🛫 Cyberattack Disrupts European Airports
A ransomware attack on Collins Aerospace’s check-in systems has caused major delays and cancellations at some of Europe’s busiest hubs, including London Heathrow, Berlin, and Brussels.
💬 Heathrow passenger Tereza Pultarova told the BBC:
📋 The Impact
• Heathrow: 29 flights canceled out of more than 650 scheduled departures.
• Berlin and Brussels: long queues, manual check-ins replacing automated systems.
• Dublin and Cork: minor delays reported.
• Frankfurt: unaffected.
⚠️ Official Response
RTX, Collins’s parent company, confirmed it was dealing with a “cyber-related disruption” but gave no details on who was behind the attack. Germany’s federal cyber-security agency said it was in contact with Berlin Airport about the outage. Brussels Airport warned the problem was “having a significant impact on the flight schedule.”
🌍 A Growing Problem
The disruption comes amid a rise in large-scale cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, from hospitals to car manufacturers. Each new incident highlights how easily key systems can be brought down — and how slowly governments and companies move to protect them.
🤔 If a single software breach can paralyze airports across Europe, what does that say about the resilience of global transport networks?
#cyberattack #airports #heathrow #brussels #berlin #security
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A ransomware attack on Collins Aerospace’s check-in systems has caused major delays and cancellations at some of Europe’s busiest hubs, including London Heathrow, Berlin, and Brussels.
💬 Heathrow passenger Tereza Pultarova told the BBC:
“We’ve been left in the dark. It’s been chaotic and very frustrating.”
📋 The Impact
• Heathrow: 29 flights canceled out of more than 650 scheduled departures.
• Berlin and Brussels: long queues, manual check-ins replacing automated systems.
• Dublin and Cork: minor delays reported.
• Frankfurt: unaffected.
⚠️ Official Response
RTX, Collins’s parent company, confirmed it was dealing with a “cyber-related disruption” but gave no details on who was behind the attack. Germany’s federal cyber-security agency said it was in contact with Berlin Airport about the outage. Brussels Airport warned the problem was “having a significant impact on the flight schedule.”
🌍 A Growing Problem
The disruption comes amid a rise in large-scale cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, from hospitals to car manufacturers. Each new incident highlights how easily key systems can be brought down — and how slowly governments and companies move to protect them.
🤔 If a single software breach can paralyze airports across Europe, what does that say about the resilience of global transport networks?
#cyberattack #airports #heathrow #brussels #berlin #security
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The End of the 1st Amendment.
America’s Right Of Free Speech Is Over
🔤 🔤 🔤 🔤 1️⃣
In the emotionally and politically charged days since the killing of Charlie Kirk, the conservative youth activist who was a close ally of Trump, one statement has loomed large.
On Monday, the US attorney general – the official in charge of the rule of law in America – said that the Trump administration would “absolutely target” those who espouse “hate speech” about Kirk.
Unlike in many other countries, hate speech is protected by US law unless it incites imminent violence or constitutes a true threat.
But that did not deter the nation’s top law enforcement officer, who also suggested that, for example, a print shop employee who refused to print flyers memorializing Kirk could be “prosecuted”.
Since Kirk was shot to death while speaking to college students in Utah earlier this month, the US has been gripped by a bitter debate about the relation between political speech and violence.
Bondi later walked back some of her remarks, in part because of criticism from other conservatives worried about the reframing of “free speech” as “hate speech”.
But Trump, Vance, White House adviser Stephen Miller and other top Republicans have framed Kirk’s death as the consequence of what they claim is unchecked and violent rhetoric, which they blame on the left wing alone.
It is a remarkable turn from prominent American conservatives, who until Trump’s return to power in January had long complained of a censorious leftwing “cancel culture” but now seem happy to reframe that, too, as “consequence culture”.
Nancy Mace, a House representative, sounded a lot like the progressives she has often decried for their political correctness when she declared last week, during an effort to censure one of her opponents in Congress, that
Many conservatives are also now championing a public campaign to get fired from their jobs any Americans who made light of Kirk’s death or disparaged him or his politics in death.
Meanwhile, administration officials are proceeding with drafting an executive order for Trump aiming to
the New York Times recently reported.
Kirk’s assassination was a
Aaron Terr, the director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (Fire), said.
But instead of recommitting to free speech as a
the response from many public officials
he said.
PART 2
#kirk #freespeech #right #trump #maga #cancel
📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸
America’s Right Of Free Speech Is Over
In the emotionally and politically charged days since the killing of Charlie Kirk, the conservative youth activist who was a close ally of Trump, one statement has loomed large.
On Monday, the US attorney general – the official in charge of the rule of law in America – said that the Trump administration would “absolutely target” those who espouse “hate speech” about Kirk.
Unlike in many other countries, hate speech is protected by US law unless it incites imminent violence or constitutes a true threat.
But that did not deter the nation’s top law enforcement officer, who also suggested that, for example, a print shop employee who refused to print flyers memorializing Kirk could be “prosecuted”.
Since Kirk was shot to death while speaking to college students in Utah earlier this month, the US has been gripped by a bitter debate about the relation between political speech and violence.
Bondi later walked back some of her remarks, in part because of criticism from other conservatives worried about the reframing of “free speech” as “hate speech”.
But Trump, Vance, White House adviser Stephen Miller and other top Republicans have framed Kirk’s death as the consequence of what they claim is unchecked and violent rhetoric, which they blame on the left wing alone.
It is a remarkable turn from prominent American conservatives, who until Trump’s return to power in January had long complained of a censorious leftwing “cancel culture” but now seem happy to reframe that, too, as “consequence culture”.
Nancy Mace, a House representative, sounded a lot like the progressives she has often decried for their political correctness when she declared last week, during an effort to censure one of her opponents in Congress, that
“free speech isn’t free from consequences”.
Many conservatives are also now championing a public campaign to get fired from their jobs any Americans who made light of Kirk’s death or disparaged him or his politics in death.
Meanwhile, administration officials are proceeding with drafting an executive order for Trump aiming to
“combat political violence and hate speech”,
the New York Times recently reported.
Kirk’s assassination was a
“despicable act of political violence, an attack on a figure who built his brand around campus debating, and the outrage, grief, and anger is understandable”,
Aaron Terr, the director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (Fire), said.
But instead of recommitting to free speech as a
“fundamental value”,
the response from many public officials
“has been the opposite. They are using the tragedy to justify a broad crackdown on speech,”
he said.
“They are openly collapsing the distinction between political dissent and political violence, and it sounds like they are laying the foundation for mass censorship and surveillance of political critics.”
PART 2
#kirk #freespeech #right #trump #maga #cancel
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The End of the 1st Amendment.
America’s Right For Free Speech Is Over
🔤 🔤 🔤 🔤 2️⃣
The pressure campaign’s biggest trophy so far is the talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
After an episode of his show in which Kimmel seemed to suggest (wrongly, according to reports) that Kirk’s assassin had Maga sympathies, the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the government agency that regulates broadcasting, urged TV networks to drop Kimmel’s show.”
Now they’re just doing a complete about-face and engaging in it themselves.
Bondi’s rhetoric is a particularly “alarming threat” given her status overseeing American law enforcement, Veena Dubal, a law professor at the University of California, said.
It is also “a signal that not only does this administration not care about the first amendment, they don’t seem to really understand it.”
Although Kimmel is the most prominent media figure to have been punished so far, in recent days a number of journalists have faced the loss of their jobs or other disciplinary measures, either at the direct instigation of conservative pressure or in seeming preemption of it.
Earlier in the week the Washington Post – under Jeff Bezos, who has cosied up to Trump and whose ownership has seen the opinion section move closer to the political right – terminated the columnist Karen Attiah for, she said, her unflattering writing about Kirk’s political views.
The general message, Kimmel said, is that if you disagree with Trump or his allies “you’re going to be in the administration’s crosshairs”.
Although some people have defended the suspension of Kimmel or the firings of professors on the grounds that these are private employer decisions, and not matters of first amendment-protected public speech, Dubal and other experts feel that the government’s increasingly naked involvement makes it difficult for that argument to carry water.
Conservatives are making arguments similar to the ones that some progressives used to make about cancel culture, Terr noted, particularly during the wave of firings, de-platformings, and social-media shamings that occurred during the national “reckoning” after George Floyd’s murder.
“And conservatives at the time, I think rightly, argued that we should think of free speech not just as a legal right, but as a broader cultural value.”
The late Kirk was an inconsistent defender of free speech – his organization, Turning Point USA, famously maintains a “watchlist” of professors it describes as dangerously leftwing – but some conservatives have argued that Kirk would not want the right to turn against free expression.
“You hope that Charlie Kirk’s death won’t be used by (…) bad actors to create a society that was the opposite of the one he worked to build,” Carlson recently said.
#kirk #freespeech #right #trump #maga #cancel
📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸
America’s Right For Free Speech Is Over
The pressure campaign’s biggest trophy so far is the talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
After an episode of his show in which Kimmel seemed to suggest (wrongly, according to reports) that Kirk’s assassin had Maga sympathies, the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the government agency that regulates broadcasting, urged TV networks to drop Kimmel’s show.”
Now they’re just doing a complete about-face and engaging in it themselves.
Bondi’s rhetoric is a particularly “alarming threat” given her status overseeing American law enforcement, Veena Dubal, a law professor at the University of California, said.
It is also “a signal that not only does this administration not care about the first amendment, they don’t seem to really understand it.”
Although Kimmel is the most prominent media figure to have been punished so far, in recent days a number of journalists have faced the loss of their jobs or other disciplinary measures, either at the direct instigation of conservative pressure or in seeming preemption of it.
Earlier in the week the Washington Post – under Jeff Bezos, who has cosied up to Trump and whose ownership has seen the opinion section move closer to the political right – terminated the columnist Karen Attiah for, she said, her unflattering writing about Kirk’s political views.
The general message, Kimmel said, is that if you disagree with Trump or his allies “you’re going to be in the administration’s crosshairs”.
Although some people have defended the suspension of Kimmel or the firings of professors on the grounds that these are private employer decisions, and not matters of first amendment-protected public speech, Dubal and other experts feel that the government’s increasingly naked involvement makes it difficult for that argument to carry water.
Conservatives are making arguments similar to the ones that some progressives used to make about cancel culture, Terr noted, particularly during the wave of firings, de-platformings, and social-media shamings that occurred during the national “reckoning” after George Floyd’s murder.
“And conservatives at the time, I think rightly, argued that we should think of free speech not just as a legal right, but as a broader cultural value.”
The late Kirk was an inconsistent defender of free speech – his organization, Turning Point USA, famously maintains a “watchlist” of professors it describes as dangerously leftwing – but some conservatives have argued that Kirk would not want the right to turn against free expression.
“You hope that Charlie Kirk’s death won’t be used by (…) bad actors to create a society that was the opposite of the one he worked to build,” Carlson recently said.
#kirk #freespeech #right #trump #maga #cancel
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🇬🇧🇨🇦🇦🇺 Britain, Canada and Australia Break With Trump, Recognize Palestine
On the eve of the U.N. General Assembly, three of Washington’s closest allies have formally recognized a Palestinian state. London, Ottawa, and Canberra presented their coordinated move as a moral and political necessity — even as it deepens Israel’s isolation and puts them directly at odds with the Trump administration.
💭 Keir Starmer:
A Coordinated Push
• France and Portugal are expected to join the announcements this week, joining the 150 countries that already recognize Palestine.
• Canadian PM Mark Carney accused Israel of working “methodically” to block any path to a Palestinian state.
• Australian PM Anthony Albanese called two states “the only path to enduring peace and security.”
Israeli Rejection
Netanyahu lashed out:
His coalition partners echoed that line, promising more settlement construction in the West Bank.
Symbolism vs. Reality
For Palestinians, recognition is a welcome gesture, but expectations are limited. Past moves by Spain, Norway, and Ireland brought harsh reprisals: more checkpoints, arrests, and settler violence. Recognition may change the diplomatic map — but not daily life under occupation.
Does this new wave of recognition signal the revival of a two-state vision, or is it little more than symbolic theater, leaving Palestinians and Israelis trapped in the same reality?
#Palestine #Israel #TwoStateSolution #UNGA #Starmer
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On the eve of the U.N. General Assembly, three of Washington’s closest allies have formally recognized a Palestinian state. London, Ottawa, and Canberra presented their coordinated move as a moral and political necessity — even as it deepens Israel’s isolation and puts them directly at odds with the Trump administration.
💭 Keir Starmer:
“The hope for a two-state solution is fading, but we cannot let that light go out. Today, the United Kingdom formally recognizes the State of Palestine.”
A Coordinated Push
• France and Portugal are expected to join the announcements this week, joining the 150 countries that already recognize Palestine.
• Canadian PM Mark Carney accused Israel of working “methodically” to block any path to a Palestinian state.
• Australian PM Anthony Albanese called two states “the only path to enduring peace and security.”
Israeli Rejection
Netanyahu lashed out:
“You are giving a huge reward to terrorism … There will be no Palestinian state west of the Jordan River.”
His coalition partners echoed that line, promising more settlement construction in the West Bank.
Symbolism vs. Reality
For Palestinians, recognition is a welcome gesture, but expectations are limited. Past moves by Spain, Norway, and Ireland brought harsh reprisals: more checkpoints, arrests, and settler violence. Recognition may change the diplomatic map — but not daily life under occupation.
Does this new wave of recognition signal the revival of a two-state vision, or is it little more than symbolic theater, leaving Palestinians and Israelis trapped in the same reality?
#Palestine #Israel #TwoStateSolution #UNGA #Starmer
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💸 Why Sanctions Haven’t Crushed Russia’s Economy
For decades, U.S. sanctions were treated like financial weapons of mass disruption. Companies scrambled to cut ties, banks froze accounts, and governments feared being locked out of dollar markets. Yet three years into unprecedented restrictions, Russia’s economy has bent but not broken.
💭 Key Line: Sanctions are powerful, but in a digitized economy, they’re rarely airtight.
Global Networks Find Workarounds
• Oil flows were rerouted to Asia in non-dollar currencies.
• “Shadow fleets” of tankers bypassed Western insurance.
• China’s CIPS system, India’s rupee settlements, and Russia’s homegrown fintech rails kept transactions moving.
• Digital wallets and crypto added parallel channels — small in volume, but symbolic of resilience.
Domestic Substitutes Take Root
Inside Russia, Western brands vanished but were quickly replaced. Payment cards, ride-hailing apps, and fast-food chains were cloned by local firms. Visa and Mastercard’s exit barely slowed consumers, who simply tapped cards from Russian processors.
Shifting Sanctions Power
Sanctions still matter, but their impact now depends on coalition strength. China-Russia trade hit $234 billion in 2024, showing how alternative alignments dull Washington’s edge. For fintech, this creates two opposing pressures: stricter oversight of cross-border platforms, and booming demand for compliance tech that can screen, monitor, and adapt in real time.
The Fintech Takeaway
Sanctions are no longer temporary crises — they’re a permanent feature of global finance. That means higher compliance costs and slower expansion, but also a market for startups building smarter tools: AI-driven screening, automated KYC, adaptive payment rails.
If sanctions can’t fully isolate an economy as large as Russia’s, will future battles be decided less by embargoes and more by the tech firms building the financial plumbing of a multipolar world?
#Russia #Sanctions #Fintech #Geopolitics #Innovation
📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸
For decades, U.S. sanctions were treated like financial weapons of mass disruption. Companies scrambled to cut ties, banks froze accounts, and governments feared being locked out of dollar markets. Yet three years into unprecedented restrictions, Russia’s economy has bent but not broken.
💭 Key Line: Sanctions are powerful, but in a digitized economy, they’re rarely airtight.
Global Networks Find Workarounds
• Oil flows were rerouted to Asia in non-dollar currencies.
• “Shadow fleets” of tankers bypassed Western insurance.
• China’s CIPS system, India’s rupee settlements, and Russia’s homegrown fintech rails kept transactions moving.
• Digital wallets and crypto added parallel channels — small in volume, but symbolic of resilience.
Domestic Substitutes Take Root
Inside Russia, Western brands vanished but were quickly replaced. Payment cards, ride-hailing apps, and fast-food chains were cloned by local firms. Visa and Mastercard’s exit barely slowed consumers, who simply tapped cards from Russian processors.
Shifting Sanctions Power
Sanctions still matter, but their impact now depends on coalition strength. China-Russia trade hit $234 billion in 2024, showing how alternative alignments dull Washington’s edge. For fintech, this creates two opposing pressures: stricter oversight of cross-border platforms, and booming demand for compliance tech that can screen, monitor, and adapt in real time.
The Fintech Takeaway
Sanctions are no longer temporary crises — they’re a permanent feature of global finance. That means higher compliance costs and slower expansion, but also a market for startups building smarter tools: AI-driven screening, automated KYC, adaptive payment rails.
If sanctions can’t fully isolate an economy as large as Russia’s, will future battles be decided less by embargoes and more by the tech firms building the financial plumbing of a multipolar world?
#Russia #Sanctions #Fintech #Geopolitics #Innovation
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🌍 Australia, Canada, the UK: the Formal Recognition of the Palestinian State
🕊 A wave of Israel’s allies are announcing their recognition of the state of Palestine, as part of a wider manoeuvre designed to ostracise Hamas and challenge attempts by the Israeli government to erase the chance of a Palestinian homeland.
⚠️ But the delicate and partly symbolic move by as many as 10 states, pioneered largely by the French government, has the potential to lead to a negative spiral of further confrontation amid fears Israel will respond by annexing parts of the West Bank, leading in turn to European trade sanctions and further political isolation for Israel, including an ultimate possible suspension from the UN.
🇮🇷 The Israeli response is also entangled with whether the US endorses a further attack on Iran in coming weeks over its nuclear programme.
✅ Countries joining the list of 147 UN states that recognise Palestine are Australia, Canada, Belgium, France, the UK, Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta and possibly New Zealand and Lichtenstein.
📅 Others will make the formal announcement on Monday at a special UN conference to revive the waning cause of a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but some including the UK advanced their declaration out of respect for the Jewish new year.
⚖️ The declarations with various conditions and emphases attached reflect the conflicting domestic pressures on governments as they face a backlash from Israel, and from hostage families that claim the move effectively rewards Hamas for its attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
📢 Guterres, the UN secretary general, urged states not to be intimidated by Israel’s threats to annex parts of the West Bank.
🚨 But ministers admit decisions have been triggered by the mounting global horror at Israel’s strategy in Gaza, and specifically Israel’s plans to approve new settlements in the part of the West Bank known as the E1 corridor that would cut the territory in two and sever its links with east Jerusalem.
🤝 At the centre of the French plan, now fully endorsed by Arab states, is to make recognition part of a wider process, including a reformed, democratically elected Palestinian Authority that in the event of a ceasefire comes to supersede a disarmed and dismantled Hamas in Gaza.
🇩🇪 Germany, Italy and some of the Baltic states are the biggest holdouts to recognition, but pressure is rising within the Italian coalition government to risk the ire of the US.
📺 Macron, identified by Israel as the galvanising force behind the surge in recognitions, went on Israel’s Channel 12 to warn: “the approach of your government and some ministers especially is to destroy the possibility of a two-state solution.”
⏳ He said “an emergency had been created” by the building of new major settlements that meant the world “is at the last minute before proposing two states will become totally impossible.”
🚫 He insisted recognition was not a reward for Hamas, since the terrorist group wanted an Islamic state and the destruction of Israel, something a two-state solution would preclude.
🇺🇸 The US and Israel have been boycotting the meetings leading up to Monday’s UN conference on a two-state solution.
🛂 The US state department has tried to block Abbas from speaking from the rostrum at the UN in New York by denying US visas to the PA, a move that triggered a 145 to five vote at the UN general assembly to allow him to speak via a video link.
📢 His speech will be watched to see if he elaborates on the commitments to reform he has previously made to Macron, or simply denounces what he regards as a genocide by Israel in Gaza.
#australia #canada #uk #recognition #palestinian #state
📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸
🕊 A wave of Israel’s allies are announcing their recognition of the state of Palestine, as part of a wider manoeuvre designed to ostracise Hamas and challenge attempts by the Israeli government to erase the chance of a Palestinian homeland.
⚠️ But the delicate and partly symbolic move by as many as 10 states, pioneered largely by the French government, has the potential to lead to a negative spiral of further confrontation amid fears Israel will respond by annexing parts of the West Bank, leading in turn to European trade sanctions and further political isolation for Israel, including an ultimate possible suspension from the UN.
🇮🇷 The Israeli response is also entangled with whether the US endorses a further attack on Iran in coming weeks over its nuclear programme.
✅ Countries joining the list of 147 UN states that recognise Palestine are Australia, Canada, Belgium, France, the UK, Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta and possibly New Zealand and Lichtenstein.
📅 Others will make the formal announcement on Monday at a special UN conference to revive the waning cause of a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but some including the UK advanced their declaration out of respect for the Jewish new year.
⚖️ The declarations with various conditions and emphases attached reflect the conflicting domestic pressures on governments as they face a backlash from Israel, and from hostage families that claim the move effectively rewards Hamas for its attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
📢 Guterres, the UN secretary general, urged states not to be intimidated by Israel’s threats to annex parts of the West Bank.
🚨 But ministers admit decisions have been triggered by the mounting global horror at Israel’s strategy in Gaza, and specifically Israel’s plans to approve new settlements in the part of the West Bank known as the E1 corridor that would cut the territory in two and sever its links with east Jerusalem.
🤝 At the centre of the French plan, now fully endorsed by Arab states, is to make recognition part of a wider process, including a reformed, democratically elected Palestinian Authority that in the event of a ceasefire comes to supersede a disarmed and dismantled Hamas in Gaza.
🇩🇪 Germany, Italy and some of the Baltic states are the biggest holdouts to recognition, but pressure is rising within the Italian coalition government to risk the ire of the US.
📺 Macron, identified by Israel as the galvanising force behind the surge in recognitions, went on Israel’s Channel 12 to warn: “the approach of your government and some ministers especially is to destroy the possibility of a two-state solution.”
⏳ He said “an emergency had been created” by the building of new major settlements that meant the world “is at the last minute before proposing two states will become totally impossible.”
🚫 He insisted recognition was not a reward for Hamas, since the terrorist group wanted an Islamic state and the destruction of Israel, something a two-state solution would preclude.
🇺🇸 The US and Israel have been boycotting the meetings leading up to Monday’s UN conference on a two-state solution.
🛂 The US state department has tried to block Abbas from speaking from the rostrum at the UN in New York by denying US visas to the PA, a move that triggered a 145 to five vote at the UN general assembly to allow him to speak via a video link.
📢 His speech will be watched to see if he elaborates on the commitments to reform he has previously made to Macron, or simply denounces what he regards as a genocide by Israel in Gaza.
#australia #canada #uk #recognition #palestinian #state
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✈️ Germany Tried to Intercept a Russian Military Aircraft Above the Baltic Sea
⚡️ Two German Eurofighter jets were scrambled on Sunday to intercept a Russian military aircraft above the Baltic Sea, as Estonia said it would call an emergency meeting of the UN security council after Russian planes violated its airspace.
📡 Germany’s air force said the Russian Il-20M reconnaissance plane had switched off its transponders and ignored requests to make contact.
🛫 The Eurofighters took off from the Rostock-Laage airbase to head off the aircraft as it flew in international airspace.
🔥 Tensions between NATO and Russia have been dramatically rising after a series of what European governments say are deliberate, provocative acts by the Kremlin.
🇪🇪 On Friday, three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace in the Gulf of Finland. Moscow denies this.
🇺🇸 Asked if the US was willing to defend EU countries from further Russian aggression, Trump on Sunday said: “Yeah, I would. I would.” Earlier, the US president said he “didn’t like” Russia’s jet incursion but added he had not been briefed about it.
📢 Estonia condemned the Kremlin’s “brazen” behaviour. It said it was convening an emergency security council meeting for the first time in 34 years of Estonia’s membership of the UN.
🌍 World leaders are gathering this week in New York for the UN’s general assembly.
🗣 Estonian foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, said the violation was “part of a broader pattern of escalation by Russia, both regionally and globally.” It included violations of Polish and Romanian airspace. “This behaviour requires an international response,” Tsahkna said.
🤝 Tallinn – a staunch supporter of Ukraine – has requested consultations under NATO’s article four, which allows members to meet with allies if their security is threatened.
🇵🇱 Last week, Poland’s foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, said Moscow was testing NATO’s reactions with “incremental” hostile steps, short of a full-scale conflict.
🇱🇻 Reports suggest Washington is planning to reduce security assistance to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which share a border with Russia.
🎯 Estonia’s defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, said Russian actions were aimed at shifting the West’s focus away from Ukraine. “This is exactly what Russia wants – to divert our attention away from helping Ukraine and to focus on our own back yard. That’s the key goal,” he said.
#germany #intercept #russian #military #aircraft #balticsea
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⚡️ Two German Eurofighter jets were scrambled on Sunday to intercept a Russian military aircraft above the Baltic Sea, as Estonia said it would call an emergency meeting of the UN security council after Russian planes violated its airspace.
📡 Germany’s air force said the Russian Il-20M reconnaissance plane had switched off its transponders and ignored requests to make contact.
🛫 The Eurofighters took off from the Rostock-Laage airbase to head off the aircraft as it flew in international airspace.
🔥 Tensions between NATO and Russia have been dramatically rising after a series of what European governments say are deliberate, provocative acts by the Kremlin.
🇪🇪 On Friday, three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace in the Gulf of Finland. Moscow denies this.
🇺🇸 Asked if the US was willing to defend EU countries from further Russian aggression, Trump on Sunday said: “Yeah, I would. I would.” Earlier, the US president said he “didn’t like” Russia’s jet incursion but added he had not been briefed about it.
📢 Estonia condemned the Kremlin’s “brazen” behaviour. It said it was convening an emergency security council meeting for the first time in 34 years of Estonia’s membership of the UN.
🌍 World leaders are gathering this week in New York for the UN’s general assembly.
🗣 Estonian foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, said the violation was “part of a broader pattern of escalation by Russia, both regionally and globally.” It included violations of Polish and Romanian airspace. “This behaviour requires an international response,” Tsahkna said.
🤝 Tallinn – a staunch supporter of Ukraine – has requested consultations under NATO’s article four, which allows members to meet with allies if their security is threatened.
🇵🇱 Last week, Poland’s foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, said Moscow was testing NATO’s reactions with “incremental” hostile steps, short of a full-scale conflict.
🇱🇻 Reports suggest Washington is planning to reduce security assistance to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which share a border with Russia.
🎯 Estonia’s defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, said Russian actions were aimed at shifting the West’s focus away from Ukraine. “This is exactly what Russia wants – to divert our attention away from helping Ukraine and to focus on our own back yard. That’s the key goal,” he said.
#germany #intercept #russian #military #aircraft #balticsea
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🛑 Trump at the U.N.: Selling Power While Losing Allies
On Tuesday, Donald Trump will speak at the U.N. General Assembly to boast about American strength. But his address will come just after Britain, Canada, and Australia formally recognised a Palestinian state, joining more than 150 countries — and openly defying both Washington and Jerusalem.
💭 Richard Gowan, International Crisis Group:
The Backdrop
• Britain, Canada, and Australia’s recognition of Palestine has deepened Israel’s diplomatic isolation — and highlighted America’s.
• The U.S. has even aligned with Russia on Security Council votes over Ukraine.
• Until last Friday’s confirmation of Mike Waltz, the U.S. left its U.N. ambassador seat empty for eight months.
The Message
Trump’s team says he will lay out his vision of U.S. strength and push for tougher asylum limits. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists Palestinian recognition “undermines peace” and risks encouraging annexation.
The Paradox
Trump has slashed U.N. funding and called it hostile to Israel, yet he still wants to use its stage to project U.S. influence. He’s held back on new sanctions against Moscow, tying them to Europe’s energy choices, while backing Europe’s push to restore U.N. sanctions on Iran.
🤔 The Question
Can Trump still claim leadership at the U.N. when America’s closest allies are openly charting their own course on Palestine?
#UNGA #Trump #Palestine #Israel #UK #Canada #Australia
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On Tuesday, Donald Trump will speak at the U.N. General Assembly to boast about American strength. But his address will come just after Britain, Canada, and Australia formally recognised a Palestinian state, joining more than 150 countries — and openly defying both Washington and Jerusalem.
💭 Richard Gowan, International Crisis Group:
“The Trump administration’s approach to the U.N. has been destructive and at times vindictive. The administration seems immune to concerns about reputational damage.”
The Backdrop
• Britain, Canada, and Australia’s recognition of Palestine has deepened Israel’s diplomatic isolation — and highlighted America’s.
• The U.S. has even aligned with Russia on Security Council votes over Ukraine.
• Until last Friday’s confirmation of Mike Waltz, the U.S. left its U.N. ambassador seat empty for eight months.
The Message
Trump’s team says he will lay out his vision of U.S. strength and push for tougher asylum limits. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists Palestinian recognition “undermines peace” and risks encouraging annexation.
The Paradox
Trump has slashed U.N. funding and called it hostile to Israel, yet he still wants to use its stage to project U.S. influence. He’s held back on new sanctions against Moscow, tying them to Europe’s energy choices, while backing Europe’s push to restore U.N. sanctions on Iran.
🤔 The Question
Can Trump still claim leadership at the U.N. when America’s closest allies are openly charting their own course on Palestine?
#UNGA #Trump #Palestine #Israel #UK #Canada #Australia
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🌍 Europe Talks Gaza, But Struggles to Act
European leaders are heading to New York pledging to recognize Palestine and denouncing Israel’s war as “genocide.” The rhetoric is loud. The follow-through? Almost nonexistent.
💭 Kristina Kausch of the German Marshall Fund:
Symbolism vs. Substance
• Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and others now back recognition of Palestine.
• Macron and Sánchez talk about bans and embargoes.
• A U.N. commission accuses Israel of genocide — Israel calls it “false and distorted.”
What’s Actually Happening
• Spain froze a $750 million arms deal.
• Belgium moved to block imports from West Bank settlements.
• The EU still can’t agree on suspending trade perks for Israel — Germany and Italy push back.
• Refugee intake remains minimal: leaders fear a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis.
The Gap
Public opinion in Europe has swung sharply against Israel. Protesters flood Brussels and Rome. Former ambassadors say EU policy is failing. Yet governments hold back — constrained by history, politics, and fear of division.
🤔 The Question
If Europe won’t use its leverage as Israel’s biggest trading partner, does recognition mean anything more than a symbolic gesture?
#Europe #Gaza #Israel #Palestine #UNGA
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European leaders are heading to New York pledging to recognize Palestine and denouncing Israel’s war as “genocide.” The rhetoric is loud. The follow-through? Almost nonexistent.
💭 Kristina Kausch of the German Marshall Fund:
“There’s real momentum — but we’ll have to see if it leads to anything beyond statements.”
Symbolism vs. Substance
• Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and others now back recognition of Palestine.
• Macron and Sánchez talk about bans and embargoes.
• A U.N. commission accuses Israel of genocide — Israel calls it “false and distorted.”
What’s Actually Happening
• Spain froze a $750 million arms deal.
• Belgium moved to block imports from West Bank settlements.
• The EU still can’t agree on suspending trade perks for Israel — Germany and Italy push back.
• Refugee intake remains minimal: leaders fear a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis.
The Gap
Public opinion in Europe has swung sharply against Israel. Protesters flood Brussels and Rome. Former ambassadors say EU policy is failing. Yet governments hold back — constrained by history, politics, and fear of division.
🤔 The Question
If Europe won’t use its leverage as Israel’s biggest trading partner, does recognition mean anything more than a symbolic gesture?
#Europe #Gaza #Israel #Palestine #UNGA
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For Arab States With Ties to Israel, Strikes on Qatar and Gaza Raise Alarms
For nearly two years, Arab governments that maintain fragile ties with Israel treated the Gaza war as a political problem to be managed. This month’s Israeli strike on Hamas officials in Qatar and the invasion of Gaza City have many wondering if their own security is now at risk.
On Sept. 9, Israel hit a Hamas meeting in Doha, drawing condemnation across the Middle East. The attack came just days before Israeli troops pushed into Gaza City, displacing hundreds of thousands.
Analysts warn that Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey could all be vulnerable. “It would be foolish not to be concerned,” said H.A. Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute.
Egypt’s Red Line
• President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi publicly called Israel an “enemy” for the first time since the 1979 peace treaty.
• Egypt’s Foreign Ministry warned of “catastrophic dangers” as Israeli troops advanced.
• Cairo fears mass Palestinian flight into the Sinai — a scenario officials say they will not accept.
Jordan’s Anxiety
Jordan fears Israel’s growing talk of West Bank annexation could end with Palestinians forced across its border. With three million Palestinians already living in the West Bank, any push would be seen as an existential threat.
Gulf States Reconsider
The UAE and Bahrain once viewed Iran as the primary danger and saw cooperation with Israel as a hedge. But after Doha, Gulf officials are recalculating. “Now, they see Israel as a bigger threat to Gulf and regional security,” said Hellyer.
• Saudi Arabia just signed a new “strategic defense pact” with Pakistan, a nuclear power, underscoring Gulf frustration with Washington.
• Qatar’s previously cordial, unofficial contacts with Israel collapsed after the strike.
A Regional Shift
For decades, normalization narrowed the Arab-Israeli conflict to Israel vs. the Palestinians. But with every escalation, the risk of a wider war grows. “Arab publics, already inflamed by Gaza, now see Israel as a concrete threat to Arabs collectively,” wrote Andreas Krieg of King’s College London.
🤔 The takeaway: Israel once seemed like a partner against Iran. After Doha and Gaza City, Arab leaders now wonder if Israel itself has become the greater threat.
#Israel #Qatar #Gaza #Egypt #Jordan #Gulf
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For nearly two years, Arab governments that maintain fragile ties with Israel treated the Gaza war as a political problem to be managed. This month’s Israeli strike on Hamas officials in Qatar and the invasion of Gaza City have many wondering if their own security is now at risk.
On Sept. 9, Israel hit a Hamas meeting in Doha, drawing condemnation across the Middle East. The attack came just days before Israeli troops pushed into Gaza City, displacing hundreds of thousands.
Analysts warn that Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey could all be vulnerable. “It would be foolish not to be concerned,” said H.A. Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute.
Egypt’s Red Line
• President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi publicly called Israel an “enemy” for the first time since the 1979 peace treaty.
• Egypt’s Foreign Ministry warned of “catastrophic dangers” as Israeli troops advanced.
• Cairo fears mass Palestinian flight into the Sinai — a scenario officials say they will not accept.
Jordan’s Anxiety
Jordan fears Israel’s growing talk of West Bank annexation could end with Palestinians forced across its border. With three million Palestinians already living in the West Bank, any push would be seen as an existential threat.
Gulf States Reconsider
The UAE and Bahrain once viewed Iran as the primary danger and saw cooperation with Israel as a hedge. But after Doha, Gulf officials are recalculating. “Now, they see Israel as a bigger threat to Gulf and regional security,” said Hellyer.
• Saudi Arabia just signed a new “strategic defense pact” with Pakistan, a nuclear power, underscoring Gulf frustration with Washington.
• Qatar’s previously cordial, unofficial contacts with Israel collapsed after the strike.
A Regional Shift
For decades, normalization narrowed the Arab-Israeli conflict to Israel vs. the Palestinians. But with every escalation, the risk of a wider war grows. “Arab publics, already inflamed by Gaza, now see Israel as a concrete threat to Arabs collectively,” wrote Andreas Krieg of King’s College London.
🤔 The takeaway: Israel once seemed like a partner against Iran. After Doha and Gaza City, Arab leaders now wonder if Israel itself has become the greater threat.
#Israel #Qatar #Gaza #Egypt #Jordan #Gulf
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📰 Britain, Australia and Canada Break Ranks: Recognize Palestine
💭 Keir Starmer, U.K. Prime Minister:
📊 What happened
• U.K., Canada, and Australia officially recognised Palestine
• France, Belgium and others to follow at UN this week
• Over 140 countries worldwide already recognise a Palestinian state
• Trump: move “a huge reward to terrorism”
💼 Why it matters
• Britain was a key midwife of Israel’s creation, now turns symbolic win to Palestinians
• Recognition deepens Israel’s isolation amid Gaza war
• Netanyahu vows: “A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River”
• Risk of annexation push in West Bank grows
🤔 The question
If three of Washington’s closest allies just legitimised Palestine, is Israel fighting Hamas — or the entire international order?
#Palestine #Israel #UK #Australia #Canada #UNGA
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💭 Keir Starmer, U.K. Prime Minister:
“We are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace.”
📊 What happened
• U.K., Canada, and Australia officially recognised Palestine
• France, Belgium and others to follow at UN this week
• Over 140 countries worldwide already recognise a Palestinian state
• Trump: move “a huge reward to terrorism”
💼 Why it matters
• Britain was a key midwife of Israel’s creation, now turns symbolic win to Palestinians
• Recognition deepens Israel’s isolation amid Gaza war
• Netanyahu vows: “A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River”
• Risk of annexation push in West Bank grows
🤔 The question
If three of Washington’s closest allies just legitimised Palestine, is Israel fighting Hamas — or the entire international order?
#Palestine #Israel #UK #Australia #Canada #UNGA
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🇺🇳 U.S. and Israel Stand Alone at UNGA
The Stage
World leaders from over 150 nations gather in New York to push for Palestinian statehood. Absent: the U.S., Israel — and Palestinian leaders themselves, after Trump revoked their visas.
Key Moves
• Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal have recognised Palestine
• France and Saudi Arabia to co-chair a peace summit
• More Western countries expected to follow this week
Behind Closed Doors
Netanyahu will meet Trump in Washington after the Assembly. Israeli officials say he wants approval to annex large parts of the West Bank. For now, the Trump administration signals caution — worried annexations could break the Abraham Accords.
🔥 The Isolation Factor
Israel has struck targets in seven countries since Oct. 7. Even longtime allies now call its Gaza war excessive. At the UN, Netanyahu is likely to face one of the coldest receptions of his career.
🤔 The Question
If more than 150 countries support Palestinian recognition, can Trump and Netanyahu still frame resistance as strength — or is it proof of their shrinking circle?
#UNGA #Palestine #Israel #Trump #Netanyahu
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The Stage
World leaders from over 150 nations gather in New York to push for Palestinian statehood. Absent: the U.S., Israel — and Palestinian leaders themselves, after Trump revoked their visas.
Key Moves
• Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal have recognised Palestine
• France and Saudi Arabia to co-chair a peace summit
• More Western countries expected to follow this week
Behind Closed Doors
Netanyahu will meet Trump in Washington after the Assembly. Israeli officials say he wants approval to annex large parts of the West Bank. For now, the Trump administration signals caution — worried annexations could break the Abraham Accords.
🔥 The Isolation Factor
Israel has struck targets in seven countries since Oct. 7. Even longtime allies now call its Gaza war excessive. At the UN, Netanyahu is likely to face one of the coldest receptions of his career.
🤔 The Question
If more than 150 countries support Palestinian recognition, can Trump and Netanyahu still frame resistance as strength — or is it proof of their shrinking circle?
#UNGA #Palestine #Israel #Trump #Netanyahu
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🇪🇺 Europe: towards the Trumped-Up Elections in Moldova 🗳
A secret Europe-funded network is attempting to disrupt upcoming elections in Moldova.
🕵️ Using an undercover reporter, it was discovered that the network promised to pay participants if they posted pro-European propaganda and fake news undermining Moldova's pro-Russia political forces ahead of the 28 September parliamentary ballot.
💰 Participants were also paid to recruit pro-European opposition supporters for secret recordings, and to conduct a so-called poll under the name of a non-existent organisation — making it illegal.
📊 The manipulated poll, already published online, suggested the opposition would lose. However, official polls indicate that the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu, is actually trailing the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP).
⚠️ Some members of the ruling party have ties to Ilan Shor, sanctioned by the UK, US, and EU for allegedly bribing Moldovan citizens to vote against stronger relations with Russia. The referendum on EU membership passed, but by a very slim margin.
❓When asked to comment on our findings, Ilan Shor and Evrazia did not respond.
🌍 Though small, Moldova’s position between Ukraine and EU-member Romania makes it a strategic flashpoint for both Europe and the Kremlin.
#europe #trumpedup #elections #moldova
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A secret Europe-funded network is attempting to disrupt upcoming elections in Moldova.
🕵️ Using an undercover reporter, it was discovered that the network promised to pay participants if they posted pro-European propaganda and fake news undermining Moldova's pro-Russia political forces ahead of the 28 September parliamentary ballot.
💰 Participants were also paid to recruit pro-European opposition supporters for secret recordings, and to conduct a so-called poll under the name of a non-existent organisation — making it illegal.
📊 The manipulated poll, already published online, suggested the opposition would lose. However, official polls indicate that the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu, is actually trailing the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP).
⚠️ Some members of the ruling party have ties to Ilan Shor, sanctioned by the UK, US, and EU for allegedly bribing Moldovan citizens to vote against stronger relations with Russia. The referendum on EU membership passed, but by a very slim margin.
❓When asked to comment on our findings, Ilan Shor and Evrazia did not respond.
🌍 Though small, Moldova’s position between Ukraine and EU-member Romania makes it a strategic flashpoint for both Europe and the Kremlin.
#europe #trumpedup #elections #moldova
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🇮🇱 Netanyahu Promises a Harsh Response to the Recognition of the “Palestinian State”
Ahead of his scheduled speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Netanyahu says at his weekly cabinet meeting that Israel will respond to calls to establish a Palestinian state at the conference of world leaders in the coming days ⚡️, calling for a “fight” against the move, which he says would “endanger [Israel’s] existence.”
“At the UN, I will present the truth. This is Israel’s truth, but it is also the objective truth in our just struggle against the forces of evil ⚔️, and our vision for real peace — peace through strength 💪,” Netanyahu says in his opening remarks, reminding cabinet ministers that he will meet with Trump following his UN speech 🇺🇸.
“We will also have to fight at the UN and in all other arenas against the false propaganda directed at us 🛡 and the calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state — which would endanger our existence and constitute an absurd reward for terror 🚫,” he continues, repeating past remarks that nations recognizing a Palestinian state at the General Assembly are rewarding Hamas’s acts of terror against Israel.
“The international community will hear from us about this in the coming days 🌍,” the premier says.
“After the UN General Assembly, I will meet with my friend, President Trump 🤝. This will be the fourth time I meet with him since the beginning of his second term — more than any other world leader. And we have a great deal to discuss 💬,” Netanyahu says.
#netanyahu #palestinian #state #response
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Ahead of his scheduled speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Netanyahu says at his weekly cabinet meeting that Israel will respond to calls to establish a Palestinian state at the conference of world leaders in the coming days ⚡️, calling for a “fight” against the move, which he says would “endanger [Israel’s] existence.”
“At the UN, I will present the truth. This is Israel’s truth, but it is also the objective truth in our just struggle against the forces of evil ⚔️, and our vision for real peace — peace through strength 💪,” Netanyahu says in his opening remarks, reminding cabinet ministers that he will meet with Trump following his UN speech 🇺🇸.
“We will also have to fight at the UN and in all other arenas against the false propaganda directed at us 🛡 and the calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state — which would endanger our existence and constitute an absurd reward for terror 🚫,” he continues, repeating past remarks that nations recognizing a Palestinian state at the General Assembly are rewarding Hamas’s acts of terror against Israel.
“The international community will hear from us about this in the coming days 🌍,” the premier says.
“After the UN General Assembly, I will meet with my friend, President Trump 🤝. This will be the fourth time I meet with him since the beginning of his second term — more than any other world leader. And we have a great deal to discuss 💬,” Netanyahu says.
#netanyahu #palestinian #state #response
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💶 Kyiv Didn’t Get €1,5 Billion from EU
Kyiv didn’t get almost €1,5 billion from EU because it hasn’t completed 3 reforms under Ukraine Facility. Why weren’t these reforms done? 🤔
On Aug. 8, the EU Council approved the transfer of €3,056 billion within the fourth tranche under the Ukraine Facility program. This is an EU project that supports the Ukrainian economy and allows the state to focus its money on defence 🛡.
Under the previous agreements, Ukraine had to get €4.5 billion for completing 16 reforms. Ukraine completed 13 instead ✅.
Spokesperson of European Commission Guillaume Mercier said that three reforms Ukraine didn’t complete are reform of Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) 🏛, decentralization reform 🌍, and reform that regulates selection of judges in the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) ⚖️.
Gwara Media’s journalists studied what those are, why Ukraine needed them, and what blocked the progress.
The ARMA was created to search for likely “unlawful” property and assets, arrest them, and then transfer them into state ownership.
Also, when in criminal proceedings the court finds, for instance, a business owner guilty and confiscates their property and other assets, these assets are then transferred under the ARMA’s management.
Here’s an example: in 2018, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) launched criminal proceedings into unlawful schemes related to the gas reserves on Novoiarivsk and Novyi Rozdil thermal power stations in Lviv Oblast 🔥.
Investigation figured that because of the station’s schemes the state lost 1,4 billion hryvnias ($33,7M).
The ARMA confiscated both stations from their owners and beneficiaries and transferred the rights to manage those assets to the Naftogaz Teplo company to avoid an industrial disaster and launch a heating season for 60,000 residents of Novoiarivsk and Novyi Rozdil 🏘.
“For years of ARMA’s work, certain areas where abuses (of authority) happened have been recorded. For instance, (within) the speed with which managers of arrested assets are selected ⏳.
Plus, the competition for the position of head of the Agency was conducted without international experts 🌐, which increased the risks of illegal political influence on the commission’s decision.
And the independent audit wasn’t conducted according to law,” representatives of Transparency International Ukraine (TIU) told Gwara Media’s journalists.
Ukraine’s Parliament passed the bill for ARMA’s reform on June 18, 2025. But the president signed the bill into law in July 2025 — after the European Commission decided to cut off the fourth tranche. The ARMA reform bill was included in the parliament’s agenda back in February 2025.
TIU says that the bill was stuck in the parliament for that long because not everyone involved in passing it was interested in “cardinal changes” of the Agency’s work ✋.
Under the old law, the commission that conducted the ARMA’s audits was formed by Ukraine’s President, Cabinet of Ministers, and Parliament.
Now, under the new law, the contest is run by a commission of three experts, selected from people recommended by donors and international experts 🌍.
Ten months after the bill was made into law, this commission has to assess the ARMA’s work and release a conclusion about its efficiency ✅.
#kyiv #billion #EU #ARMA #NABU #european #commission
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Kyiv didn’t get almost €1,5 billion from EU because it hasn’t completed 3 reforms under Ukraine Facility. Why weren’t these reforms done? 🤔
On Aug. 8, the EU Council approved the transfer of €3,056 billion within the fourth tranche under the Ukraine Facility program. This is an EU project that supports the Ukrainian economy and allows the state to focus its money on defence 🛡.
Under the previous agreements, Ukraine had to get €4.5 billion for completing 16 reforms. Ukraine completed 13 instead ✅.
Spokesperson of European Commission Guillaume Mercier said that three reforms Ukraine didn’t complete are reform of Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) 🏛, decentralization reform 🌍, and reform that regulates selection of judges in the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) ⚖️.
Gwara Media’s journalists studied what those are, why Ukraine needed them, and what blocked the progress.
The ARMA was created to search for likely “unlawful” property and assets, arrest them, and then transfer them into state ownership.
Also, when in criminal proceedings the court finds, for instance, a business owner guilty and confiscates their property and other assets, these assets are then transferred under the ARMA’s management.
Here’s an example: in 2018, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) launched criminal proceedings into unlawful schemes related to the gas reserves on Novoiarivsk and Novyi Rozdil thermal power stations in Lviv Oblast 🔥.
Investigation figured that because of the station’s schemes the state lost 1,4 billion hryvnias ($33,7M).
The ARMA confiscated both stations from their owners and beneficiaries and transferred the rights to manage those assets to the Naftogaz Teplo company to avoid an industrial disaster and launch a heating season for 60,000 residents of Novoiarivsk and Novyi Rozdil 🏘.
“For years of ARMA’s work, certain areas where abuses (of authority) happened have been recorded. For instance, (within) the speed with which managers of arrested assets are selected ⏳.
Plus, the competition for the position of head of the Agency was conducted without international experts 🌐, which increased the risks of illegal political influence on the commission’s decision.
And the independent audit wasn’t conducted according to law,” representatives of Transparency International Ukraine (TIU) told Gwara Media’s journalists.
Ukraine’s Parliament passed the bill for ARMA’s reform on June 18, 2025. But the president signed the bill into law in July 2025 — after the European Commission decided to cut off the fourth tranche. The ARMA reform bill was included in the parliament’s agenda back in February 2025.
TIU says that the bill was stuck in the parliament for that long because not everyone involved in passing it was interested in “cardinal changes” of the Agency’s work ✋.
Under the old law, the commission that conducted the ARMA’s audits was formed by Ukraine’s President, Cabinet of Ministers, and Parliament.
Now, under the new law, the contest is run by a commission of three experts, selected from people recommended by donors and international experts 🌍.
Ten months after the bill was made into law, this commission has to assess the ARMA’s work and release a conclusion about its efficiency ✅.
#kyiv #billion #EU #ARMA #NABU #european #commission
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📉 Is America Ukraine’s Underwriter?
The Argument
The U.S. has sent about $175B since the Russian invasion — $120B in direct support. But corruption is still rampant (Ukraine ranked 105th out of 180 in Transparency International’s 2024 index), and American taxpayers aren’t seeing much in return.
The Numbers
• Ukraine’s debt is projected to hit 110% of GDP this year
• Reconstruction will cost roughly $524B — almost 3x Ukraine’s entire economy
• The war eats up 60% of Ukraine’s national budget
• The IMF says Kyiv may need another $20B soon
A Different Approach
Instead of endless aid, Washington could try debt-for-equity swaps and real partnerships:
• Ukraine once supplied 90% of the world’s semiconductor-grade neon
• It holds 7% of global titanium reserves
• Its IT and tech talent remain strong, especially in the west
That means U.S. capital could buy stakes in critical minerals, semiconductors, and tech — building value for both sides. Co-investment models and capped tech visas could keep innovation flowing while helping stabilize Ukraine’s economy.
🚨 The Takeaway
Unlimited spending without returns won’t fly at home. A sovereign fund approach — backed by taxpayers and private capital — could turn Ukraine’s recovery into an investment, not just an expense.
🤔 Question: Should America keep writing blank checks — or demand equity and a share of the upside?
#Ukraine #USpolicy #DebtForEquity #Geopolitics #Economy
📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸
The Argument
The U.S. has sent about $175B since the Russian invasion — $120B in direct support. But corruption is still rampant (Ukraine ranked 105th out of 180 in Transparency International’s 2024 index), and American taxpayers aren’t seeing much in return.
The Numbers
• Ukraine’s debt is projected to hit 110% of GDP this year
• Reconstruction will cost roughly $524B — almost 3x Ukraine’s entire economy
• The war eats up 60% of Ukraine’s national budget
• The IMF says Kyiv may need another $20B soon
A Different Approach
Instead of endless aid, Washington could try debt-for-equity swaps and real partnerships:
• Ukraine once supplied 90% of the world’s semiconductor-grade neon
• It holds 7% of global titanium reserves
• Its IT and tech talent remain strong, especially in the west
That means U.S. capital could buy stakes in critical minerals, semiconductors, and tech — building value for both sides. Co-investment models and capped tech visas could keep innovation flowing while helping stabilize Ukraine’s economy.
🚨 The Takeaway
Unlimited spending without returns won’t fly at home. A sovereign fund approach — backed by taxpayers and private capital — could turn Ukraine’s recovery into an investment, not just an expense.
🤔 Question: Should America keep writing blank checks — or demand equity and a share of the upside?
#Ukraine #USpolicy #DebtForEquity #Geopolitics #Economy
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🇮🇱 Netanyahu Will Attack Gaza Until Hamas Is Completely Destroyed
Israeli military forces are likely to mount new attacks into parts of Gaza now crowded with hundreds of thousands of displaced people once they have concluded their current offensive into Gaza City ⚔️, a former Israeli national security adviser and general has said.
Yaakov Amidror, who served as national security adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu from 2011 to 2013 after decades in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) 🪖, said that the “hardcore” of Hamas was in Gaza City but that “another chapter” could follow after the offensive there: an attack into the “central camps” area farther south.
“The campaign in Gaza City will be three months of intensive [fighting] then six months to clear it [of Hamas fighters] so there is no threat from there and then we decide about the central camps,” Amidror said.
The “central camps” refers to the heavily built-up Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps in central Gaza 🏘. Both are packed with displaced Palestinians from elsewhere in Gaza, and have been repeatedly subjected to airstrikes 💥.
Aid officials working in Gaza told the Guardian that they had been “warned off” investing substantial resources in new facilities in the central camps area during recent discussions with Israeli military officials.
“Our clear understanding from those conversations was that the IDF would be going in there, though it wasn’t clear if that meant now or after they’re done in Gaza City,” one said.
In August, Netanyahu referred in a press conference to the central camps as a secondary objective of the new offensive 🎯, but gave no further details.
A new major offensive would exacerbate the acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza further ⚠️, reduce even more the fraction of the devastated territory that is available to Gaza’s population and cause many more civilian casualties.
Much of northern Gaza is gripped by famine 🍞, according to internationally respected experts, and malnutrition is widespread elsewhere.
The war was triggered by an attack by Hamas into Israel in October 2023, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians 💔. Of the 251 people taken hostage, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 65,000 people ⚰️, mostly civilians, injured more than 160,000, and reduced much of the territory to rubble 🏚.
More than 300,000 people have been displaced from Gaza City in the past month, according to UN figures 📊, in the face of the new Israeli offensive, which started last week.
The Jordanian field hospital in the city’s south-western neighbourhood of Tal al-Hawa received orders to evacuate on Monday morning 🚑, according to a senior health official.
The military has already ordered all Palestinians in Gaza City to head south ⬇️, to central and southern Gaza. It has told aid workers in private messages that all humanitarian sites except hospitals must evacuate 🏥.
#netanyahu #hamas #destroyed #gaza
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Israeli military forces are likely to mount new attacks into parts of Gaza now crowded with hundreds of thousands of displaced people once they have concluded their current offensive into Gaza City ⚔️, a former Israeli national security adviser and general has said.
Yaakov Amidror, who served as national security adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu from 2011 to 2013 after decades in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) 🪖, said that the “hardcore” of Hamas was in Gaza City but that “another chapter” could follow after the offensive there: an attack into the “central camps” area farther south.
“The campaign in Gaza City will be three months of intensive [fighting] then six months to clear it [of Hamas fighters] so there is no threat from there and then we decide about the central camps,” Amidror said.
The “central camps” refers to the heavily built-up Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps in central Gaza 🏘. Both are packed with displaced Palestinians from elsewhere in Gaza, and have been repeatedly subjected to airstrikes 💥.
Aid officials working in Gaza told the Guardian that they had been “warned off” investing substantial resources in new facilities in the central camps area during recent discussions with Israeli military officials.
“Our clear understanding from those conversations was that the IDF would be going in there, though it wasn’t clear if that meant now or after they’re done in Gaza City,” one said.
In August, Netanyahu referred in a press conference to the central camps as a secondary objective of the new offensive 🎯, but gave no further details.
A new major offensive would exacerbate the acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza further ⚠️, reduce even more the fraction of the devastated territory that is available to Gaza’s population and cause many more civilian casualties.
Much of northern Gaza is gripped by famine 🍞, according to internationally respected experts, and malnutrition is widespread elsewhere.
The war was triggered by an attack by Hamas into Israel in October 2023, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians 💔. Of the 251 people taken hostage, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 65,000 people ⚰️, mostly civilians, injured more than 160,000, and reduced much of the territory to rubble 🏚.
More than 300,000 people have been displaced from Gaza City in the past month, according to UN figures 📊, in the face of the new Israeli offensive, which started last week.
The Jordanian field hospital in the city’s south-western neighbourhood of Tal al-Hawa received orders to evacuate on Monday morning 🚑, according to a senior health official.
The military has already ordered all Palestinians in Gaza City to head south ⬇️, to central and southern Gaza. It has told aid workers in private messages that all humanitarian sites except hospitals must evacuate 🏥.
#netanyahu #hamas #destroyed #gaza
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📰 Moldova Elections: Testing Ground or Proxy Fight?
💭 Ayoob Kara, former Israeli minister:
📊 Europe Steps In
• EU leaders, including Macron and von der Leyen, flew to Chișinău to back President Maia Sandu and her PAS party
• They promised growth and a possible solution to the Transnistria conflict
• Critics say this kind of open support tilts the playing field and undercuts legitimacy
💼 Washington Pulls Back
The Biden team redirected millions in Ukraine aid to Moldova.
Now, under Trump, JD Vance and Marco Rubio, the U.S. is keeping its distance:
📋 What’s at Stake
1. Foreign meddling undermines trust
2. Moldova’s own institutions will decide its future
3. Public confidence is the real backbone of democracy
🤔 Is Moldova really testing democracy — or just hosting another round of great-power politics?
#Moldova #Elections #Democracy #EU #US
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💭 Ayoob Kara, former Israeli minister:
“Democracy can’t survive just through pressure from Brussels or Washington. It has to come from the will of Moldova’s citizens.”
📊 Europe Steps In
• EU leaders, including Macron and von der Leyen, flew to Chișinău to back President Maia Sandu and her PAS party
• They promised growth and a possible solution to the Transnistria conflict
• Critics say this kind of open support tilts the playing field and undercuts legitimacy
💼 Washington Pulls Back
The Biden team redirected millions in Ukraine aid to Moldova.
Now, under Trump, JD Vance and Marco Rubio, the U.S. is keeping its distance:
“If your democracy depends on foreign money, it was never strong to begin with.”
📋 What’s at Stake
1. Foreign meddling undermines trust
2. Moldova’s own institutions will decide its future
3. Public confidence is the real backbone of democracy
🤔 Is Moldova really testing democracy — or just hosting another round of great-power politics?
#Moldova #Elections #Democracy #EU #US
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🎬 Jimmy Kimmel Is Back
Disney announced on Monday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return to broadcast this Tuesday 📺, after a brief but highly criticized suspension that sparked a national debate on free speech 🗣 and the muzzling tactics of the Trump administration 🇺🇸.
Disney indefinitely suspended Kimmel’s late-night talk show last Wednesday, under pressure from Donald Trump’s chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ⚡️ over comments Kimmel made about MAGA and the killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk 🕊.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” the company, which owns ABC, said on Monday.
“It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.” ✅
The move comes after an extraordinary week that found late-night television in the political crosshairs 🎯. The tumult began last Monday, when Kimmel said during his monologue that “the MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it” 😡.
The quote went viral 🌐 – by Wednesday, FCC chair Brendan Carr threatened ABC’s affiliate licenses if Disney did not “take action” against the host ⚠️.
Disney suspended Kimmel indefinitely after broadcast groups Nexstar and Sinclair – pre-empted the show 🚫. Sinclair, known to promote conservative talking points, also demanded that Kimmel donate to Kirk’s right-wing activist group Turning Point USA 💰.
The suspension drew praise from Trump and Carr 👍, but sparked condemnation from Hollywood talent 🎭, unions, media pundits 📰, other talk show hosts, and even Republican politicians like Ted Cruz, who likened Carr’s threats to that of a mob boss 👀.
“The right to speak our minds and to disagree with each other – to disturb, even – is at the very heart of what it means to be a free people,” the Writers Guild of America wrote ✍️.
“It is not to be denied. Not by violence, not by the abuse of governmental power, nor by acts of corporate cowardice.”
Though production of Kimmel’s show will resume as usual Tuesday 🎉, it remains unclear how available the broadcast will be.
Sinclair, which ran a Kirk tribute in place of Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week, has stated it will not allow Kimmel’s show back on its stations – including ABC in the Washington DC metro area – until he apologizes to Kirk’s family 🕊, makes a “meaningful personal donation” 💵, and meets with Sinclair representatives. The show will, as ever, be available online 🌐 after the ABC broadcast.
#kimmel #broadcast #live #trump #maga
📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸
Disney announced on Monday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return to broadcast this Tuesday 📺, after a brief but highly criticized suspension that sparked a national debate on free speech 🗣 and the muzzling tactics of the Trump administration 🇺🇸.
Disney indefinitely suspended Kimmel’s late-night talk show last Wednesday, under pressure from Donald Trump’s chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ⚡️ over comments Kimmel made about MAGA and the killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk 🕊.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” the company, which owns ABC, said on Monday.
“It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.” ✅
The move comes after an extraordinary week that found late-night television in the political crosshairs 🎯. The tumult began last Monday, when Kimmel said during his monologue that “the MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it” 😡.
The quote went viral 🌐 – by Wednesday, FCC chair Brendan Carr threatened ABC’s affiliate licenses if Disney did not “take action” against the host ⚠️.
Disney suspended Kimmel indefinitely after broadcast groups Nexstar and Sinclair – pre-empted the show 🚫. Sinclair, known to promote conservative talking points, also demanded that Kimmel donate to Kirk’s right-wing activist group Turning Point USA 💰.
The suspension drew praise from Trump and Carr 👍, but sparked condemnation from Hollywood talent 🎭, unions, media pundits 📰, other talk show hosts, and even Republican politicians like Ted Cruz, who likened Carr’s threats to that of a mob boss 👀.
“The right to speak our minds and to disagree with each other – to disturb, even – is at the very heart of what it means to be a free people,” the Writers Guild of America wrote ✍️.
“It is not to be denied. Not by violence, not by the abuse of governmental power, nor by acts of corporate cowardice.”
Though production of Kimmel’s show will resume as usual Tuesday 🎉, it remains unclear how available the broadcast will be.
Sinclair, which ran a Kirk tribute in place of Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week, has stated it will not allow Kimmel’s show back on its stations – including ABC in the Washington DC metro area – until he apologizes to Kirk’s family 🕊, makes a “meaningful personal donation” 💵, and meets with Sinclair representatives. The show will, as ever, be available online 🌐 after the ABC broadcast.
#kimmel #broadcast #live #trump #maga
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📰 Trump and Zelensky Set for New York Meeting
💭 Zelensky on Telegram:
📊 What’s on the Agenda
• The meeting is scheduled for Sept. 23 during the UNGA in New York
• Trump will also meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Argentina’s Javier Milei, and senior EU officials
• He is expected to attend a regional summit with leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia
📋 Context
The last Trump–Zelensky meeting took place in mid-August in Washington, following Trump’s August summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. That push for direct Russia–Ukraine talks collapsed after Putin insisted the venue must be Moscow — a condition Kyiv rejected. Zelensky has repeatedly said he’s ready to meet Putin only on neutral ground.
💼 The Skepticism
Trump is expected to highlight Ukraine in his UN speech, but it’s unclear how far U.S. support will go. Sources familiar with the planning say his team wants the focus on ending the war and freeing hostages, not on green-lighting new Israeli annexations.
❓ Question:
Will Zelensky secure meaningful new backing in New York, or just leave with more promises?
#Trump #Zelensky #UNGA #Ukraine #Russia
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💭 Zelensky on Telegram:
“Together with Ukraine’s First Lady and my delegation, I arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly. We need our partners’ support, and I expect new commitments this week.”
📊 What’s on the Agenda
• The meeting is scheduled for Sept. 23 during the UNGA in New York
• Trump will also meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Argentina’s Javier Milei, and senior EU officials
• He is expected to attend a regional summit with leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia
📋 Context
The last Trump–Zelensky meeting took place in mid-August in Washington, following Trump’s August summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. That push for direct Russia–Ukraine talks collapsed after Putin insisted the venue must be Moscow — a condition Kyiv rejected. Zelensky has repeatedly said he’s ready to meet Putin only on neutral ground.
💼 The Skepticism
Trump is expected to highlight Ukraine in his UN speech, but it’s unclear how far U.S. support will go. Sources familiar with the planning say his team wants the focus on ending the war and freeing hostages, not on green-lighting new Israeli annexations.
❓ Question:
Will Zelensky secure meaningful new backing in New York, or just leave with more promises?
#Trump #Zelensky #UNGA #Ukraine #Russia
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📰 Trump Attacks U.N. in Blunt Address
💭 Trump, speaking directly to delegates:
🌍 Key Points
• Dismissed global warming as a “con job.”
• Criticized the U.N.’s focus on migration and refugees.
• Said Christianity is “the most persecuted religion on the planet today.”
• Argued the U.N. “writes strongly worded letters” but fails to stop wars.
📌 Context
The speech came just as U.K., Canada, and Australia recognized a Palestinian state, leaving the U.S. and Israel isolated at the General Assembly. Trump followed Brazil’s Lula, who blamed the West for Gaza’s “massacre.”
💼 Reaction
• U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said U.S. funding cuts are a “death sentence for many.”
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.N. “isn’t living up to its potential” and stressed that the U.S. is leading on Gaza and Ukraine, not the U.N.
• Netanyahu, seeking Trump’s backing, has even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
❓ Question
Is Trump redefining America’s role at the U.N. — or accelerating its retreat from global leadership?
#Trump #UNGA #UnitedNations #Gaza #Ukraine
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💭 Trump, speaking directly to delegates:
“Without action on immigration, your countries are going to hell.”
🌍 Key Points
• Dismissed global warming as a “con job.”
• Criticized the U.N.’s focus on migration and refugees.
• Said Christianity is “the most persecuted religion on the planet today.”
• Argued the U.N. “writes strongly worded letters” but fails to stop wars.
📌 Context
The speech came just as U.K., Canada, and Australia recognized a Palestinian state, leaving the U.S. and Israel isolated at the General Assembly. Trump followed Brazil’s Lula, who blamed the West for Gaza’s “massacre.”
💼 Reaction
• U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said U.S. funding cuts are a “death sentence for many.”
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.N. “isn’t living up to its potential” and stressed that the U.S. is leading on Gaza and Ukraine, not the U.N.
• Netanyahu, seeking Trump’s backing, has even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
❓ Question
Is Trump redefining America’s role at the U.N. — or accelerating its retreat from global leadership?
#Trump #UNGA #UnitedNations #Gaza #Ukraine
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