Now, European countries are considering enhanced trade with China to mitigate their vulnerability to the United States after Trump slapped sudden, massive tariffs on almost all the continent’s exports. Even if Trump is followed by a string of committed transatlanticist presidents, U.S.-European relations will probably never return to what they were. But the two sides need each other to cope with a challenging Beijing, a destructive Moscow, a dangerous Tehran, and a wildcard Pyongyang. To repair relations, Washington will have to recalibrate its approach to Europe, accepting, that the world now has multiple poles and that the continent is one of them. Generations of American officials have gotten used to European concessions to U.S. priorities. Now, they will have to get better at dealmaking and compromise. The key will be returning to the fundamentals of defense diplomacy. As Washington considers reducing its military posture in Europe, it will need to spend more to compete for the continent’s defense contracts. The United States will likely have to listen to European arguments about balancing the continent’s wariness of Chinese influence with the need for Chinese trade, investment, and technology - just as the United States heeds the needs of its partners in the Middle East, who are developing strong ties with China out of economic necessity. The United States will also have to accept that NATO allies hosting U.S. military bases might have strong views on how Washington can prevent Iranian nuclear proliferation. It certainly will have to acknowledge that the European Union is a powerful economic force essential to NATO’s success. A new transatlantic relationship „respects Europe’s interests”, or it can lose the world order to ’a triumvirate of autocracies: Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran’. Beijing is the primary challenge to American security, so U.S. officials want to prioritize it over Moscow. Now, they can. If the United States can maintain its partnership with Europe, it will have an advantage not available to China or Russia in a multipolar world. U.S. officials now have to make a choice. They can spurn Europe and face a more dangerous world alone and depleted. Or they can forge a new, more accommodating transatlantic relationship. The two parties have nearly a century of shared experience. Their friendship can prevail. (Source: Foreign Affairs)
by Wallander, Executive Director of Penn Washington and an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. She was Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and oversaw U.S. military assistance to Ukraine during the Biden administration.
(Foreign Affairs)

 .5 6 25 17:09

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Europe

Ukraine
(June 24, 2025) 06:30  Russian drones and missiles killed at least 14 civilians and injured several dozen others in Ukraine in overnight attacks, local officials said yesterday, with nine deaths reported in the capital, Kyiv, where an apartment building partially collapsed. The attacks came as Zelensky began a visit to Britain, where he met privately with King Charles. (Source: Irish Independent - Ireland)

Asia

Gaza
June 24, 2025  49 people were killed in Gaza at different locations while they were trying to get food aid today, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said. /Video/ (Source: ABC News)

North America

United States
June 24, 2025 / July/August 2025  Beware the Europe you wish for - The downsides and dangers of independence of United States’ allies in Europe. I.     By the NATO’s 2024 summit in Washington, twenty-three of NATO’s 32 members were spending two percent of their GDP on defense - up from six members in 2021. U.S. president Trump’s rhetoric, broadly critical of European defense spending during his first presidential term and now his second, has played a role in the uptick. But for over a decade, NATO allies have been focused on the elevated threat that Russia poses to European security, with Russian President Putin’s naked aggression against Ukraine as a harbinger. Washington paid less attention to their region, more to Asia. Trump’s reelection has only helped underscore the continent’s burgeoning independence. Europeans now see a fundamentally changed United States, and ’they are no longer confident that investing in U.S. leadership will secure their interests’. Thanks to the continent’s increased strength, Washington can now focus on China first and Russia second. But growing European power means the era of comfortable U.S. leadership is over. It might deny the United States the right to use American military bases in Europe for operations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. And the continent is already holding up Washington’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The changing balance of power means that the United States now has to earn Europe’s partnership. During the Cold War, in the 1970s, preventing Moscow from controlling western Europe when it already occupied eastern Europe was the necessary condition for American global security and prosperity. The imbalance of defense spending in the alliance, was still a source of friction for the most powerful player, the U.S. leadership, but contributing the lion’s share was perfectly rational, ultimately in Washington’s own interest. ’The most concrete benefit: the more than 30 military bases the United States has set up across Europe’. The legal status of these bases is established in bilateral - ’access, basing, and overflight,’ or ABO- agreements that dictate how, when, and whether the U.S. military can operate from both the bases themselves and the airspace and waterways that allow access to them. Typically, the terms are quite generous, allowing the United States to use the bases not only ’to defend Europe’ but to support American interests across the globe. The United States had a hegemonic advantage to preserve U.S. ’leadership’: NATO allies often supported ’American priorities’, even when they disagreed with them. In 2001, multiple European allies granted Washington permission to use its bases ’for operations in Afghanistan’, as well as the right to fly military planes through European airspace. „Several NATO allies that opposed the 2003 U.S. war against Iraq” nonetheless allowed Washington to use bases in Europe for the invasion - or at least permitted U.S. military aircraft to transit their territory. When France did not, it was criticized by some members for causing NATO disunity. The benefits of the United States’ NATO hegemony continue to this day. Washington’s 2024 defense of Israel against Iranian air attacks depended on American military aircraft and ships based in Greece, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. European basing and overflight enabled the United States to destroy strike and command facilities operated by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. And European bases support U.S. counterterrorism operations in the Horn of Africa. These bases help the United States protect itself. To reach the northern Atlantic Ocean, Russian submarines must first travel from a naval and air base on the Arctic Ocean through a chokepoint known as the GIUK Gap (for Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom). The Pentagon is typically able to track these submarines through the gap, but only because of the many U.S. naval and air assets it has stationed in Europe. Washington is helped in this task by patrols from Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The United States benefits from NATO leadership in ways that go beyond basing. For the alliance to function properly, its members need to be able to jointly plan, patrol, and carry out operations. They must use similar sets of weapons. NATO states in practice, very often buy U.S.-made ones. Norwegian and U.S. NATO patrols in the GIUK Gap, for instance, train on the same systems, especially the Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft. Poland and the Baltic states have prioritized the purchase of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, to ensure round-the-clock coverage of NATO’s ’eastern frontline’. By equipping European forces with American weapons, ’eastern allies can encourage Washington to keep its military in the region’. American defense contractors are typically capable of providing decades’ worth of maintenance, parts, and upgrades. The reliability of the U.S. defense industrial base and the scale of the Pentagon’s long-term contracts offer additional incentives to use American weapons. This reliability is one reason why European countries have inked contracts for fifth-generation F-35 aircraft despite the high prices and torturous timelines. The F-35 alone is worth billions of dollars to U.S. defense companies. Europe’s purchases help the United States maintain a strong defense industrial base. Since 2020, European NATO allies have more than doubled the number of weapons they import and increased the proportion they buy from the United States from 54 percent to 64 percent. From 2022 to 2024, European countries purchased $61 billion worth of U.S. defense systems, accounting for 34 percent of all their defense contract procurement, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The United States has long enjoyed its own benefits from this predominance. Washington pays more for defense than Europe does. If the United States’ share of global GDP were significantly larger than Europe’s, Washington might still be spending far more on NATO than its transatlantic counterparts do, even as Europe begins to spend a similar share of GDP on defense. In 2024, European members spent an average of 2.2 percent of GDP on defense, whereas the United States spent under 3.4 percent. By 2025, the United States made up 14.8 percent of global GDP, whereas European countries (the EU, along with Norway and the United Kingdom) made up 17.5 percent. After Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, nearly all NATO countries began spending more on buying and maintaining military equipment. 'In 2024 alone, NATO’s non-U.S. members increased their expenditures on equipment by 37 percent', while U.S. spending for equipment grew 15 percent. European NATO allies allocated the vast majority of their defense spending to the continent. The United States, by contrast, has military forces spanning the globe. The (European) union is making changes in procurement and in overall military spending to expand defense industrial production. It changed its stringent deficit spending restrictions. Members can budget up to 1.5 percent more of individual GDP on defense. ’They could spend more than $700 billion more on defense through 2030 than is currently earmarked’. Germany long highly averse to both defense and deficit spending changed its constitution so ’it could borrow money for military purposes’. The country’s new government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has signaled plans to expand defense procurement through at least 2030. ’Committed to increasing spending’, Belgium, Italy, and Spain have all announced that they will reach NATO’s two percent goal in 2025. The EU has also proposed setting aside a $163.5 billion pool of money for long-term low-interest loans for procuring military goods. Should all these trends continue, Europe will not only match U.S. regional defense spending but also exceed it. The heavy burden that Washington bore for collective ’defense’ is being lightened ’by Europe’s response to Russia’.  (Source: Foreign Affairs)
by Wallander, Executive Director of Penn Washington and an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. She was Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and oversaw U.S. military assistance to Ukraine during the Biden administration.

NATO

24/06/2025 - 23:18  From The Netherlands, as NATO leaders meet. /Video/ (Source: France 24)

24.06.2025  What to expect at NATO's pivotal summit: Defense spending, Ukraine, Iran fallout. NATO leaders will debate ’a US-backed plan for members to spend 5% of GDP on defense’, a proposal facing pushbacks. Rutte has justified the 5% goal largely on the basis of 'growing threats from Russia'. Currently, European allies spend an average of 1.9% of GDP on defense. Canada allocates around 1.4%, while the US spends approximately 3.5%. The initial aim is to reach the target by 2032. No unanimous support among allies. Threat perception varies across the alliance, and many governments face domestic resistance to increased military spending due to rising national debt and public skepticism. Spain has emerged as the clearest opponent of the proposed target. Sanchez argued that the 5% goal does not align with Spain's strategic vision and is not necessary for fulfilling NATO obligations. Today, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico joined Spain's calls, arguing that Bratislava can fulfill its NATO commitments without hitting the 5% mark. Zelenskyy's invitation is being interpreted as a symbolic gesture of support. US President Trump previously said that Ukraine’s NATO membership will never happen and claimed the issue was the root cause of the war with Russia. The summit declaration is expected to include a reference to NATO's sovereign commitments to Ukraine's security. Leaders from Asia-Pacific partners such as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan will be present at a dinner hosted by the Dutch King. Summit comes amid rising US-Iran tensions - the geopolitical fallout from recent US military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and Iran's counterattack targeting US bases in Qatar and Iraq. The crisis has prompted renewed discussions about missile defense and counterterrorism, which are expected to be on the agenda alongside defense spending. Experts note that the Iran issue represents an unpredictable and potentially destabilizing factor for the summit. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

24/06/2025 - 06:03  Trump and his NATO counterparts are due to meet today in The Hague for a high-stakes summit amid discord over defence spending and Ukraine. The summit will cover topics such as a proposed 5% GDP target and questions about Kyiv's role at the table. Spain rejected the new NATO target for each country to spend 5% of its gross domestic product on defence ’needs’, calling it “unreasonable". The alliance operates on a consensus that requires the backing of all 32 members. The following day, Trump lashed out at Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government. He also criticised Canada as ’a low payer’. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the NATO allies agreed to make 2% of GDP the minimum spending level. Last year, 22 countries were expected to hit that target, up from only three a decade ago. Spain was the lowest spender in the alliance last year, directing less than 2% of its GDP on defence expenditure, while Canada was spending 1.45%. In The Hague, the allies were expected to up the ante to 3.5%, plus a further 1.5% for things like improving roads, bridges, ports and airfields or preparing societies to deal with future conflicts. Then Trump ordered the bombing of nuclear installations in Iran. In 2003, the US-led war on Iraq deeply divided NATO, as France and Germany led opposition to the attack, while Britain and Spain joined the coalition. Ukraine's role at the summit is unclear. ’European allies and Canada want Ukraine to be at the top of the summit agenda’, but they are wary that Trump might not want Zelensky to steal the limelight. Zelensky has been invited, but it's unclear whether he will have a seat at NATO’s table. He may take part in Tuesday's dinner. Europeans provided 60% of the military support that Ukraine received in 2024. NATO coordinates those weapons deliveries via a hub on the Polish border and helps organise training for Ukrainian troops. The two-day summit in The Hague involves an informal dinner Tuesday and one working session Wednesday morning. A very short summit statement has been drafted to ensure the meeting is not derailed by fights over details and wording. The US nuclear arsenal provides strategic deterrence against would-be adversaries. A key part of the commitment for allies to defend one another is to deter Russia, or any other adversary. Under NATO’s new military plans, 300,000 military personnel would be deployed within 30 days to counter any attack, whether it be on land, at sea, by air ’or in cyberspace’. Experts doubt whether the allies could muster the troop numbers. Trump’s threats against US allies – including imposing tariffs on them – has weakened the deterrence. (Source: France 24 „with AP” - U.S.)

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Europe

Hungary
23 Jun (2025), 14:00  Hungary and Slovakia opposed the adoption of an 18th package of sanctions against Russia at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Szijjártó said. The European Commission’s (EC) proposal is aimed at undermining Hungary’s energy security 'as it will intensify our reliance on certain sources of energy, as well as increase Hungarian households' utility bills,' he said. Hungary and Slovakia decided to block the sanctions package in response to plans announced by the EC to phase out Russian energy imports by the beginning of 2028. „We did this because, in this case, EU countries, including Hungary and Slovakia, would be prohibited from purchasing Russian natural gas and cheap Russian crude oil,' he said. The military conflict between the US and Israel with Iran could push global energy prices up sharply, the minister noted. The global energy market is unstable, and if someone introduces any kind of ban on the purchase of energy resources now it would cause enormous damage, he concluded. (Source: TASS - Russia)

Russia
June 23 (2025)  Russian soldiers today are fighting for the country’s future, just as they did during the Great Patriotic War, Russian President Putin said at a meeting with top military graduates in the Kremlin. The president noted that the ceremony’s participants had gathered in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. "This majestic pantheon of Russian military glory reminds us of legendary battles and heroes of 1812, serving as an inspiring example of strength and unyielding spirit for many generations of the Motherland’s defenders," Putin described. (Source: TASS - Russia)

23.06.2025  Russian President Putin said today that the bolstering of combat capabilities is an urgent task. Addressing a meeting with graduates of military universities at the Kremlin - defining the technical modernization of the army and navy as one of the priority areas - Putin said it was part of the new large-scale and long-term State Armament Program for 2027–2036. He reminded that a separate branch of the army dealing with drone warfare was being formed. Russia will pay special attention to its nuclear triad, adding that the Strategic Rocket Forces will be supplied with modern Yars missile systems, and that the aviation component of its strategic nuclear forces will be replenished with modernized Tu-160M strategic bombers this year. Serial production of the latest medium-range missile system Oreshnik, which has proven itself very well in combat conditions, is underway, Putin said. And the navy will include new ships and submarines equipped with the latest generation of high-precision weapons. He argued the West plans to announce the start of a large-scale program to further increase NATO’s capabilities during the upcoming summit of the alliance this month. The military budgets of member states will be increased to implement this, provoking global militarization and the arms race he said, denying the idea of ’some kind of possible invasion of Europe’ by Russia. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Ukraine
23 Jun (2025), 15:15  'Last night, the Russian Armed Forces delivered a combined strike by precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles on enterprises of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex in the Kiev Region, the infrastructure of a military airfield and the Ukrainian Navy’s mine and torpedo armament arsenal. The goals of the strike were achieved. All the designated targets were struck,' Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,215 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry. (Source: TASS - Russia)

June 23, 2025  At least 7 dead after Russian strikes on Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said direct hits were reported in six locations, with falling debris was reported in 25 locations. (Source: ABC News - U.S.)

Asia

China
23.06.2025  China today reiterated its call for the political settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war, noting that diplomacy remains the only option for an end to the conflict. China always believes that dialogue is the only viable way out of the crisis, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo said. He emphasized that China is prepared to collaborate with the international community and maintain a constructive role in resolving the crisis and achieving lasting peace. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Iran, Israel
Jun 23, 2025 9:12 AM EDT  Iran described its today attack on Israel as as a new wave of its Operation True Promise 3, saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. Israel hit Iranian government targets in Tehran today, the Evin Prison in the Iranian capital, the security headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards and roads around Iran’s Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. (Source: PBS - U.S.)

Israel
23 Jun, 21:42  A few hours ago the IDF has completed the largest wave of attacks it has carried out so far on Tehran with Israel focusing on attacks on the headquarters of the Iranian regime’s internal security apparatus and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, official representative of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Defrin said. As part of this series of attacks, 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets dropped more than 100 munitions on military installations of the Iranian regime. This was done on the basis of high-quality and accurate intelligence, he added. According to him, ’the Israeli army has many more plans to attack’ military installations on Iranian territory. ’We will continue to strike at every element and stratum of the regime that poses a threat to the state of Israel," Defrin concluded. (Source: TASS - Russia)

Monday 23 June 2025 10:04 BST  As it attacks Iran's nuclear program, Israel maintains ambiguity about its own. After it opened, Israel kept the work at Dimona hidden for a decade, telling United States’ officials it was a textile factory, according to a 2022 article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, an academic journal, authored by Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project with the Federation of American Scientists, and Korda, a researcher at the same organization. Experts estimate Israel has between 80 and 200 nuclear warheads, although they say the lower end of that range is more likely. Israel also has stockpiled as much as 1,110 kilograms of plutonium, potentially enough to make 277 nuclear weapons, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a global security organization. It has six submarines believed to be capable of launching nuclear cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles believed to be capable of launching a nuclear warhead up to 6,500 kilometers, the organization says. Germany has supplied all of the submarines to Israel, which are docked in the northern city of Haifa, according to the article by Kristensen and Korda. Israel is one of just five countries that aren’t party to a global nuclear nonproliferation treaty. That relieves it of international pressure to disarm, or even to allow inspectors to scrutinize its facilities. Three countries other than Israel have refused to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: India, Pakistan and South Sudan. North Korea has withdrawn. Iran has signed the treaty, but it was censured last week, shortly before Israel launched its operation, by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog - a day before Israel attacked - for violating its obligations. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

Qatar
23 Jun (2025), 19:50  'The number of missiles used during this successful operation was the same as the number of bombs used by the United States to attack Iranian nuclear facilities and the base that was attacked by Iranian forces was located far from cities and dwelling neighborhoods in Qatar,' says the statement of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. The operation posed no threat to Qatar and Tehran wants to preserve warm and friendly relations with Doha. (Source: TASS - Russia)

North America

United States
June 23, 2025 11:30 AM ET  "I spent millions of my own money and traveled the entire country campaigning for President Trump and his MAGA agenda and his promises," Greene said today. "And Trump's MAGA agenda included these key promises: No more foreign wars. No more regime change. World peace." And this is what the people voted for, she continued. "Only 6 months in and we are back into foreign wars, regime change, and world war 3.' "It feels like a complete bait and switch to please the neocons, warmongers, military industrial complex contracts, and neocon tv personalities that MAGA hates.' Minutes later, the post had been removed from her personal X account. Over the weekend, Greene came out against Trump's strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. 'America is $37 TRILLION in debt and all of these foreign wars have cost Americans TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS of dollars that never benefited any American.' (Source: Raw Story - U.S.)

Monday 23 June 2025 11:03 EDT  An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose war with Iran and a plurality say that President Trump’s strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities makes the United States less safe, according to a new poll conducted by YouGov on Sunday. 85 percent of American adults said they do not want war with Iran, including 92 percent of all Democrats, 83 percent of independents and 80 percent of Republicans in opposition. A slight majority of American adults also disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran, with 43 percent of Americans strongly disapproving of the way the president has managed the crisis and 10 percent somewhat disapproving. Only 35 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of Iran. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

NATO

(June 23, 2025)  Could this be the most significant Nato summit since the Cold War? This will be Trump's first Nato meeting since being re-elected. In the past, he's made angry comments about alliance members freeloading off US security guarantees. European allies are 'desperate' to prove him wrong. Nato's secretary general Rutte designed this summit around Trump. He aimed to flatter him by agreeing 'massive hikes in defence spending'. Rutte also hoped that by keeping the meeting narrowly focused on money, he'd avoid any potential clashes or outbursts between Trump and his allies. That carefully-laid plan could be crumbling. Spain claimed on Sunday that it had secured "an opt-out from the new spending plan" - something Rutte later denied. Other allies in Europe that are struggling to find the extra cash are bristling too. Now that Iran has launched missiles at US airbases in Qatar and Iraq in response to Saturday’s strikes on its nuclear sites, the US commander-in-chief may decide to remain in the Situation Room in Washington. European allies advocated diplomacy over bombing when it came to Iran. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

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Europe

The Netherlands
Sunday, June 22, 2025  "No social cuts for war profits'. Banners, flags as hundreds of people protested today in The Hague against NATO, military spending and against a possible conflict with Iran, days before the Dutch city hosts the NATO summit that is seeking to increase allies’ defense budgets. The Netherlands is hosting the annual meeting of the 32-nation alliance starting Tuesday, with leaders scheduled to meet Wednesday. U.S. allies have ramped up defense spending ’since Russian President Putin' ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, but almost a third of them still don’t meet NATO’s current target of at least 2% of their gross domestic product. The heads of government ’want’ to hammer out an agreement on a hike in defense spending 'demanded by U.S. President Trump'. The deal appeared largely done last week, until Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote to NATO Secretary General Rutte that committing Madrid to spending 5% of its gross domestic product on defense “would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive.” Spain rejects NATO's 5% defense spending proposal. The NATO summit could be ’historic’ or divided. “Let’s invest in peace and sustainable energy,” Belgian politician d’Haese told the crowd at a park not far from the summit venue. Although billed as a demonstration against NATO and the war in Gaza, protesters were joined by Iranians who held up banners saying “No Iran War,' the day after the United States launched attacks against three of Iran’s nuclear sites. “We are opposed to war. People want to live a peaceful life,” said 74-year-old Hamadani, an Iranian who lives in the Netherlands. Look at the environment. 'Things are not good. So why do we spend money on war?” he added. The summit is being protected by the biggest ever Dutch security operation, code named Orange Shield, involving thousands of police and military personnel, drones, no-fly zones and cybersecurity experts. Trump heads to the NATO summit on the heels of possible Israel-Iran ceasefire. A puppet of U.S. President Trump was held up during the demonstration. (Source: Associated Press – U.S.)

European Commission
22.06.2025  We will have a Security College on Wednesday, focused on the escalating situation in the Middle East and its effects on Europe, European Commission President der Leyen announced today on X. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

22.06.2025  EU foreign policy chief Kallas today called on all parties involved in the Iran nuclear issue to de-escalate tensions, resume diplomatic negotiations and stressed that Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue during the Foreign Affairs Council on July 23. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Council
22.06.2025  I call on all parties to show restraint and respect for international law and nuclear safety, European Council President Costa wrote on X today. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Russia
Jun 22, 2025 00:33  During a press conference over the weekend, when asked why Moscow refuses to provide direct military assistance to Iran, Russian President Putin gave a blunt answer: Israel. "Nearly two million Russian speakers live in Israel," he said. "It’s almost a Russian-speaking country." He added that Russia maintains strong and friendly ties with the Arab world, but that each conflict must be judged separately. While Moscow may support Iran’s right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, it is not willing to go to war for it. Putin’s remarks are not a show of support for Israel. They are a quiet admission of geopolitical reality. Even Russia knows there is a red line - and that line is Israeli sovereignty and security. In a world addicted to diplomacy and delay, Israel is rewriting the rules. And the message is clear: No terrorist is beyond reach. No regime is too far. And no one - not even Iran’s closest allies - is willing to stand in Israel’s way. (Source: JFeed - Israel)

United Kingdom
22.06.2025  British Prime Minister Keir Starmer today urged Iran to resume nuclear talks amid US involvement. He noted that the UK did not participate in these strikes that targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat,' Starmer said on X. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Asia

Iran
(June 22, 2025) 03:58  Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization issued a formal statement following the pre-dawn strikes on its nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan: “In the early hours of the morning, the nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were attacked in a barbaric act that violates international law, particularly the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The American enemy has taken responsibility for the attacks. We will not allow the path to the development of this national industry - born from the blood of our martyrs - to be halted. The Organization is taking the necessary steps, including legal action, to defend the rights of the Iranian nation.” (Source: JFeed - Israel)

3:24 a.m. CEST, June 22, 2025  The US has struck three key nuclear sites in Iran: Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.   Fordow is located close to the holy city of Qom and buried deep in a group of mountains. A good chunk of what we do know comes from a trove of Iranian documents stolen years ago by Israeli intelligence. The main halls are an estimated 80 to 90 meters beneath the ground. Recent IAEA reports suggested Iran had ramped up production of enriched uranium to a level of 60% at Fordow. The facility now contains 2,700 centrifuges, 'according to experts and the IAEA'.   Isfahan, in central Iran, is home to the country’s largest nuclear research complex. The facility was built with support from China and opened in 1984. According to NTI, 3,000 scientists are employed at Isfahan, and the site is suspected of being the center of Iran’s nuclear program. It operates "three small Chinese-supplied research reactors", as well as a “conversion facility, a fuel production plant, a zirconium cladding plant, and other facilities and laboratories,” the NTI says.   The Natanz nuclear complex, about 250 kilometers south of the capital Tehran, is considered Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility. It is used to develop and assemble centrifuges for uranium enrichment, a key technology that turns uranium into nuclear fuel. Natanz has six above-ground buildings and three underground structures, two of which can hold 50,000 centrifuges, according to the non-profit Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity at its above-ground Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Weapons-grade uranium is enriched to 90%. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

(June 22, 2025) 03:21 -  Iranian TV: Every American citizen or military member is a legitimate target for us.    03:19  Iranian state television showed a map highlighting U.S. military bases across the Middle East, accompanied by a chilling message directed at President Trump: 'You started this - we will finish it.'    03:09  President Trump told Reuters: 'It was an amazing success tonight. They must make peace immediately. They need to do it now - and if they don’t, they will be hit again.'    3:08 a.m.  Iran had evacuated the three nuclear sites the US says it struck some time ago, according to the news director of Iranian state media IRIB, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported.    03:08  Fox News reports that the United States deployed six MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) bunker-busting bombs in the strike on the Fordow nuclear facility. In parallel, 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched at nuclear targets in Natanz and Isfahan, marking one of the most powerful and coordinated American strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure to date.    02:50  'Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize - For bombing Iran'. In a world where Nobel Prizes are too often handed out for empty gestures, it was Trump - by halting Iran’s nuclear bomb and averting global war - who 'truly earned the title of peacemaker'.    02:46  Following the massive strike on the Fordow nuclear site, the French news agency AFP reports that residents in the nearby city of Qom have begun evacuating their homes. The exodus comes amid fears of aftershocks, radiation, or further military action in the area. The situation on the ground remains tense and fluid.    02:46  Iranian state television reports that no radiation leak is expected following the strike on nuclear facilities, stating that all three targeted sites had been cleared of enriched uranium prior to the attack. The claim appears aimed at calming public fears, though its accuracy remains unverified.    02:38  According to The New York Times, the U.S. and Israel dropped an estimated 30 tons of explosives on the Fordow nuclear site during the overnight strike.    01:33  Reports from inside Iran indicate significant GPS interference affecting several areas across the country. The cause of the disruption is unclear, but it comes amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and heightened military activity.    01:29  According to The New York Times, Israel’s latest wave of airstrikes across Iran in recent hours was designed to neutralize potential threats that could endanger American fighter jets in the event of a U.S.-led strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility.    01:28  In the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force has carried out a sweeping series of strikes across 18 different locations in Iran, targeting military, nuclear, and strategic infrastructure. Reported strike zones include: Shiraz, Kermanshah, Karaj, Qom, Isfahan, Narmak, Lorestan, Tehran, Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province (multiple sites), Behbahan, Baqestan, Mamakān, Mashhad (oil infrastructure), Tabriz, Lenjan, Bandar Abbas (naval base), and Shahroud. This marks one of the most extensive and geographically widespread military operations against Iran in a single day.    01:26  At 2:10 AM, residents in the Kashan area of Isfahan Province reported hearing six powerful explosions. 'We suspect the Natanz nuclear facility may have been struck,' one resident said.        00:33  Last night, the IDF announced a joint operation between Israeli Air Force units and Military Intelligence that resulted in the elimination of Izadi - one of Iran’s top terror architects. Izadi, commander of the IRGC’s "Palestine Corps," was killed in a safehouse deep in the city of Qom. According to Israeli sources, he was the central point of contact between the Iranian regime and Hamas leadership, including Sinwar and Deif. Izadi was behind the financial lifeline from Tehran to Gaza and played a critical role in rebuilding Hamas’s military capabilities after previous defeats. He also directed Iran’s influence campaigns in Lebanon, Syria, and Judea and Samaria. In a separate strike, Israel also eliminated Shahriari, head of Quds Force’s weapons smuggling unit. Shahriari was responsible for transferring advanced weaponry and hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iranian proxies across the region through a complex network of shell companies and underground financial channels. It’s a campaign of decisive, surgical action. While the international community debates, Israel neutralizes.     - (June 22, 2025), 12:51 a.m. CEST  Air defense systems are heavily engaged over the Iranian cities of Tehran and Tabriz in the early hours of Sunday morning local time, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency. The sounds of explosions could be heard in Tabriz and eastern Tehran, state-affiliated outlet Nour News reported. (Sources: CNN, JFeed)

Iraq
(June 22, 2025) 03:20  According to The Washington Post, Iraqi security forces have been deployed around the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad in anticipation of possible attacks by pro-Iranian militias. (Source: JFeed - Israel)

Israel
(June 22, 2025) 04:35 - Greater than Napoleon or Alexander: For the next thousand years, every second Jewish boy should be named Trump.    4:08 a.m. CEST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement: 'Congratulations President Trump, your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history. In Operation Rising Lion, Israel has done truly amazing things. But in tonight’s action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, America has been truly unsurpassed. It has done what no other country on earth could do. History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime, the world’s most dangerous weapons. His leadership today has created a pivot of history that can help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace. President Trump and I often say “peace through strength'. First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength. President Trump, I thank you. The people of Israel thank you. The forces of civilization thank you. God bless America. God bless Israel and may God bless our unshakeable alliance, our unbreakable faith'.    - (June 22, 2025) 01:31  For the first time since the beginning of the conflict, no missiles have been launched from Iranian territory toward Israel in the past 24 hours. (Sources: CNN - U.S., JFeed - Israel)

Persian Gulf
(June 22, 2025) 02:19  U.S. bases across West Asia placed on high alert. (Source: JFeed - Israel)

Saudi Arabia
5:33 a.m. CEST, June 22, 2025  “No radioactive effects were detected on the environment of the Kingdom, and the Arab Gulf states as a result of the US military targeting of Iran’s nuclear facilities,' the Saudi Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority said in a post on X. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Strait of Hormuz
(June 22, 2025) 04:51  Roughly 50 large oil tankers are currently attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz. The oil industry appears to fear that this vital waterway could soon be closed - a move that would likely send global oil prices skyrocketing. (Source: JFeed - Israel)

 North America

United States
7:17 AM CEST, June 22, 2025 -  U.S. President Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, hours after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites. Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Rubio and Defense Secretary Hegseth listen.  /Video/    05:02 Ocasio-Cortez Calls for impeachment proceedings against President Trump.    5:45 a.m. CEST  “President Trump must provide the American people and Congress clear answers on the actions taken tonight and their implications for the safety of Americans,' Senate Minority Leader Schumer said in a statement. “No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy.' “We must enforce the War Powers Act and I’m urging (Senate Majority) Leader Thune to put it on the Senate floor immediately,” Schumer said. The Democrat added: “Confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression demands strength, resolve, and strategic clarity. The danger of wider, longer, and more devastating war has now dramatically increased.'    3:44 a.m. CEST  House GOP leaders praise Trump's strike on Iran as "America First policy in action'. 'The military operations in Iran should serve as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says. The President gave Iran’s leader every opportunity to make a deal, but Iran refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament agreement,' House Speaker Johnson said in a post on X. House Majority Whip Emmer echoed Trump’s statement announcing the strikes in a social media post. Now is the time of peace. 'A nuclear Iran posed a threat to the Middle East and to the world. @POTUS has been consistent that this dangerous regime should never possess a nuclear weapon,' Emmer wrote on X.    02:11  Trump amplifies post declaring 'Fordow is gone'.    01:51  President Trump has officially confirmed: 'We just completed a very successful strike on Iran’s three nuclear sites - Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. All our aircraft are now out of Iranian airspace. A full payload of bombs was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.' This marks a dramatic escalation and the first confirmed U.S. military strike directly targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure in this conflict.    2:03 a.m. CEST  Trump announces air strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran.    - (June 22, 2025) 00:17  U.S. defense sources report that the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz has arrived in the Middle East in recent hours, joining the USS Carl Vinson, which is already operating in the region. (Sources: AP, CNN = U.S.; JFeed - Israel)

South America

5:59 a.m. CEST, June 22, 2025  Latin American countries - Cuba, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico - condemn US strike and urge dialogue. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

International Atomic Energy Agency

(June 22, 2025) 00:04  According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Israel’s recent strike in Isfahan targeted not only the previously reported centrifuge production facility but also six additional nuclear-related sites. These include a uranium metal production plant, a facility for manufacturing nuclear fuel rods, a laboratory and storage site for nuclear materials, another laboratory, a workshop for handling contaminated equipment, and an administrative office building. The strike dealt a significant blow to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, damaging both core production and support components. (Source: JFeed - Israel)

Space

(June 22, 2025) 03:59  Roughly two hours ago, NASA’s FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) detected thermal anomalies consistent with a significant fire at the Fordow nuclear enrichment facility in Iran - one of the primary targets of the recent Israeli-American strikes. (Source: JFeed - Israel)

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Europe

Russia
June 21, 2025  Russian President Putin told Sky News Arabia that "Iran has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and we are ready to provide the necessary support". "I would like to remind you that Iran has adopted a fatwa [religious ruling] prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons, and this is extremely significant." Mr Putin also called for flexibility from Iran and Israel as a means to resolving the conflict. (Source: The National News - United Arab Emirates)

Asia

Iran
(June 21, 2025) 23:36  Multiple U.S. MQ-9 drones spotted over Baghdad. Reports indicate that several American MQ-9 Reaper drones have been observed flying over Baghdad in recent hours. (Source: JFeed - based in Iersusalem, Israel)

(June 21, 2025) 23:17  Yes, we’re aware of the reports about possible ground-based strikes near the Fordow nuclear facility. (Source: JFeed - based in Iersusalem, Israel)

(June 21, 2025) 23:12  Mystery strike in Bandar Abbas. After reports of a major explosion damaging an Iranian naval vessel in the port of Bandar Abbas, Israeli sources are distancing themselves from the incident, stating unequivocally: “This wasn’t us.” So who was behind the strike? (Source: JFeed - based in Iersusalem, Israel)

21 June 2025 4:17 pm  AP reported that on early today, smoke could be seen rising from an area near a mountain in Isfahan, where a local official said Israel had twice attacked the nuclear research facility. The strikes on Isfahan was the second attack on the site. (Source: Outlook - India)

21/06/2025 - 12:30  Facing heavy missile strikes from Tel Aviv, Iranians are fleeing the country, notably from Tehran. Lines have begun to form at Iran's border with Turkey. (Source: France 24)

11:45 a.m. CEST, June 21, 2025  In a statement today, Israeli military has said it 'eliminated' Izadi, rcommander responsible for operations outside Iran of the elite Iranian Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). (Source: CNN - U.S.)

June 21, 2025, 9:54 a.m. ET  Israel’s military said it had killed Shahriyari, a commander in Iran’s Quds Force, which oversees and supports proxy militias around the Middle East, the head of the force’s weapons transfer unit. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

Persian Gulf
June 21, 2025, 10:57 a.m. ET  Ambassadors from countries that are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, met with Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. They expressed growing concern over the safety of nuclear facilities near their borders. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

Turkey
June 21, 2025  The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s foreign ministers are holding a 2-day meeting in Turkey, in which Israeli aggression against Iran is at the top of the agenda. Iranian Foreign Minister Araqchi is participating. Turkish President Erdogan has said that Netanyahu wants to push the entire region towards destruction, so the unity of Muslims is the need of the hour, and it is time to put aside their differences and unite. (Source: Daily Ausaf - Pakistan)

North America

United States
Jun 21, 2025  Pakistan government has announced that it will formally nominate US president Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do,' in response, President Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, listing his involvement in conflicts across India-Pakistan, Russia-Ukraine, Serbia-Kosovo, the Middle East, Congo and Rwanda. (Source: Eastern Eye - United Kingdom)

(21 June 2025)  Gabbard now says Iran could produce nuclear weapon 'within weeks'. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Global

June 21, 2025  Academics worldwide demand: Stop the war on Iran - For peace, justice, and democracy. (Source: Radio Zamaneh, a Persian language media organisation in exile based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
952 academic signatories + 360 non-academic supporters

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Europe

Russia
Friday, June 20, 2025  Putin - who earlier this year signed the Russian-Iranian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Pezeshkian, with both leaders describing their countries as allied - sought to limit the damage done to Russia’s reputation as an ally. In an interview this week, Putin claimed that the January 2025 treaty contained “no clauses pertaining to defense cooperation,” and that Russia had proposed to Iran cooperation in air defense systems, but Iran “showed limited interest, and the matter concluded there.” On balance, one acceptable outcome of the conflict for Putin would be an Iran that has been durably denied the capability to produce nuclear weapons while still ruled by a Kremlin-friendly regime. It is doubtful, however, that Israel and its main ally, the U.S., which are both interested in not only denying Iran nuclear weapons, but also in regime change, would agree to both parts of this outcome. Putin told a June 20 plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum: 'They [the Ukrainian Armed Forces] got into our Kursk region, committed crimes. We drove them out. And now we are forced to create a security zone along the border," Putin said. "We do not have the task of taking Sumy. But in principle, I do not rule it out." When asked if Ukraine could drop a dirty bomb on Russia, Russian President Putin told: “Firstly, it would be a colossal mistake on the part of [Ukrainian authorities]... Perhaps it would be their last mistake. Because in our nuclear doctrine - both common sense and the practice of our actions - they always say that we always respond to all threats that are created for us, in a mirror-like manner. We always respond and always in a mirror-like manner. Therefore, our response will be very harsh and, most likely, catastrophic for both the [Kyiv] ... regime and, unfortunately, for Ukraine itself. I hope that they will never come to this.” Putin told: "I have already said that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours.” He also said: “There is an old rule. Wherever the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours'. There should be five main directions of structural changes in the Russian economy, Putin told: "a change in the nature of employment and consumption structure; a new quality of the investment climate; Russia’s economy must become more technologically advanced; a new quality of foreign trade: both exports and imports and fundamental changes… in the field of defense and security… the fifth direction of structural transformation of the economy.” He declared that stagnation and recession in the economy would not be allowed after experts and high-ranking officials warned of a slowdown. “Some specialists and experts point to the risks of stagnation and even recession. This, of course, should not be allowed in any case,” he said. Over the past four years, the number of employed people in Russia has grown by 2.4 million. “We have achieved the lowest level of poverty in the history of the Russian Federation. By the end of last year, it stood at 7.2%... In 2000, the poverty rate in Russia was 29 %, with 42.3 million people living in - let’s be honest - a humiliating situation; by the end of 2024, that figure is no longer 29%, but 7.2%, and no longer 42.3 million people - it's 10.5 million.” Russia’s economy expanded just 1.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025 - its slowest pace in two years. The Russian ruble has become the dominant currency in the country’s export payments for the first time since the West imposed sweeping sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, according to new data released by the Central Bank. The ruble accounted for 52.3% of export transactions in April, while the share of currencies from what the Kremlin designates as unfriendly countries - including the United States and other Western allies - fell to a historic low of 14.1%. (Source: Russia Matters - Harward Kennedy School Belfer Center, U.S.)

Asia

China
Jun 20, 2025 04:30  China is reportedly stepping up its military support for the Iranian regime. Reports indicate that just last night, three Chinese military transport aircraft landed in Iran. This development comes alongside continued Russian assistance at the Bushehr nuclear facility and adds to China’s ongoing supply of advanced dual-use fuels and technologies in recent months - materials believed to be critical to Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear development programs. China and Iran are bound by a long-term strategic partnership, anchored in a 25-year investment agreement signed in recent years, valued at approximately $400 billion. (Source: JFeed - based in Jerusalem, Israel)

(Friday), 11:14 a.m. CEST, June 20, 2025  China and Russia are positioning themselves as voices of reason, calling for de-escalation of a conflict the United States is contemplating entering - these are the optics Xi and Putin sought to project in a phone call on Thursday. As US President Trump weighs joining Israel in attacking Iran, the fast-spiralling conflict between two sworn enemies in the Middle East has presented Beijing and Moscow another opportunity to cast themselves as an alternative to US power. Putin and Xi strongly condemned Israel’s actions, calling them a breach of the UN Charter and other norms of international law, according to the Kremlin. (The elephant in the room, of course, is Russia’s own violations of international law in its ongoing war against Ukraine, which Beijing has consistently refused to condemn.) In Beijing’s readout, Xi struck a more measured tone and stopped short of explicitly condemning Israel - unlike his foreign minister, who did just that in a call with his Iranian counterpart last week. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Iran
21:03 ET, Jun 20 2025  A strong earthquake of 5.1 magnitude has struck northern Iran. The quake struck some 22 miles away from Iran's Semnan region at 9:19pm local time and was also felt in Tehran's Qom region. Semnan is home to the Semnan Missile Complex operated by Iran's military as well as the Semnan Space Centre. (Source: The Sun - United Kingdom)

(June 20, 2025) 8:20 PM GMT+2  A 5.2-magnitude earthquake was reported in central Iran this evening. The earthquake struck about 22 miles southwest of Semnan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake was felt in Tehran, Karaj, Qom, Sorkheh and Damavand. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

8:02 p.m. CEST, June 20, 2025  Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammadi called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict between Iran and Israel in an exclusive video message shared with CNN. She was awarded the 2023 prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her promotion of human rights. Mohammadi has served more than 10 years behind bars. She is currently on a sentence suspension from the notorious Evin Prison and has been given two official orders to return. “Residential homes, infrastructure and critical facilities of the people in these cities and countries are being bombed and destroyed,' she said. “In the days that I was in Tehran, we didn’t even have a shelter to go to. Even at night when we wanted to go to the metro (station), the doors of the metros were closed,' she added. “Tehran is not a city where you can prevent the killing of people who have nowhere to shelter with one evacuation order,' Mohammadi said. She stressed that people in the city 'economically do not have the possibility to move.” Mohammadi also appealed directly to US President Trump in the message, asking him to “not join this war” and to pursue a ceasefire instead. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

(Friday), June 20, 2025 / 7:53 PM EDT  French Foreign Minister Barrot, German Foreign Minister Wadephul, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and the top European Union diplomat, Kallas attended the Geneva meeting with Aragchi. Lammy had met with Secretary of State Rubio and Middle East envoy Witkoff at the White House Thursday. The Geneva meeting lasted nearly four hours. There would be further talks. Iran supported continuing discussions. (Source: CBS News - U.S.)

Friday 20 June 2025 17:14 BST  Iran’s top diplomat accused Israel of committing war crimes by bombing Tehran’s nuclear facilities as he arrived for negotiations with the UK and European Union in the Swiss city of Geneva focused on addressing allegations that Iran is enriching uranium at a dangerous level. An Israeli government official said their intelligence showed that three months ago 'the Iranians had the equivalent for six nuclear bombs', but that figure had now increased to nine. US estimates about how close Iran is to producing weapons-grade uranium appear to be more conservative. In Geneva, Araghchi was having already said prior to his arrival that he was opposed to negotiations. He added that he expected the Switzerland talks to focus only on Iran's nuclear program, and that Iran's missile capabilities were for defending the country and not up for discussion. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

Israel
June 20, 2025  Arching into the night sky over Tehran on Wednesday night a Khorramshahr-4 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) has been shown leaving Iranian airspace and heading toward Tel Aviv. The Israeli defense industrial base as well as those of its allies, are strained and unable to keep up with current production demands for more Iron Dome-type air defenses and the ammunition that feeds them. With a major regional war on, this defense industrial capacity is incredibly strained. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)

North America

United States
Friday, June 20, 2025  “If the U.S. won’t help one of its strongest and most loyal allies finish the job of eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat in uncontested air space, the message to China will be that there is no chance the U.S. will defend Taiwan. Everyone will see it - from the Kremlin’s commissars to the Communist bosses in Beidaihe,” so far, so Journal. Did the Wall Street Journal just prevent a war? Trump hates feeling led and nurses a number of understandable grudges over how he’s been treated these past 10 years. (Source: The Spectator - U.S.)

Jun 20, 2025 at 3:20 PM EDT  Carlson is leading new anti-war movement. Strange political coalitions are forming amid Iran-Israel war - a deeper divide over what "America First" means in 2025. Carlson, the former Fox News host grilled Senator Cruz over U.S. involvement in Israel's war on Iran in part of a now-viral two-hour interview. It redefined Carlson's role in the current landscape - not just as a conservative firebrand, but as one of the leading critics of Trump-era foreign policy. He is now one of the most vocal anti-interventionists on the American right. He holds similar views on the war in Ukraine. His opposition to military action in Iran isn't particularly surprising for those who have followed him from his perch at Fox News to his role as a podcast host and independent content creator. Carlson's interview and opposition to intervention has found support beyond his usual base – all praised him for confronting Cruz in ways mainstream media often do not. With Democrats currently lacking clear direction, many outlets are reluctant to take the lead themselves; major outlets like CNN, The New York Times, and MSNBC rarely press Republican politicians with such direct, confrontational questions. Carlson's not beholden to the traditional media structure, and he's not scared of Trump like many others are. According to the report by the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025, Americans - especially younger, conservative-leaning men - are increasingly turning away from traditional outlets in favor of personality-driven voices across digital platforms. 54 percent of U.S. adults now primarily access news through social media and video networks, with trust in conventional journalism continuing to erode. The authors noted that "right-leaning audiences now dominate the conversation on platforms like X," with Carlson cited as one of the most influential figures in the new fragmented media environment. Tucker is speaking directly to a segment of the Trump base that's skeptical of endless war and not particularly attached to the old neocon worldview. As The Independent's Hall observed of Carlson: "He knows the ways of the neocons - their secrets, their tricks, their dodges - because he was once one of them." Carlson's transformation from a cheerleader of the Iraq War to one of its fiercest critics on the right is what makes his case against Iran so potent - and so politically disruptive. (Source: Newsweek - U.S.)

June 20, 2025  Carlson and Sen. Cruz get into a heated debate about foreign governments' influence on U.S. politics. Cruz struggles to respond. /Video/ (Source: TuckerCarlson.com - U.S.)

International Atomic Energy Agency

(Friday), 5:59 a.m. CEST, June 20, 2025  Grossi this week rebuffed Iranian claims the IAEA has presented a 'misleading narrative' over its nuclear program and said the organization stood ready to closely monitor and assess the situation regarding the Israeli attacks on nuclear sites. Evidence gathered on Iran’s nuclear program by the International Atomic Energy Agency can 'hardly be a basis for any military action,' the organization’s head said Thursday. “Military action, from wherever it comes, is a political decision that has nothing to do with what we’re saying,' Grossi told. After launching its first wave of strikes on Iran, Israel pointed to a recent IAEA report that acknowledged Iran is enriching uranium to a higher level than other countries without nuclear weapons programs, in violation of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. But Grossi told there was no indication of a systematic program in Iran to produce a nuclear weapon. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

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Europe

Estonia
June 20, 2025 5:24 pm CET  Estonia’s social affairs minister, Joller, who is also a doctor, is profoundly dismayed at WHO's Europe regional director Kluge's meeting with Russia’s foreign minister, who had discussed from the pandemic deal to HIV prevention, as well as the obligation not to attack health care facilities. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

Latvia
June 20, 2025 4:12 pm CET  The Latvian parliament voted yesterday to bar Russian and Belarusian citizens from buying real estate in the country. (Source: Politico - U.S.) 

Russia
June 20, 2025 11:26 am (EST)  Putin’s war in Ukraine is not just about territory  -  it’s a calculated move rooted in history to reclaim Russia's global influence and potentially redraw Europe’s borders. To safeguard European security, the West must revive its proven strategy: build a strong deterrent while pursuing dialogue to ensure long-term stability. In broad terms, NATO countries should pursue four measures: ’Enhance deterrence’ to stabilize the Russia-West frontier; Aim for domestic consolidation to reduce the scope for Russian meddling; Support the preservation of a sovereign Ukrainian nation-state to tame Russia’s expansionist impulse; Begin a dialogue with Russia about coexistence to lay the foundation for a more secure and peaceful future. Even as the West seeks to counter Putin’s territorial ambitions, it should propose a discussion on how to manage relations responsibly in the years ahead. No matter how the Russia-Ukraine war ends, Russia is going to remain a rival power on the European continent, certainly under Putin and likely under his immediate successors. As during the Cold War, the dialogue should focus on lessening the costs of maintaining stability along the Russia-West frontier and reducing the risks of conflict. Coexistence with a nuclear-armed Russia remains a geopolitical imperative. Making that point a central element of the West’s public presentation of its Russia policy would have the added benefit of reassuring parts of the Russian political elites that there is a way forward from today’s tense adversarial relationship to a less fraught one in which their interests will be properly considered. Although the immediate benefits should not be exaggerated, such an approach could also elevate the domestic pressure on Putin to negotiate in earnest a settlement to his war against Ukraine. In the long run, it will almost certainly lead to a more secure and peaceful future for Europe. (Source: The Council on Foreign Relations - U.S.)
by Graham, a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. His book, Getting Russia Right, was published in September, 2023

Asia

Iran
June 20, 2025, 4:00 PM GMT+2  What could happen if President Trump does decide to use the United States' largest conventional bomb to destroy Iran’s fortresslike Fordo nuclear enrichment facility. (Source: NBC News  - U.S.)

Persian Gulf
(June 20, 2025)  Gulf monarchies hold rival Iran close as Israel conflict rages. Gulf rulers have strong relations with Trump, and his visit to the region last month was considered a success. The US president drew applause in Riyadh when he chastised past US “nation-builders' and neocons for their failed Middle East interventions. Since Israel launched its offensive last week, the rulers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - the region’s biggest economies - have spoken with Iranian President Pezeshkian to express solidarity, and repeatedly condemned Israel’s attacks. Arab monarchies are seeking to stay close to their regional rival Tehran as they frantically try to avoid being engulfed in the war on the other side of the Gulf and to head off potential Iranian missile attacks. They fear US involvement would put Gulf states that host American bases in the line of fire, and could even strangle their oil and gas exports if Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz. They have been highly critical of Israel’s conduct of its 20-month war against Hamas in Gaza, and its strikes in Syria as a new government seeks to stabilise the country. (Source: The Financial Times - United Kingdom)

Qatar
(June 20, 2025) 3:11 PM GMT+2  Satellite images captured yesterday, provided by Planet Labs, which operates a fleet of Earth-imaging satellites indicate the removal of U.S. warplanes from Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, one of the main U.S. military bases in the Middle East. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

Turkey
(Friday), 20 Jun 2025 - 11:53 pm  An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers began today in Istanbul, Turkiye, with the participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan. The emergency Arab meeting is being held on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which begins Saturday, in Istanbul and continues until Sunday. (Source: The Peninsula – Qatar)

North America

United States
June 20, 2025  Within the last week, Trump quietly ordered the movement of the US Air Force’s key B-2 Spirit bombers from California into the Pacific. Their final destination is not yet known, but is almost certainly the US airbase at Diego Garcia, America’s military redoubt in the Indian Ocean that lies within striking distance of Iran. The B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bomber is the best plane in the American arsenal for deploying GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) gravity bombs. These bombs can supposedly collapse the hardened bunkers of Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment facility. Israel was managing to repeatedly strike suspected nuclear weapons development facilities with 3,000 and 5,000-pound bunker busting bombs. It has been apparently unable to destroy hardened facilities such as Fordow. Israeli war planners rightly fear that they will soon be unable to reliably penetrate Iranian airspace and continue striking the hardened Iranian nuclear weapons sites. The Israelis will need the Americans to do this for them. The president has moved the bulk of America’s midair refueling tankers into the Middle East, as well as massive numbers of warplanes. Now, he is positioning an unusual number of warships into the area. 'America’s B-2s, escorted by the Super Hornets and Growlers, will fly into Iran from Diego Garcia. The Growlers will conduct sweeping electronic disruption attacks against the Iranian air defense networks. Meanwhile, the Super Hornets will cover the bombers from any potential enemy fighters or from incoming air defense fire. Floating just across the border from Iran in Saudi Arabia or Iraq, pickets of F-22s and F-35s will be shadowing the B-2s, preparing to enter the fray if they encounter heavier-than-expected resistance. Once in Iran’s airspace, the B-2s will proceed to Fordow and drop their GBU-57 MOP bombs. Once dropped, the B-2s will high-tail it out of the contested Iranian airspace, moving swiftly northward toward the Mediterranean. At some point, these planes will be topped off by US refuelers positioned throughout the region, as the B-2s make their way back to Whitman Air Force Base in the United States via the European air route. This is likely how it will go down this weekend'. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
by Weichert. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower; Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life; The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book: A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine.

United Nations

20 June 2025  “The Non-Proliferation Treaty is a cornerstone of international security,” United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said. “Iran must respect it. But the only way to bridge the trust gap is through diplomacy – not destruction.” IAEA Director General warned the Security Council that Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities are degrading critical safety systems and placing millions at potential radiological risk. At Natanz, the destruction of electricity infrastructure and direct strikes on enrichment halls have led to internal contamination. While no radiological release has been detected outside the facility, uranium compounds now pose significant health hazards within. At Isfahan, multiple buildings – including a uranium conversion plant and a metal processing facility – were hit. At Arak’s Khondab reactor site, damage was sustained, though the facility was not operational. The greatest risk, however, is the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which remains operational. A direct strike could result in a high release of radioactivity to the environment.” Even disruption of its external power supply could lead to a core meltdown. In the worst-case scenario, radiation would affect populations hundreds of kilometres away and require mass evacuations. Mr. Grossi also warned against any attack on the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor, which could endanger millions in the capital. He pledged that the IAEA would continue to monitor and report on nuclear safety conditions in Iran and reiterated his readiness to mediate. Mr. Grossi stressed the agency can guarantee, through a watertight inspections system, that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran, urging dialogue. (Source: UN News - New York)

NATO

June 20, 202 5  'But to preserve the peace, we must prepare for war. That is precisely what we are doing at our next summit in The Hague'. (Source: Foreign Affairs - U.S.)
by Rutte

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Europe

Spain
Thursday 19 June 2025 14:36 BST  Spain has rejected a NATO proposal to spend 5% of GDP on defense, calling it “unreasonable.” In early June, ’Sweden and the Netherlands said that they aim to meet the new target’. At next week’s NATO summit in The Hague ’most U.S. allies are on track to endorse U.S. President Trump’s demand that they invest 5% of gross domestic product on their defense and military needs’. European allies and Canada are keen to finalize the spending pledge before the summit, and not leave it open for any heated debate that might drag the meeting out. ’Poland and the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have already publicly committed to 5%, and Rutte has said that most allies were ready to endorse the goal’. “For Spain, committing to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive, as it would move Spain away from optimal spending and it would hinder the EU’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defense ecosystem,” Sánchez wrote in a letter sent today to NATO Secretary-General Rutte. „Spain was the lowest spender in the 32-nation military alliance last year, directing less than 2% of its GDP on defense expenditure”. NATO allies agreed to spend 2% of GDP on military expenditure after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The alliance's plans for ’defending Europe and North America against a Russian attack require investments of at least 3%’. ’The aim now is to raise the bar to 3.5% for core defense spending on tanks, warplanes, air defense, missiles and hiring extra troops. A further 1.5% would be spent on things like roads, bridges, ports and airfields so armies can deploy more quickly, as well as preparing societies for possible attack’. What time-frame will get countries to reach the new spending goals? A target date of 2032 was initially floated. Rutte has said that Russia could be ready to launch an attack on NATO territory by 2030’. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

European Commission
19.06.2025  Te EU's recent decisions on security and defense have unlocked funding, with over €800 billion ($918 billion) available to support joint procurement and defense projects. The EU foreign policy chief today hailed Türkiye's role in diplomacy, saying the bloc sees Türkiye as a security player. "When it comes to role of Turkey, then Istanbul has been the place where a lot of meetings take place', Kallas told. Now Türkiye as a candidate country, also has access to SAFE loans for joint projects with the European countries, she said, On the Middle East, she expressed concern over rising tensions, particularly attacks on nuclear sites and fears of wider conflict. The risks of miscalculation are very high, and that's why 'we try to bring the tensions down, she said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Parliament
June 19, 2025  MEPs propose stricter rules on dog and cat welfare and traceability. (Source: European Parliament)

Russia
(June 19, 2025)  At a press briefing, Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry said the Kremlin is particularly concerned about the safety of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which employs Russian specialists. An Israeli strike on Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant in Bushehr would cause a catastrophe on the scale of Chernobyl, Rosatom CEO Likhachev the head of Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company warned today. Bushehr sits on the coast of the Persian Gulf and is Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant. Russia helped Iran build the plant and some of its staff are Russian. An Israeli military spokesperson said today that Israel had struck the plant, but an Israeli military official soon said that this was a mistake and that he could neither confirm nor deny that the Bushehr plant had been hit. Likhachev said that dozens of Russian specialists employed at the plant have been evacuated, RIA reported. Many Gulf Arab states and nuclear experts have been concerned about the environmental contamination that could spread across the Persian Gulf, if the plant was targeted. A strike on the Bushehr plant 'would result in the dispersal of a lot of radiation', Roecker, the vice president for Nuclear Materials Security at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Asia

China
(June 19, 2025)  “The international community, especially major powers that have a special influence on the parties to the conflict, should make efforts to promote the cooling of the situation, not the opposite,” Chinese leader Xi said during a phone call with Russian counterpart Putin, according to a readout from China’s Foreign Ministry. “The parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease fire as soon as possible to prevent the situation from escalating in turn and resolutely avoid the spillover of war,” Xi told Putin, according to the Chinese readout. Both leaders believe there is no military solution to the conflict or to Iran’s nuclear program, as they must be achieved exclusively through political and diplomatic means, the Kremlin said. “(Putin) confirmed Russia’s readiness to undertake possible mediation efforts if needed. The Chinese leader expressed support for such mediation". (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Gaza
(June 19, 2025)  Israeli strikes in Gaza killed more than 70 people today, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. More than 55,160 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s war with Hamas began on October 7, 2023, according to the health ministry, including more than 17,000 children. Attacks on civilians attempting to access food supplies continue, hospitals are overstretched and 55,000 pregnant women are facing growing health risks, according to the most recent report from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The United Nations repeated its warnings today that famine is growing increasingly likely and that there are few areas left in the territory where Palestinians are safe from bombardment. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Iran
(June 19, 2025)  If Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility were damaged or destroyed in a strike 'by the US’, it would likely lead to a limited radiation leak in the immediate area, but it would not pose the same catastrophic consequences as bombing a nuclear reactor. Bombing a reactor is a whole different ball game, Davenport, the Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, said. If bombs were able to penetrate Fordow, it would likely lead to ’some limited radiation from the uranium enriched and stored at the facility,’ but ’it’s unlikely to cause significant, widespread environmental health contamination.’ Attacking a site where uranium hexafluoride gas - the material fed into the facility’s centrifuges - is stored, ’is going to create chemical toxicities’ and ’low level alpha radiation,’ which would likely be localized to the site, she explained. Davenport said that it would likely be ’manageable if people are wearing the right protective equipment.’ Taleblu, the Iran program senior director and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), also described the potential damage as being a chemical hazard. Roecker, the Vice President for Nuclear Materials Security at NTI explained: ’There isn’t a major radiation dispersal risk at Fordow because that enriched uranium is fresh.’ It’d be localized around the site, and because it’s buried underground too, ’I don’t know you know how much of that would even be released,’ he said. Davenport said she believes it’s extremely unlikely Israel would bomb a nuclear reactor - a move that “would be a clear violation of international law.” ’You risk a reactor meltdown, widespread radiation and environmental contamination, devastating to the region,’ she said. (Source: CNN - U.S.)
by Hansler

Thursday 19 June 2025 at 8:57am  Israel attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, Iranian state television said today. Iran reported there was “no radiation danger whatsoever" and that the facility had been already evacuated before the attack. Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns. In 2019, Iran started up the heavy water reactor's secondary circuit, which at the time did not violate Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Britain at the time was helping Iran redesign the Arak reactor to limit the amount of plutonium it produces. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, has been urging Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear sites. IAEA inspectors reportedly last visited Arak on May 14. (Source: ITW News - United Kingdom)

(June 19, 2025)  Internet connectivity across the country plummeted from 78% to just 3% yesterday afternoon, according to data from Netblocks, a non-governmental organization that monitors internet governance. Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology said it had imposed temporary internet restrictions, citing security concerns. The Israeli military said it struck what it said was a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz, around 300 kilometers south of Tehran, which it said contained 'components and specialized equipment' used to advance a nuclear weapons development. Israel had also struck Natanz on June 13, on the first day of its attack on Israel. IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Defrin said Iran had launched more than 450 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel. Most of the drones had been launched from Iran, Defrin said, but some had come from proxies in the region. He said Israel had destroyed approximately two-thirds of Iran’s missile launchers. Still more than 100 launchers left by the IDF’s estimates and are still capable of striking Israel. Defrin said the IDF is also attacking Iran’s ballistic missile production facilities. Iran launched at least one ballistic missile at Israel today morning armed with multiple warheads, the Israeli military said. It was the first time such a warhead had landed in Israel. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

June 19 2025 08:54  Israeli Defence Minister Katz said yesterday afternoon that air force jets had 'destroyed the internal security headquarters of the Iranian regime'. (Source: Hurriyet Daily News - Turkey)

Israel
(June 19, 2025  Israel has never acknowledged its nuclear weapons program. But it is one of nine countries known to have nuclear weapons. Israel began exploring nuclear weapons development ’before its establishment’ in 1948, then at a secret development site in 1958, near the southern town of Dimona. It has signed and ratified the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which obligates signatories not to explode a nuclear device in the atmosphere or oceans. Israel first assembled its first nuclear weapon around 1966 or 1967. In 1968, the CIA issued a report that said Israel had successfully started production of nuclear weapons. Israel has not signed the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and opposes diplomatic efforts to establish a WMD Free Zone in the Middle East. It is believed to have conducted a clandestine atmospheric nuclear test in 1979, which it denies. In an interview with CNN in May 2018 – shortly after Israel stole Iran’s nuclear archive from Tehran – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked if he was ready to acknowledge Israel’s own program. ’We’ve always said that we won’t be the first to introduce (a nuclear weapon), so we haven’t introduced it,’ he said. Israel now possesses around 90 nuclear warheads and is believed to have enough nuclear material to produce up to 300 nuclear weapons, according to the Washington, DC-based NGO, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). It is continuing to modernize its stockpile, according to SIPRI, who said that Israel conducted a test of a missile propulsion system in 2024 that could be related to its Jericho family of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Israel also appears to be upgrading its plutonium production reactor site at Dimona, SIPRI said. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

19.06.2025 With no treaty obligations, no inspections, and strong backing from Western allies, Israel remains nuclear power without transparency or accountability, shows a recent UK House of Commons research briefing, which exposes Israel’s secret nuclear arsenal. The report outlines decades of strategic silence, lack of treaty commitments, and minimal international pressure on Israel’s undeclared arsenal. Estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) suggest Israel holds 80 to 90 warheads, with fissile material stockpiled for as many as 200. At the heart of Israel’s covert nuclear effort lies the Dimona nuclear facility, originally constructed with French assistance in the late 1950s. Publicly presented as a civilian reactor, 'Dimona is thought to have produced enough plutonium for over 100 nuclear warheads,' the report said. ’Inspections by American and international officials were misled through false walls and hidden elevators’, while Israel reassured allies that its intentions were peaceful. In 1986, Vanunu, a technician at Dimona, delivered photographic evidence and detailed testimony to The Sunday Times. The information he revealed is still considered the most detailed public account of Israel’s nuclear capability, the report underlined. Kidnapped by Mossad agents in Rome, Vanunu was smuggled back to Israel, tried in secret, and imprisoned for 18 years - 11 of them in solitary confinement. Despite widespread knowledge of its capabilities, unlike India, Pakistan, or North Korea, Israel is not subject to the same level of international scrutiny as other states, it has faced little pressure from its Western allies. Israel signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996 but has not ratified it and retains the right to conduct nuclear tests. In 1979, a mysterious ’double flash’ detected over the South Atlantic raised suspicions of a clandestine Israeli nuclear test, possibly in collaboration with apartheid-era South Africa. „Efforts to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, led by Arab nations and backed by the UN, have consistently met Israeli resistance’. ’Israel has consistently voted against UN resolutions calling for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East,’ the report said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Thursday 19 June 2025 at 8:57am  A spokesperson for the Soroka Medical Centre in Beer Sheba said the hospital suffered extensive damage in different areas and people had been wounded in the attack. The hospital has over 1,000 beds and provides services to the approximately 1 million residents of Israel's south. Iran claims it was targeting a military site next to Soroka Hospital which was accurately hit, causing damage to the hospital in the blast wave. (Source: ITW News - United Kingdom)

(June 19, 2025)  'The principal target of the attack was the vast command and intelligence base of Israel’s army (IDF C4i) and the campus of their military intelligence, located in the Gav-Yam technology park, next to Soroka hospital in Beer Sheva,' Iran’s IRNA state news agency has claimed. The apparent target, Gav-Yam Negev technology park, is less than a mile from Soroka Medical Center, the Beer Sheva hospital which was damaged in the strike. The technology park’s website describes itself as “Israel’s most advanced center of research and development… adjacent to the Ben Gurion University campus and the IDF C4i Branch campus.” C4i directorate is the IDF’s elite technological unit. The website adds that the park connects “veterans of the IDF’s elite technological units, graduates of Ben Gurion University, the high-tech industry” as well as investors and academics. Iran’s latest wave of missiles struck shortly after 7 a.m. local time (00.00 ET) an area near Tel Aviv, causing damage to several high-rise buildings on a street in Ramat Gan city, around three miles from Tel Aviv city center. In Ramat Gan the missile struck shredded the facades of buildings and blew out windows in high-rise blocks. Damage to other structures surrounding the site can also be seen. Ramat Gan city has an estimated population of just over 175,000 and is home to Israel’s Diamond Exchange, one of the world’s top diamond districts. Neighboring cities Tel Aviv and Holon were also hit in the Iranian attack. Israel’s health ministry says at least 271 people were admitted to hospital this morning following Iranian strikes across the country. 'The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to intensify strikes against strategic targets in Iran and against government sites in Tehran, in order to remove the threats facing the State of Israel and destabilize the Ayatollahs’ regime,' Israel’s Defense Minister Katz said, after Iran launched its latest wave of ballistic missiles at cities across Israel today. Iran fired more missiles at Israel today, the Israeli military said. Sirens sounded in the northern city of Haifa and its surroundings. ’A dictator like Khamenei, who’s heading a state like Iran, who set himself the goal of destroying the state of Israel… he can no longer continue to exist,’ Israel’s Defense Minister Katz said today, speaking to reporters in the central city of Holon, which was also targeted by Iran overnight. Iran’s foreign minister asked Israelis to avoid being near military and intelligence sites as his country continues to carry out strikes. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

19.06.2025 The Israeli army reported air raid sirens sounding today across northern Israel triggered by missile launches from Iran. Sirens warning of suspected drone infiltration sounded in Nazareth and several surrounding towns. The Israeli Air Force said earlier that it intercepted a drone launched from Iran overnight which set off air raid sirens in multiple areas of northern Israel. A second drone was intercepted shortly afterward in the Jordan Valley. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

June 19 2025 08:54  Explosions heard in Jerusalem around 7:10 am (0410 GMT). Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel known to treat soldiers wounded in Gaza was struck by Iranian missiles. (Source: Hurriyet Daily News - Turkey)

Pakistan
June 19, 2025  US President Trump and Army Chief Field Marshal General Munir discussed regional peace, trade and Iran-Israel tensions over a luncheon at the White House. In their meeting, Trump said Pakistan has valuable insight into Iran and plays a key role in peace efforts in the region. After the successful meeting with President Trump, the Pakistani top general is expected to have follow-up meetings with US Secretary of State Rubio and Secretary of Defense Hegseth as Pakistan and the US enter a new era of strategic cooperation. (Source: Daily Ausaf - Pakistan)

Turkey
12:03 19/06/2025 Thursday   "We have had great support from Turkish authorities to make sure people can cross easily, get connecting flights from eastern part of country to international airport," in facilitating the evacuation of EU citizens from Iran, EU official Berger, director of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Crisis Response Center said today. (Source: Yeni Şafak - Turkey)

North America

United States
(June 19, 2025)  During a news briefing today, White House press secretary Leavitt read a statement from President Trump saying he will decide whether to launch a US strike on Iran within the next two weeks. He wants to allow diplomatic efforts to proceed before making a final decision on US military action, according to the statement. Leavitt also said a deal with Iran must include no enrichment of uranium. After some MAGA allies criticized the administration’s consideration of increased US involvement in the conflict, Leavitt urged supporters to trust in President Trump. 'President Trump has incredible instincts, and President Trump kept America and the world safe in his first term as president in implementing a peace through strength foreign policy agenda,” Leavitt told. “And with respect to Iran, nobody should be surprised by the president’s position that Iran absolutely cannot obtain a nuclear weapon - he’s been unequivocally clear about this for decades, not just as president, not just as a presidential candidate, but also as a private citizen.' Tehran is in a very weak and vulnerable position after eight days of escalating conflict with Israel, the press secretary told. The president “has been very direct and clear: Iran can and should make a deal,” she added. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

June 19, 2025, 1:46 p.m. ET  President Trump’s Iran strategy is being influenced by a military leader who has been given authority to draw up possible plans for a US strike on Tehran’s nuclear sites, potentially with bunker-busting bombs that could eliminate underground facilities. US Central Command chief Gen. Kurilla, known as The Gorilla, has been leading strategy over Defense Secretary Hegseth, with a lot of his proposals for more military assets being approved, despite other administration officials being wary of more involvement in the Middle East. The commander, with the 'lethality look' that Trump’s Pentagon has been keen to promote, has also been getting more face time with Trump. Before Israel carried out its first strikes against Iran, Kurilla indicated that he gave the president the option to use the US military to strike Iran to destroy its nuclear weapons capability. 'President Trump has made it clear that if Iran doesn’t permanently give up its nuclear enrichment, military force by the US may be necessary,' House Armed Services Chair Rogers (R-Ala.). said at a June 10 congressional hearing. “If the president directed, is CENTCOM prepared to respond with overwhelming force to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran?”, Rogers asked Kurilla. ’I have provided the secretary of defense and the president a wide range of options,’ Kurilla responded, later saying ’yes’ to the question. Kurilla is set to leave his post at CENTCOM in just a few months after serving since 2022, leading some to believe ’he’s grown bolder’ in his approach. The four-star Army general would be in charge of carrying out whatever strategy Trump decides on in the region in response to Iran. He has also been responsible for the US response to Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Kurilla deployed to Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan during his service, and to Germany in 2022 to oversee US troop deployment in response to the Russia-Ukraine war. Caldwell, Hegseth’s former senior adviser, indicated that reports of Kurilla being more open to aggressive policies due to his upcoming retirement from CENTCOM could be true. He takes a fundamentally different view of the importance of the Middle East than a lot of other people in the administration - Caldwell said Monday -; he believes that a military campaign against Iran will not be as costly as others. ’So, that’s his view - and I think there are a lot of folks that want to see some type of military action occur before he retires as a result of that,” Caldwell said. “He retires, I believe, in the middle of July - and I don’t think it’s a coincidence you see a lot of the pressure ramping up to do something prior to his retirement.’ (Source: The New York Post - U.S.)

6/19/2025  The president is turning to a couple of four-star generals for guidance on whether to join Israel in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. Kurilla, nicknamed The Gorilla, leads U.S. Central Command and oversees operations in the Middle East. Also advising Trump is General Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. Trump has already signed off on attack plans but has not yet given the final go-ahead to execute them, CBS News reported. (Source: MSN / The Daily Beast = U.S.)

(Thursday), June 19, 2025  If Trump wants to preserve his “no new wars” legacy, he needs to stay out of Iran. It would also give him the opportunity to be the president who finally and fully reoriented US priorities and attention to the Indo-Pacific. Since the October 7 attacks, the United States has surged ships, personnel, and other materiel to the region to protect Israel and deter Iran and its ’Axis of Resistance’ allies. In some cases, these military assets have been repositioned from the Indo-Pacific, where they are stationed in large part to deal with potential Chinese threats. In April, Washington relocated missile defense batteries, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, and the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier from Asia to the Middle East. Before the Trump administration reached a ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis in May, US commanders expressed concern that the military would have to move long-range precision weapons stockpiles from the Indo-Pacific region to the Middle East. The US military expended massive amounts of munitions to fight a militia that couldn’t even take over one of the poorest countries in the world. What kind of resources would it have to marshal - and from where - to prosecute a war against a state like Iran with serious military capabilities? The military is further shifting resources and moving ships and other assets to the region in light of Israel’s attack on Iran and the ongoing back-and-forth between the two countries. On Monday, Reuters reported that the USS Nimitz left the South China Sea and was heading west toward the Middle East. These military assets and the roughly 40,000 American personnel in the region are now especially vulnerable to Iranian attacks. Before Israel’s attack, Tehran vowed to strike US targets in the region if its nuclear sites were targeted. Now that threat could become a reality that sucks America into a pointless war while diverting attention away from China, which the Trump administration and several previous presidents have said is that biggest threat to the United States. Every military asset moved to the Middle East is one that could be used to deter China in the Indo-Pacific. Iran is a relatively weak country halfway around the world and poses no serious threat to core US interests. If you liked the failed forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, you’d love the quagmire of a war in Iran - a country of 90 million people with a significantly stronger military than those two countries. Israel appears intent on drawing the United States into this destabilizing war of choice. Because Israel can’t totally eliminate Iran’s nuclear program alone, it has urged the United States to intervene directly. A joint US-Israeli war in Iran harms American interests and would threaten American lives while draining resources and diverting strategic attention from pressing priorities. Indeed, one of the most crucial reasons why Washington needs to stay out of the war is that it serves as a distraction from more critical strategic challenges. While China’s efforts and wherewithal to dominate the Middle East are overhyped, Beijing does have considerable interests that a regional war would threaten. China relies heavily on the region for its energy supplies, with half of its imported oil coming from the Persian Gulf. Iran and China have a strong relationship, and Beijing would not like to see the destruction of the regime in Tehran. A war with Iran would offer short-term strategic benefits for China - advantage of a distracted United States by making more aggressive moves against Taiwan or in the South China Sea and a much-needed strategic breathing room in its backyard. A war with Iran would underscore Beijing’s argument that the rules-based order only applies to Washington’s adversaries. The United States called out Russia for illegally invading Ukraine. But under what pretext would the United States join a war against Iran? These kinds of double standards have driven droves of Global South countries into China’s embrace and undermined American competition with its strategic rival. President Trump often extols his record of not starting new wars during his first administration. Joining Israel’s war would certainly betray that legacy and be seen as an act of perfidy by the millions of Americans who voted for a president who promised to pursue peace. For years, Republican and Democratic presidents have pledged to pivot to Asia and prioritize competition with China, America’s only near-peer competitor. The new Trump administration came into office making the same promises. Yet nearly all these presidents have entangled America’s attention and resources in the Middle East, a region of declining strategic significance to US interests. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)