Egyik 19

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Hungary
Apr 26, 2020  Wizz Air to resume some Luton flights to Israel and European destinations. From May 1, flights will resume from the airline’s base in Luton, Bedfordshire, to Israel, as well as destinations in Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Portugal and Spain. (Source: TimesofIsrael)

Belgium
April 25, 2020  Why the world’s highest virus death rate is in Europe’s capital? Having 11 million people, with 55 fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, Belgium has the highest per-capita death rate in the world The grisly figures isn’t overwhelmed hospitals - 43% of intensive-care beds were vacant even at the peak of the crisis. The home of the European Union’s top institutions counts deaths at nursing homes even if there wasn’t a confirmed infection. About 95% of Covid-19 deaths in elderly care homes haven’t been diagnosed, yet Belgium makes the decision to register them based on the symptoms shown and who the people have been in contact with. The goal is to get a clearer picture of the outbreak and better target hot spots. Those who die outside of hospitals are typically around half the total. In Belgium, just over 300 people normally die every day, but this year, it’s jumped to nearly 600. When you have a good surveillance system, you report a lot of cases. (Source: Bloomberg)

France
25 Apr 2020 8,500  French-produced respirators allegedly unfit for treating Chinese coronavirus patients.The respirators were produced by a partnership of French corporations and were offered to the government at cost in order to increase the supply of respirators for coronavirus patients..The government stated that it required 5,000 units of the complex “T60” respirator and at least as many units of the “Osiris 3” model, which is much more basic in design. Air Liquide decided to produce 8,500 units of the Osiris 3 respirator as it was easier to manufacture than the far more complicated T60. However, according to some medical professionals, the Osiris is useless in intensive care units where the respirators are most needed. The contract for the respirators is expected to cost taxpayers 30 million euros. One of the largest producers of respirator masks in Europe was located in France until it was shut down in 2018, largely due to globalism. Other countries have relied on shipments from China, where the virus originated, but have been plagued with faulty equipment that does not meet medical standards. (Source: Breitbart)

Germany
4/28/20  An article from April 15 in the German newspaper Bild called for China to pay Berlin $165 billion in compensation, a figure the publication estimated was the cost of the virus to the German economy. The Bild article accuses China of not being open with the rest of the world over what it knew about the virus. The piece also details how the German economy has lost tourism, film and business revenues. The Chinese embassy in Berlin condemned the article and said that authorities in Beijing first informed the WHO about cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause on December 31, 2019. It also said that from then, Beijing kept the WHO and the U.S. updated on the progress of the illness, which was identified on January 8, and that the Bild article "stirs up nationalism, prejudice, xenophobia and hostility to China." (Source: NewsWeek)

26 April 2020  Germany changed course on today over which type of smartphone technology it wanted to use to trace coronavirus infections, backing an approach supported by Apple and Google along with a growing number of other European countries. Bluetooth-based smartphone contact tracing is an untested technology and early results in countries like Singapore are modest, its development is already redefining the relationship between the state and individual. It would work by assessing the closeness and length of contact between people and, should a person test positive for COVID-19, tell recent contacts to call a doctor, get tested or self-isolate. Using Bluetooth means the location of an infection event cannot be known to the authorities, it would still be possible for users, by opting in, to share epidemiologically useful data under a decentralised approach. (Source: Reuters)

Italy
23 April 2020 Italians call for justice for relatives killed by coronavirus; Facebook group seeks legal action against authorities responsible for errors at start of outbreak (Source: TheGuardian)

The Netherlands
Apr 22, 2020  Dutch Supreme Court ruled on April 21 doctors can euthanize patients with severe dementia. It is impossible to separate what is happening in the Netherlands from the broad rejection in the post-Christian West of fundamental human equality. How the Netherlands has euthanized newborn infants, who are also unable to communicate a degree of suffering, for about two decades, it follows logically that they could say it about someone with late-stage dementia. Like prenatal human beings, and human beings with massive brain injuries, human beings with late-stage dementia simply don’t ‘count,’ morally speaking, the same as human beings that have been determined to have the traits that make someone a person. Instead of further expanding euthanasia, the Netherlands instead ramp up the number of caregivers for dementia patients, and work to empower families of dementia patients to provide care for them. (Source: CatholicNewsAgency)

European Commission
30 Apr 2020  EU Commission admits Hungary broke no rules with coronavirus law. It will not take measures against the Hungarian government over its emergency coronavirus legislation, despite lurid allegations that Hungary had become a “dictatorship” overnight by opponents of Viktor Orbán’s government. The Commission also acknowledged that other countries in the European Union, such as France, have enacted strict lockdown measures that restrict various rights to protect public health. Nations across the continent had enacted extraordinary laws to defeat the coronavirus. While this was accepted as necessary in other EU member states, only Hungary was singled out for criticism for taking steps taken elsewhere but left unremarked. Previously, several prominent globalist media figures and politicians had criticised Hungary for its emergency legislation, with members of the European People’s Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament, of which Orbán’s Fidesz is a member, calling for their Hungarian colleagues to be expelled. Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Rice went even further. Rice, who served during the administration of former president Obama, called on Brussels to expel Hungary from the European Union altogether. (Source: Breitbart)

April 25, 2020  Better tracking could help improve Europe’s response to outbreaks, especially as the region gradually eases lockdown restrictions, raising the prospect of second-wave outbreaks. In the European countries the numbers of coronavirus deaths are likely thousands higher than the official count of more than 110,000. France reported data from some nursing homes for the first time in early April. Those fatalities were almost double the number of people that died in hospitals. Last week, Spain had to adjust its historical data after Catalonia started including people who had symptoms but didn’t test positive. This week a local radio broadcaster reported that more than 6,800 elderly died in Spanish nursing homes with symptoms but weren’t recorded in official data. Germany’s unusually low mortality rate may be helped by the fact that the country only counts deaths that have a positive virus test. Such discrepancies show up in a concept called “excess mortality,” the number of extra fatalities above typical trends. Netherlands has around 1,000 undefined fatalities. It’s the countries that are not reporting or that are reporting very low numbers, you should be more worried about. (Source: Bloomberg)

April 25, 2020  The European Union’s foreign and diplomatic wing said there’s evidence of a “coordinated push” by official Chinese sources to deflect blame for the coronavirus pandemic and promote its response to the virus. “Many reports confirm a high level of coordination between different parts of the Chinese system in messaging and amplification of messages across different languages and communication channels, including the use of overt and covert tactics.” The summary cited examples of “covert Chinese operations on social media” including the purchase of ads as part of a global propaganda campaign to depict China as a leader in fighting the outbreak. Yesterday Chinese officials contacted EU representatives to stop the report from being published. An earlier version of the report had language different for China than what was in the summary released. China had threatened “reactions” if the report came out. (Source: Breitbart)

Russia
April 30, 2020 bRussian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin today announced he has tested positive for the coronavirus, as the country's number of confirmed cases surged to 106,498 cases and 1,073 deaths, after its largest daily increase. The virus has spread to all 85 regions of the country, with Moscow the epicentre with around half the total cases. The country has carried out nearly 3.5 million virus tests. In a televised meeting with Russian President Putin, Mishustin said he has to "observe self-isolation" to protect his colleagues, suggesting a temporary acting PM. Putin swiftly signed a decree appointing First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov as a temporary replacement. The Kremlin this week extended until May 11 a "non-working" period when Russians would stay at home but still receive their salaries as part of sweeping efforts to contain the virus. Yet the measure has brought uncertainty to the economy, with business owners struggling to pay full salaries to employees while shutting their doors to customers. Mishustin yesterday extended a ban on entry for foreigners into the country. The Kremlin postponed an April 22 vote on landmark constitutional reforms, which would have paved the way for Putin, 67, to potentially stay in power until 2036. (Source: CTVNews.ca)

April 28, 2020  Russia, has capped grain exports until July after government export quotas were reached to head off a spike in food prices on the domestic market, the Ministry of Agriculture announced on April 26. Earlier this month, the Russian government approved seven-million-ton caps on exports of certain crops. The restrictions, intended to secure the domestic food market, apply to such essential crops as wheat and maslin, rye, barley and corn. The new quotas are effective from April 1 to June 30, and members of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union are excluded from the restrictions. Last week the UN warned that some countries may face food shortages as international trade contracts and other government measures also restrict exports. (Source: bneIntelliNews)

April 28, 2020 It’s unclear how many Russian doctors and nurses overall have been infected. News reports from a dozen regions in the past two weeks suggest at least 450 medical workers have had COVID-19, with 11 doctors and five nurses dying. The number is likely to be much higher because hospital officials often hide such infections. “I know of cases of hospital administrations not reporting medics getting infected because it may lead to sealing off the facility for quarantine and halting its operations,” , said Galperin, head of the Doctors Defense League. The number of coronavirus cases in Russia has risen quickly to more than 87,000 with nearly 800 deaths, although some in the West question the accuracy of those reports. Most of Russia’s big cities have been locked down since March 30 under measures set to expire in April 30. Russia inherited a robust health care network from Soviet times - about 5,300 hospitals and 1.1 million beds, the third largest amount of both in the world. By late March, about 80,000 beds were available. A little over half were occupied as of last week. Since the outbreak began, Russian health officials have been dividing hospitals into those treating coronavirus patients and those that aren’t. In Moscow, which has almost 52% of confirmed cases, 29 hospitals out of almost 100 have been repurposed and 24 more are being prepared. In St. Petersburg, 12 hospitals out of more than 30 are being converted. The hospitals get protective gear, and wards with virus patients are divided into “dirty” and “clean” zones, with patients and staff tested regularly. But the hospitals not treating virus patients lack proper procedures or supplies, putting those workers at risk if an infected person is admitted. There is no special protective equipment for medics. The chances of getting sick are very high. (Source: AP)

United Kingdom
26 Apr 2020  Rolled out in the coming weeks. The British military is to begin operating mobile coronavirus testing units that will travel to care homes, police stations and prisons across the UK. The units will test essential workers and vulnerable people. The tests are sent to “mega-labs” for processing, with results available within 48 hours. It comes as the government seeks to hit its 100,000-a-day testing. As of today, there are eight mobile units carrying out tests across the country. The armed forces will staff 92 of the units, while civilian contractors will operate a further four located in Northern Ireland. (TheGuardian)

21 April 2020  UK restricts olive tree imports to halt infection. Bacterium Xylella fastidiosa has wreaked havoc on olive plantations in parts of Italy and has also been found in France and Spain. The resulting disease has no treatment and it is said to have cut Italy's olive harvest to its lowest level in 25 years. There will also be restrictions on almond, rosemary and oleander shrubs. Some 560 species in 72 plant families can be affected by the infection. For the UK, Xylella poses a threat to iconic species including oak, elm and plane trees. (Source: BBC)

South Africa
April 26, 2020  KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zikalala has flagged a "new trend" of criminals taking advantage of the provisions for funeral parlours under the national lockdown regulations as a cover. In April 25 night, in Underberg, police officers spotted a car belonging to a funeral parlour. The car was stopped and searched, and police officers discovered liquor in the vehicle. The occupants were arrested. Earlier on the same day, two alleged drug dealers, posing as funeral parlour employees, were arrested after allegedly caught in possession of 80kg of dagga stashed in a coffin they were transporting. They were stopped by police officers manning a roadblock in Pongola, and subsequently arrested. The arrests were part of the 1 182 arrests made since the extension of the lockdown. (Source: AllAfrica)

Africa
23 April 2020  Before the  arrival of peak malaria season in many parts of Africa. WHO warns countries in sub-Saharan Africa: malaria deaths might reach 769,000 due to coronavirus if the distribution of medicines and mosquito nets is halted. There were 228 million cases of malaria and 405,000 deaths in 2018. African nations are home to 93 per cent of malaria cases and 94 per cent of malaria deaths. (Source: TheTelegraph)

China
April 29, 2020  The National People’s Congress would open in Beijing on May 22, according to a decision made by its standing committee, which handles most legislative affairs outside the annual two-week session of the full body. The full session would encompass about 3,000 members. It wasn’t clear whether delegates would be meeting in person or virtually and there was no word on any meeting of the congress’ advisory body that meets around the same time. (Source: Time)

29 April 2020  Global Times, a state-run newspaper lashed out at the US government in an opinion article today.The state media accused American leaders of failing their people and the world. Comes as the number of coronavirus cases across the US surpassed one million. The paper claimed that China would never suffer vast infections like the US. The article is listing three things that 'the US government is supposed to do'. 'It needs to apologize to its people and admit it has mishandled the epidemic; it must learn lessons and take decisive measures to fight against the virus and reduce infections and deaths; it should push forward international cooperation and create conditions for a global fight to eliminate the novel coronavirus'. 'However, the US government has done none of those things. The US Democrats have not served as a supportive force to unite US society at this critical moment, and instead have eyed on the elections and placed their political interests above the life-threatening epidemic,' the tabloid concluded. The Chinese tabloid has blasted the 'hold China accountable' campaign as 'a form of political hooliganism' in a separate piece yesterday.The coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping across the globe has infected over 3 million people and claimed more than 218 000 lives. (Source: DailyMail)

April 22, 2020  Coronavirus may live longer in one's eye than in other parts of the body, according to a Chinese report which stated that a Chinese woman was carrying the virus in her eye, while her nose was clear. She reported feeling sick on January 27 and quickly began to cough and experience high fever as well as an eye infection. After 20 days of being in hospital, the eye infection cleared, but the virus was found in her eyes the next day. No virus was detected in her eyes or nose after that date, but on her 27th day in the hospital the virus was discovered again in her eyes. (Source: TheJerusalemPost)

North Korea
2020.04.28.  A video claiming North Korean leader Kim has died began circulating in the area of North Korea bordering China. The video claims that Kim died during a guided field trip on Apr. 25 at 12:30 AM, and that his sister Kim Yo, the first deputy director of the North Korean communist party’s Propaganda and Agitation Department, would be succeeding him. Since Kim presided over a politburo meeting on Apr. 11, there have been a string of media reports on the health of North Korea’s leader, as well as rumors on social media saying that he is suffering from an illness and or has died. Following an Apr. 20 Daily NK report that Kim had undergone heart surgery on Apr. 12, CNN reported on Apr. 21 that the US government was “monitoring intelligence that suggests North Korea’s leader, Kim, is in grave danger after undergoing a previous surgery.” On Apr. 25 China had “dispatched a team to North Korea including medical experts to advise on North Korean leader Kim,”. (Source: DailyNK)

El Salvador
April 28, 2020  El Salvador’s coronavirus lockdown began on March 22. Some 22 people were killed in jails in April 25 alone as reports of violence soar. The president has now hit back, ordering all gang leaders into solitary confinement and ordering widescale lockdowns. Images from inside Izalco jail in El Salvador show inmates pictured packed tightly together as punishment. El Salvador is one of the most dangerous countries in the world, and once had the highest murder rate in the Americas. More than 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in recent years due to the menace of the nation’s street gangs. In 2015, the government authorised the police to shoot “without any fear of suffering consequences” if threatened by gang members. It followed increasing violence after an earlier truce between gangs Barrio 18 – also known as 18th Street Gang – and MS-13. There have been 298 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country since the pandemic took hold earlier this year, and eight deaths. /video, photos/ (Source: News.Com.AU): https://tinyurl.com/y7wwx44e

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mikori a közzététel dátuma ?

Stuxnet
http://tinyurl.com/kh4auvg

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A mohácsi csatáról, előzményeiről és következményeiről,

a magyar és a világtörténelemre gyakorolt hatásairól.

A pénzgazdálkodás kezdete - 15. század - óta, Európában egyedül Magyarországon
termeltek számottevő aranyat. A pénznek a fedezete az arany.
Egész Európában az utolsó ország, aki még nem tért át a bankházak
- Medici, Fugger és mások - által diktált pénzgazdálkodásra, az Magyarország volt.
1526. augusztus 29.-ig
- ma úgy mondanánk 'a nemzetközi nagytőke': multinacionális nagy cégek, a Világbank,
a Valutaalap, a Black Rock-tól kezdve a Soros Alapítványig - senki sem tudott
Magyarország belügyeibe beleszólni. Amikor Szulejmán győzött a csatatéren,
az első két üzenet meglepő helyről érkezett. A Velencei Signoria üzent a szultánnak:
'Gratulálunk, csak így tovább. A másik Fugger: 'Most legalább mindenki megtudta,
hogy mi lesz vele, mi vár rá, ha a Fugger bankháznak nem engedelmeskedik.

(Forrás: YouTube / Szent Korona Video)

51 028 megtekintés

Kulcsszavak (az előadás 1 óra 20. percétől a 2 óra 20. percéig):

   Anglia   Aral-tó   Avar Birodalom   Bajorország   Bologna   Bosznia   Bulgária   Duna   Egyesült Államok   Egyiptom   Erdély   Európa   film   Firenze   Franciaország   Frank Birodalom   Ganz   Grúzia   Irán   Itália   Jordánia   Kárpát-medence   Kijevi Fejedelemség   Kína   kommunista   Kunország   Lengyelország   Magyar Királyság   Magyar Optikai Művek   Moszkvai Fejedelemség   Nápolyi Királyság   Nemzetközi Valutaalap   Oszmán Birodalom   Pannónia   Róma   Skócia   Svájc   Tisza   Velencei Köztársaság    Világbank

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A mohácsi csatáról, előzményeiről és következményeiről,

a magyar és a világtörténelemre gyakorolt hatásairól.

(Forrás: YouTube / Szent Korona Video)

49 871 megtekintés

Kulcsszavak (az előadás 1 óra 20. percéig):

1956    Afrika    Anglia    Ausztria    Ázsia    Balkán    Csehország    Dalmácia    Duna    Etiópia    Európai Unió    Föld    Franciaország    Hollandia    India    Jupiter    Kaukázus    Kárpát-medence    Kína    könyv    Lengyelország    Magyar Királyság    Mars    Mezopotámia    NATO    Németország    Oszmán Birodalom    Ókori Athén    Ókori Egyiptom    Ókori Róma    Palesztina    Pannónia    Portugália    Románia    Skócia    Szíria    Szlovákia    Szovjetunió    Varsói Szerződés

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Asia

Iran
22 May 2026 15:22 (UTC +04:00)  The final draft of a possible agreement between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, 'is expected to be announced' within hours, Al Arabiya sources said today. Its key terms obtained by the network include the following: Immediate, comprehensive, unconditional ceasefire on all fronts, including land, sea, air; Mutual commitment not to target military, civilian or economic infrastructure; End to military operations and halt media war; Commitments to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs; Guarantees freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman; Joint mechanism to monitor implementation and resolve disputes; Negotiations on outstanding issues would begin within seven days; Gradual lifting of US sanctions in exchange for Iran’s commitment to the terms of the agreement; Draft agreement reaffirms compliance with international law and UN Charter; Agreement would take effect immediately once officially announced by both sides. US Secretary of State Rubio told reporters yesterday there had been 'some good signs” in the talks, but there could be no solution if Tehran enforced a tolling system in the strait, which it effectively closed to most shipping after the war began on February 28. A senior Iranian source told Reuters yesterday that gaps had been narrowed, although uranium enrichment and the strait remained among the sticking points. (Source: APA - Azerbaijan)

22/05/2026 - 13:09 GMT+2  In a post on X on Wednesday, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority defined its claimed management zone as running from Kuh-e Mobarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE at the strait's eastern entrance, and from the end of Qeshm Island in Iran to Umm al-Quwain in the UAE at its western entrance. The zone covers waters that the UAE and Oman regard as their own sovereign territory. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

North America

United States
22 May 2026  US Secretary of State Rubio told today reporters ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting that there had been ’some slight progress” regarding the situation involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. The “fundamentals remain the same,” Rubio said - Washington was awaiting the outcome of ongoing discussions related to Iran while underlining that issues surrounding uranium enrichment and Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium would have to be addressed. Rubio also accused Iran of attempting to establish a ’tolling system’ in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Tehran was trying to persuade Oman to join the initiative. There is not a country in the world that should accept that, he said, calling the idea not acceptable. ’If that were to happen in the Straits of Hormuz, it will happen in five other places around the world,’ Rubio added. The top US diplomat said Washington was working through the UN on a Bahrain-sponsored resolution related to the issue, claiming it had garnered broad international backing, while criticizing unnamed Security Council members allegedly considering vetoing the resolution. Rubio also said the upcoming NATO leaders summit in Ankara would be ’one of the more important leaders' summits in the history of NATO,’ citing defense industrial production, burden sharing, and global security challenges among the alliance’s priorities. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

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Europe

Russia
(20 May 2026) 11:04 /CST/  Russia and China have come to a general understanding on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, a major project that if completed would transport up to 50 billion cubic metres of gas annually to China. Putin's press secretary Peskov told reporters that "some nuances remain to be ironed out" but an "understanding already exists", according to state-owned news outlet RIA Novosti. The consensus includes the route of the pipeline and construction method, he reportedly said. No further details or timings have been given. China is Russia's top trading partner and also its biggest customer for oil and gas. Earlier this week, reports said that Russian gas giant Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation had signed a preliminary deal. Based on 2025 estimates, this natural gas pipeline is expected to carry through Mongolia around 12% of China's total gas consumption - gas from the gas fields of Russia's Yamal. The war in Iran hurts Chinese interests. There's no end in sight to the crisis which has blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Beijing has stockpiles of oil, but around 45% of China’s oil sails through that vital shipping lane. Russia provides China with around 18% of its oil. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

(20 May 2026) 09:05 /CST/  Peskov, Putin's spokesperson, did not rule out a meeting between Putin and Trump at the Apec summit in the southern city of Shenzhen in China in November, Russian news agency Interfax has reported. The annual Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit (Apec) is typically attended by leaders of Russia, China and sometimes the US. Putin had earlier confirmed his attendance at the Apec summit later this year. The US will send a delegation, but did not specify if Trump will be there. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

(20 May 2026) 07:58 /CST/  In this morning’s Russian newspapers several articles take a dig at Trump’s recent China trip. In terms of concrete achievements, it was a failure...despite the Americans claiming otherwise, declares the daily broadsheet Izvestia. Russian diplomats accompanying Putin know the nuances of Chinese etiquette, unlike the Americans, suggests newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. ’Trump doesn’t understand Chinese culture, and doesn’t want to understand it.’ “Beijing welcomes Russia’s leader as an ally and a reliable partner,” claims the weekly newspaper Argumenty I Fakty, adding: “It hosted America’s leader as a rival from whom you don’t know what to expect,’ Rosenberg Russia editor wrote. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

United Kingdom
(Wednesday), May 20, 2026  UK eases sanctions on Russian oil and LNG imports. Effective today, a new license allows the import of diesel and jet fuel derived from Russian crude oil, provided the products have been processed in a third country. In a separate easing of restrictions, companies are now permitted to transport and deliver LNG by ship from Russia’s Sakhalin-2 and Yamal LNG terminals. This specific exemption is time-limited and will expire on January 1, 2027. (Source: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project - U.S.)

Asia

China
20 May 2026 05:40 - 06:48 /CST/  As reported by Chinese state media Xi tells Putin that the current international situation is complex and volatile, with unilateral hegemony running rampant. The Chinese leader told his Russian counterpart that the world was in danger of reverting to the law of the jungle - a reference to the war in the Middle East. Xi says that the situation in the Middle East is at a critical juncture and is currently transitioning from war to peace. "My four-point proposal for maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East aims to further build international consensus and contribute to easing tensions, deescalating conflict, and promoting peace," Xi said. Xi's four-point proposal, put forward last month during his meeting with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, promotes peaceful co-existence, national sovereignty, international rule of law, and a coordinated approach to development and security. A restart to the conflict would be unacceptable, the Chinese leader added. And he said the two should work together to promote a more just system of global governance. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and important world powers, Xi says, China and Russia should adopt a "long-term strategic view" and cooperate to build "a more just and equitable global governance system". The Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia has been extended. The 20-year treaty was signed in 2001 by Putin and then Chinese leader Jiang. It was extended for another 5 years after its expiration in February 2022, and has now reportedly been extended again. The strategic treaty outlines the basis for peaceful relations, economic collaboration, and diplomatic and geopolitical reliance between the two countries. It includes stipulations about military cooperation and defence pacts. Later today, the presidents are expected to oversee the signing of 21 documents. Trade turnover between Russia and China has increased more than 30 times over the past 25 years, Putin said. China is buying almost half of Russia's oil exports. Chinese parts are also vital for Russian weapons such as the ubiquitous killer drones. Chinese consumer goods - for example, cars - are replacing Western equivalents. Putin appears keen to discuss the construction of a major natural gas pipeline from Russia to China, China correspondent Bicker wrote. Putin and Xi’s meeting 'ends without final details' on a natural gas pipeline between Russia and China. The two countries reached a "general understanding" about the pipeline, an aide to Putin tells reporters. Russian foreign minister Lavrov will also hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang. Putin has invited Xi to visit Russia next year. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

(20 May 2026, about 13 CEST)  Following talks between Russian President Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi in Beijing, the two countries stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Arctic states in a joint declaration. Moscow and Beijing said they were interested in preserving the Arctic as "a territory of peace, stability and low military-political tension." "The parties express concern over the militarisation of the high latitudes by the United States and its allies, reaffirm their commitment to the norms of international law in the Arctic," it said. Russia and China also warned against a return to the “law of the jungle” in international affairs and opposed hegemonic practices, unilateral sanctions, and external interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. Moscow and Beijing also backed Afghanistan's counterterrorism efforts and pledged stronger coordination on Afghan issues through multilateral platforms like the Moscow format, the Russia-China-Iran-Pakistan quartet, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). In the statement, the two countries also said US and Israeli military strikes on Iran violated international law and 'seriously undermine stability in the Middle East.' Russia and China further voiced support for achieving a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and reaffirmed commitment to a comprehensive, just and sustainable settlement of the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution, including the establishment of an independent and territorially integral Palestinian state. The statement also expressed support for Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, saying the Syrian transitional government must “resolutely resist all forms of terrorism and extremism.” On Africa, Moscow and Beijing said the continent possessed “significant development potential in the 21st century” and backed efforts by African states to achieve the goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 strategy. (Source: TRT World / Anadolu Agency = Turkey)

(May 20, 2026) 05:08 /CST/  Russian President Putin is in Beijing for a state visit, where he is set to hold bilteral talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi later today. He landed in the Chinese capital late yesterday. Putin was received by Chinese foreign minister Wang. This is the Russian president's 25th official visit to China. After being greeted by a grand ceremony in Beijing's central square, Putin has bilateral talks with Chinese leader Xi and a wider delegation, followed by a ceremony where they sign documents and issue a joint statement on further strengthening strategic co-operation. Authorities on both sides have not announced specific topics of discussion during the Xi-Putin meeting. A key area of bilateral trade is Russia's massive energy supplies, including oil and gas. The Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which could finally be built after years of stalled negotiations, would deliver an annual 50 billion cubic metres of Russian gas to China - offering a boost to China's energy security, especially with the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Russia reportedly relies on Chinese exports - such as dual-use items and drone components - to sustain its military campaign in Ukraine. China holds the official stance of neutrality in the war, but it has criticised Western sanctions against Russia, claiming they are illegal and unjustified. Beijing will not want a destabilising war in Europe, Xi will want stability. But he will also not want to see Putin’s regime collapse, China correspondent Bicker said. Were China to lower its trade with Russia, would significantly complicate Russia's foreign policy objectives, considering the breakdown of relations with the West, sais Shah editor, BBC Global China Unit. Economic ties between the two since the war have deepened and bilateral trade has now soared to record highs. Years of Western sanctions have gradually pushed Moscow deeper into trade engagement with Beijing and it has become increasingly dependent on Chinese components for its war machine. China is Russia's largest trading partner. Russia makes up 4% of China's international trade. Russian President Putin's trip comes days after US President Trump's high-stakes visit to China. Trump described the talks as very successful while Xi called it a historic landmark. But when it came to the key issues looming over the relationship between the superpowers - from the Iran war to Taiwan and trade - but few concrete agreements have been announced by both sides so far. Trump told reporters that China had agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets - a deal confirmed by China's commerce ministry and Boeing. The White House also said China would buy at least $17bn worth of agricultural goods from the US - but China has not confirmed this. Apart from Putin and Trump, leaders from around the world have accepted invitations to China in the last few months. Among the state leaders who have descended on the Chinese capital were British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canada's Mark Carney. Beijing has also welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, South Korean President Lee and Vietnamese President To, among others. Xi and his officials have conducted far fewer state visits overseas. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

May 20, 2026 11:52 AM  US President Trump's Golden Dome missile-defence shield plans threatened strategic stability and Washington had been irresponsible not to work on a replacement for a landmark nuclear treaty, Russia and China said today in a joint statement, after President Xi welcomed President Putin with an honour guard and a gun salute at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. „The parties believe that the US 'Golden Dome' project, which aims to build an unlimited, multi-level, multi-sphere, and global missile defence system to destroy all types of missiles, including all types of 'peer adversaries' missiles, at all stages of their flight and before they are launched, poses an obvious threat to strategic stability,’ they said. The Golden Dome envisions expanding ground based defences such as interceptor missiles, sensors and command and control systems while adding space based elements meant to detect, track and potentially shoot down incoming threats from orbit. These would include advanced satellite networks and orbiting weapons. ’These plans completely contradict the key principle of maintaining strategic stability, which requires the interconnectedness of strategic offensive and strategic defensive weapons." China and Russia also said they regretted the ’irresponsible policy’ of the US which had allowed the 2010 New START arms control treaty to expire without a replacement earlier this year. Russia said it supported China's position ’on not seeking to take part in potential US-Russian nuclear arms control talks’. US critics of extending New Start say that ’the US needs to free itself from controls to take account of China's rapid nuclear build-up’. Russia and China also said that certain unidentified nuclear powers had plans to forward deploy ground-based intermediate and shorter-range missiles which posed a threat to other states. They said that attempts by some states to position ’pre-emptive or preventive missile strikes in order to decapitate and disarm the enemy, are highly destabilising and pose a strategic threat’. Russia today showed what it said was footage of troops delivering nuclear warheads to mobile Iskander-M missile launch systems, loading them and moving them to launch sites as part of a major nuclear exercise across Russia and Belarus. (Source: AsiaOne - Singapore)

North America

United States
(20 May 2026) 08:02 /CST/  Witkoff, US Special Envoy for Peace Missions is set to visit Russia in the near future, Russian state media has reported, citing Russian envoy Dmitriev. Through his multiple visits to Russia, Witkoff said he has developed a "friendship" with Putin. In his role Witkoff deals with issues related to Russia-Ukraine diplomacy. Last December, with Trump's son-in-law Kushner, they spoke for hours to Putin about potential ways to end the Ukraine war - though such a deal has remained elusive. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

(20 May 2026) 07:43 /CST/  Earlier today, China had confirmed it would buy 200 Boeing jets. The announcement - China's first confirmation of the order - came as Xi was locked in talks with Putin. Under the deal, the US will provide China with supply guarantees for aircraft engine parts and components, China's Commerce Ministry said. The two sides will also work towards an extension of the tariffs truce they agreed in October and seek tariff cuts on $30bn or more of goods each, the ministry added, Hoskins, Business reporter, Singapore wrote. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

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Africa

Kenya
(Monday), 18/05/2026 - 19:39  Dependent on fuel imports from the Gulf, Kenya has been heavily affected by Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Last week, the Kenyan government announced price hikes in response to rising global oil prices, including a 23.5-percent increase for diesel - triggering a call for the strike by transport workers. Privately owned "matatu" minibuses, Kenya's main form of public transport, went on strike. Kenya's public transport system was paralysed when protesters barricaded roads over fuel price hikes and lit bonfires on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, attempting to stop cars and motorbikes. Schools are closed and events cancelled. Four Kenyans died and at least 30 were injured today in fuel price protests triggered by the Middle East war, which saw the country's public transport system grind to a halt. Interior minister Murkomen alleged that 'criminal elements had been mobilised' to target government and personal property. Police had made 348 arrests and the roads had now been cleared, he said. Kenyan rights group Vocal Africa strongly condemns the use of lethal force by law enforcement. The protests spread to other major towns, including Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret and Nyeri. "This is a war that we have not caused," treasury and economic planning minister Mbadi told the NTV broadcaster. Critics argue that Kenya has high taxes on fuel that could be reduced, although it is also reliant on them to service high levels of debt and a strained budget. A day of protests such as today's can cost Kenya's economy around 50 billion shillings ($390 million) a day, said economist Iraki. Since the start of the Middle East conflict, Kenya has raised petrol prices by 20 percent, while diesel has increased by up to 45.8 percent. "The government is responsible because it determines the price... It takes a lot of money from fuel for tax," Iraki said. The energy regulator said the government had spent $38.5 million to cushion consumers from soaring diesel and kerosene prices in its latest review. While Kenya is among East Africa's most dynamic economies, around a third of its 50 million citizens still live in poverty. Last month, Kenyan authorities also ’suspended fuel quality standards to maintain supply in the face of shortages’. (Source: France 24 / AFP)

Asia

Iran
(19.05.2026)  Yesterday evening, Trump announced that he had postponed an attack planned for today against Iran at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. He added in a post that he instructed the Defense Department to be prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached. Iran today revealed details of its latest proposal submitted to the United States to end the war launched by Washington and Israel against Tehran in February. Tehran says its proposal calls for ending the war on all fronts, lifting sanctions and withdrawing US forces from around Iran. (Source: TRT World - Turkey)

Israel
19/05/2026 2:42 pm  The Israeli newspaper Yisrael Hayom reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened another emergency meeting of the Security Cabinet yesterday evening - meeting twice in 24 hours to discuss an imminent round of fighting with Iran. This reflects a state of high alert within the Israeli security establishment, given the rapidly evolving intelligence and military developments related to the possibility of a renewed full-scale war with the Islamic Republic. The meeting focused on in-depth and lengthy discussions assessing the likelihood of another violent round of fighting with Iran in the foreseeable future. This comes amidst escalating field movements and heightened security alerts in Tel Aviv. (Source: Voice of Emirates - United Arab Emirates)

Persian Gulf
May 19, 2026, 2:17 PM  The Strait of Hormuz may never truly reopen, Tehran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority launched yesterday reflects. It converts the Strait of Hormuz from an international waterway into a sovereign toll booth. The reputational damage to Hormuz as a reliable corridor is already irreversible. Gulf policymakers are mapping alternatives. The legislation underpinning the PGSA bans Israeli vessels under any circumstances, requires Supreme National Security Council approval for ships from hostile nations and denies passage to vessels from countries deemed to have damaged Iran until compensation is paid. 'We now have a single, central scenario which assumes a prolonged and significant disruption to the Strait of Hormuz through autumn', ratings agency Moody’s said as has abandoned its earlier weeks not months baseline. Moody’s warns that even a ceasefire does not equal normalisation: shipping backlogs, tanker repositioning and insurance market recovery would take months. There are four realistic options for how the strait is managed in future – none of them comfortable for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Unilateral Iranian control is out of the question for the Gulf oil producers, who regard it as politically selective access in the interests of Tehran and not of its neighbours in the Arabian Gulf. An Iran-Oman co-management arrangement, suggested early on in the conflict, is theoretically possible but would require GCC acceptance that Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are unlikely to extend. A US-Iran condominium – joint oversight as part of a wider nuclear and conflict settlement – is a framework Trump has dallied with, but it would be viewed with deep suspicion in the Gulf. A broader Gulf arrangement including Iran and the GCC states would seem to be the most logical long-term solution, but it requires a level of trust that does not exist now 'and may not exist for years'. Alternatives? Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline is pumping at full capacity, with crude exports via Yanbu of about 5 million barrels per day; the UAE’s Habshan-Fujairah pipeline adds another 1.5 million to 1.8 million bpd. Together they cover less than a third of pre-war Hormuz throughput – and both have been targeted by Iranian drones. Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar have no alternatives at all. Longer term, analysts point to revival of the 45-year-old Iraq-Saudi pipeline, the Kirkuk-Ceyhan route to Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, a second UAE pipeline to Fujairah and rail corridors connecting to Oman’s Sohar port outside Hormuz.
(Source: Arabian Gulf Business Insight - headquarters: London, United Kingdom; regional office: Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
by Kane, Editor-at-Large of AGBI who acts as a consultant to the Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia

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China
(Thursday) 14 May 2026  China's President Xi and his US counterpart Trump at Beijing summit today agreed on 'new vision' of China-US ties, building a "constructive China-US relationship of 'strategic stability' the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said. Xi stressed Washington and Beijing should be "partners, not rivals," as the two leaders met in the Chinese capital. The two sides agreed to build a bilateral relationship of constructive strategic stability to provide strategic guidance for ties over the next three years and beyond, which Xi said would be welcomed by "the people of both countries, as well as the international community." The constructive strategic stability "should be a positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, a sound stability with moderate competition, a constant stability with manageable differences, and an enduring stability with promises of peace," Xi said, stressing that it should not be a mere slogan but concrete actions by both sides toward the shared goal. Xi also urged the two sides to better utilize political, diplomatic, and military communication channels while expanding exchanges and cooperation in trade, health, agriculture, tourism, culture, and law enforcement. China and the US "both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,' Xi said in opening remarks at the Great Hall of the People, China's ceremonial state building. "We should help each other succeed, prosper together, and find the right way for major countries to get along in the new era," he said. Xi said the world is undergoing transformations “not seen in a century” and described the international situation as fluid and turbulent, adding that it has reached “a new crossroads.” He said China and the US faced questions “vital to history, to the world, and to the people,” including whether they could create a new paradigm of major country relations, jointly address global challenges, and provide more stability for the world. “They are the questions of our times that you and I need to answer as leaders of major countries,” Xi said. He "always believed" Beijing and Washington have "more common interests than differences," Xi said, adding that one country’s success represented "an opportunity for the other" and that stable bilateral ties were beneficial for the world. Xi noted that he looked forward to further discussions on issues important to both countries and the wider international community, and to working with Trump "to set the course for and steer the giant ship of China-US relations," with the aim of making 2026 a historic landmark year that opens a new chapter in bilateral ties. He emphasized that economic ties between the two nations are "mutually beneficial and win-win in nature." "Yesterday, our economic and trade teams produced generally balanced and positive outcomes. This is good news for the people of the two countries and the world," Xi said. On Wednesday, top Chinese and US trade negotiators met in South Korea to hold what Beijing described as "candid, in-depth, and constructive exchanges." "Facts have shown time and again that trade wars have no winner," Xi said, emphasizing "equal-footed consultation" as the only right choice, while urging the two sides to "jointly sustain the good momentum that they have worked hard to create." Xi also emphasized China's commitment to the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations, state broadcaster CCTV reported. While the White House called the Xi-Trump meeting "good," it did not mention any discussion about Taiwan, which China claims as its own. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

May 14, 2026 5:20 AM  "The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations," Xi told Trump during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People. "If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability," Xi said. 'Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.' (Source: Miami Herald / UPI = U.S.)

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United States
May 16, 2026 13:43 IST  US President Trump came to China with big hopes of securing concrete agreements on trade and rare earths. Apart from agreements on soybeans and Boeing aircraft, Trump left Beijing empty-handed, literally. Yesterday, Trump and his team left Beijing with nothing Chinese on his Air Force One. Not even any souvenirs. The US delegation, including White House staff and American reporters, discarded every Chinese gift into a trash bin kept near the aircraft. The same playbook has been followed by US delegations in Beijing for generations. This time it happened in full public view, as the US delegation tossed out everything Chinese officials gave them during the two-day visit, to prevent any possibility of Chinese spying or tracking. "American staff took everything Chinese officials handed out - credentials, burner phones from White House staff, pins for delegation - collected them before we got on AF1 and threw them in a bin at the bottom of the stairs. Nothing from China allowed on the plane," this was revealed by Goodin, the New York Post's White House Correspondent. The precautions were not just limited to the departure itself. Trump and his delegation, which included Nvidia CEO Huang and Musk, even left their personal electronic devices in the US before travelling to China. This was done to shield against possible hacking. Mobile phones were kept stored on Air Force One in Faraday bags, which protect data from being hacked remotely. These bags not only block wireless signals, but also keep out GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and RFID signals. Trump and his team used only burner phones and burner email addresses throughout the trip. These "clean devices" only have the most basic functions designed to hold minimal information. (Source: India Today)

(May 15, 2026)  Trump left with little to show for two days of talks with Xi. US president returns from China after summit that yielded no big deals but brought hope of more stable ties. (Source: Financial Times - U.S.)

May 15, 2026 at 5:49 AM  The Chicago Council found 77 percent favoring food and medical aid, 71 percent favoring sanctions, and 63 percent favoring arms or military supplies if China moved against Taiwan. But support for sending U.S. troops stood at 43 percent and opposition at 51 percent, according to the same survey. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found in 2023 that 38 percent supported, and 42 percent opposed, a U.S. troop deployment if China attacked Taiwan. The Reagan Institute found last year 60 percent of Americans supporting the commitment of U.S. forces if China invaded Taiwan - and 77 percent saying it was important for the U.S. military to defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression. A Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) war game in 2023 found that Taiwan, the U.S., and Japan defeated a conventional Chinese amphibious invasion in most scenarios, but at enormous cost in ships, aircraft and servicemembers. Taiwan counts for more than 60 percent of global foundry revenue and more than 90 percent of leading-edge chip manufacturing, according to a U.S. trade guide. Those chips run through phones, cars, data centers, telecommunications equipment, aircraft and munitions. They are essential ingredients for an advanced society, from consumer comfort right through to defense of the homeland. It also anchors the military balance in the Western Pacific. Taiwan sits at the pivot between Northeast and Southeast Asia, inside the First Island Chain. If China controlled Taiwan, it would gain a major geographic opening into the wider Pacific, put more pressure on Japan and the Philippines, and make it harder for the U.S. and allies to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. Taiwan matters because it is simultaneously a semiconductor super-node, a military chokepoint and a democratic credibility test for U.S. power in Asia. Congress wrote the stakes into law in 1979 with the Taiwan Relations Act, declaring peace and stability in the Western Pacific to be political, security and economic interests of the U.S. The same law says the U.S. should provide Taiwan defensive arms and maintain the capacity to resist force or coercion that jeopardizes Taiwan's security or social and economic system. (Source: Miami Herald / Newsweek - = U.S.)

Wednesday, May 13, 2026  In January, Mr. Trump said he hopes talks with Russia and China will lead to major power denuclearization. The president also said he is willing to support bilateral nuclear talks with China but favors a three-way forum with officials from the U.S., China and Russia. Mr. Trump also said he has spoken to Mr. Xi about joining talks on a replacement for the now-expired New START nuclear accord after the treaty lapsed in February. Chinese officials have previously stated that their opposition to nuclear arms talks stems from fears of disclosing strategic weapons secrets, which they believe would undermine deterrence. U.S. nuclear deterrence efforts are under stress as Russian and Chinese nuclear forces in recent months have shown a greater interaction, demonstrated in joint nuclear bomber and submarine patrols. (Source: The Washington Times - U.S.)

Wednesday, May 13, 2026  The People’s Liberation Army is on the march militarily and U.S. military forces in the Pacific are working to deter a war with China over Taiwan, against Japan or in the South China Sea, according to the deputy commander of Army forces in the Pacific. Lt. Gen. Vowell, the No. 2 leader at the U.S. Army Pacific, provided a blunt assessment of the PLA and its designs for taking control of neighboring countries and regions in the Pacific. Strategically, China is on an insidious, incremental, pernicious and malicious march across the region to be the big brother in the neighborhood - and not in a helpful big brother way, a bully, Gen. Vowell said in a podcast for the Army War College. Since the late 1980s, the PLA has built challenging capabilities ranging from space weapons to submarines, he said. 'We see this every day in the theater. They’re rubbing up against surface combatants. You see the airplanes that are doing interdictions. Our partners see this all the time when there’s challenges to sea features in the South China Sea, or East China Sea, or Japan and the Ryukyus,' he said. The rapid buildup of PLA forces is focused on naval power and projecting that power through the first island chain stretching from Japan to the South China Sea. The threat also includes expanding missile and nuclear forces. Gen. Vowell, who has been working in the region since 2018, said the Chinese communists, since 1949, are bent on taking other nations’ territory. The drive for expansion is being fueled by a Beijing propaganda narrative of Chinese suffering during a 'century of humiliation' from the 1800s, when a weak and divided nation was dominated by foreign powers. “That century of humiliation is over and they’re on the march to be the century of rejuvenation by 2049,” Gen. Vowell said. “These are all declared things from Xi, the Chinese Communist Party. The PLA’s actions are a response to this.' China’s actions suggest the expansion is not about righting past wrongs. New military power is not going to be used in benevolent ways, he said. 'They’re building it up to be able to walk across the water and take any sea feature that they think is theirs,' he said, noting a push to alter the status quo and using laws as part of the activity. The initial expansion is regional but the ultimate objective for the PLA is to control areas globally, he said. What we really face is a [anti-access, area denial] network that’s [a] pretty exquisite system of sensors to shooters, Gen. Vowell said. The Russian invasion of Ukraine also raised new fears among regional states over a future Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Beijing used a version of Russia’s argument that Ukraine is part of Moscow’s territory in claiming Taiwan is a false country owned by China, he said. 'What happened was people realized just how insistent China could become, soon seizing territories in Japan, seizing territories in the South China Seas or Philippines, or seizing Taiwan,' Gen. Vowell said. Operationally, Chinese military pressure campaigns on Taiwan also highlight the dangers. Increased PLA warship and warplane activities around the island are designed to wear down Taiwan’s defenses. “The ships would set up and look like they’re ready to start either a quarantine or a blockade. And that’s very provocative for an island nation,' he said. In response to Chinese military activities, regional nations have been joining with the U.S. military in conducting large-scale regional exercises, he said. Cold War deterrence of the Soviet Union in Europe proved that forward-deployed troops, like U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific, are the best guarantee of keeping the peace, Gen. Vowell said. (Source: The Washington Times - U.S.)

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Africa

Kenya
11/05/2026 - 07:41  France is bringing together French and African business and political leaders in Nairobi, Kenya, today at the Africa Forward summit – the first time it has staged such an event in an English-speaking country with the desire to diversify France's alliances, in light of the recent diplomatic crises in the Sahel. 7 million French people have connections to Africa – from those of African descent to those married to Africans, or born on the continent. Macron wants to embody a new generation with many shared interests, particularly concerning youth, culture and the diaspora, Confavreux, spokesperson for France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said. Alongside French President Macron and his Kenyan counterpart Ruto, some 30 heads of state and between 1,500 and 2,000 French and African business leaders and stakeholders are expected to attend. Young people, artists and athletes have also been invited. On the agenda will be artificial intelligence and digital transformation ecosystems, as well as health sector investments and local manufacturing of essential commodities, discussions on creative and cultural industries as economic drivers, sport as an emerging frontier for investment and job creation, the energy transition, infrastructure development, regional connectivity, agriculture and food systems. The two-day event conference will pay attention to promises on investment and 'climate justice' issues. Macron may rhetorically commit some money for new climate initiatives, but this will be heard with some scepticism, as African leaders know very well that France is facing its own internal issues. The choice of Kenya to host the summit could add credibility to Macron's promises, Marchal, a senior research fellow at Sciences Po Paris covering Africa told. "We must consciously move away from pre-written narratives that have historically defined this relationship. The Africa Forward Summit is about breaking these barriers and focusing on solutions," SingOei, principal secretary of state in the country's Department for Foreign Affairs, said. In the past decade, France has invested an estimated €1.8 billion in Kenya. France currently ranks as Kenya’s fourth largest foreign direct investment partner, as well as the leading bilateral partner in the country's energy sector. More than 140 French enterprises operate in Kenya. Nairobi is a central hub for transport and logistics, infrastructure investment expert Odumade told. It has a booming financial industry as well as a technology start-up environment, she said. The Kenyan government has really started capitalising private sector investments within various key sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure. The gap between what African countries need on climate adaptation finance and what has been delivered is widening, not narrowing, Juma, a Kenyan independent policy advisor, said. "Summits like this one are increasingly being judged on whether they close that gap or add to a long list of pledges.' He added that one issue that should most definitely be on the agenda is the current Iran-United States conflict. 'Any escalation affects global oil prices, shipping routes and the cost of refined imports into African markets,' he said. "That's not just a foreign policy story – it hits household livelihoods directly via transport fuel, food prices and the operating costs of critical infrastructure.' (Source: RFI - France)

Europe

Austria
(Tuesday), 12 May 2026  Austria scrambled Eurofighter jets twice Sunday and again Monday after two US Air Force PC-12 aircraft, a turboprop model often used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions entered Austrian national airspace without permits required for military transit. After the Austrian jets intercepted, the US military planes reportedly turned back and returned to Munich. Last month, Austria barred US military aircraft involved in the war against Iran from using Austrian airspace, citing the country’s neutrality law. Austrians „wanted nothing to do with US President Trump’s politics of chaos and his war’, Vice Chancellor Babler wrote on social media, adding, “Neutrality is a precious asset in our country. No to war.” (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Belgium
12 May 2026  Tens of thousands march in Brussels against pension and wage reforms. Protesters voiced opposition to government measures affecting pensions, automatic wage indexation, and rising energy costs. Trade unions accused the federal government of dismantling key elements of the social model. According to police, around 40,000 protesters joined the march. Trade unions said the number reached approximately 75,000. Public transport across Belgium is heavily disrupted by national strike. Brussels and Charleroi airports experienced limited capacity during the day. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

France
11/05/2026 - 11:49 GMT+2  First protests against high fuel prices. ’Producing is more expensive than ever, and prices are not keeping pace’ - around 50 farmers mobilised in the Lyon region today morning following a call by the Coordination Rurale union to protest soaring fuel costs linked to the crisis in the Middle East. With around 20 tractors demonstrators headed along the A7 motorway towards the Rhône prefecture under police escort, moving towards Lyon’s Confluence district, where significant traffic disruptions were reported. A prefectural order issued yesterday was banning any procession, march or demonstration in the area today. Authorities cited industrial safety concerns linked to the storage and transport of flammable and hazardous materials near major infrastructures in the hydrocarbon distribution chain. The Coordination Rurale (CR), which organised the mobilisation, is demanding stronger government support in response to what it describes as exploding production costs and unsustainable fuel and non-road diesel (GNR) prices. The price of agricultural diesel had almost doubled since the start of the Middle East crisis. Agricultural diesel already benefits from preferential taxation that costs the French state nearly €1 billion annually. On 21 April, the French government ’unveiled €20 million in emergency support measures for struggling farmers’, including a temporary increase in the GNR rebate to 15 cents per litre throughout May. The package also includes deferred social security and tax payments, a flash fuel loan for small and medium-sized farms, and the suspension of excise duties on tractor fuel in April. ’GNR prices have risen by between 60% and 80% for all farmers, while the government’s targeting will only benefit a minority,’ France’s largest farming union FNSEA president Rousseau said last Thursday. The FNSEA is calling for fuel aid of 30 cents per litre. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

Germany
11/05/2026 - 14:42 GMT+2  German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom and defence firm Rheinmetall plan to jointly develop a defence shield to protect cities and critical infrastructure across Germany - a system capable of detecting, disrupting and intercepting drones in emergencies, the companies announced today. The system would use sensors to detect drones and could disable them using jamming technology or interceptor drones. Rheinmetall chief executive Papperger said drone defence required a combination of sensors, countermeasures and secure communication systems. Deutsche Telekom said it would contribute expertise in cloud computing, connectivity and data analysis. The companies say laser technology could also be used to stop drones near industrial sites, power stations and other sensitive infrastructure. Germany has passed legislation allowing the armed forces to shoot down drones in some high-risk situations. Deutsche Telekom has been developing a sensor network since 2017. It said its systems use a combination of video, audio, radio-frequency and radar sensors to detect drones. One method uses passive radio-frequency detection, which does not emit signals itself. Telekom said the technology could detect more than 90% of drones operating at low altitude. The companies say detection systems now need to adapt because more drones are being controlled via mobile phone networks rather than traditional radio controllers. Together with Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Deutsche Telekom is researching ways to detect such drones. Researchers are studying whether mobile networks themselves can help identify drone activity by detecting unusual data traffic patterns. The research is based on an Ericsson 5G standalone network installed on the university campus. Rheinmetall is also expanding its civilian drone defence operations. In December 2025, Rheinmetall, Hamburg police and the Hamburg Port Authority entered into a strategic partnership to help protect the port, where dense infrastructure and heavy radio traffic can make drone detection more difficult. Rheinmetall, whose defence systems are already in use in Ukraine and the Middle East, said it would develop customised solutions for critical infrastructure. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

11/05/2026 - 14:01 GMT+2  German Defence Minister Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Fedorov signed an agreement in Kyiv today to launch joint programme ’Brave Germany.’ After a visit to Berlin last month, Fedorov announced on Telegram that Germany and Ukraine had agreed on a new €4 billion defence package. Berlin accounted for around a third of all assistance provided to the country. The package includes funding ’for several hundred’ Patriot missiles and 36 IRIS-T launchers, alongside €300 million ’in investment for Ukrainian deep-strike capabilities’. ’ ’ It also includes the joint production of AI-enabled medium-range strike drones’ ’ , with an initial batch of 5,000 earmarked for the Ukrainian armed forces. Pistorius arrived in Kyiv today. Speaking to German news agency dpa, he said the trip would focus on expanding joint arms projects and developing new weapons systems together as part of the countries' strategic partnership. ’ ’The main focus is the joint development of cutting-edge unmanned systems across all ranges, particularly in the area of deep strike. In doing so, we are strengthening the security of both our countries.’ ’ At today's signing ceremony in Kyiv, Fedorov said ’Germany had begun financing mid-strike and deep-strike capabilities’. Despite Germany's massive military spending drive, the Bundeswehr still lacks one crucial capability: deep strike - the ability to carry out precision strikes against high-value military or infrastructure targets located hundreds – or even thousands – of kilometres 'behind the frontlines'. Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz had agreed with then US President Biden that American Tomahawk cruise missiles would be stationed in Germany as part of NATO's ’deterrence strategy’ against Russia. The missiles had originally been due to arrive in Germany in 2026, but that now appears increasingly unlikely. According to a report by the Financial Times, Pistorius is planning a trip to Washington to try to convince the Trump administration to sell Germany Tomahawk cruise missiles and the Typhon launch systems needed to fire them. At present, the Bundeswehr only has one weapon system that could be considered part of the lower end of the deep-strike category: the Taurus cruise missile, which has a range of more than 500 kilometres. Kyiv unveiled a potential long-range option last year that ’could help address Germany's deep-strike shortfall’: the FP-5 Flamingo ground-launched missile. The system's warhead carries more than 1,000 kilograms in total weight, equivalent to an estimated 450-550 kilograms of explosives. The impact radius is estimated at around 21 metres against heavily fortified targets such as reinforced concrete buildings, and up to 38 metres against softer infrastructure like refineries. The Ukrainian military has reportedly used the Flamingo to strike targets deep inside Russia, including a factory in the town of Votkinsk, more than 1,300 kilometres from Ukraine in February 2026. Russia is believed to manufacture Iskander missiles at the site, which is located near the city of Izhevsk. It remains unclear which specific weapons systems Germany and Ukraine are planning to develop under the new investment and cooperation agreements. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

Latvia
(Monday), 11/05/2026 - 9:27 GMT+2  Latvian Defence Minister Spruds resigned yesterday following a recent incursion by two Ukrainian drones into the Baltic country's territory. On Thursday, two drones crossed over the Russian border into Latvia. A fire briefly broke out at an oil depot, but was quickly brought under control by firefighters, according to the national police. Latvia's Prime Minister, Evika Silina, had called for Spruds's resignation, and said anti-drone systems had not been deployed quickly enough to counter Thursday's incursion. "The drone incident that occurred this week clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defence sector has failed to fulfill its promise of safe skies over our country," Silina wrote. The country is allocating nearly 5% of its GDP to defence, she added. Colonel Melnis is now set to take the position of defence minister, Silina said. (Source: Euronews; „Additional sources: AFP” = France)

Poland
11/05/2026 - 14:50 GMT+2  Poland has escalated its opposition to the Mercosur trade deal by filing a complaint with the EU’s top court and demanding that the agreement be suspended. Deputy Foreign Minister Bosacki stressed that Poland expects the Court’s ruling to lead to a suspension of both the validity and implementation of the agreement. In his view, the current version of the deal with the Mercosur countries would be harmful to both Polish and wider EU agriculture. Poland was the only EU member state to take legal action against the agreement before the EU’s top court, Agriculture Minister Krajewski said. He said that the Polish farming sector could count on the government’s full support. He added tghat the government’s priority was to protect both farmers and consumers, stressing that Polish producers were not afraid of competition provided it took place under fair conditions and high standards. The agreement was agreed by a majority of the EU Council on 9 January, with Poland, France, Ireland, Hungary and Austria opposed. The full partnership agreement will only enter into force after ratification by all EU member states. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France / The Associated Press - U.S.)

European Commission
May 11, 2026 9:48 AM CET  High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, EU’s Kallas rejects Gerhard Schröder as Russia-Ukraine negotiator. „Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is unfit to represent Europe in any peace talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war’, the EU’s chief diplomat said on her way into a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, today. Russian leader Putin has said he would like the ex-German chancellor to negotiate on Europe’s behalf. ’I think Gerhard Schröder has been the high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies so it’s clear why Putin wants him to be the person, so he would be sitting on both sides of the table, she said. So far, the U.S. has acted as the chief mediator in Russia-Ukraine talks while Europe has been on the sidelines - though some leaders have called for Europe to take a more active role. Over the weekend, German Foreign Minister Wadephul said Europe should participate in the talks, represented by officials from the so-called E3 group of powers - Germany, France and the U.K. Asked under what conditions the EU could accept entering direct talks with Putin, Kallas said that Moscow needed to make concessions, she was last week in Moldova and mentioned the withdrawal of Russian troops from Moldova as one possible step to get Europeans more involved. (Source: Politico – U.S.)

European Union
13/05/2026 - 8:20 GMT+2  For the first time since 2017, Trump visits China. For Europe it’s a crucial happening. Trump needs a win. In Brussels, the ’centre-right’ EPP is rushing to settle, as a weakened Trump could turn his attention toward Europe next. Trump is under pressure to relax chip export controls for quick business deals. If he trades away this edge, Washington and Beijing will set the global standards for AI alone with Europe becoming just a rule-taker, not maker. European firms are already struggling to compete with cheap Chinese goods at home. If Trump relaxes tariffs for China, the flood of cheaper electric vehicles and steel might result in European exporters losing their competitive advantage in the US to the same Chinese rivals that are already flooding European shores. If Trump treats Taiwan’s security as a bargaining chip ’to secure China’s help in ending the Iran war, he might hollow out Europe’s own strategic commitments in the Indo-Pacific’. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France)

Russia
13 May 2026 19:48 BST  Russia has added Wallace, the former British defence minister, who was a close ally of Boris Johnson to a wanted list in connection with an unspecified criminal investigation. Mr Wallace served as the UK’s defence secretary from before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 until August 2023. This development follows a call last October from a regional Russian lawmaker for Mr Wallace to be placed on Russia’s international wanted list. This demand stemmed from comments he made at the Warsaw Security Forum in September, where he suggested assisting Ukraine in carrying out a military strike on the bridge connecting southern Russia to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. 'We have to help Ukraine have the long-range capabilities to make Crimea unviable. We need to choke the life out of Crimea. And if we do that, I think Putin will realise he's got something to lose. We need to smash the cursed bridge,' he said. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

13 May 2026 10:25 (UTC +04:00)  The United States wants to take control of gas transit from Russia to the European Union through Ukraine, said Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. According to him, the Americans are also planning to buy the part of the Nord Stream pipeline owned by European companies for a small amount and restore the damaged pipelines. “If you look at other parts of the world, I would mention Venezuela, with which the Rosneft Group cooperates. Now the Americans want to take over this cooperation. This will no longer be an equal partnership,’ the Russian foreign minister said in an interview with RT India. (Source: APA - Azerbaijan)

Tuesday 12 May 2026 18:18 BST  Russia today test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile as part of efforts to modernize the country's nuclear forces. Putin said that the nuclear-armed Sarmat missile would enter combat service at the end of the year. It was built to replace the aging Soviet-built Voyevoda. The combined power of the Sarmat’s individually targeted warheads is more than four times higher than that of any Western counterpart, the Russian leader said. The Sarmat - designated “Satan II” in the West - is meant to replace about 40 Soviet-built Voyevoda missiles. Its development began in 2011. Before, the missile had only one known successful test and reportedly suffered a massive explosion during an abortive test in 2024. Putin said today that the Sarmat is as powerful as the Voyevoda but with a higher precision. It is capable of suborbital flight, he said, giving it a range of more than 35,000 kilometers and an extended capability to penetrate any prospective missile defenses. Moscow's new weapons include the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound. The first vehicles have already entered service. Russia has also commissioned the new nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, and used its conventionally-armed version twice to strike Ukraine. Oreshnik's range is of up to 5,000 kilometers. Putin also announced Russia was in the final stages of the development of the nuclear-armed Poseidon underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile powered by miniature atomic reactors. The Poseidon is designed to explode near enemy coastlines and cause a radioactive tsunami. The Burevestnik has virtually unlimited range thanks to nuclear propulsion, allowing it to loiter for days, circling air defenses and attacking from an unexpected direction. Putin has described those new weapons as part of a Russian response to the U.S. missile shield that Washington developed after its 2001 withdrawal from a Cold War-era U.S.-Soviet pact that limited missile defenses. "We were forced to consider ensuring our strategic security in the face of the new reality and the need to maintain a strategic balance of power and parity,” Putin said. The last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the U.S. expired in February, leaving no caps on the world's two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century and fueling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

Ukraine
(12 May 2026)  Zelensky's former right-hand man, close friend Yermak appeared in a Kyiv court today, named by Ukraine's two anti-corruption agencies as a suspect in a money-laundering scheme, caught up in a corruption scandal surrounding a $10.5m luxury construction project outside Kyiv. Ukraine's Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sap) said it was asking the Kyiv court to either place the ex-chief of staff in preventive detention or give him bail of about $4m. Yermak, Zelensky’s closest adviser became caught up into an alleged $100m embezzlement scheme in Ukraine's nuclear energy sector. The swirling allegations have cast a shadow over Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. As part of Operation Midas, ex-Deputy Prime Minister Chernyshov was charged with abuse of office, while businessman Mindich reportedly fled the country after he was flagged as a suspect and ex-Energy Minister Haluschenko was detained while trying to leave. Like the former chief of staff Yermak, Mindich was once part of Zelensky's inner circle and co-owned the president's former TV studio Kvartal95, before sanctions were imposed on him. Mindich now lives in Israel and denies wrongdoing. The latest claims centre on an elite housing project called Dynasty in a village outside Kyiv where millions in construction funds were allegedly laundered. Six more people had been identified as suspects. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)
See also: May 12, 2026 7:01 pm CET Corruption scandals during wartime threatens Zelenskyy’s EU push (Source: Politico - U.S., owned by a German company)

May 12, 2026 / 10:05 AM EDT  The governments of the U.S. and Ukraine have drafted a memorandum outlining the terms of a potential new defense deal between the countries. The draft hashed out by the U.S. State Department and Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Stefanishyna is a first step toward a defense agreement that would allow Ukraine to export military technology to the U.S. and to manufacture drones in joint ventures with American companies. Technology pioneered by Sine Engineering, ’a Ukrainian defense firm that recently received a multi-million dollar investment from the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund’, allows drones to fly without GPS guidance to evade signal-jamming. A broader defense agreement, which would potentially bring more Ukrainian technology to the U.S., has faced political roadblocks. Ukrainian officials told they felt a "lack of buy-in" on a drone deal from senior figures within the Department of Defense and the White House, particularly since the war in Iran began. President Trump has publicly rebuffed Ukraine's efforts to supply counter-drone technology to the Middle East. "We don't need their help in drone defense," Mr. Trump told Fox News in early March. "We know more about drones than anybody. We have the best drones in the world, actually." ’But the memorandum drafted between Kyiv and Washington on an early-stage drone deal appears to suggest those obstacles may be falling away’. (Source: CBS News - U.S.)

United Kingdom
13 May 2026  In the last ten years, the UK has had six failed prime ministers: David Cameron promised “full on treaty change with the EU,” came back from Brussels with less than Mr. Chamberlain brought back from Munich, lost the Brexit referendum and his office. Theresa May defined leaving Europe as remaining within it while claiming to leave, and lost the leavers and the remainers. Boris Johnson got Brexit done, lied to Parliament, and forgot to leave his diverting circus buffoonery at the door of Downing Street and the majority government that he had achieved evicted him. Liz Truss brought in a Thatcherite budget she could not defend, and was given the boot after 45 days. Rishi Sunak tried to run a Labour government for the Conservative Party and was overwhelmingly disembarked by the voters. Because the Reform Party chopped the Conservatives off at the knees, the Labour Party won a huge parliamentary majority with only a slight rise in popular support and Keir Starmer has been a disaster. Nothing like this has ever happened in British history since Walpole’s time: A series of failed prime ministers in quick succession, five of them from the same party. The result of this is that Britain has had no influence in the world. It is not in Europe and it does not have a special relationship with the United States and it has no particular association with the old Commonwealth led by Canada and Australia. It is adrift, unable to prevent illegal immigration, failing to provide housing for new immigrants and representing the legitimate concerns of lower income British citizens about the resulting increase in housing costs and racism, and devising outrageous and authoritarian measures to suppress legitimate concern. Historic Britain would have rejected anti-Semitism and a powerful national majority would have demanded respect for minority rights. Instead the cowardly Labour government, intimidated by extremist Muslim voters in many districts, has abdicated, and effectively encouraged the despicable and profoundly un-British practice of Jew-baiting and scapegoating. The world misses British political wisdom. A feeble and waffling Europe misses it, and resurgent America, astounded at Britain treating it with equivalence to the terrorist-sponsoring murderous despotism of Iran, is close to washing its hands of the British relationship. Britain has shut down its oil exploration in deference to insane climate alarmists, has stormed out of Europe, insulted its greatest ally and benefactor, and transformed Shakespeare’s “sceptered Isle” into an inert and spiteful relic with only the statues in and near Parliament Square of great figures of the nation’s past to remind the living of what the British had been. (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)
by Black

12 May 2026  British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure within the Labour Party as speculation over his future intensified after as many as 70 members of parliament either called for him to resign or urged him to set out a timetable for his departure. The growing unrest comes after a difficult set of election results for Labour across the UK. The elections, held across Scotland, Wales and 136 English local authorities, were the largest electoral test since Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election. In Wales, the party suffered a historic defeat in the Senedd elections, while in Scotland the Scottish National Party retained power for a fifth consecutive term in the Scottish Parliament. ’Far-right’ Reform UK also continued its recent rise, winning more than 1,450 council seats and building on gains made in local elections last year. According to The Times, Home Secretary Mahmood is among at least four ministers who have privately urged the prime minister to consider outlining a timeline for stepping down from Downing Street. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Europe
May 11, 2026  Drones, counter-drone systems. Drones dominate tactics, not outcomes. Will counter-drone systems ultimately be able to neutralize the drone threat? The development of high-energy lasers is seen as one of the decisive developments in this regard. The large-scale introduction of AI also creates the possibility of unintended escalation. (Source: Geopolitical Intelligence Services AG - Liechtenstein)
By de Wijk, the founder of The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies.

.6 5 11

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A NER-lovagok lázadása döntötte be Orbán rendszerét, nem a kórházak állapota? / Schiffer

'Hatvanpuszta mindent visz';

Társadalmi kötelékek fellazításáról;

A lázadásról - élményt árulnak politikai nyilvánosság címén;

Jogállamisági kritériumok címén pedig idegen hatalmi központok

avatkoznak be külföldről pénzügyi eszközökkel, algoritmusokkal

- és megbuktatják a magyar kormányt.

Visszaemlékezések a jólétre.

(Forrás: YouTube / Fekete Rita)

- video -

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Asia

China
(Monday), 11.05.26, 09:42 AM  US President Trump will pay an official visit to China from May 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi, the Chinese foreign ministry announced today. Trump would arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening. He will attend a welcome ceremony and bilateral meeting with Xi on Thursday, followed by a visit to the Temple of Heaven and a state banquet. The two leaders are also scheduled to hold a bilateral tea and working lunch on Friday. The talks are expected to focus heavily on tariffs and trade disputes between the world’s two largest economies. Officials from both sides indicated that agreements could be reached on agriculture purchases, energy cooperation, investment mechanisms and Boeing aircraft deals. The US and China are also expected to discuss extending a truce in their trade war that currently allows rare earth minerals to continue flowing from China to the United States. A Chinese commerce ministry statement said the negotiations would be “guided by the important consensus” reached by the two leaders during their previous meeting in Busan, South Korea, as well as in subsequent phone conversations, and would address economic and trade issues of mutual concern. Beyond trade, the Trump-Xi summit is expected to cover several sensitive geopolitical flashpoints, including Iran, Russia, nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence. ’The president has spoken multiple times with General Secretary Xi about the topic of Iran and about the topic of Russia, to include the revenue that China provides to both those regimes, as well as dual-use goods, components and parts, not to mention the potential of weapons exports, one US official said. The Trump administration is also expected to raise concerns about the rapid advancement of Chinese artificial intelligence models and seek the establishment of communication mechanisms to avoid future conflicts linked to AI technologies. The Taiwan issue remains one of the most contentious points in US-China relations. The summit comes amid growing US concern over Taiwan’s defence preparedness after Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament recently approved a smaller defence budget than requested by the government. Taiwan has meanwhile expressed confidence in its relationship with Washington but said it hopes there are no surprises concerning the island during the Trump-Xi summit. Washington was disappointed with the reduced spending levels and Taiwan Premier Cho also warned that cuts to defence funding could damage international confidence in Taiwan’s security commitments. We are confident in the stable development of Taiwan-U.S. relations, speaking in Taipei, Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin said. The U.S. government has repeatedly expressed that its Taiwan policy will not change, he added. Beijing continued to raise the Taiwan issue in discussions with Washington, Lin said. Taiwan independence' is the root cause destabilising peace in the Taiwan Strait, and we will absolutely not tolerate or condone it, Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Jiang said over the weekend. Washington is additionally expected to renew efforts to engage Beijing on nuclear arms discussions, though US officials acknowledged China remains reluctant to enter formal arms control talks. Ahead of the summit, both countries announced that Chinese Vice-Premier He will travel to South Korea for trade talks with US Treasury Secretary Bessent on May 12 and 13. Washington plans to host Xi for a reciprocal visit later this year. (Source: The Telegraph – India / Reuters – United Kingdom)

Dubai
3:00pm, 13 May 2026  Nine fraud centres - scam networks - were dismantled and 276 suspects arrested, most of them from Southeast Asia, in a joint operation between FBI, Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Dubai Police ahead of US President Trump’s visit to China. “The operation delivered a decisive strike against three criminal syndicates and dismantled nine fraud centres behind high-yield investment scams (HYIS), ‘pig butchering’ schemes, and virtual currency fraud, all of which are among the fastest-growing forms of financial crime worldwide,” according to the Dubai Police statement released on April 28. The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to crack down on Chinese nationals and others believed to be involved in scam centres accused of defrauding Americans, and more coordination with China to tackle these networks could be on the agenda when Trump meets President Xi in Beijing tomorrow. According to US government figures, Americans lost a record US$20.9 billion in cyber-enabled crimes last year. Chinese and American law enforcement agents have in recent years cooperated to investigate and prosecute crimes like drug trafficking. Olson, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said strategic concerns could hold back efforts against fraud. Where and when possible, US and Chinese officials will be happy to cooperate in anti-scam operations, he said. ’But given their geopolitical rivalry, there are a number of strategic concerns that could limit the extent of their cooperation, especially in Southeast Asia where the countries compete for influence.’ US officials have accused Beijing of using its campaign targeting cyber scams to expand its influence in Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Olson noted that joint policing efforts could also involve divulging information about surveillance capabilities and techniques that they would prefer not to share. He said the operation in Dubai might have been driven by practical law enforcement needs rather than a broader thaw in US-China relations regarding cyberfraud. “Both sides will proceed with caution.” Alleged Chinese involvement in scams was labelled as a national security risk in a March report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The report also noted concerns that more Americans were falling victim to such scams, as the cybercriminals behind them turned their attention to non-Chinese to avoid angering Beijing. In March, when asked if Trump should raise the issue when he met Xi, commission vice-chair Kuiken said: “Any time American citizens are being victimised by criminal institutions, my answer is yes.” (Source: South China Morning Post)

Iran
11 May 2026  Iran’s latest counterproposal to a US peace plan calls for compensation from the United States and stresses Tehran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reported early today. The report said it also demands an end to sanctions and the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad. Tehran rejected the US plan because it would have required submission to President Trump’s excessive demands, the report said. Iran’s response also emphasized the fundamental rights of the Iranian nation. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

11 May 2026 09:15  Iranian authorities have secretly executed Shakourzadeh, a 29-year-old political prisoner, satellite technology researcher, and top-ranked aerospace engineering graduate student at Iran University of Science and Technology, at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj at dawn today, following nearly two years of detention on espionage-related charges. Judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency later claimed that he had been accused of collaboration with the CIA and Mossad. He was reportedly subjected to nine months of severe physical and psychological torture in solitary confinement in order to extract forced confessions. The researcher, who worked in the field of satellite constellation control and positioning systems, had been accused by security agencies of transferring scientific information related to satellite projects to foreign intelligence services. The allegations were never proven in a fair trial with access to an independent lawyer. His death sentence had recently been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court. (Source: Hengaw Organization for Human Rights – registered, headquarters in Norway)

May 10, 2026 15:53 IST  Iran produces over three million barrels of crude oil per day, the majority of which flows through its main export terminal at Kharg Island. Amid the war with the US and Israel, Iran is rapidly running out of space to store the unsold crude. Iran revived offshore tanks and floating storage vessels. These ageing vessels, positioned near the island, are now holding excess oil to prevent production shutdowns and keep wells operating. They have seemingly filled quickly. Tehran cannot shut down production, because doing so risks severe and potentially permanent damage to its underground reservoirs. When wells are shut in for extended periods, water and gas can intrude into rock formations, permeability can decline, and sediment or paraffin can clog pores and pipelines. Restarting production later often becomes far more expensive - and in some cases, output never fully recovers. Satellite images near Kharg Island - as reported by Tel Aviv-based YNet and American broadcaster CNN - have raised questions about whether Iran is releasing crude into the sea as its storage fills up under the US blockade. European Space Agency Sentinel imagery has shown multiple suspected oil slicks across the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks. Patches appeared near the Kuwait coast on March 5, around Lavan Island on April 10, just days after reports of strikes on nearby facilities, off Qeshm Island on April 22, and most recently in a large slick west of Kharg Island on May 6. One slick near Kharg covered more than 120 square kilometres. The suspected slicks have added to concerns over environmental damage and carry real risks for people. The Gulf supports fishing communities, coral reefs and rich marine life that provide food and income for coastal families in the region. Large numbers of dead shrimp washed ashore on beaches in southern Oman's Dhofar region. US President Trump has maintained the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz, which began in mid-April 2026. It remains fully in effect despite a fragile ceasefire. It's costing Iran significant oil revenue daily. The sustained US blockade might have now forced Iran to dump some of the surplus oil, floating unused in the sea. (Source: India Today)

Iraq
(Tuesday), May. 12, 2026  A report published Saturday by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said that Israel had established a clandestine military outpost in Iraq’s desert shortly before the war with Iran began on February 28, allegedly with US knowledge. In a yesterday statement, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command stated that there is an exaggeration in statements made without knowledge of the facts, affirming that there are no unauthorized forces or bases currently present on Iraqi soil. The military unit also noted that necessary legal measures will be taken against entities who attempt to disseminate misleading information or malicious rumors about Iraqi sovereignty and security institutions. The Iraqi government does not maintain any official relations with nor indeed recognize the state of Israel. In May 2022, the Iraqi parliament passed a law to criminalize the normalization of ties with Israel with a majority vote, with the penalties ranging up to life imprisonment or the death penalty. The Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) today announced the launch of operation Imposing Sovereignty in the deserts of Najaf and Karbala, following reports of foreign military presence in Iraq’s western deserts. The joint campaign will operate along four axes, and involves carrying out a security sweep extending for a distance of 120 kilometers with the participation of explosives disposal units, intelligence services, and all supporting units. The participating forces are conducting search and sweep operations to a depth of up to 70 kilometers. The campaign is being carried out under the direction of outgoing Prime Minister Sudani and the supervision of the Iraqi Army’s Chief of Staff Yarallah. The developments come after widespread reports of foreign military activity recorded in the desert zone stretching between Najaf and Karbala. (The New Region - Kurdistan Region of Iraq)

Israel
09:34-12 May 2026  Israeli lawmakers approved a bill yesterday, setting up a special tribunal that would try and have the authority to sentence to death Palestinians convicted of taking part in the 2023 Hamas-led attack. The measure passed 93-0 in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament. The remaining 27 lawmakers were absent or abstained from voting. Defendants can appeal their sentences but the appeals have to be heard by a separate, special appeals court rather than regular appeals courts. The bill empowers a panel of judges to hand down the death penalty by a majority vote and requires the trials to be conducted in a livestreamed Jerusalem courtroom. It has drawn comparisons to the 1962 trial of Nazi war criminal Eichmann, which was broadcast live on television. Eichmann was executed by hanging, the last time the death penalty was carried out in Israel. Hamas-led ’fighters’ stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 as hostages. Israel’s ensuing blistering offensive on Gaza has killed over 72,628 Palestinians, including at least 846 killed since a ceasefire took hold last October. Israeli forces also took an unknown number of suspects into Israeli custody where they now await trial. The bill is separate from a law passed in March that approved the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. That law applies to future cases and is not retroactive so it could not apply to the October 2023 suspects. At least 7,000 Palestinians from Gaza had been held in Israeli custody since October 2023, and 5,000 of them were later released. The country still holds about 1,300 Palestinians from Gaza without charge in its detention facilities. The 1,300 number does not include those held on suspicion of attacking Israel on Oct. 7 or involvement in holding the hostages. (Source: Asharq Al-Awsat - headquartered in London, England, owned by a member of the Saudi royal family)

12 May 2026  Yesterday evening the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) has passed the first reading of a bill that would place heritage sites in the occupied West Bank under direct Israel’s Heritage Ministry control. The bill also proposes to grant the body all the necessary powers to excavate, develop, and manage archaeological and heritage sites, as well as expropriating and acquiring land for this purpose. In February, Israel’s Security Cabinet ordered the repealing of a law barring the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the West Bank, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring building permit authority from the Palestinian municipality to Israel’s civil administration. Over the past few years, Palestinian and international organizations have indicated that the Israeli government is seeking to annex the West Bank as a fait accompli through a series of settlement measures without a formal declaration of annexation. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Persian Gulf
May 10, 2026 5:10 AM ET  A cargo ship caught fire today after being hit by an unknown projectile off Qatar's coast. The attack happened 43 kilometers northeast of Qatar's capital, Doha. In Sunday's naval attack, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said that the strike caused a small fire on the ship, which was extinguished. There were no reported casualties. The Trump administration says the month-old ceasefire remains in effect. On Friday, the U.S. struck two Iranian oil tankers after it said that the vessels were trying to breach its blockade of Iran's ports. Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since joint strikes on Feb. 28 by the U.S. and Israel launched the war. (Source: The Associated Press - United States)

United Arab Emirates
May 11, 2026 4:11 pm ET  In a war in which it has been Iran’s biggest target, the United Arab Emirates has secretly carried out military strikes on Iran. Speculation about the U.A.E.’s involvement in the war has swirled since mid-March. Researchers who track publicly available images and other information have pointed to photos purporting to show French Mirage fighters and Chinese Wing Loong drones - both used by the U.A.E. - in action in Iran. The strikes, which the U.A.E. hasn’t publicly acknowledged, have included an attack on a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April, and sparked a large fire and knocked much of its capacity off line for months. Iran said at the time that the refinery had been struck in an enemy attack and launched a barrage of missile and drone strikes against the U. A.E. and Kuwait in response. Iran focused much of its fire on the U.A.E., targeting it with more than 2,800 missiles and drones - far more than any other country, including Israel. The attacks have hammered the U.A.E.’s air traffic, tourism and property market, and have led to a wave of furloughs and layoffs. They also have prompted a fundamental shift in the country’s strategic outlook to one that now sees Iran as a rogue actor bent on undermining the country’s economic and social model based on expatriate talent and a reputation for safety and stability. Gulf countries said ahead of the war they wouldn’t let their airspace or bases be used for attacks. The U.A.E. has since emerged as the most openly confrontational country in the Gulf and has maintained strong military cooperation with the U.S. throughout the war. Its military is well-equipped with Western-made jet fighters and surveillance networks. The U.S. has quietly welcomed the participation of the U.A.E. and any other Gulf states that want to join in the fight. The U.A.E. has a highly trained and capable air force with Mirages and a fleet of advanced F-16 jet fighters supported by refueling planes, command and control aircraft and surveillance drones. After the U.S. and Israel wiped out Tehran’s air defense capabilities, the risk of flying combat missions over the country dropped sharply. In addition to the strikes, the U.A.E. backed drafts of a resolution at the United Nations that authorized the use of force if necessary to break Iran’s chokehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway. Iran has responded by repeatedly accusing the U.A.E. of joining the U.S. and Israeli campaign. (Source: The Wall Street Journal - U.S.)

Australia

May 12, 2026  Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remained at a standstill today, with oil rising after President Trump rejected Iran’s latest offer and suggested a ceasefire may not hold. Brent crude climbed two per cent to trade above US$106 a barrel. ’The impacts of the war in the Middle East are already serious. There is still a risk that they become quite severe and we’ve tried to give you a sense of that severity’, Treasurer Chalmers told reporters today. Australia’s ruling Labor government conducted scenario analysis in its annual budget under which the war in Iran intensifies, driving oil to US$200 a barrel and throwing the global economy into chaos. ’This could occur if the conflict is protracted or if an escalation further damages energy and export infrastructure across the Middle East and shuts off oil supply from the region, including through the Red Sea trade route,’ the Treasury said in today’s budget papers. Oil prices at that level in the July-to-September period would drive the Australian economy into contraction in that quarter and push domestic inflation to 7.25 per cent in the year through the fourth quarter, with unemployment also moving higher. Higher prices for fuel, fertilizer and other petrochemicals would make some businesses unviable and hit the margins of others, the Treasury said in the report. A prolonged war would also raise the prices of Australian exports of coal and LNG, providing some support to the economy. However, the Labor government’s central forecast is that inflation peaks in the three months through June and then starts to come down as the war ends. That is ’heavily dependent, heavily hostage to developments overseas for obvious reasons, including the duration of the conflict,’ Chalmers said. (Source: Financial Post – Canada / Bloomberg – U.S.)

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United States
13 May 2026 Head-to-head: The US and China on economics, military and resources - who sits atop the world order.   Today, Beijing is regarded as the factory of the world and is outpacing its Western counterpart in many regards. Twenty-five years ago, the US was the world’s largest exporter, selling goods worth $729bn in 2001. China ranked fourth at $266bn according to the World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS). Today, China is the world’s largest exporter, selling $3.59 trillion in goods globally per year. Currently, 145 economies trade more with China than with the US. It is the larger exporter of machinery and electrical machines ($1.68 trillion), such as phones and computers, accounting for nearly one-third of total exports; metals ($286bn); textiles ($268bn). In 2024, China bought $2.58 trillion, producing a trade surplus of more than $1 trillion – the largest of any country. In 2024 the US - the second-largest exporter in the world – sold $1.9 trillion worth of goods globally and bought $3.12 trillion, creating a large trade deficit. US President Trump used the that trade deficit as justification for the trade tariffs he imposed on countries globally since returning to the White House in January last year. The US’s main exports include machinery and electrical machines ($447bn); mineral products including fuels, oils, waxes and their derivatives ($364bn), accounting for nearly one-fifth of total exports; chemical products ($245bn).    The US and China are exchanging more than $500bn worth of goods in 2025. Trade has fallen as the two countries exchanged retaliatory tariffs from the beginning of Trump’s second term. The average effective US tariff on imports from China is about 31.6 percent, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model. China has imposed a series of tariffs on key US energy and agricultural exports, including a blanket 10 percent levy on all US imports, surcharges on specific items from 11 percent on propane and ethane to 77 percent on beef. Despite this, the US remains China’s largest trading partner, while China ranks third for the US, behind Mexico and Canada. In 2024, the US bought $453bn worth of goods from China: miscellaneous items such as toys, bedding and furniture ($57.9bn); textiles ($31.9bn). That same year, China bought $145bn worth of goods from the US, with the main goods including machinery and electrical machines ($30.8bn); mineral products including fuels, oils, waxes and their derivatives ($24.1bn); chemical products ($18.2bn).     US general government debt is standing at 115 percent of GDP. The 2008 global financial crisis was a turning point for the US, when debt surged sharply as the government bailed out banks and provided economic stimulus. China’s stands at 94 percent of GDP. Its debt is believed to be underestimated. China’s debt has also grown, but more steadily, from about 22 percent of GDP in 2000 to about 34 percent in 2009. After it began to incline even more steeply, mainly driven by infrastructure investment and local government borrowing, as opposed to crisis spending like the US. Both countries saw their debt levels surge dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governments unleashed massive stimulus programmes to prop up their economies. The US allowed trillions of dollars in relief spending in the form of business loans and unemployment benefits, while China increased its infrastructure investments. The US national debt now exceeds $39 trillion, which is the highest level in history. The exact level of China’s government debt is more difficult to establish.   Together, the US and China make up more than half of the world’s total military spending. The US is the world’s biggest military spender, outpacing China by almost three times in dollar terms, according to the research institute SIPRI. The US spent $954bn or 3.1 percent of its GDP on its military in 2025. China spent $336bn or 1.7 percent according to estimated figures. The US holds a clear advantage in air power, with three times as many aircraft and far superior support infrastructure. At sea, China has more ships numerically, but the US maintains a qualitative edge in firepower, submarines and aircraft carriers.   Energy consumption in China has grown rapidly since the turn of this century as the country has ramped up its manufacturing industry and its economy has industrialised. Today, China is the world’s largest energy consumer. In 2024, the country of 1.4 billion people consumed 48,477 TWh, with 80 percent generated by fossil fuels, mostly coal. The US is the world’s second-largest energy consumer. In 2024, the country of nearly 350 million people consumed 26,349 TWh, also with approximately 80 percent coming from fossil fuels, mostly oil. When it comes to green energy investments, China is surging ahead. According to the REN21 Global Status Report, in 2024 China spent $290bn on green energy, while the US spent $97bn.    Emerging technologies - artificial intelligence (AI) robots, electric vehicles: The US leads the world in AI investment with $109bn in corporate spending in 2024 alone, nearly as much as the rest of the world combined, according to Morgan Stanley. It has twice as many notable AI model releases as China, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Meta’s Llama – compared with China’s most notable release, DeepSeek. The US also has an edge in semiconductors, with Nvidia’s CUDA software platform giving US chips a significant advantage over Chinese alternatives. Both countries, however, rely heavily on Taiwan, which produces almost 90 percent of the advanced chips needed for AI development. Where China has surged ahead is electric vehicles. Almost half of all new cars sold in China in 2024 were electric, compared to about 10 percent in the US, helped by nearly $230bn in government subsidies between 2009 and 2024.    Rare earths have been a major flashpoint in tense trade negotiations between China and the US and are expected to be revisited during this week’s meeting  China holds the world’s largest rare earth mineral reserves, with an estimated 44 million tonnes of known rare earth oxide deposits in 2024 – a little more than half of the world’s total. Rare earth minerals are a group of 17 metallic elements that are essential components in modern technology, including electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, smartphones, military equipment, and semiconductors. China also dominates the processing of rare earths globally. Even minerals mined elsewhere often get sent to China to be refined, giving it influence well beyond just what is in the ground. The US has the seventh-highest known rare earth reserves in the world at 1.9 million tonnes, less than 5 percent of China’s, making it highly dependent on Beijing for rare earth imports. Rare earth mining is highly polluting, and the US has faced numerous lawsuits and compliance costs, making it expensive to keep mines open. Where the US confronts regulatory and environmental concerns, China has been willing to absorb the environmental and social costs. Beijing has managed to outpace Washington in rare earth mining because ’it faces fewer obstacles’. Last year, an escalation deepened the trade war between the two superpowers before a temporary truce was reached six months ago. President Trump threatened to levy a 100 percent trade tariff on China after it restricted exports of rare earth elements and equipment    The US and China are part of a number of organisations jointly, such as the UN Security Council, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the G20 and APEC. Separately, China is part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS. It is also part of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The US is part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the OECD, the G7, the Five Eyes Alliance and the trilateral security partnership AUKUS with Australia and the UK.   China’s economy is driven by the state, with heavy investment in infrastructure, industry and technology, a reliance on exports and long-term national planning rather than free-market forces. Trump’s America First model takes a different approach: Tariffs, especially on China; tax cuts; deregulation; and a push to bring manufacturing back home. He has also publicly pressured the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, favoured one-on-one trade deals over global agreements, restricted immigration and pushed to reduce America’s dependence on China. (Source: Al Jazeera - Qatar)

May 12, 2026  Mr. Trump has vowed to build a defense system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome, with air defense capabilities that intercept rockets and missiles. He estimated that the project would cost $175 billion. Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense plan could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years, a report from the Congressional Budget Office said. Space-based interceptors, the president envisions which do not currently exist - satellites armed with missiles orbiting the planet - would probably consume about 60 percent of the total cost. To protect the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii would require four separate layers of defensive assets, including several thousand satellites as well as a half-dozen radar and missile sites to engage intercontinental ballistic missiles and 35 new regional sites to defend against hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles. Even if the system is built, the report concluded, an adversary like Russia or China that has a large arsenal of nuclear weapons could overwhelm it and some missiles would hit their targets. The C.B.O. assumed that countering as many as 10 enemy intercontinental ballistic missiles in space simultaneously could require a constellation of roughly 7,800 armed satellites. To be effective, such space-based interceptors, the C.B.O. said, would need to be placed in low orbit where they would be subject to drag from the planet’s atmosphere - which over a five-year span could cause them to lose enough altitude that they would burn up and need to be replaced. In the past, the only weapons capable of intercontinental ranges contained nuclear warheads, and their use would invite a counterattack. But an attack on the United States with conventional guided weapons could achieve a similar strategic effect without necessarily triggering nuclear retaliation, a scenario the Golden Dome is designed - in part - to defeat, Mr. Karako, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said. The C.B.O. report did not estimate the cost of protecting U.S. territories specifically but said the territory of Guam, a small island in the western Pacific that hosts Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy bases, was slated to receive an extensive system of integrated defense” outside of the Golden Dome project. American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean could potentially be protected by separate regional missile defense sites, the report says. In December, the Congressional Research Service said in a report that some lawmakers had expressed concern that, if built, the Golden Dome could invite Russia and China to increase their nuclear arsenals in response. The report noted that the Antiballistic Missile Treaty, which the United States and the Soviet Union signed in 1972, and that Russia later honored, precluded the development of antimissile systems like the Golden Dome project. But President Bush’s decision to exit the treaty in 2001 paved the way for such a network of defensive missiles. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

5/12/2026  US Treasury pays $3 billion a day in interest on national debt nearing $39 trillion mark. The U.S. Treasury has paid $628 billion in net interest this year to service its borrowing, according to the the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The report demonstrates the government’s largest outlays: $953 billion so far this year for Social Security benefits, $588 billion for Medicare, and $409 billion for Medicaid. Net interest on public debt is a larger figure than both Medicare and Medicaid, totaling $628 billion for the seven months between October and April. The overall debt picture has marginally improved: The April update shows government income totaled $3.3 trillion for the fiscal year so far, up from $3.1 trillion for October to April of 2025. Outlays have also increased, from $4.2 trillion to $4.3 trillion, meaning the deficit for FY26 stands at $955 billion, which is $94 billion less than for the same period in FY25. A significant driver in this change was the revenue generated by Trump’s tariff agenda, intended to rebalance trade deals with every nation on the planet. (Source: MSN / Fortune = U.S.)

May 11, 2026 / 5:59 PM  Musk, and other 15 senior executives of U.S. companies will accompany President Trump on his trip to Beijing this week as part of a wide-ranging summit with Chinese President Xi. The list include Apple's Cook, BlackRock's Fink and Boeing's Ortberg, among others. Executives from Blackstone, Cargill, Citigroup, Coherent, GE Aerospace, Goldman Sachs, Illumina, Matstercard, Meta, Micron Technology, Qualcomm and Visa will also travel to China with Trump. Each of the executives traveling for the meetings has significant business interests in China. The U.S. caravan will depart for Beijing tomorrow, with meetings scheduled for the rest of the week between the two delegations. Trump is expected to discuss trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the Iran War, with the creation of a board of investment and a board of trade with China high on his list of goals for his meetings with Xi. (Source: UPI - U.S.)

(Monday), 05/11/26 1:17 PM ET  The Pentagon revealed the location of a U.S. Navy nuclear-armed submarine in a rare move a day after President Trump rejected the latest peace proposal from Iran. Iran laid out its demands in a counteroffer, which reportedly included war reparations, Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and an end to U.S. sanctions. The president called the counteroffer on Sunday totally unacceptable. In general, the locations of the U.S. nuclear-armed submarines are highly classified. The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine arrived in Gibraltar, a British territory on Spain’s south coast, on Sunday, the U.S. Sixth Fleet said today. “The port visit demonstrates U.S. capability, flexibility and continuing commitment to its NATO allies,” the Sixth Fleet said in a press release. “Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines are undetectable launch platforms for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, providing the U.S. with its most survivable leg of the nuclear triad.” The Pentagon did not disclose the name of the submarine, one of the U.S. military’s most secretive weapons. The Ohio-class is made up of 14 ballistic missile and four guided missile submarines. The submarines are stealth, are able to carry Trident II ballistic missiles and can conduct extended deterrence patrols. The Ohio-class guided missile submarines can have over 150 Tomahawk missiles on board. (Source: The Hill - U.S.)

(Monday), May 11, 2026 1:13 AM  Trump's swift rejection of Iran's response to a U.S. peace proposal sent oil prices surging today amid concerns the 10-week-old conflict will drag on, keeping shipping through the Strait of Hormuz paralyzed. Oil prices jumped more than $4 a barrel today following news of the continued stalemate that leaves the narrow Strait of Hormuz largely closed. Days after the U.S. floated an offer in the hopes of re-opening negotiations, Iran yesterday released a response focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, where U.S. ally Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. The U.S. had proposed an end to fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear program. Tehran also included a demand for compensation for war damage and emphasised Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. It also called on the U.S. to end its naval blockade, guarantee no further attacks, lift sanctions and end a U.S. ban on Iranian oil sales. Within hours, Trump dismissed Iran's proposal with a post on social media. I don't like it - TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE, Trump wrote on Truth Social, without giving further detail. It is not clear what fresh diplomatic or military steps may be ahead. Addressing whether combat operations against Iran were over, Trump said in remarks aired yesterday: They are defeated, but that doesn't mean they're done. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war was not over because there was more work to be done to remove enriched uranium from Iran, dismantle enrichment sites and address Iran's proxies and ballistic missile capabilities. The best way to remove the enriched uranium would be through diplomacy, Netanyahu said in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS News' 60 Minutes. But he did not rule out removing it by force. Clashes have continued in southern Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced on April 16. An end to hostilities with Iran would not necessarily bring an end to the war in Lebanon, Netanyahu said in the 60 Minutes interview, in which he also said Israeli planners had underestimated Iran's ability to choke off traffic through the Hormuz Strait. It took a while for them to understand how big that risk is, which they understand now, he said. Iran's President Pezeshkian said in a social media post that Iran would never bow down to the enemy and would defend national interests with strength. On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted two drones coming from Iran, while Qatar condemned a drone attack that hit a cargo ship coming from Abu Dhabi in its waters. Kuwait said its air defences had dealt with hostile drones that entered its airspace. Shipping data on Kpler and LSEG showed three tankers laden with crude exited the waterway through the Strait of Hormuz last week, with trackers switched off to avoid Iranian attack. Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday. (Source: Miami Herald - U.S. / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Sunday 10 May 2026 10:16 BST  It was the first day of the joint US-Israeli strikes. Reports emerged that hundreds of people had been killed in an attack on a primary school in southern Iran. A team of investigators rushed to social media – ’the Human Rights Watch’s digital investigation team, with the critical task of uncovering the facts and establishing the truth’ surrounding the attack. The team of eight investigates war crimes worldwide, analysing every piece of digital evidence ’to reconstruct the events from their offices’ in London, Berlin, Geneva, and California. They spent hours verifying and analysing scores of videos and photographs recorded immediately after the strike or during search-and-rescue operations, as well as from funerals. ’Satellite images from the past 25 years were reviewed by the team’ and compared to those captured following the attack. They showed both the site and the nearby cemetery where victims were apparently buried. They revealed that at least eight structures across the compound had been directly struck by munitions, including at least one that had been hit and severely damaged. A report was published a week later, which called for the US and Israel to immediately assess their responsibility and prosecute anyone responsible for war crimes. The team’s work ranges from tracking down suspected criminals to analysing ’immigrant deportation patterns’, using technology to investigate conflict violations and human rights abuses worldwide. The team’s digital investigations lab uses social media, artificial intelligence, and satellite imagery documenting crimes and abuses. Their work spans protests in Europe and conflicts in the Middle East to deaths in custody in El Salvador, as well as violence in countries including Burkina Faso, Sudan, and Myanmar. The team was established a decade ago. Investigations can take anywhere from days to years. Their published reports aim to ’put pressure on governments and policymakers’ to act. The team is constantly across social media platforms, hunting for photos, videos, or audio of attacks, which they verify and fact-check. They investigate military units, alleged perpetrators, or victims to determine who they are, what they have posted online, and whether there is evidence they were involved in a crime. One of their main tools is ’satellite imagery analysis’, which is used to track the destruction of villages or sites. They reconstruct areas of attacks using 3D models to provide clear evidence of the before-and-after effects. ’Artificial Intelligence is an essential part of their operations, helping them gather data from foreign government websites or mine data sets for patterns in arrest rates’. Earlier this month, they published a two-year-long report into civilian killings in Burkina Faso. The team used AI to uncover essential information and analyse nearly 40,000 posts, which exposed the activities of perpetrators at a scale that would have been impossible to cover otherwise. Digital tools have made it possible for the team to investigate alleged crimes everywhere, including in countries where they can’t enter, such as Russia, Iran, or Myanmar. ’Technology allows us to look over those walls that are being built, even in places like China. Looking over the Great Firewall, it's very hard, it's very difficult, it requires brave people, but it’s possible, Mr Dubberley, who directs the organisation’s technology, rights and investigations division said. Iran’s internet blackout has made it difficult for them to obtain and verify information, but they are still able to reach sources via WhatsApp, Telegram, and other social media. ’It's important to investigate what's going on in the Middle East right now, what’s going on in Ukraine. People know technology is key for them to have their stories told. ’But it's also really important to make sure that we have the resources to investigate situations that are forgotten, Mr Dubberley added. One of their biggest achievements, Mr Dubberley said, was a 2023 report that found that Saudi border guards had killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers who tried to cross the Yemen-Saudi border between 2022 and 2023. The organisation was able to map the route used to cross the border thanks to geospatial and open-source researchers from the digital investigations team, who verified videos and images recorded by migrants and border residents. Analysis of satellite imagery allowed them to assess the development of security infrastructure on the border and identify burial sites near migrant camps, which had grown considerably. Following the report, the German Justice Ministry suspended its training programme for Saudi Arabian border guards. ’We got so many media hits, that was part of the strategy, to embarrass Saudi Arabia as much as anything else, to see if we could get the killings to at least slow down, and for a while at least, they did, Mr Dubberley concluded. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

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'Interjú' Szijjártó, távozó magyar külügyminiszterrel

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Europe

Russia
May 9, 2026 at 2:52 PM  "I think that the matter is coming to an end," Putin told reporters of the Ukraine war. Asked if he was willing to engage in talks with the 'Europeans', he said the preferable figure for him was former Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. The Kremlin said last week that it was for European governments to make the first move, as they were the ones who severed contact with Moscow in 2022. The Financial Times reported on Thursday that European Union leaders were preparing for potential talks. (Source: Miami Herald  - U.S. / "Reuters or USA Today")

(Saturday), May 9, 2026 7:53 a.m. ET  Russia has lost more than 350,000 soldiers, new estimate finds. The new estimate of Russian dead extrapolates from a database of confirmed soldier deaths that Mediazona and the BBC Russian Service have been keeping, based in part on social media posts and Russian probate records. That database now includes nearly 218,000 confirmed names. The figure was released today - the day of Russia’s annual May 9 parade celebrating victory over Germany in World War II - by the exiled Russian media outlets Meduza and Mediazona. The number raises the prospect that about half a million soldiers in total have died on the Russian and Ukrainian sides. The number excludes those who have died on the front this year. It also does not include the full scope of deaths among foreign fighters and soldiers who have fought for Russia in militias formed in the occupied Ukrainian territories. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, estimated in January that as many as 325,000 Russian soldiers and 140,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the war as of the end of 2025. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

United Kingdom
May 9, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT  On the eve of World War II, many countries, including the United States, still limited Jewish immigration. Most European Jews were unable to escape - in part, because of British policy: Many of them would have gladly taken refuge in Palestine, then a British colony, but in May 1939, the British government effectively ended Jewish immigration to the territory. Today the U.K. is increasingly a place where Jews are forced to look over their shoulder and hide their Jewishness. Over the last 2 1/2 years, but particularly in the last few weeks, antisemitic violence and harassment have become the new normal for British Jews - and increasingly common in the U.S. as well. For American Jews, rising antisemitism in Britain is a frightening preview of America’s future. There were close to 4,300 antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom in 2023 - an increase of 2.5 times over the previous year. ’It was the murder of Israeli citizens that put Diaspora Jews in harm’s way. In 2025 there were 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the U.K., according to the Community Security Trust, which reports on antisemitic activity. That’s an extraordinary number considering that there are fewer than 300,000 British Jews. As British Prime Minister Kier Starmer (whose wife and children are Jewish) said last week, ’People are scared to show who they are in their community, scared to go to synagogue and practice their religion, scared to go to university as a Jew, to send their children to school as a Jew, to tell their colleagues that they are Jewish.’ Last week, in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green in London, two Jewish men were stabbed by a knife-wielding attacker. This violence follows multiple arson and attempted arson attacks on synagogues, Jewish businesses and a Jewish ambulance service in London. And last fall, two Jewish men died after a man attacked worshippers at a Manchester synagogue. The oft-heard explanation for this increase in antisemitic hate is that it’s a response to anger over the war in Gaza. Even if one accepts the argument, someone attacking a Diaspora community because they don’t like the actions of the world’s only Jewish state is collectively blaming all Jews for the actions of other Jews. The situation is so bad that in response to the violence Britain raised its national terrorism threat level from "substantial” to 'severe.' The more accurate explanation for the increase is that antisemitism is the world’s oldest and most enduring hatred - and Jews are being targeted because of anti-Jewish hatred. The wave of antisemitic violence is not limited to the United Kingdom. What has risen to crisis levels in the U.K. is increasingly becoming the norm in the United States. A new report out this week by the Anti-Defamation League shows that even as there was an overall decline in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. last year, violent assaults against American Jews reached the highest level since 1979. Three people were killed in antisemitic attacks, the first such deaths since 2019. A man inspired by the terrorist group Hezbollah who was armed with a gun drove a car into a Jewish community center in Michigan. Every day, it seems, comes word of a new incident. Data compiled by the New York Police Department showed that Jews were targeted in 60% of confirmed hate crimes in the city in April - even though Jews make up a mere 10% of the population. Today, Jewish politicians are increasingly finding themselves under attack, targeted with antisemitic slurs and death threats. According to a recent New York Times article, ’Protesters have called members of Congress ‘dirty Jews’ during town hall events and thrown red liquid - meant to look like blood - on their front lawns.’ Even a tweet put out by the children’s show Sesame Street marking Jewish American Heritage Month was inundated with antisemitic and anti-Israel messages. ’Anyone who argues that this wave of anti-Jewish hatred is driven by opposition to Israel’s policies is kidding themselves. While Starmer finally spoke out publicly about the wave of violence - after months of pleading from Jewish leaders - most political leaders in the U.S. are silent. President Trump has had little to say about the antisemitic spike. Democratic politicians put out the usual thoughts and prayers statement. Few do more than that. The same should be asked of American cultural and political leaders. Where is the sympathy and concern for a vulnerable minority group in America? Where is the outrage that American Jews are under assault and living in fear? „For my family and millions of other Jews, the U.S. and Britain gave us not just a home but an opportunity to live our lives as Jews, free from fear and intimidation. That sense of belonging is increasingly under assault. Our American dream is slowly morphing into a nightmare’. Does anyone aside from American Jews care? The Guardian columnist Freedland plaintively asked last week, “Where are those who are usually so vocal in their opposition to racism, now that one of Britain’s oldest minorities is facing a violent, murderous threat on the streets? Where are the actors and celebrities who ordinarily waste no time in declaring their solidarity with the oppressed, even those many thousands of miles away, now that British Jews are stabbed in London for no reason other than that they are visibly Jewish?” (Source: MSN - U.S.)
By Cohen

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Andor "Négyszemközt" című műsorában Kiszely,

a Századvég politikai elemzési igazgatója.

Mi történt vasárnap, mire készül Orbán Viktor és mikor jön az első válság?

A kutató részletesen beszél Orbán Viktor miniszterelnök szerepéről

és arról, hogy mire készül a Tisza Párt -

akarja-e, tudja-e tartani az ígéreteit.

Mire számíthat Magyarország a közeledő gazdasági gondok idején?

(Forrás: YouTube / Kontextus)

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37 123 megtekintés

Kulcsszavak:

Alaptörvény    Alkotmány    Ausztria    Barátság kőolajvezeték    Bulgária    Csehország    Egyesült Arab Emírségek    Egyesült Államok    Egyesült Királyság    ENSZ    Erdély    Európai Bizottság    Európai Parlament    Európai Unió    fénykép    Franciaország    Görögország    Hollandia    Horvátország    Irán    Írország    Japán    Kína    Magyarország    Málta    MOL    Németország    Olaszország    Omán    Oroszország    Országgyűlés     Perzsa-öböl    Románia    Szerbia    Szlovákia    Tajvan    Törökország    Ukrajna    Venezuela

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Vajon elárulta Meloni Orbán Viktort? 
A jóléti intézkedések és a családtámogatások veszélybe kerültek
a háborús pszichózis miatt?
Európa totális kifosztása megkezdődött. 
Az orosz kincsekért bárkit feláldoznak?
Brüsszel 27 pontos, kíméletlen ultimátummal kényszeríti térdre Magyarországot,
miközben az európai 'elit' az évszázad rablására készül.
Megrázó elemzés a TISZA párt brüsszeli paktumáról, a nukleáris fenyegetésről, 
Európa tervezett kifosztásáról.
Szomráky, külpolitikai újságírót és Olaszország-szakértőt kérdezi Fekete.

(Forrás: YouTube / feketerita)

- video -

51 557 megtekintés

Kulcsszavak:

I. Világháború    II. Világháború    Afrika    Alkotmány    Dél-Amerika    Egyesült Államok    Egyesült Királyság    Európa    Európai Bizottság    Európai Parlament    Európai Unió    Észtország    Franciaország    Hollandia    Kína    kommunista    Lengyelország    Magyarország    MOL    NATO    Németország    Olaszország    Oroszország    Portugália    térkép    Ukrajna

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Magyarország
2026.03.30.  Ukrán szervezetek manipulálják a magyarországi kampányt. A progresszív nyomásgyakorló hálózat és az Európai Bizottság forrásaira támaszkodva épült ki az elmúlt években az az ukrán információ-manipulációs gépezet, amely képessé vált a nyugati nyilvánosság befolyásolására. Ez a rendszer a 2026-os hazai választások során is aktív szerepet játszhat a magyar belpolitika befolyásolásában és a választási eredmények hiteltelenítésében. A hálózat a 'független tényellenőrzés' keretein belül egy 21. századi cenzúrarendszert tart fenn. Ennek lényege, hogy bizonyos tartalmakat dezinformációnak minősítenek, majd a technológiai vállalatokon keresztül korlátozzák azok elérését a közösségi médiában. Magyarországon e hálózat fontos tagja a Political Capital által vezetett Magyar Digitális Média Obszervatórium, amely az Európai Bizottság Digitális Média Európai Megfigyelőközpontjának irányítása alatt áll. A dezinformáció azonosításában és a narratívák alakításában három ukrán kötődésű cég tölt be központi szerepet. A LetsData mesterséges intelligenciával figyeli a médiát, és szoros kapcsolatban áll az ukrán állammal, valamint amerikai alapítványokkal. A Mantis Analytics nevű cég az ukrán Nemzetbiztonsági és Védelmi Tanáccsal együttműködve határozza meg, milyen témákat kell cáfolni vagy ellen-narratívával ellensúlyozni. Részt vesz a magyar energiapolitika hiteltelenítésében is. Végül a Szabad Európa korábbi munkatársai által alapított Osavul, mely az ukrán fegyveres erők alapjából kap támogatást. A hálózat erejét mutatja a 2024-es román elnökválasztás, ahol Georgescu győzelme után az Osavul elemzéseire hivatkozva állítottak orosz beavatkozást. Bár később az amerikai törvényhozás megállapította, hogy nem történt orosz befolyásolás, a román alkotmánybíróság ezen információk hatására megsemmisítette a választás eredményét. A hálózat tagjai „Az igazság leleplezése' elnevezésű konferenciákon hangolják össze tevékenységüket, ahol olyan szervezetek vesznek részt, mint a USAID, a Soros Alapítványok, a Transparency International, valamint a Meta. A legutóbbi, 2025-ös moldovai eseményen már magyarországi szereplők, például a Lakmusz és a Political Capital vezetői is megjelentek. A magyar szuverenitás akadályt jelent az ukrán és a globális hálózat céljai számára, ezért várhatóan közös erővel próbálják majd befolyásolni az áprilisi választásokat. Kedvezőtlen eredmény esetén a cél a szuverén magyar kormány delegitimálása lehet az információs térben előállított bizonyítékok és a cenzúrahálózat összehangolt munkája révén. (Forrás: Szuverenitásvédelmi Hivatal - Magyarország)

Hungary
24 March 2026  Ukrainian organizations are manipulating the campaign in Hungary. (Source: Sovereignty Protection Office - Hungary)

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Irán, Hormuzi-szoros, Egyesült Államok, Izrael, Kína. Oroszország, Ukrajna.

Autonóm gyilkos robotok.

Kérdez Fekete, elemez Resperger

(Forrás: YouTube / Fekete Rita)

- video -

13 295 megtekintés

Kulcsszavak:

Ázsia    Baltikum    Báb el-Mandeb-szoros    Boszporusz    Dardanellák    Dél-Korea    Egyesült Államok    Egyesült Királyság    Európa    Földközi-tenger    Gáza    Hormuzi-szoros    Irak    Irán    Izrael    Kaszpi-tenger    Kína Lengyelország     Lettország    Libanon     NATO    Nemzetközi Atomenergia Ügynökség    Oroszország    Románia    Szíria    Szuezi-csatorna    Tajvan    Törökország    Ukrajna    Jemen    Venezuela 

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Europe

Bulgaria
May 8, 2026 12:32 pm CET  Bulgaria’s parliament confirms 'Russia-aligned' Radev as prime minister. The former president and air force commander leads the first majority government to rule the country since 1997. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

Canary Islands
(8 May 2026) 23:49  Record 30-tonne cocaine haul seized from ship off Canary Islands is Europe’s biggest ever. (Source: The Independent - Ireland)
Photo

France
(5 May 2026)  France's public sector broadcasters have been lambasted by a parliamentary committee of enquiry, which recommends closing several channels and cutting their budget by a total of €1bn. The committee held six months of at times acrimonious hearings. The findings were immediately dismissed as politically motivated and impractical by industry insiders, who said that the committee's rapporteur, Alloncle, had a 'far-right' agenda to prepare state TV and radio for privatisation. Alloncle, 32, is an MP, ally of Le Pen's populist-right National Rally (RN), the biggest party in France, which has long claimed to be the victim of state media prejudice. The heated French debate reflects similar tensions in other countries over the future of tax-funded legacy broadcasters, whose declining audiences leave them dangerously exposed to attack. In France, the cost to the state of public broadcasting amounts to nearly €4bn every year. Up until 2022, this was mainly financed by a television licence fee. French state broadcasters take advertising. For their money, tax-payers receive a panoply of television and radio stations - nearly 100 if local, overseas and foreign language channels are included - as well as France 2 and France 3, two parliamentary channels, two television news channels, the European channel ARTE, and the archives of the National Audiovisual Institute (INA). That is not to mention accompanying websites. Among Alloncle’s 69 recommendations are a cut by one third in television's sports budget, and a big reduction in the number of game shows; and abolishing the youth channel France 4, as well as digital channel Slash and the radio station Mouv' – both also aimed at the young. He wants to conduct a number of mergers: the mainstream television station France 2 with the less-watched France 5; the two news channels France 24 and France Info; and overlapping local radio and television networks. Alloncle also calls for greater diversity among radio and television editorialists – commentators called on to express daily opinions on current affairs, who are regularly accused by the right and 'far-right' of being from the same Paris-based left-wing mould. Alloncle cites numerous examples of what he claims is left-wing bias at public broadcasters. On financial waste, Alloncle attacks the outsourcing of production work worth hundreds of millions of euros to outside companies, some of which are run by well-known TV personalities who are themselves on the public pay-roll. Alloncle's aggressive interrogation style during the hearings was widely criticised. ’It's not just a document about public broadcasting. It's become a kind of political trial, where everyone is trying to impose their own ideological interpretation on a public service,’ Ernotte, the president of France Télévisions, said. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Germany
08 May 2026  German students walk out to protest new military service law. Thousands of students across Germany skip classes today, marking anniversary of the end of World War II and warning against return to conscription. In Berlin, around 2,000 students and supporters gathered at the capital’s landmark Brandenburg Gate today, then marched to the headquarters of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). During the protests, students carried banners reading “Never again war!, “Your wars - without us!, and “Students against wars. Others held placards that read “The rich want war, the youth want the future.” (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

(Monday), 04 May 2026  Chancellor Friedrich Merz yesterday confirmed that the US will not station any Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for the time being, but stressed that this was not linked to his criticism of President Trump. „The Americans don't have enough for themselves right now ... there is virtually no possibility of the US supplying weapons systems of this kind,” chancellor says. Promised by then-US President Biden in 2024, the Tomahawk cruise missiles ’have a range capable of reaching Russia’. Addressing the aspect of US nuclear sharing, Merz said: ’There are absolutely no compromises. There is no restriction on the US commitment to nuclear deterrence in the NATO area. There is no doubt about that whatsoever.’ Merz described the withdrawal of more than 5,000 US troops from Germany, announced by US President Trump on Friday, as “nothing new.” He noted that this was a contingent that Trump’s predecessor, Biden, had stationed on a temporary basis. The German leader also denied any direct link between Trump’s announcements and his own critical remarks about the US-Israel war against Iran, saying there is no connection. The chancellor reiterated his criticism of the US strategy toward Iran, and defended his statement that Iran had humiliated the US at the negotiating table. The comments had provoked a series of angry responses from Trump, including that Merz was doing a terrible job as chancellor and he was ineffective in the Russia-Ukraine war. Merz, however, argued he would not give up on working to improve transatlantic relations. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

May 3, 2026 1:36 pm KST  A third of the world's fertilizers normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz and the World Trade Organization (WTO) has warned that the blockade there threatens global food security, particularly in Africa and South Asia. "That's why it makes so much sense to have production in Europe," Profitlich, spokesman for the SKW company said. Wittenberg is home to a chemical plant founded in 1915, in the midst of World War I. At that time the aim was to produce nitrogen for explosives and fertilizers to circumvent a blockade which prevented certain raw materials being imported from Chile. More than a century later, it has been scrambling to help make up the shortfall in essential supplies of fertilizers. SKW is Germany's largest producer of urea, an essential component of fertilizers. At SKW's sprawling 220-hectare site, a 23-kilometer rail network transports urea, ammonia and finished fertilisers, destined for sites across Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The company expects an increase in revenue this year of between 10 and 20 percent, but stresses this estimate remains uncertain because of market volatility. Around 80 percent of the company's production is powered by gas, which has doubled in price since the conflict broke out on Feb. 28. The Ukraine war starkly exposed the country's reliance on Russian gas. Today the company imports natural gas from Norway, the Netherlands and the United States, but is suffering as prices rise on global markets. "We can pass on the higher costs to the consumers of our products,' SKW's CEO Franzke said. 'The problem is that our customer, the farmer, might not be able to pass these costs on,' he said. Geywitz, who relies on nitrogen-based fertilizers at his cornfield farm in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said that since the war began, the price of fertilizer has jumped by 50 percent. As cereal prices on the world market have remained stable, he has had to absorb the cost and can't pass it on. He worries about a fertilizer shortage by next year. Without local producers and competitive farming, food security in Europe is seriously threatened, the German Fertilizer Producers' Association (BVDM) said. Dependence on international markets represents a certain risk, it added. Worries revived that European businesses in these sectors will struggle to compete with foreign rivals who face fewer constraints, particularly in terms of environmental standards. 'Like many others in German industry', Franzke has called for a review of the EU's carbon trading scheme in order to ease pressure on businesses. 'The European Commission has said it is looking into the issue'. (Source: The Korea Times - South Korea / AFP - France)

02/05/2026 - 17:26  New tariff hike could cost Germany $18BN. Trump says tariffs on cars and trucks will rise to 25 percent next week because the European Union is not complying. That is 10 percentage points higher than the rate agreed in a trade deal last July. (Source: France 24)