EU Chief Wants Canada to Become Bloc's First Associate Member

Ursula von der Leyen proposed making Canada the EU’s first associate member as Brussels and Ottawa seek deeper economic and security links amid growing tensions with Donald Trump.

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EU's von der Leyen blasts Serbia:

I was horrified by the images of Ratko Mladić's funeral in Belgrade last week. He has committed crimes against humanity.

The glorification of war criminals simply has no place in the European Union.

The U.S. has raised its travel advisory for Saudi Arabia to Level 3, urging citizens to “reconsider travel” due to escalating conflict with Yemen.

EU's von der Leyen:

We should be under no illusions about what is happening here.

Hybrid threats facing Europe are less and less hybrid and less and less threats.

Cyber attacks, sabotage, arson, drone incursions — they are ramping up every day.

So as the threat level climbs, so must Europe's preparedness.

And this is why I will propose, together with the High Representative/Vice-President, a new European Security Strategy.

EU's von der Leyen:

Our doctrine, our institutions, and our decision-making have not kept pace with the new reality.

Our systems are made for a different world. Europe needs its own counter-hybrid playbook.

We urgently need a consensus on how to respond to certain incidents.

I believe it is time for Europe's own Article 4 and emergency security protocol.

Belarusian state media says Belarus and the U.S. have reached an interim agreement following negotiations with Trump envoy John Coale.

The U.S. will lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies in exchange for the release of 25 people.

Coale said the two sides had made significant progress in their talks.

EU's von der Leyen:

Tomorrow, the Commission is proposing the Kids Act. We will take a gradual and differentiated approach.

No social media under the age of 13, no personal account under the age of 15.

From 13 to under 15, only accounts set up and supervised by parents or guardians, with limited features and a time restriction of one hour a day.

And between 15 and 18, safe design will be an obligation for the platforms.

EU's von der Leyen:

I am aware that many perceive the power of Big Tech as overwhelming and impossible to roll back. I disagree.

We do not have to accept addictive features. We do not have to accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content.

We do not have to accept that girls have their photos used for AI-generated sexualized images.

And as we do not accept this, we are reversing the burden of proof. Now platforms will have to prove to us that they are safe.

Saudi Oil Crisis Deepens As Key Pipeline Faces Six-Week Closure

Saudi Arabia is headed for an energy and security crisis as its critical East-West oil pipeline will be shut for six weeks amid intensifying Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:

We do not want Greece to become a pawn of those who seek to destabilize the region and drag it into chaos. We want to maintain good neighborly relations.

There should be no misunderstandings, especially regarding security issues.

We have a very serious sensitivity concerning the militarization of our islands. They know this, and we have conveyed it to them.

Source: Yeni Şafak

NEW: An Indian Navy warship and Pakistani vessel PNS Hunain collided in the North Arabian Sea (~220 km east of Oman) on Sept 15.

India summoned Pakistan's diplomat and protested, saying the Pakistani ship approached at high speed in an "unprofessional and unsafe manner," violating their 1991 agreement requiring 3 nautical mile separation.

India says no major damage to their ship.

Indian sources claim PNS Hunain was seen heading to port with damage, but that's unconfirmed.

Pakistan hasn't officially commented.

Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif says he condemns the drone attack attempt near Mecca as "dastardly and heinous," praised Saudi forces for intercepting it, and reaffirmed Pakistan stands "shoulder to shoulder" with Saudi Arabia in defending the holy sites.

Notably he didn't name the Houthis and called on all parties to exercise restraint, emphasizing dialogue and diplomacy.

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi has been sentenced to 25 years by The Hague war crimes court for murder, torture, cruel treatment, and arbitrary detention during the 1998-99 Kosovo war.

The court found KLA members killed at least 96 people and detained/tortured 385+ — victims included political opponents and alleged collaborators of various ethnicities.

Three co-defendants including former parliament speaker Kadri Veseli were also convicted.

Crimes against humanity charges failed. The court couldn't establish a systematic attack on civilians.

Prosecutors had sought 45 years.

The court noted Kosovo's independence goal wasn't criminal, but the methods used to consolidate power were.

Thaçi has been detained in The Hague since 2020; appeals are expected.

The verdict is highly contentious in Kosovo where the defendants are seen as war heroes.

Iran's IRGC spokesman dismissed US media reports about rescuing a downed American pilot in Iran as "Hollywood-style storytelling."

He said the US has been fabricating victories since the war began, splicing footage from different locations to create fake narratives.

He also claimed images show wreckage of a downed US F-15 being collected in wheelbarrows, and said such propaganda "no longer works."

Germany is planning for a scenario where ~1,000 wounded NATO soldiers arrive daily if Russia attacks NATO territory (estimated possible by 2029).

With only 5 military hospitals, civilian hospitals would absorb overflow — needing ~15,000 of Germany's 440,000 beds.

A Cold War nuclear bunker under a hospital in Ulm (holds 2,000 people for 90 days) is being evaluated for reactivation.

Key problem isn't beds but people: only a few hundred German doctors have wartime injury experience.

The Bundeswehr ran its largest medical drill in decades in March 2026, and a Health Security Act is coming this fall to create real-time tracking of beds, meds, and staff.

Officials are blunt that the system isn't ready yet.

Source: Bloomberg

Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett:

We will declare Qatar a terrorist state. We will kick Qatar out of Gaza and bring in Egypt instead.

Unlike Qatar, Egypt wants to dismantle Hamas because Hamas threatens Egypt’s existence.

NEW: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Iran's Araghchi in Beijing and called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened "at an early date," urging both the US and Iran to stay rational and return to the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad MoU from June.

China also warned against the conflict spilling into Yemen/Red Sea.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli:

I am very, very happy that people like Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene have been pushed to the margins, and Marjorie Taylor Greene is today outside.

And people like Tucker Carlson today are facing increasingly harsh criticism, both from the president and from the field.

A drone was spotted near Danish Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus’ home in Gladsaxe, prompting a major police operation, TV 2 reported.

The drone’s origin is unknown. Police sealed off the area, while military bomb disposal personnel were also deployed.

Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett:

We have no interest in settling Gaza or managing the lives of two million Arabs in Gaza. We are not interested in that.

We want Gaza 2.0 that is not controlled by a terrorist organization and does not serve as a base for terrorism.

Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett:

I’m removing Qatar and Türkiye from Gaza. Today Qatar and Türkiye are on the board that leads Gaza’s future — called the Board of Peace.

Now this is something crazy, because Türkiye and Qatar are members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is also Hamas.