Václav Malík, Anton Mikhalchuk and Egor Kuroptev, researchers at the European Commission's Strategic Communications Center, did not simply collect a handful of Russian disinformation stories spread ahead of the Latvian election, but tried to uncover the structure of a lasting influence ecosystem in which state institutions, financing channels, intelligence officers, local politicians, actors posin

Guido Crosetto, Italy's defence minister, on Friday again called insufficient the contributions provided to the European Union's Red Sea Aspides naval operation, and indicated that Italy is ready to increase its presence if other member states make similar commitments. In a statement to The National, he stressed that the mission requires modern ships with adequate speed and technological capabilit

In northern Ethiopia, fighters allied with the federal government claimed on Friday that they had captured the town of Milazat, about twenty kilometers from Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, where residents say banks and shops have closed in preparation for approaching fighting. The situation has been further aggravated by Ethiopia's announcement on Thursday that it was closing Eritrea's embassy and

Advanced construction work is underway on Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands, where satellite images reviewed by Reuters on Friday show the construction of a large runway. According to analysts, the first aircraft could land there by mid-2027, and the facility could expand the Chinese navy and air force's room for maneuver in the region. Beijing has not acknowledged building a new military base;

Taiwan took delivery on Friday of the first two of sixty-six new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets ordered from the United States, which arrived at Zhihang Air Base in the eastern part of the island via Hawaii, with a stopover in Guam. The aircraft had originally been expected by the end of August, but spent additional weeks in Hawaii, and no detailed official explanation has been given for the delay.

The dispute between Ukraine and South Korea over the handover of two North Korean prisoners of war has escalated into a public diplomatic conflict, after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung threatened Kyiv on Friday with further measures unless it acknowledges the confidentiality agreement that Seoul claims existed and apologizes. The soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting on R

Long lines of cars and buses formed in Kyiv on Friday morning after repeated Russian drone attacks forced the closure of the Southern Bridge over the Dnipro River, while traffic was restricted on other crossings. The Southern Bridge was first hit on Thursday, and after reopening it was struck again overnight and in the early hours of Friday; according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, a bridge pillar, th

The United States is sending another significant naval force to the Middle East, as Donald Trump has once again signaled that he is considering resuming larger-scale military operations against Iran. According to an Associated Press report citing a U.S. official, around nine thousand troops are serving aboard the ships heading to the region, including more than seven thousand sailors and two thous

Trump has pulled it off: squeezed by the fuel market cracked open by the Iranian war and the looming American midterm elections, he has pressured his partners into tapping their strategic reserves. Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday that G7 countries will release up to one hundred million barrels of diesel and crude oil onto the market over four months, giving priority to diesel. The American pre

The Bundeswehr's new drone regiment could become fully operational by 2029, Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, inspector general of the German army, announced. The unit would reach initial operational capability as early as 2027, with around 350 soldiers, with its strength later increased to 600. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the formation of the regiment on October 1 at the Berge

Ukraine could become an important hub for the European distribution of American liquefied natural gas, writes Stephen Blank, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, in an analysis published on the website of the Atlantic Council. According to the author, the country's underground gas storage capacity of more than 30 billion cubic meters could serve both for seasonal stockpiling of

Russia wants to completely halt the shipment of weapons, ammunition and fuel intended for the Ukrainian army across the Black Sea – Dmitry Peskov announced on October 2. The Kremlin spokesman described cutting off maritime supplies as one of the key goals of the war against Ukraine, while claiming that Moscow is merely responding to Ukrainian maritime attacks. According to him, Ukraine “must pay t

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has asked Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, for more flexible application of the EU's fiscal rules. In a letter sent on October 1, she argued that the energy crisis is driving inflation higher than expected, increasing state spending and narrowing the room available to support households and businesses.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Representative Gregory Meeks, the senior Democrats on the two foreign affairs committees of the US Congress, have requested an investigation into the activities of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece, from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two lawmakers sent separate letters to Rubio seeking clarification of the potential conflicts of interest uncovered by

Milos Kerkez and his father also ended up on the Myrotvorets database, which collects Ukraine's "enemies" and lists them as provocateurs accused of supporting Russian aggression. The listing itself is up to the website's editors, but the story that led to it wasn't invented by the database's editors: the Hungarian national team player supplied the footage on the pitch, and his father added the Rus

Ukraine has to specifically ask Washington to sanction the companies and individuals helping build Russia's satellite internet network before the system gives Moscow yet another military advantage. One would think that reining in a Russian competitor to American technology — one that, on top of everything, can be used in a war of aggression — would fit neatly into the "America First" agenda, and t

Europe's most important supporters of Ukraine are increasingly talking about negotiations and a diplomatic end to the war, but according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, this is aimed primarily at European voters, not a response to some newly discovered Russian desire for peace. An article by Laurence Norman and Bertrand Benoit, published on October 1, examines how governments are trying to

Norway is ready to keep its gas deliveries to Europe at a high level even during the peak winter period, announced Gassco, the operator of Norway's gas network, on October 1. According to the company, the planned maintenance work has been completed and the transport system is operating properly, so it is well prepared for the demand that rises along with the colder months. The reassuring announcem

Such an investigation could well be carried out in Romania too, because the constitutional court here is, to put it mildly, hardly the kind of institution that makes one immediately think of political impartiality and spotless public trust. In Poland, prosecutors are now investigating whether the president of the constitutional court improperly selected the panels of judges ruling on individual ca

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday demanded that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his UN delegation leave immediately after talks broke down, the AP reported, citing two American officials. The negotiations were supposed to cover the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, ending the war and Iran's nuclear program—if the story had a sequel, but it doesn't.