Trump:

Iran Asserts Control Over Strait of Hormuz Ahead of Qatar Talks

Iran reaffirmed its intention to control maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions ahead of peace negotiations in Qatar.

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US Has No Intention of Leaving NATO, Turkish Defense Minister Says

The United States is not seeking to withdraw from NATO, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said ahead of a critical summit in Ankara.

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Poland signs ~$4.8 billion deal for three Saab A26 submarines.

Poland signed a contract with Sweden's Saab for three A26 (Blekinge-class) submarines under its Orka program, valued at about $4.8 billion.

The package includes weapons, training, and long-term support, with deliveries running through 2038.

To bridge the gap, Poland will lease Sweden's modernized HMS Södermanland from around 2027 until its new boats arrive.

The deal replaces Poland's critically weak submarine fleet — currently just the aging Soviet-era ORP Orzeł from 1985 — and strengthens NATO's eastern flank in the Baltic against Russia.

The A26 is a stealthy diesel-electric submarine with air-independent propulsion, built for the shallow, complex waters of the Baltic Sea.

Sweden won the long-running competition in late 2025, beating bids from France, Germany, Italy, and South Korea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry:

China and Europe are partners, not rivals. The root cause of the problems in China–EU trade relations is not China.

The nature of China–EU trade relations is mutual benefit, and the root cause of the problems faced by the EU does not lie in China.

Leading challenger to Benjamin Netanyahu, former IDF Chief Gadi Eisenkot:

Netanyahu will lose these elections.

The next prime minister of Israel will not be Benjamin Netanyahu.

It is not reasonable that he be appointed after he was there on October 7, after he has dragged Israel into two and a half years of war.

There are excellent military achievements in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Iran.

He does not succeed because of leadership — disregard for strategy, lack of ability and courage to make decisions to close this circle.

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon:

Accusations that we are intentionally killing civilians, that Israel intentionally targets doctors, aid workers, and journalists.

Time and again I have come here and said clearly: Israel does not target civilians.

Sudan: The battle for Kordofan is approaching.

Open-source intelligence is tracking a sharp surge in cargo flights to both sides of Sudan's civil war as the RSF prepares a major push on El Obeid, the besieged capital of North Kordofan.

27 Boeing 747 freighter arrivals were tracked this month to eastern Libya (Benghazi, Tobruk) and Chad (N'Djamena).

These routes are long associated with UAE-linked logistics into Hemedti's forces via Haftar's territory and the Chadian frontier.

Ford Rehires Human Engineers After AI Systems Fail Quality Checks

U.S. automaker Ford rehired more than 300 veteran quality inspectors after its AI systems failed to meet production standards.

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Türkiye Evaluates SAMP/T and Patriot Procurement Amid Air Defense Push

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler confirmed that Türkiye is evaluating all strategic options, including SAMP/T and Patriot systems, to strengthen its air defense capabilities.

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NATO's Rutte:

The world has changed since the Cold War ended. We've seen over the last five to ten years how Russia is rapidly building up its armed forces. We see China investing heavily in its military.

We see China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia working together. We have seen a terrible, unprovoked onslaught on Ukraine.

So, for all these reasons, we cannot be naive. We need to spend the money we need to spend.

Source: Sky News

China canceled about $50 million of Sudan’s debt by writing off four interest-free loans.

China also pledged 200 million yuan in grants for energy, water, and agriculture, training for Sudanese civil servants, support for restarting Chinese investment, including CNPC operations.

Ukraine claims Japanese-made electronic components are found in ~90% of Russia’s missiles and drones.

Internal Ukrainian documents identify 13 Japanese companies, including parts used in the Kh-101 cruise missile.

Ukraine says the components are civilian electronics that reach Russia via third countries, not through direct exports.

Kyiv is urging Japan to tighten export controls to stop diversion into Russian weapons.

The EU is giving Ukraine €3.9 billion for advanced drone procurement.

von der Leyen says more military support is coming.

NATO's Rutte on his calling Trump "daddy:"

What I said was, "Somebody sometimes has to be forceful." I meant "father."

I later realized that "daddy" has so many other connotations. When he came home, he made this video: "Daddy is home." He owned it.

And that's why I like him—because he has that humor. I loved how he took my mistake and owned it himself.

Source: Sky News

NATO's Rutte on the remarks of Trump about NATO:

The suggestions that the United States is somehow stepping away from NATO are simply not supported by what we've seen here.

These are isolated cases, and they do not change the fundamental commitment of the Alliance.

Source: Sky News

Paraguay knocked Germany out of the 2026 World Cup on penalties.

Before kickoff, German commentator Jonas Friedrich dismissed Paraguay as a “third-class team,” saying the match would feel like “a domestic cup game” rather than a World Cup knockout.

He argued Germany didn’t even need confidence and that Paraguay’s previous results “changed nothing” because Germany were on “a different level.”

Germany then failed to score, missed 3 penalties, and were knocked out.

Joshua Kimmich after Germany's loss to Paraguay:

A match like this should never even go to a penalty shootout.

DOJ Dropped Abbott Baby Formula Charges Despite Mountain of Evidence

DOJ officials opted against criminally charging Abbott Laboratories under Trump administration enforcement guidelines, despite the plant's infections leading to death of 2 infants.

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Keir Starmer unveiled a 10-year Defence Investment Plan, increasing defence spending by £15 billion to nearly £300 billion over the next four years, with a major focus on drones, AI, and military modernisation in response to growing threats from Russia.

Daniel Levy | Former Israeli Peace Negotiator | US/Middle East Project (USMEP):
 

There is a genuine rift between US & Israel. No two countries are ever fully aligned.
 
Dragging the US transparently into war set up today's frustration - the salty language now directed at Israel from Washington.
 
Everything about the second Trump administration is unprecedented - which is true of Trump generally.
 
But it's too early to say whether this challenges the fundamentals of an exceptional multi-layered relationship between US & Israel.
 
There are enough indications to suggest the rift could go deeper but it depends on what different actors do next.

FULL INTERVIEW