Global Political Tensions and Climate Crisisactive

Tehran has played down concerns over a new mutual defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, while portraying the agreement as evidence of declining regional reliance on the United States.

The siege is closing in around FIFA president Gianni Infantino. After his failed project to buy the rights to the upcoming World Cups, critics intensified their attacks on the top leader. Even his continuation is not guaranteed in the face of the onslaught from the countries that make up the organization. The latest move in this fight that erupted since the end of the last global event was from three major confederations. An open letter published by UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation in which they made strong accusations. The letter, signed by the presidents and general secretaries of the three regional governing bodies, stated that the recent controversy surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal revolved around "the integrity of the game and the integrity of those elected to run it." The plan proposed creating a new company to manage the commercial rights and ticket sales for all FIFA competitions, including the World Cups, and selling 21% to a private investment firm. The project was canceled after widespread questioning from several confederations, led by UEFA, which threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions. Harsh accusations According to the British site BBC Sports, there were preliminary discussions among the three confederations about the possibility of creating parallel competitions...

The world’s seas and oceans recorded their hottest ever July according to a study released on Monday (10 August), as air temperature also broke records in Europe. Extra-polar sea surface temperatures reached all-time July highs this year at 20.96 °C according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change service, overtaking the previous July record from 2023 of 20.89 °C. The Atlantic coast and western Mediterranean were most affected, as well as the tropical Pacific, due to El Niño, the warm phase of a natural climate cycle that raises temperatures temporarily in the area. The new research found the average air temperature in western Europe to beat the previous record for June-July set in 2022. Western Europe bore the biggest brunt of rising temperatures, with the gravest heat levels in France, Spain, England, and Ireland, hitting 2.79 °C above average. However, lower than average temperatures across eastern Europe and Scandinavia brought down the average sea surface air temperature for July to 16.90 °C, which was still 1.5 °C above the pre-industrial 1850-1900 average. Read more In an over-heating Europe, treating air conditioning as ‘American decadence’ has become dangerous The ocean absorbs up to 90 percent of the excess heat on our planet, redistributing it to deeper layers from the upper 700 metres of the sea, where most of the heat gain is happening. Meanwhile, the hot and dry conditions are “extending the fire season northwards,” since the persistent increase of wildfires have been “[producing] more smoke and inject it higher into the atmosphere, meaning it can travel further and impact air quality not only locally,” said Laurence Rouil, director of the Copernicus atmosphere monitoring service. The incessant waves of heat have brought excess deaths to Europe this summer, with 11,900 estimated deaths in Germany alone, according to Berlin’s federal Robert Koch research institute. This article continues, but the full version is available only to EUobserver.com subscribers. Visit account.euobserver.com/membership

The President noted that Russian cities should not lose their historical character amid modernization efforts

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has blamed Russia’s war in Ukraine for a recent drone crash in the southeast of her country. A drone crashed and exploded in the village of Crocmaz on Sunday, causing a fire that damaged several properties but caused no casualties. After conducting preliminary analysis on the fragments, local police said it could be a “missile-like drone.” “I strongly condemn the latest violation of our airspace,” Sandu wrote on X, adding: “This is a direct consequence of Russia’s war, and it endangers us all.” Sandu said that the “risk to human life in our region is real and growing. It must stop.” The affected village is close to southwestern Ukraine, particularly the Odesa region, which came under a heavy missile and drone attack by Russia on the same day. Moldovan police said that to date, no other aircraft of this type have been found on Moldovan territory and research is continuing to establish “the exact type and origin of the aircraft as well as the circumstances of the incident.” Last week, local police discovered wreckage from a Russian Geran-2-type drone near the village of Văleni in southern Moldova. After the incidents, Moldova’s foreign ministry recalled its ambassador from Russia for consultations.

The China-India-Pakistan triangle has never been short on danger, but Islamabad’s new defensive alliance has added another variable to an already volatile situation. Last week, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed a pact in Mecca in which they agreed to treat an armed attack on one as an attack on all. The three governments have described it as defensive and not directed at any particular state. Analysts said its main significance for India lay less in whether it would be invoked, but in how...

The government has accused people smugglers of 'cramming' migrants onto 'unseaworthy vessels' and putting lives at risk.

Masoud Pezeshkian said that Tehran's "enemy" forecasts based on AI data and information received from spy networks and agents failed one by one

This Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum leads the Morning Briefing from the National Palace, a space to inform about the most important events of her government at the national level. Follow the minute-by-minute updates of the most relevant from the morning conference. Follow the live broadcast here: Add EL UNIVERSAL as a preferred source on Google

Algeria decided to transfer the helicopters to Niger free of charge "to strengthen the fraternal and historical ties between the two countries"

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is pushing back on suggestions pundit Tucker Carlson could mount a third-party bid for the White House after President Trump leaves office. "Tucker, he's not running for president," Greene told Politico Playbook over the weekend. "He said that publicly. He said that privately." Greene also told the outlet she does…

After 18 month talks, Russian forces in Syria will give up control of two strategic bases on the Mediterranean coast, which will be used as joint Russia-Syrian training centers under a new agreement between the two countries.

President Trump will swear in Todd Blanche as the next attorney general on Monday, following weeks of controversy that ended in the Senate early Saturday morning with a 50-49 vote to confirm the appointment. On the Iran conflict, Trump said Sunday that it is now “like a chess game” and that the U. S. is only…

Hossein Mohebi, spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, highlighted that modern warfare became a battlefield of technological innovation

Viktor Medvedchuk added that the former defense minister was "the public face of projects in which drones, digital battle management systems and artificial intelligence were gradually combined into a single control mechanism"

Andrey Svintsov recalled that AI agents have repeatedly escaped human control. In particular, companies Anthropic and OpenAI reported cases of their AI agents escaping beyond the space designated for testing

Inspired by the Cockroach movement, young people in India's eastern state of Jharkhand are marching on the state assembly to demand transparency and a probe into alleged irregularities in civil service recruitment exams.

The Minister of Finance, Emilio Hernández Hércules, stated that Honduras is making progress in fulfilling the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), although there are still pending commitments. According to him, the country completed seven structural targets in less than five months and has between five and six remaining to be executed before the end of the year. The official explained that the involved institutions are working in a coordinated manner to meet the objectives established in the periodic reviews of the international financial organization, a process he considered crucial to maintaining market confidence and the country's macroeconomic stability. He detailed that in less than five months, Honduras managed to complete seven structural targets outlined in the agreement. However, he noted that there are still between five and six commitments to be fulfilled before the year ends. Hernández indicated that if the pending reviews conclude favorably, Honduras could be among the group of countries that have successfully fulfilled the programs agreed with the IMF. In addition to meeting current objectives, the Finance Minister announced that the government plans to begin discussions with the international organization to negotiate a new economic program covering the period between 2027 and 2029. In the opinion of the official, the continuation of such agreements helps to strengthen the…

According to the Kalashnikov Group, the Legioner drone can operate at temperatures ranging from minus 25 to plus 35 degrees Celsius, with wind speeds of up to 15 m/s, and with a payload capacity of up to 4 kg

The race for artificial intelligence has just reached a new milestone. This Monday, August 10, Meta introduced Muse Glimmer, a new small-sized language model with open weights that promises to democratize access to the most advanced virtual assistants. Unlike the colossal systems developed by companies like OpenAI or Anthropic that require constant cloud connection, Meta Superintelligence Labs' new approach is designed to operate locally. With 30 billion parameters, the model requires only a Mac or PC equipped with a single consumer-grade graphics card to operate at full capacity. What is Muse Glimmer The main goal of Muse Glimmer is "agentic" tasks. This means that artificial intelligence has the ability to plan actions, write and execute code, organize files, and use different software tools in multiple steps to resolve a complex user request. By operating entirely on the user's device, the system guarantees a higher level of data privacy and completely eliminates the costs associated with external servers. According to Bloomberg, the advantage of running these models on home hardware responds to developers' need for greater flexibility and to avoid bottlenecks in cloud infrastructure. To achieve this, Meta implemented compression techniques to a...

Currency gives up nearly half of gains from joint action with investors citing lack of ‘unified voice’ among central banks

Taiwan holds military drills to prepare for invasion by China

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,300 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

As of 1:54 p.m. Moscow time, the Brent price increased by 1.9% to $85.14 a barrel

President Trump said in a new interview he is “low-keying it” when it comes to the war with Iran as it nears its sixth month “We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,” Trump told Axios on Sunday. The president also…

The Iranian government emphasized on Monday that the defense agreement ratified a few days ago by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey is evidence that the countries in the region have concluded that they cannot rely on the United States' "promises" for their security. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei celebrated that these three countries have developed an "alternative" agreement based on their own capabilities and experiences, "independent of destructive interventions by third parties," according to the ISNA news agency. In this regard, he explained that the perception of security that the United States claims to provide has contributed to the opposite effect and emphasized that any plan must be comprehensive, considering the historical and geopolitical realities of the region, as well as correctly identifying the "enemy." He also dismissed the idea that it would pose any threat to Iran's security. "We have deep religious, historical, and civilizational ties with Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, and there is no reason to fear that this agreement will be harmful to Iran," he stated. Rejection of Israel's plan for Gaza On the other hand, Baqaei also referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of the peace plan for Gaza proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, recalling…

Plus: Russian, Iranian sanctions legislation headed to U. S. House, and FTC to stop bringing ‘disparate impact’ cases

1,400 flights canceled in Shanghai. Heavy rains, landslide and flood risks increase

The Ukrainian president's first official visit to Serbia sends a political signal to Moscow and Brussels. But there is little evidence that Belgrade is preparing to abandon its long-running balancing act or impose sanctions on Russia.

The total number of illegal migrants to reach the United Kingdom across the English Channel since the beginning of the year has reached 15,049

Authorities have not said who organized a suspicious border breach in Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa. Social media posts in Morocco are urging another push.

According to the report, Giorgia Meloni is also "hardening her tone" on migration

The 30-minute simulated disruption was part of the island’s effort to test and build people’s resilience in the face of a potential Chinese attack.

Europe’s most valuable startup is pushing to expand its banking products and services and is seeking regulatory approvals to enter new markets elsewhere.

Students in the eastern Indian state marched on the Jharkhand assembly Monday, with several on hunger strike, demanding the state scrap exams run by a private testing company they accuse of irregularities.

The United States is not disengaging from Asia and is instead "digging in" to maintain a favorable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, but wants its partners to shoulder more responsibility for their defense, a senior Pentagon official said on Monday. Seeking to counter concerns about Washington’s reliability, Elbridge Colby, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, reiterated the US interest in the region as he called for greater burden-sharing and "partnership, not dependency". "America is...

In mid-July 2026, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States (FDA) approved a pill that successfully reduced cholesterol levels more effectively than statins, the most common medication for treating this medical condition. This is the drug enlicitide, sold in the U.S. as Lipfendra, and produced by the pharmaceutical company Merck. According to the results of its clinical trials, this medication managed to reduce LDL levels — the "bad" cholesterol — to 50 or 60. This is thanks to its ability to inhibit the PCSK9 protein. American doctors highlighted the drug, especially after the update of the new cholesterol management guidelines published by the American Heart Association, which state that people should keep their LDL levels below 70 to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The effects of enlicitide, the drug that reduces cholesterol At the end of 2025, the pharmaceutical company Merck published the results of one of its 24-week clinical trials. A total of 2912 people participated, who took the pill daily. This demonstrated that the medication can reduce LDL cholesterol levels by up to 60%. Regarding side effects, there were no differences between the drug and the placebo. 9% of patients experienced dizziness and 7% diarrhea. The results achieved by the drug were the same as injectable medications q…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected a US-led Gaza plan endorsed by Hamas, putting distance between himself and President Donald Trump as he tries to shore up his base ahead of close elections. “Netanyahu is willing to break ties with Trump over the 15-point Gaza peace deal to gain support from the far-right members of his coalition,” FRANCE 24 international affairs editor Philip Turle says.

Greenland’s government says no approval was granted after US firm Greenland Energy brought equipment ashore for exploratory drilling. We discuss the situation with Lukas Wahden, Associate Fellow with the Russia Program at George Washington University.

European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber has called for the swift establishment of migrant return hubs in Africa after tens of thousands of unauthorized migrants surged into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in late July. In an op-ed for German outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that was published Monday, conservative boss Weber wrote: “Ceuta has shown that close cooperation with neighboring countries can work. Morocco immediately took people back. No one was able to travel onward into the Schengen area” and, he added, “Europe must quickly establish return hubs in Africa.” After tens of thousands forced their way into Ceuta — which is situated in North Africa — several international leaders pointed the finger at Spain’s left-wing government and its migration policy. Madrid had previously granted legal status to half a million unauthorized migrants. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her right-wing government are among the harshest critics, with Rome introducing border controls for travelers from Spain on Friday and sparking retaliation from Madrid. Weber echoed proposals made last week by EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner, arguing that countries outside the bloc could be offered closer trade ties, economic collaboration and legal migration opportunities in exchange for accepting the installation of return hubs. “Migrants who have no right to remain must leave Europe — no ifs, ands or buts!” he wrote, adding that returns must no longer depend on the political will of individual member countries. Weber also rejected internal border controls within Europe as a long-term solution. “They may be necessary in exceptional situations. But they do not address the root cause of the problem … There can therefore be only one answer: strong, joint European protection of the external border.” In early June, the European Parliament and European Council announced new EU rules on migrant returns, including removals to countries outside the bloc in return hubs. Weber also argued that the Ceuta crisis, which left around 100 dead, was the result of unilateral national action and said that the Spanish government’s “political signals” have had “an immediate impact on migration routes.”

A British detective told the BBC how a six-year investigation provided answers to a daughter about her father's disappearance.

Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reassured that there is no cause for concern regarding Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, asserting that the agreement is not aimed at Iran

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin emphasized that Russia’s principles and approaches "on which a long-term and fair settlement should be based have not changed"

The heat and continuing dry conditions are being supercharged by the escalating climate crisis The National Drought Group (NDG) is expected to meet this afternoon and declare that more parts of England are officially in drought, as parts of the UK head into a potential fifth heatwave of the year this week. All of Wales and more than half of England are already in drought after an unprecedented period of dry, hot weather over the summer. Continue reading...

A red alert was issued by the China Meteorological Administration, the second time this year after Typhoon Noul in late July.

According to the source, "nationalists from the reconnaissance battalion of Ukraine’s 425th Separate Assault Regiment have been tasked with evacuating the mercenaries"

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a Nato-like defence agreement in Mecca as the United States’ war on Iran prompts countries in the region to rethink security arrangements. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement stipulates that “any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all,” the three countries said in a joint statement. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz...

Rustam Minnikhanov expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased

Mikhail Galuzin added that Russia is not shutting the door on the negotiation process

JINCHEON, South Korea, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- He has been in competitive shooting f...

Mikhail Galuzin still highlighted the existence of informal contacts between representatives of public groups

No injuries, one person in shock. The NATO headquarters is 2 km from the explosion.

Acer Gadget, a subsidiary of Acer Group, reported strong second-quarter results for 2026 and said it expects growth to continue in the second half of 2026 as smart-life peripherals gained traction. The Taiwan-based maker said smart safes and smart door locks were supporting performance even as the PC market faces headwinds.

The Cockroach Janta Party, which spearheaded India’s biggest student protests in recent years, accused authorities of violating an agreement by pursuing participants and reiterated it will remain a pressure group rather than enter electoral politics.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said that Moscow is confident that a diplomatic settlement of the situation around Ukraine is possible

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) reported record monthly revenue of NT$467.58 billion (approx. US$14.5 billion) for July 2026, up 5.6% from June and 44.7% from a year earlier, extending strong growth fueled by artificial intelligence and high-performance computing demand.

The cameras would not turn off even after the drones were shut, were privy to high-security meetings, and were transmitting information to a Chinese IP address.

Moscow: '12 people killed by Ukrainian drones in Tatarstan'

Met Office considers amber or red warning as forecasters say Thursday is likely to be hottest day of the week Temperatures could reach 36C (97F) or higher this week, forecaster have said, with possible disruption to railway lines and power networks as the Met Office considers issuing rare amber or red extreme heat warnings. Parts of the UK are forecast to experience their fifth heatwave of the summer as the country continues to bake in an unprecedented period of dry, hot weather. Continue reading...

Thin chip stacking Researchers from Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH), Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), and Texas A&M University developed a process that simultaneously transfers chips and forms interconnects, enabling them to reliably stack ten chips, each about 14μm thick. The process combines transfer printing for precision placement and in-situ bonding to form metallic bonds during chip transfer in low-temperature and low-pressure conditions.  Interlayer alignment errors remained extremely small even after repeated stacking, and structural warpage was significantly suppressed. “We achieved an integration density approximately four times higher than existing HBM technologies,” said Seok Kim, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at POSTECH, in a statement. “We expect this technology to become a key enabling technology for future high-performance AI semiconductors and next-generation memory systems.” [1] Analog CAM with MoS2 Researchers from the University of Hong Kong, Fudan University, and National University of Singapore designed an analog content-addressable memory (CAM) utilizing 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) flash memories with antimony as the contact electrode. The CAM requires only two transistors per cell, enabling it to directly process continuous analog signals. The fabricated 8 × 16 CAM array with 256 MoS2 flash memory devices demonstrated a high read-out current of over 60 μA μm−1 and an ON/OFF ratio exceeding 109, with energy consumption of under 0.1 femtojoules per search per cell and a latency of 36 picoseconds. It was able to calculate the analog Hamming distance for machine learning classification approximately 108 times faster than a standard CPU. “From an application perspective, search operations are incredibly valuable,” explained Professor Li. “The ‘attention mechanism’ that serves as the foundation for Large Language Models (LLMs) is essentially a search process—retrieving information from a compressed knowledge base. We are exploring how to use this high-performance hardware to implement search mechanisms for large AI models,” said Can Li, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering at HKU, in a press release. “Tasks like smartphone facial recognition could be completed instantly on the device without uploading private data to the cloud. While large-scale commercialization still requires overcoming engineering challenges in packaging, this research has successfully proven the principle, providing a clear blueprint for next-generation, high-performance AI hardware.” [2] Sensor-level processing and memory Researchers from Oregon State University built an optoelectronic device that integrates light sensing, memory, and signal processing in a single phototransistor. The device is constructed from an oxide semiconductor, which serves as the transistor channel that carries electrical current, while an organic photosensitive material on top absorbs light and generates electrical charges. When charges become trapped within the photosensitive layer, they continue to influence the current flowing through the oxide semiconductor even after the light is removed, allowing the device to retain a memory of past optical signals. “Our optoelectronic device introduces a new hardware capability that may enable more efficient processing of information directly at the sensor level,” said Larry Cheng, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at OSU, in a press release. “Unlike conventional memory that is designed to preserve information, our device can electronically control how memories strengthen or decay.” The position of the trapped charges relative to the transistor channel can be changed by applying an electrical gate voltage. Moving the charges closer to the transistor channel strengthens their electrical influence and prolongs the memory effect, while moving them farther away weakens it and speeds the loss of stored charges, causing the memory to fade. “This light-sensitive memory with a programmable memory lifetime creates a tunable time window for processing visual and other sensor signals directly where they are detected, a capability that could enable more efficient vision systems and other sensor-based AI technologies,” Cheng added. [3] References [1] U. Kim, J. Kim, S. Jeong, et al. Transfer printing and in-situ bonding for ultra-high-density integration. Results in Engineering. Volume 3, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2026.111194 [2] G. Gao, B. Wen, N. Yang, et al. Sb-contacted MoS2 flash memory for analogue in-memory searches. Nat. Nanotechnol. 21, 198–206 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-025-02089-7 [3] A. Ullah, R. Lamug, T. Sarker, et al. Neuromodulator-Inspired Gate-Tunable Tetracene–Metal Oxide Phototransistor for Adaptive Optoelectronic Memory and Neuromorphic Computing. Advanced Functional Materials 36, no. 56 (2026): e75942. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.75942 The post Research Bits: Aug. 10 appeared first on Semiconductor Engineering.

Oil started the week with gains due to the lack of certainty about the future of the Strait of Hormuz, whose navigation remains restricted amid the conflict between Iran and the United States. In Monday's Asian session, Brent crude rose 0.6% to $84.04 per barrel, while WTI (West Texas Intermediate) advanced 0.5% to $78.56. The movement in prices coincided with Tehran's confirmation that talks with Oman to define new conditions and navigation routes in the strait are in their final stage. However, Iran maintains that the reopening of the maritime route also depends on other demands directed at the United States. Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, stated that negotiations with Oman regarding transit and the management of the maritime passage "are approaching their final stage." The decision does not specify a date for the reopening of Hormuz, a strategic route for the international transportation of oil and gas. Tehran demands an end to hostilities against its territory and allies, the lifting of economic sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and compensation for damages caused during the war. These conditions are part of Iran's position to move toward reopening the strait. Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Sunday that the passage will remain blocked…

President Donald Trump signaled he’s prepared to let economic pressure on Iran build rather than launch fresh military strikes, saying the US was only “semi-negotiating” with Tehran on the Strait of Hormuz.

Even as it weakens, Typhoon Dolphin is disrupting life in China. Close to 1,500 flights have been canceled in Shanghai while parts of Beijing are under flood alert.

The storm, which made landfall on Sunday evening, is the strongest to hit China this year and also caused flooding in parts of the Philippines.

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will begin a major ...

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- The fear gauge of South Korea's stock market has drop...

Chinese researchers have found a safe way to shrink advanced tumours from an aggressive form of liver cancer, an advance that could see microbubbles used to enhance current treatments. The tiny gas-filled bubbles, typically a few micrometres in diameter, were originally designed as contrast agents in ultrasound imaging, but scientists have recently been exploring their therapeutic potential. According to a paper published by the peer-reviewed Scientific Reports on July 19, the study compared...

JINCHEON, South Korea, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- Riding a wave of recent success, the ...

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- Christopher Nolan's epic "The Odyssey" debuted atop t...

Google’s use of search crawler for AI is drawing scrutiny as automated traffic surpasses human activity and publishers seek greater control over their content.

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- Director Hur Jin-ho, who helmed "The Assassin(s)," sa...

Progressive left candidates' recent victories in primaries have stoked fears of divisions ahead of the upcoming November mid-terms among the Democratic Party.

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will begin a major ...

Mohammad Akhtar, 50, from Peterborough killed during clashes between authorities and protesters A British national was shot dead in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during clashes between security forces and protesters, the Guardian can reveal. Another Briton has been held in a regional prison for more than two months despite his family’s efforts to secure his release through the Foreign Office. Continue reading...

Big companies describe being under constant threat but only half have a plan in place to respond to an attack Nearly a third of British manufacturers have been hit by a cyber-attack on them or a company in their supply chain, according to a survey that highlighted the growing hacking risk to companies. The findings come almost a year after Britain’s largest automotive employer, JLR, was hit by an attack that forced it to halt production for weeks. Continue reading...

Syria said on Sunday that it reached a deal with Moscow on the fate of Russia's two bases in the country, which it once used to provide military support to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war.

The war has intensified Iran’s economic crisis, squeezing household budgets, hurting businesses and raising fears that millions of middle-income families are slipping closer to poverty.

The haze is back in Malaysia – with at least two states registering unhealthy air readings on Monday as raging forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia send clouds of smoke northwards. Transboundary haze is a long-standing problem in Southeast Asia, particularly affecting Malaysia and Singapore due to their proximity to Indonesia, where vast tracts of forests and agricultural land become fire hotspots during the dry season. A wildfire scorched 550 hectares (1,360 acres) of land in the Bromo...

Record summer temperatures are exposing the strain on overcrowded prisons across France, Italy and Belgium, where ageing buildings and poor ventilation are making extreme heat increasingly difficult to manage.

Shanghai airports cancelled nearly 40 per cent of all flights on Monday as heavy rain continued after Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in eastern China on Sunday evening and continued to move north. According to a notice from the Shanghai government on Monday morning, there were 642 cancellations at Pudong airport and 301 at Hongqiao. Passengers were urged to check their airlines for updates. Some trains began to recover on Monday morning, including services to Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang...

Taiwan's army simulated on Monday the rejection of an air attack by the Chinese regime on the Penghu Islands, a strategically important enclave in the Taiwan Strait, as part of the Han Kuang military exercise, while the government prepares for the same day a test that will limit mobile internet speed for the first time during the annual civil defense drills. The Han Kuang exercise lasts ten days and began last week with different scenarios in the event of a military action by China against Taiwan. Beijing considers the island, democratically governed, part of its territory and maintains the possibility of resorting to force to achieve control. In the hours before dawn, troops from the First Theater Command opened fire on a Penghu beach with M60A3 tanks, artillery pieces, and anti-aircraft guns. The deployed forces formed a "multi-layer" defense against a simulated enemy attempting a quick landing on the coast. Penghu is located in the Taiwan Strait and is closer to the main island than to China. Taiwanese strategists believe that the islands could be a primary target for Beijing in a potential conflict, with the possibility that China might try to use them as a base for missile and drone attacks against Taiwan. Penghu reservists also participated in the maneuvers as part…

British Defense Minister Wes Streeting called on allies to increase the supply of air defense missiles to Ukraine ahead of winter.

Typhoon Dolphin weakens but disrupts travel in east China

Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre” triggered nationwide outage—and a firewall which is now gone.

Officials told platforms to verify children’s ages using government-issued documents, like identity cards. But the companies have balked, apparently over privacy concerns.

A new system needs to replicate the universal appeal of the NHS without requiring commensurate public-sector spending

Moscow turns to raids, pressure and deception to enlist soldiers to fight against Ukraine

The failure of two tires on a commercial aircraft forced the activation of emergency protocols and temporarily halted operations at Mundo Maya International Airport, in the department of Petén, Guatemala. According to the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC), the incident occurred during the takeoff phase on the morning of August 9, which triggered the immediate mobilization of rescue teams and airport personnel. Preventive maneuver and immediate response The aircraft crew interrupted the takeoff maneuver after detecting a loss of pressure and damage to the tires. According to the initial report from DGAC, operational safety protocols were activated and the main runway was temporarily closed to prevent any additional risk. Passengers and crew were evacuated to the waiting area without complications, while authorities coordinated the entry of support vehicles and buses to ensure the well-being of all occupants. “The aircraft was immediately stopped on the runway, blocking its use and prompting the preventive closure of the airport until further technical verification,” DGAC stated in an official statement. For several hours, maintenance and security teams conducted technical inspections, waste cleanup, and structural verification of the asphalt surface. Reopening and normalization of activities…

Drought is gripping large parts of Europe, with soils unusually dry and major rivers running low. A strengthening El Nino could push global temperatures even higher later this year.

A fire in Indonesia’s ⁠Mount Bromo National Park ⁠in East Java ⁠that burnt 550 hectares (1,360 acres) has been extinguished, according to an official on Monday, but there are new hotspots near the caldera. Gatot Soebroto, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, said authorities had found new fires in ⁠areas around the caldera covering some 20 hectares. Mount Bromo is ‌an active volcano, and is a popular tourist destination and best known for its “sand sea” ‌caldera. The national park...

A man wielding a knife has been arrested in Hong Kong after allegedly injuring two people at a housing estate in Pok Fu Lam. The force received multiple reports at around 9.20am on Monday that a man in his 20s was attacking residents at Baguio Villa, located at 550 Victoria Road. A domestic helper was injured in the back while a doorman was grazed on the elbow. The helper was sent to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam for treatment. It was unclear whether the injuries were caused by the knife. An...

With its first scheduled international route launching this month, the maiden flight of a high-altitude variant newly completed and a thumbs-up from European test pilots, China’s flagship C919 airliner is hitting new heights. China’s dream of a home-grown civil aviation fleet to rival Boeing and Airbus is coming closer with a national push to speed up certification of a domestically designed jet engine and smooth the development of a widebody C929 airliner, and combined orders of more than 1,200...

MIRROR, ALBERTA — Nestled within a sleepy community campground and roadside cafe, hundreds of Canadians are gathered to imagine a new country of their own. It’s July 1, and they’re hosting a family-friendly event that looks like a typical Canada Day celebration. Live music, a farmers’ market, hamburgers on the grill. Except there isn’t a Maple Leaf in sight. Instead, people have wrapped themselves in Alberta’s flag, wave “we’re done” banners and wear “Trump 2024” and MAGA — Make Alberta Great Again — ball caps. This is an “Albertans’ Day” gathering at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which gained notoriety for bucking pandemic-era rules and which former Alberta premier Jason Kenney calls “ground zero” for the province’s fast-growing separatist movement. Instead, people have wrapped themselves in Alberta’s flag, wave “we’re done” banners and wear “Trump 2024” and MAGA — Make Alberta Great Again — ball caps. This is an “Albertans’ Day” gathering at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which gained notoriety for bucking pandemic-era rules and which former Alberta premier Jason Kenney calls “ground zero” for the province’s fast-growing separatist movement. And until Alberta separates, Moore places her faith not in Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — whom she views as part of a Davos “cabal” — but in U. S. President Donald Trump. “I kept thinking this: Trump is the only one that can save us.” Moore’s affinity for conspiracy theories is shared by many, though certainly not all, of the separatists. Resentment toward the federal government in Ottawa is longstanding in Alberta. But a surprising new ingredient has turbocharged the separatist push: Trump and the increasingly toxic U. S.-Canada relationship. The separatists are furious about Carney’s friction with Trump and the fraying ties to their southern neighbor. Some even hope the Trump administration might help their cause. Many separatists believe Trump’s presidency makes Alberta’s independence possible, with the United States a ready customer for its oil and gas should they split from Canada. One group, the Alberta Prosperity Project, is trying to seek a C$500-billion U. S. government loan to fund the province’s “seamless departure” from Canada. “This isn’t your grandfather’s independence movement,” says Jeffrey Rath, a co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project and a longtime separatist activist who has sought to court the Trump administration. Many separatists see a cultural kinship with the United States. They proudly share fake newspaper clippings that highlight the province’s history of early American settlers allegedly helping to shape a self-reliant, frontier culture that remains in Alberta today. They argue the Eastern provinces are more associated with European traditions than American ones. While some object to Trump’s idea of making Canada the 51st American state, others embrace the idea. “I like freedom and less taxes,” says Casey Phillips from Edmonton, Alberta. Carney and his government are now working hard to convince skeptical Albertans their best prospects lie with a united Canada. He and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who called the Oct. 19 vote, are touting a new pipeline agreement to send western oil abroad. The effort may work with some swing voters, but the hard-core separatists aren’t likely to buy it. “It will never happen because Canada’s a communist country and there will be 24 years of paperwork,” Phillips says of the pipeline project. “It’s all lies.” The separatists have good reason to think the Trump administration could be an ally. In January, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Alberta a “natural partner for the U. S.” while referencing the province’s “great resources.” “People are talking,” Bessent told conservative podcaster Jack Posobiec, nodding to the separatist movement. “People want sovereignty. They want what the U. S. has got.” Rath says he has requested introductions to the U. S. Treasury Department and major financial institutions like JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs to build a day one feasibility plan for Albertan independence, though it’s unclear if he has had any such conversations. The Alberta Prosperity Project, however, has taken three trips to Washington, D. C., and Rath insists the group has met with “very senior level” officials, who he says have taken their information directly to the White House. A State Department spokesperson said the department “regularly meets with a wide range of representatives. We do not anticipate any future meetings, and all department engagements are at our sole discretion.” “As Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra has said, the vote is a decision for the people of Alberta,” the spokesperson added. Bessent made his comments amid heightened U. S.-Canada tensions; days earlier Carney had argued at Davos that middle powers needed to form new coalitions after the Trump-fueled “rupture” in the global order. That episode inflamed the pro-America separatists, as did Carney’s subsequent use of the phrase “new world order” during a January trip to China to sign new energy and trade agreements. That phrase is catnip to those who fear the creation of a global government, and more conspiracy theories quickly seeped into Alberta’s separatist movement through Facebook groups and YouTube videos claiming Carney is steering the country toward communism and against the U. S. But it’s also true that Alberta’s grievances with Ottawa began long before Carney jostled with Trump. They have been passed down for generations, rooted in a belief that the federal government has ignored, exploited or misunderstood the province since its founding. Today, that resentment has become deeply personal. Separatists point to what they see as federal overreach and clean energy policies that have made life more expensive and undermined their economy. Federalists, meanwhile, are alarmed that neighbors, friends, family, and sometimes even spouses, are “willing to betray their country,” in Kenney’s words. Former Conservative MP Damien Kurek cautions against dismissing separatists as traitors. Instead, he argues, politicians should ask why so many Albertans feel abandoned by the federation. For Kurek, one of the defining moments of Albertan anger came in 2021, when U. S. President Joe Biden cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office by revoking its cross-border permit. The ripple effects spread throughout Kurek’s riding. He says mechanics had fewer oilfield trucks to repair and restaurants served fewer meals, while roadside motels sat empty and young families put off buying homes. But what many Albertans remember most isn’t Biden’s decision. It’s the belief that Ottawa, under then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, failed to fight it. “I was very frustrated with the Liberals, including many Liberals that told me that I just needed to accept it, that are still on the Liberal Cabinet benches today,” says Kurek, whose riding included Hardisty, Canada’s largest oil pipeline hub. That moment reinforced a deeper belief among many of his constituents, he says: If our national leader won’t stand up for us when we need him most, the very “promise of Canada” was in question. Many in rural Alberta feel like their communities live or die by decisions made thousands of miles away in Ottawa. But this was just another chapter in a much longer story. Kenney, the former Alberta premier, traces Western alienation back to the province’s creation in 1905. He says Ottawa initially treated Alberta more like a colony than an equal partner, including delaying provincial control over its natural resources. The modern separatist movement then took shape in the 1980s after former Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau introduced the National Energy Program, which raised taxes on oil companies and oil exports and shifted more of the industry’s profits from Alberta to Ottawa. The unpopular program was dismantled five years later, but Albertans didn’t forget. When Trudeau’s son, Justin, became prime minister in 2015, his government introduced environmental policies that Alberta’s oil industry argued made it more difficult and expensive to build pipelines, expand production and attract investment. Albertans’ sense of alienation also extends beyond energy policy. Many feel their votes carry less weight than those cast in vote-rich Ontario and Quebec, since that’s where federal elections are often decided. After repeatedly electing Conservative MPs only to see Liberal governments take power in Ottawa, some have concluded federal elections have little effect on Alberta’s fortunes. That frustration is compounded by Canada’s equalization program, enshrined in the Constitution, which redistributes federal tax revenue to help less wealthy provinces fund public services. Because Alberta’s oil-rich economy is one of the country’s wealthiest, it has never qualified for those payments. At the same time, Ottawa collects more in federal taxes from Albertans than it spends in the province, which reinforces a decades-old belief that Alberta bankrolls the rest of the country while getting too little in return. “It’s very scary to see what they’re trying to take from us, what they’re trying to control,” says Trina, a Red Deer resident who volunteers with a separatist group and who did not give her last name. “It leaves us with a lot of uncertainty. Nothing feels secure.” Carney is aware of the challenge ahead. Even as he has warned Alberta against stumbling into its own Brexit disaster, he has sought to address the province’s most tangible concerns. Last November, Carney signed an agreement with Alberta to work toward a new oil pipeline and soon after, delivered a sobering wake-up call to his Liberal caucus behind closed doors. To the surprise of MPs in the room, Carney opened his remarks by addressing the specter of Alberta separatism, framing the pipeline deal not just as an economic win, but as a strategic necessity to keep the country together. “He was emotional,” a Liberal MP, who was granted anonymity to discuss internal party matters, told POLITICO at the time. “You could hear a pin drop.” It was a clear sign from the prime minister that the separatist movement was shaping his thinking — and federal policy. “This was a no-BS kind of thing,” the Liberal lawmaker said. “This was coming from someone who grew up in that province, who understands that province, and who was very worried about the feelings of alienation.” The speech also marked Carney’s first step in persuading Liberal supporters — many of whom had embraced Justin Trudeau’s aggressive climate agenda — that pipelines, increased oil production and energy exports were essential to Canada’s economic and geopolitical future. Carney has made a similar pitch to the broader public. “In Canada, we are strongest when we are united — when we look out for each other and ensure that no child, no family, no one is left behind,” Carney said in a speech to Canadians and his Cabinet in January. “This spirit of solidarity and generosity helps define us as a nation.” Nine months later, Carney has backed up that message with action. Since taking office, he has rolled back several Trudeau-era environmental policies despite pushback from some Liberal MPs, including former environment minister Steven Guilbeault, who is leaving politics after accusing his party of “backsliding” on climate action. Last month, the West Coast oil pipeline got closer to fruition, after Carney’s government announced its partnership with Alberta would amount to a C$35 billion project in a bid to boost the province’s energy sector. The policy shift is part of Ottawa’s effort to encourage federalists to send a strong m…

The family of Ihab Diab disputes Israeli claims of health issues, alleging torture was behind his prison death.

The US and Iran appear to be adjusting their respective positions as uncertainty continues to surround the future of their confrontation, with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remaining a key sticking point in negotiations. Iran approves strategic plan for Strait of Hormuz security The Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee onSunday approved the general framework of a strategic action plan aimed at ensuring the security and development of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media. Hassan Kashkavi, spokesperson for the committee, confirmed that the oral and written views of relevant institutions and agencies had been discussed and reviewed at a meeting, which was attended by representatives of the relevant bodies. The general framework of the plan was unanimously approved, Kashkavi said. Iran reshuffles key national security posts Iran also announced a series of personnel changes on Sunday involving key positions in its national security decision-making structure. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as his political advisor. Mohsen Rezaei was appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, replacing Zolghadr, and was also named the supreme leader's representative to the council. The appointments came as Iran continues to face mounting economic and security pressure amid its confrontation with the United States. Trump: 'We are low-keying it' US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration is watching economic pressure mount on Iran, according to an interview with Axios. "We are low-keying it," Trump was ‌quoted as saying during a brief phone call. "We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money." Trump also likened the current US-Iran situation to "a game of chess" and said that "it always works out in the end." Strait of Hormuz remains key bargaining chip Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that talks with Oman on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz were "close" to reaching an agreement, with the two sides working to determine a temporary route. However, Araghchi stressed that this did not mean the strait would be reopened, saying its reopening would depend on other conditions. Iran has also laid out conditions for reopening the waterway, including a permanent halt to US military operations against Iran and its regional allies, the lifting of the US naval blockade and all sanctions against Iran, the return of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for losses. Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed if the United States does not change its actions. Regional experts said the talks between Iran and Oman are mainly focused on technical arrangements for navigation, while the actual reopening of the strait will ultimately depend on the broader US-Iran confrontation. Analysts noted that Iran is seeking to turn the control capabilities it developed over the strait during the conflict into a longer-term arrangement for managing the strategically important waterway. The United States, however, is unlikely to accept Iran's demands, as fully accepting Tehran's terms would amount to a "surrender" to Iran, analysts said. Meanwhile, continued attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz have added further uncertainty to diplomatic efforts. The US has yet to respond to Iran's demands. Analysts believe Washington is unlikely to make major concessions in the short term, meaning the two sides will continue to bargain over their respective demands. A renewed military confrontation cannot be ruled out, they said.

Malaysia's government says Anwar, 79, is undergoing medical examinations and a procedure advised by his specialists.

The US signed a presidential proclamation on August 6 (ET) imposing a 15% tariff on polysilicon and related products from all countries, with the new measures set to take effect on December 4, 2026. Taiwan's Executive Yuan said the decision was expected to have limited impact on the island's solar sector and highlighted exemptions available to semiconductor-related firms with US investments.

The Seoul High Court has upheld an 18-month prison sentence for a former SK Hynix employee who leaked trade secrets tied to CMOS image sensor (CIS) technology to Chinese companies while seeking new employment, including with Huawei chip unit HiSilicon.

WARSAW — A bad-tempered split in Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party is being greeted with joy by the centrist, pro-EU government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, but it’s unclear whether it will improve his odds of retaining power in next year’s election. Renata Mieńkowska-Norkiene, a political scientist at the University of Warsaw, called Tusk’s chances in the 2027 race “far from certain.” Tusk’s Civic Coalition is far ahead in POLITICO’s Poll of Polls — with 32 percent support, compared with PiS’s 21 percent — but that does not offer a full picture of the electoral dynamics. All of the parties on the right together could still command a majority — but only if they’re able to cobble together a coalition after next year’s vote. Three of Tusk’s four junior coalition partners may fail to clear the 5 percent threshold needed to enter parliament. However, the departure of former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki from PiS complicates the balance of balance of power on the right. PiS, which ruled from 2015 to 2023, formally ruptured last month, when Morawiecki stormed out, taking 40 MPs with him to form the new Development Plus party, leaving PiS with 147 deputies. The split between him and party founder and leader Jarosław Kaczyński quickly became acrimonious. Morawiecki criticized his own government’s decisions on Covid-19 restrictions and its push to tighten Poland’s abortion law, which outraged many women and saw PiS take a long-term hit in public support. “Although I oppose abortion, I believed the change would lead to catastrophe — a polling collapse. Unfortunately, I was right,” Morawiecki said on the popular YouTube show Rymanowski Live this week. He is now trying to set up a more moderate center-right party focused on economic growth which is less partisan than PiS. “Today, Poland does not need to get bogged down in ideological disputes,” he said in Monday’s interview. However, he has ruled out ever working with Tusk in the future. Kaczyński responded by appearing to question both Morawiecki’s loyalty and his state of mind. “Mateusz Morawiecki’s latest statements show clearly that his enemy is not Tusk, but me and Law and Justice. I have the impression that the prime minister is in some peculiar state. God willing, I am wrong,” Kaczyński said in a post on X. He twisted the knife in another post on Friday, denouncing “attacks based on lies, manipulation, and insinuations,” made by “people who, until recently, pretended they wanted to be part of PiS but decided to break away.” Mateusz Morawiecki is pictured in Brussels in March 2023. | Pool photo by Olivier Matthys via AFP/Getty Images Tusk is watching the fallout with joy. “I watch what is happening with a smile,” Tusk said at a press conference last week when asked about the turmoil within the largest opposition party. Unclear political picture Although PiS and Civic Coalition have been alternating in power for more than two decades, Poland’s current political makeup is a lot more complicated. Two new parties are battling for votes on the far-right — the libertarian Confederation, with 14 percent support, and the antisemitic extremist Confederation of the Polish Crown, at 11 percent. The two far-right parties are fighting each other, and also taking aim at PiS. “I feel the next prime minister should not be from PiS,” Krzysztof Bosak, one of the leaders of Confederation, said in a radio interview this week. Wojciech Machulski, a party spokesperson, denounced Morawiecki as a “puppet” with a terrible governing record but also noted: “Kaczyński is no longer the leader of the right; he no longer dominates the right.” Political analysts warned that Tusk should not assume the split will benefit his coalition. The Kaczyński and Morawiecki parties could appeal to a broader range of voters by campaigning separately, while Tusk’s prospects depend heavily on the survival of the weakest members of his coalition, said Mieńkowska-Norkiene. “What is more, Morawiecki could attract more conservative voters from those parties,” she added. Morawiecki is already campaigning in an effort to reach beyond PiS’s traditional right-wing electorate — this week laying out a new strategy to combat Poland’s low birth rate. “A right-wing party without a clear identity-based agenda will not be a right-wing party. But a right-wing party without a development agenda and without the ability to implement change will never come to power,” he said in his party manifesto. Anna Siewierska-Chmaj, a political scientist at the University of Rzeszów, said Tusk’s governing coalition should not rely on its enemies devouring themselves and should instead use the summer break to overhaul its political messaging. Many voters are fed up with the government’s lackluster results — although part of that stems from PiS-aligned President Karol Nawrocki blocking a lot of legislation. “The old polarization strategy of ‘us versus PiS’ will no longer suffice,” she said.

PISA, Italy — Giorgia Meloni doesn’t want to be beaten at her own game. With an election approaching next year and a new far-right rival emerging, the Italian prime minister — whose political origins lie in Italy’s post-fascist right — is putting aside the moderate image she has built over her four years in office and hardening her tone on migration and security. Meloni’s government was the first in the EU to attack the Spanish government over a sudden influx of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta last week. While France and other countries tightened border checks, Italy went further and announced it had suspended the EU’s free-movement Schengen agreement with Madrid. Now, in Italian airports, passengers from Spain are asked to join a different line. Meloni’s office has made clear it has no intention of lifting the controls until at least Aug. 15, escalating the clash with Spain, which retaliated by imposing checks on travelers from Italy. “We will not back down one millimeter on illegal immigration,” Meloni posted on X while her allies attacked the socialist Spanish government, accusing it of failing to manage migration flows. “Defending our borders, stopping human traffickers, and ensuring effective repatriation will continue to be this government’s policy,” she added. The clash with Spain is just the latest sign that the Italian leader is doing all she can to secure her core, hard-right electorate in the face of a challenge from the right by Roberto Vannacci, a former general and member of the European Parliament. With an election expected as early as next spring, Vannacci’s far-right National Future party has been advancing in the polls, overtaking one of Meloni’s coalition partners, the far-right League party, and gaining on another, Forza Italia, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls. For Meloni, who began her political career in the youth wing of Italy’s post-fascist movement, the challenge strikes particularly close to home. “There is no doubt that there is concern about containing the competition from National Future,” said Marco Tarchi, a leading right-wing political scientist. “It all boils down to a sharpening of tone. The issues — security, immigration, identity — remain the same as before.” During the electoral campaign that brought her to power in 2022, Meloni promised to crack down on illegal migration by putting in place a naval blockade off Italy’s coast. Though that project never ultimately happened, Meloni’s government did open detention hubs in Albania to house migrants while their asylum applications are processed. Vannacci, who is campaigning on security and a hard line on immigration, is calling for a more radical solution: “remigration” — a yet-to-be-detailed plan to encourage migrants to return to their countries of origin. The crisis in Ceuta, during which tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish exclave and nearly 100 died, provided Meloni with an opportunity to show that fighting irregular migration remains an absolute priority for her government. Roberto Vannacci sings the national anthem during a rally in Genoa, Italy on July 11, 2026. | Emanuela Zampa/Getty Images Meloni’s reaction was “purely the result of domestic political calculations,” said Giorgio Gori, a member of the European Parliament from the left-wing Democratic Party. The Italian prime minister is trying to secure her electorate “by showing that she is loyal to the right-wing slogan and propaganda on migration and beyond.” For Giovanni Orsina, director of the political science department at Rome’s Luiss Guido Carli University, Meloni’s priority at this stage is “that the Brothers of Italy [Meloni’s party] doesn’t start losing votes too” — in preparation for a potential alliance with Vannacci before or after next year’s election. “Vannacci has been growing a lot in polls, especially over the past two months,” said Lorenzo Pregliasco from the YouTrend polling firm, noting that National Future is polling at over 7 percent. “Without Vannacci, the center-right could lose the upcoming election,” he said. “These seven points matter a lot.” The Vannacci effect Nicola Procaccini, Meloni’s lieutenant and co-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, denies that Meloni is shifting on policy to protect herself from Vannacci. “She stands where she has always stood,” he told POLITICO. “She simply isn’t the racist, xenophobic fascist she was made out to be when she first took office. And she isn’t one now, either.” Meloni is also facing a challenge to her support for Ukraine, with both the League and Vannacci advocating a softer line on Moscow, opposing military aid to Kyiv and arguing against an increase in defense spending. Though Meloni has portrayed herself as a strong backer of Ukraine, her reliance on the League for support has meant Italy has contributed just €3 billion in four years, roughly the equivalent of €1 a month for every Italian citizen, less than the cost of an espresso. Italy has also declined to join NATO’s PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List), an arms-buying scheme set up last summer after U. S. President Donald Trump ended new military aid commitments to Kyiv. Ukraine is where Meloni’s real difference with Vannacci lies, argued Tarchi, who teaches at the University of Florence and is considered the key figure of a movement called the New Right. “Otherwise, the gap is artificially exaggerated in rhetoric and posturing for tactical reasons,” he said. Meloni’s allies haven’t ruled out an alliance with Vannacci but they stress that the possibility will depend on where he stands on key values such as foreign policy. If he seeks “to position Italy, alongside Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, clearly, it is not possible to stand together,” said Procaccini. “If, instead, he chooses the West — the democracies, Western nations, Western liberal democracies — then we can certainly stand together.”