- The Guardian
- Issue #2208
GERMANY: NATO intelligence services found no evidence of Russian involvement in a recent drone incident at Leipzig Airport and informed their authorities accordingly, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said. A Leipzig Airport employee discovered a drone carrying an unidentified explosive device in the cargo aviation security zone on 5 August. The German Interior Minister immediately blamed Russia without providing any evidence. NATO intelligence has recommended that the authorities refrain from accusing Russia, as there are also multiple signs of a Ukrainian footprint in the incident.
US: The US has imposed 50% tariffs on 110 Canadian products, further escalating trade tensions between the neighbours. The new duties have already taken effect and cover a broad range of Canadian goods, including certain cheeses, motor-boats, furniture, and all-terrain vehicles. The Canadian Prime Minister is planning to visit Brussels later this month to deepen ties with European countries.
RUSSIA: The AUKUS nuclear submarine program does not fully comply with standards established for all countries under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “The activities of this nuclear trio do not fully fit with the standards and norms established for all countries within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Lavrov said. He warned that failure to comply, or incomplete compliance, with IAEA norms “carries risks of the proliferation of nuclear technologies for military purposes.” Lavrov also criticised the IAEA leadership for treating the issue too lightly, saying it was acting “clearly under the most severe pressure from the United States and Britain.”
FRANCE: French presidential elections will take place on 15 April 2027. The mood of the electorate is very pessimistic – almost three quarters of respondents in a recent poll believe the country’s situation is about to worsen. At the moment the stated intentions among likely voters put Marine Le Pen in the lead with 33 to 36 per cent in the first round, roughly twice the support of any other individual challenger.
JAPAN: A group of pro-Palestinian protesters have demanded the closure of the Israeli embassy in Tokyo. Gathered outside the embassy, they also called for the expulsion of the newly appointed Israeli ambassador. The Network Against Japan Arms Trade, one of the main groups organising the demonstration, said the protest was intended to convey its demands to the Japanese government. Speakers criticised Japan’s relations with Israel, particularly military cooperation and arms-related ties, arguing that Japan should not strengthen ties with the Israeli military amid the ongoing aggression against Gaza.
US: Support for President Donald Trump’s overall immigration policy has fallen by ten per cent since the start of his second term, as the effects of deportations and detentions start to affect businesses, with about half of US adults surveyed saying that Trump has gone too far on the question of deportations.
ALBANIA: The war crimes tribunal in the Hague sentenced former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Commander Hashim Thaci to 25 years behind bars for the murder of 96 political opponents and the kidnapping and torture of hundreds of others. Thaci was defended in court by some of his former NATO backers, and scores of Albanians rioted in the streets of the Hague when the verdict was handed down.
TUNISIA: Dozens of people have protested in Tunis demanding the release of Global Sumud Flotilla activists amid mounting concerns over their deteriorating health after one captive entered the second month of a hunger strike. The protest came after a court extended the pre-trial detention by another four months.
