Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Woke broke women’s sports. Now everyone is pretending to be surprised

 

at 8/23/26 9:31am

From Olympic boxing to the WNBA, gender ideology is colliding with the basic realities of athletic competition Cristiano Ronaldo told an interviewer this past weekend that 2026-27 could be his last season. I half-expected him to add: “As a man.” But he’s unlikely to show up in the Irish Women’s Premier League, for now. Yet there’s a European flavor to the latest ‘thing’ to hit the American sports scene, where two men have ‘become women’ in order to prove a point. Slam Dunk for Woke The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has never had a more remarkable season than the current one. There was DiJonnai Carrington’s bad sportswomanship in posting “White Privilege” on her X account shortly after being ejected from a game for clotheslining Sophie Cunningham, and the ensuing racebaiting and stupidity that accompanied it. However, it was the latter woman who suffered the wrath of the wokerati when she said in a July ESPN article that she wants to protect little girls from having to compete against or undress in locker rooms next to “biological men.” Read more Women’s sport shouldn’t have to bend to the trans delusion The ‘cause’ was taken up by grifters of all persuasions, the provocateurs who genuinely whip up fear that there’s a flood of men identifying as women for the fun of it, and the just-as-demented mob who believe that what you identify as matters more than using a single brain cell. Cunningham, for her part, has been an ally of the LGBT community, and many players in the WNBA have backed her. However, the wokerati weren’t with her. Earlier this month, 6-foot-3 center Julie Tétart, who destroyed the 2nd tier of French pro basketball last season, stated that if an offer to play in the WNBA were to come in, it would be considered. The biological male, who averaged 21.2 points and 20.2 rebounds per game in 2025-26 has never played in the NCAA or any top European league. In fact, just a few years ago, ‘they’ were an average player in the 5th tier of French men’s basketball. After coming out as a transwoman in 2021, Tétart took off three years from the sport before returning to play for the Monaco Basket Association as a woman. The grifters on all sides took delight in pushing Julie’s willingness to play in the WNBA because their rules state that you simply have to be a ‘woman’ to be eligible. And that’s when “this sh1t just got real” to quote Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys 2, when two bad boys entered the scene. Farce imitating Farcical Fiction I can’t vouch for Bad Boys 2 as I didn’t see it, but I can tell you that 2002’s Juwanna Mann is way too close to the mark for anyone who loves the sport. In the fictional version of what is transpiring now: a down-on-his-luck male basketball player slaps on some lipstick and a wig to earn a place in the top women’s league. In today’s real world simulation, two former NBA players, Royce White (35) and Enes Kanter Freedom (34),have said they’re women, or identify as such for the purposes of playing basketball, and have declared for the WNBA draft in 2027. And it could only be these two, for now, who would do such a thing. Read more Will America ban trans athletes in Democratic states? Freedom is a Swiss-born Turkish player taken 3rd overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. The 6-foot-10 center played 11 years in the NBA, averaging 11.2 points per game. In 2016, he called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan the “Hitler of our century” and became the subject of arrest warrants from Ankara. He has slammed China, supports Israel, and after getting US citizenship, said that he plans to run for Congress in 2028. Minnesota-born White was the 16th overall pick in 2012 by the Houston Rockets but only played three NBA games, for the Sacramento Kings. With self-confessed anxiety issues, a fear of flying, and decades of issues with the law, the 6-foot-8 power forward has also slammed China, joined Black Lives Matter protests, and as a Republican Party member, tried to win the nomination to run for Congress in 2022, ran for Senate in 2024 and lost a primary race in 2026. Unlike Freedom, he has criticized Israel for its response to the October 7 terror attacks. ‘Some are more equal than others’ Both former NBA players claim to be doing it out of concern for women, forcing the WNBA to clarify what it means by ‘woman’. While White has previously criticized the “pervasive effect” of the LGBTQ community on society, in Freedom’s draft declaration, he said he is not mocking or disrespecting “any community or personal choices.” The last two words sent the wokerati into a meltdown. “He’s saying that being gay is a choice,” a caller to ESPN New York radio station fumed, before stating that she still supported “her” opportunity to play in the WNBA. I was surprised that the host didn’t pick up on Freedom being a “he” when describing being homosexual as a choice, but “her” with reference to being allowed to play in the WNBA. It’s that very clear dichotomy in this discussion that is most disturbing. Even before US President Joe Biden entered his final year in office, a majority of his fellow citizens were rejecting the notion that “biological men,” as Sophie Cunningham described them, should be allowed take part in women’s sports. This was the case even as illiberal media outlets like CNN, WaPo, and the New York Times were calling men who had actually undergone full sex-change operations transphobes for daring to protect girls and women in sports. Read more The dirtiest man in clean sport has made Russia his personal enemy It reached a peak at the Paris Olympics in 2024 when, to keep up the ‘Russia bad’ narrative, Western nations lined up to remove the International Boxing Association (IBA), the governing body of amateur boxing, from controlling that sport at the games and replacing it with a makeshift outfit called World Boxing (WB). As a result, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, banned in 2023 by the IBA for failing a gender test, punched to gold in the women’s category. Only for WB to, exactly a year later, threaten Khelif with a competition ban unless the boxer underwent a newly instated gender test. Khelif, in response, took WB to court to be allowed to compete without gender testing, failed and in March this year decided to return to professional boxing. The diminishing mob demanding that transwomen’s rights be respected in sports didn’t seem to have an issue with women potentially getting punched in the head by people who failed gender tests. At the time Khelif refused to undertake a new gender test last year as mandated by WB, on Capital Sports, I used the same phrase that I was told by a British sports coach in relation to doping, “Never take a test you’ll fail.” And that is what the WNBA is facing now, a test it will fail, no matter what. Time of reckoning for women’s sports Speaking with Capital Sports, transgender ex-elite athlete Kristen Worley labelled moves such as those by Freedom and Royce as “opportunistic” and that it would be “played upon by extremists.” The Canadian, the first athlete to go through the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Stockholm Consensus gender verification process, has long been an advocate for shining a light on the devastating effects that actual transitioning has on the body. Men posing as women just to compete is “simply wrong on all levels,” Worley stated. Kristen is right about extremists jumping on the mess, an entirely predictable mess that every sports body is about to face. On June 1, 2025, the English Football Association, complying with a UK Supreme Court ruling, banned transgender women from competing in official women’s football across England. It caught flak for a while, but the decision was based on defining the term ‘women’ as ‘biological women’ [those born as women] and not ‘assigned male at birth’. Quickly closing the loophole and being brave enough to face down the initial wave of wokerati outrage worked, English football, for men and women, continues to flourish. Read more Russian athletes are paying the price for dirty politics – again Former Capital Sports guest Jennifer Sey, who has been an outspoken critic of undefined gender policies in sports, called the situation with the WNBA “hilarious” and applauded the ex-NBA players, calling it “necessary” to highlight absurdity in policy flaws and that it will force the WNBA to “clarify biological female eligibility.” The ex-US champion gymnast was the driver for change in safeguarding the health and wellbeing of young gymnasts in the US and exposed the horrendous wrongdoings of her nation’s governing body after multiple sex abuse scandals. Slam Dunk or Flagrant Foul? The WNBA are currently in committee mode to try find an escape route. They are “feeling embattled,” one official reportedly told US sports personality Stephen A. Smith, who blamed the organization for leaving “the door open for it to happen.” In such a state, it might be difficult for the organization tasked with running the biggest female sports competition in the world to think rationally. On August 13, a week after Freedom and White declared for the WNBA draft, and Julie Tétart announced that an invite to the league would be welcomed, the WNBA task force made a public statement. Rightly, in many senses, they denounced “bad-faith efforts” to use the situation to “demean or marginalize others.” Anyone with a sense of decency would agree that there were grifters and troublemakers using a flawed policy for their own gains. But then, they basically did something impossible in basketball, they scored an ‘own basket’. “There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA,” they stated. I phoned a current WNBA player, who formerly played in Russia, for her take on the taskforce’s statement. “It’s making a mockery of our league, our game, us [as] players. Like, come on, I’m seriously gonna go up for rebounds with Enes Kantor? What next, MJ [Michael Jordan] becomes Michelle?” On a serious note, she pointed out safety concerns. “When someone gets hurt, those idiots saying diversity is our strength and guys are now girls, and stuff, will they pay medical bills, [because] they’re damn expensive, you know?” You would hope that the WNBA would take a stand, like the English FA, for common sense. But hope is lost in this current simulation, and the ruling by Golf Australia on August 21 could embolden the WNBA mandarins to fudge. Golf Australia, having in 2016 ruled that players who passed through puberty as males were not allowed to compete as females, suddenly threw the rule out the window. Now, trans women can play in female pro events if their testosterone levels are within certain limits and within medical guidelines. However, in non-elite amateur competition, you can enter based on gender identity. A former colleague, who works as a teaching professional at a golf course in Germany, messaged me today, saying simply “Bring back Crocodile Dundee!” I think even Paul Hogan would have his work cut out trying to make sense of the mess Down Under. As for trying to rescue the WNBA, it looks like Woke 2.0 is already underway.

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— Merz booed at first public event after three-week absence (VIDEO)

 

at 8/23/26 8:26am

The German chancellor, whose approval ratings have hit a record low, spoke to locals in North Rhine-Westphalia after the region suffered the biggest wildfires German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was booed on Saturday during a visit to North Rhine-Westphalia, which had been hit by devastating wildfires. The heckling comes as Merz’s approval rating has fallen to a historic low amid growing public dissatisfaction with his performance. The wildfire in Germany’s Eifel region was described as the largest in the region’s history and prompted the evacuation of around 2,000 people. Firefighting efforts, completed earlier this week, were complicated by the presence of possible unexploded World War II ordnance. Merz’s speech, in which he thanked emergency services for bringing the fires under control, was repeatedly interrupted by shouts and whistles from some of those gathered, while several farmers also honked their tractors’ horns. Bild reported later in the day that around 200 people attended the event, with some holding signs bearing slogans critical of Merz. The gathering marked the chancellor’s return to the public eye after a 23-day vacation; he last appeared in public on July 29, the tabloid noted. Mit Buhrufen und Pfiffen ist Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (CDU) am Samstag in Hürtgenwald-Gey empfangen worden. Merz reagierte gelassen: Er lasse sich von denen, die herumschreien, nicht beeindrucken. pic.twitter.com/XIo6Hzw5oT— WDR (@WDRaktuell) August 22, 2026 Approval ratings for Merz’s coalition, comprising the Christian Democratic CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party, have declined steadily since it took office in May 2025. The government has faced criticism over continued economic stagnation and its failure to deliver on pre-election promises. On Sunday, the German Press Agency (dpa) reported, citing the latest YouGov poll, that most Germans expect the chancellor to be replaced before the next scheduled election in 2029. READ MORE: Support for Germany’s ruling bloc falls to five-year low – poll Earlier this year, Welt reported that the chancellor’s approval had fallen to a record low amid growing dissatisfaction with his performance and what respondents described as broken promises and a lack of leadership. Last month, Der Spiegel cited sources as saying that CDU was discussing Merz’s possible departure as chancellor amid a botched cabinet reshuffle and growing discontent within the party.

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— West will never get its ‘loans’ back from Kiev – ex-Ukrainian PM (VIDEO)

 

at 8/23/26 7:31am

Assumptions that Moscow will lose the conflict and pay reparations are “just fairy tales,” Nikolay Azarov has told RT The EU keeps providing “loans” to Ukraine despite knowing that its government will never repay them, the country’s former prime minister, Nikolay Azarov, has said. In a post on X on Sunday, Vladimir Zelensky called funding the Ukrainian military one of the “major challenges” his government is currently facing. “A lot of money is needed,” he wrote. Making sure that the second tranche of a €90 billion ($105 billion) transfer approved by the EU earlier this year arrives in Ukraine is “an extremely difficult task,” but he is working on it with Germany and France, Zelensky stressed. In an interview with RT on Saturday, Azarov said that “loans and Western assistance that amounts to about three-fourths of the state budget of Ukraine are covering the budget deficit, funding arms purchases and sponsoring the Nazi terrorist and corrupt regime.” When the European Commission and major EU countries, who have been the main supporters of Ukraine after US President Donald significantly reduced American aid to Kiev, “grant these loans, they know that they won’t get this money back,” he said. Read more EU has no idea who will pay for €90 bn Ukraine loan – MEP “And this causes some irritation among EU bureaucrats because they understand that the money of the American and European taxpayers is being embezzled in a very outrageous manner,” the former prime minister said. Inside the Ukrainian government, there is “an organized criminal group that embezzled the funds that Ukraine received as part of these loans,” he said. According to Azarov, that is the reason why EU ambassadors held a meeting in Kiev with the investigators of the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and “supported actions to expose corruption in the country,” particularly in Zelensky’s office. Earlier this week, the Ukrainian leader sacked the deputy head of his office, Irina Mudraya, after her home was searched as part of a probe into efforts to raise and legalize $3.3 million in bail money for former Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko. Read more With Ukraine’s corruption, one thing is certain: You haven’t seen the worst yet Galushchenko is a key figure in a $100 million corruption case involving state nuclear operator Energoatom and linked to Zelensky’s longtime business associate Timur Mindich. The scandal led to the downfall of his highly influential chief of staff Andrey Yermak last November. Other recent corruption investigations have targeted former Ukrainian ministers, diplomats, and senior officials. The claims that Kiev will reimburse the US and EU because “Russia will pay some kind of reparations someday... are just fairy tales. You have to be really short-sighted to believe these fairy tales,” Azarov stressed. “No one will give this money back to the West. There’s $275 billion of Ukrainian debt, you cannot pay it back,” he added. Azarov was the Ukrainian prime minister from 2010 to 2014, resigning during the Western-backed Euromaidan protests in Kiev and fleeing to Russia after the overthrow of democratically-elected President Viktor Yanukovich in February 2014.

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— Cyber attack shut down UK power plant – Telegraph

 

at 8/23/26 6:18am

The facility was reportedly put out of operation for four days after an Iran-linked hack A small-scale British power plant was taken offline because of a cyber attack, with UK authorities blaming an Iranian-linked hacking group, The Telegraph reported on Saturday. In the UK, dozens of small-scale power plants are connected to the national grid, many of them gas-fired facilities that operate for just a few hours a week. The newspaper did not specify which facility was targeted but noted that it was out of operation for four days in July. The authorities reportedly notified the National Cyber Security Centre, a public-facing branch of the Government Communications Headquarters, held emergency briefings for energy company executives and sent businesses guidance on strengthening security measures. According to The Telegraph, the incident coincided with a series of cyberattacks targeting water infrastructure in the US that affected facilities in 12 states. Earlier this month, CBS News cited sources as saying that more than 30 community water systems had been impacted and that the attacks might be linked to Iran-backed hackers. READ MORE: Water systems across US hit by suspected cyberattacks – ABC News Some utilities reportedly lost critical remote-control capabilities, forcing operators to switch to manual mode. In several cases, the hackers gained remote access to pumps, valves, and water pressure. Western intelligence agencies have repeatedly claimed that critical national infrastructure and government bodies face a constant threat from hackers in Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia – allegations that the authorities in each country have dismissed. Moscow says that the West habitually cites the supposed threat of external aggression to justify a massive military buildup and the development of offensive cyber capabilities.

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— Ukraine at 35: Defenseless in the air as Russia advances in Donbass

 

at 8/23/26 5:36am

Ukrainian troops have been suffering a continuous string of setbacks with Russian forces advancing into multiple locations Ukraine is marking the 35th anniversary of its independence, proclaimed on August 24, 1991, amid the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The country meets the anniversary in a bleak state, plagued by an enduring political crisis, a plethora of corruption scandals, the capitulation of its air defenses, and a steadily deteriorating situation on the front line of the conflict with Russia. Read more Ukraine at 35: Winter is coming to Zelensky’s state of corruption In recent weeks, the immediate battlefield situation has been overshadowed by ramped-up long-range strike campaigns waged by both sides of the conflict. Initially touted as an “operation of influence” to force Russia into negotiations on Ukrainian terms, Kiev’s drone attacks have backfired spectacularly. Moscow has retaliated in force, repeatedly striking assorted military industrial sites and dual-use infrastructure, as well as bringing Ukrainian shipping in the Black Sea to a halt. The exchange in strikes has exposed the critical deterioration of Ukrainian air defenses, which are now entirely unable to intercept Russian ballistics. The front line has been far from static despite longstanding efforts by Ukraine and its Western backers to paint it as a stalemate, and the situation for Kiev has been worsening across multiple key locations. Here is RT’s look at the latest developments on the front line: Battle for Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration Read more Putin evaluates Russian strikes on targets in Ukraine Arguably the main events have been unfolding around the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, a string of cities in the northwest of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the last heavily fortified Ukrainian stronghold in the region. The agglomeration has remained under Kiev’s control for over a decade since the early stage of the conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass, prompted by the 2014 Maidan coup. Over the years, the cities were transformed into a single fortified zone by a vast system of reinforced trenches, bunkers, and tunnels. From the east, the agglomeration is additionally protected by the defunct Seversky Donets-Donbass Canal, built in the 1950s to improve the water supply to Donetsk. The canal was shut off by the Ukrainian authorities under the pretext of damage early in the conflict, which heavily strained the water supply to Donetsk, into which Kiev’s militias had fired artillery for years, killing hundreds of civilians. Following the liberation of Konstantinovka on the southernmost tip of the agglomeration in early July, Russian troops have continued to advance towards Slavyansk-Kramatorsk from multiple directions. Over the past two weeks, Russian forces have mounted pressure on the town of Druzhkovka, with active combat continuing within the village of Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka, located between Druzhkovka and Konstantinovka. Russian troops appear to have flanked Ukrainian forces from the southwest, with the Defense Ministry in Moscow reporting the liberation of multiple locations in the area, namely the villages of Andreyevka, Nikolaypolye, Novonikolayevka, and Petrovka, over the period.  Moscow’s forces are also apparently seeking to disrupt Ukrainian communications between Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, advancing along a hilly ridge located roughly in between the two cities to the southwest. Over the past two weeks, the Russian military reported seizing the small villages of Orekhovatka and Pershomaryevka, located to the north and south of the ridge, respectively. Russian forces have also made new gains in the town of Krasny Liman. While technically not a part of the agglomeration, it is located some 20 km to the northeast of Slavyansk across the Seversky Donets River, covering the approach to the stronghold from that direction. The town, which has been heavily damaged during months of intensive combat, is now reportedly largely under Russia’s control. Read more Ukraine at 35: How a country’s population halved in three decades Zaporozhye offensive Russia’s Zaporozhye Region has become another major flashpoint lately, with the country’s military actively advancing on the flanks of the town of Orekhov, located around 50 km to the southeast of the regional capital. Once the staging area for the disastrous 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive and a major logistics hub, the town ended up on the front line following the liberation of the town of Gulaypole earlier this year. Over the past two weeks, the Russian military has managed to sever a major road approaching the town from the north, liberating the village of Novosoloshino. Russian troops have been expanding the zone of control farther to the north of it into the neighboring Ukrainian region of Dnepropetrovsk, seizing control of the villages of Rybalskoye and Novoye Pole near its border. Orekhov is now linked to the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporozhye only through one major road, which approaches the town from the northwest. Russian forces have reportedly been sighted within less than 1 km of the key artery, the loss of which would leave the Ukrainian garrison supply dependent on dirt roads running across open fields. Russian forces have also reportedly breached Ukrainian positions between Orekhov and the adjacent village of Malaya Tokmachka, which is believed to have fallen largely under their control. If confirmed, the development effectively means the Russian military has reached the southeastern outskirts of the town itself. Frontline pressure grows The continuing advance of Russian troops has not been limited to the two key areas, with Moscow’s forces mounting pressure along the front line. Russian troops have made new gains to the north of Pokrovsk and Mirnograd, two major cities in the southwest of the DPR liberated early this year. Read more Former Ukrainian troops tell RT why they chose to fight for Russia According to the Russian Defense Ministry, troops have advanced onto the town of Dobropolye, located some 30 km to the southwest of Druzhkovka, seizing several villages in its vicinity. The active combat in the area has effectively enabled the latest successes around Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, depriving the Ukrainian forces stationed around Dobropolye of maneuver and making them unable to somehow assist the garrison of the agglomeration. Russian forces have also made new gains in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, advancing on Ukrainian troops to the southeast of the town of Volchansk. The town has seen intensive hostilities throughout the past year, suffering major ruin in the process. The Russian Defense Ministry announced taking control of the town in late 2025.  The recent advances in the area have put Ukrainian forces stationed to the southeast of the town at risk of encirclement. The remaining troops are now locked between the Volchya River in the north and the Russian focus advancing from the east and west, with the window for their potential retreat rapidly narrowing.

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— Ukraine at 35: Inside an artificial economy

 

at 8/23/26 5:35am

Virtually every part of Ukraine’s economy is propped up by Western aid, which is now roughly equivalent to a year of output Ukraine’s economy in 2026 looks nothing like the country that entered the upheaval of 2014, when a Western-backed coup in Kiev unleashed domestic chaos, a historic rift with Russia, and – several years later – full-scale hostilities with its eastern neighbor. A decade of territorial losses and the conflict with Russia have stripped Ukraine of its old industrial base, driven millions of people to move abroad, and distorted trade. Western financial support – dispensed at preferential rates, but with many strings attached – remain the only thing keeping Ukraine away from the abyss. Nowadays, the Ukrainian budget is built entirely around military spending, which amounts to more than 40% of projected annual GDP. Ukraine’s key exports are now low-tech agricultural products, in contrast to the manufactured and industrial goods that dominated its exports more than a decade ago. Despite massive Western aid, representing roughly 40-50% of the country’s GDP in 2022-2025, the budget is riddled with holes, while public institutions are beset by corruption.  How Ukraine in 2013 differs from Ukraine in 2026 Ukraine in 2013 was a country of roughly 45.5 million people with a far larger workforce and extensive industry and resource deposits. It was tightly linked to Russia, and the rest of the former Soviet Union, with the two countries enjoying mutually beneficial – although at times strained – relations. Read more IMF approves $8.1 billion loan for Kiev Russia alone bought 23.8% of Ukrainian merchandise exports and supplied 30.2% of its imports that year. Ukraine sold Russia about $15.1 billion of goods, with machinery, metals and chemicals accounting for the bulk of exports. In 2013, the World Bank put the share of Ukraine’s industry at about 26% of GDP, agriculture at 10%, and services at 64%. This all began to changed after the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, when Crimea and Donbass seceded from Ukraine. Both eventually joined Russia after public referendums. Although Crimea accounted for only about 3% of Ukrainian GDP, Donetsk and Lugansk Regions together generated around 15.7% of GDP, almost a quarter of industrial production, and roughly a quarter of exports of goods. Read more Ukraine at 35: Winter is coming to Zelensky’s state of corruption In 2026, Ukraine has a population of about 29 million, down more than 30% from 2013, though some estimates put the current figure at as low as 22-25 million. Exports are increasingly relatively low-value-added bulk commodities – grain, oilseeds, vegetable oils and other food products – while Kiev imports large quantities of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and energy. The EU is now Ukraine’s key trade partner, accounting for 47% of its imports and 58% of exports in 2025. Ukraine’s steep deficit By peacetime standards and notwithstanding Western aid, Ukraine's budget deficit would be completely unsustainable. The projected deficit for 2026 is estimated at 12.1% of GDP. While this number is already high, it would be more  than 18% if not for the massive €45 billion ($52 billion) infusion from the EU. Military spending accounts for the bulk of the budget. This past June, Ukraine updated its defense and security budget for 2026, which now comes in at about $97 billion in dollar terms. This includes about $32 billion for military remuneration and $50.5 billion for weapons and equipment. Against the latest nominal GDP forecast of $220 billion, military and security spending are equivalent to roughly 43% of projected GDP. Read more How much? NATO chief calls for ‘Ukraine tax’ bigger than members’ economies Ukraine’s budget instability leaves little room for another shock. If Kiev needs to significantly increase ammunition purchases, double down on its violent mobilization campaign, or allocate additional funds to its already-battered energy infrastructure, it will find few available sources of funding. Alternatives are higher taxes, more domestic borrowing, lower social spending – or another injection of foreign money. Ukraine's aid dependency Without foreign aid, the Ukrainian state in its current form would simply be unable to function. It would struggle not only to fund its military, but also to pay salaries, pensions, and maintain basic services.  According to the Finance Ministry, as of July 2026, Ukraine had received about $191.75 billion in external budget financing since February 2022. This is larger than Ukraine’s entire GDP in 2022. ©  RT While much of this support has been allocated to civilian needs, this funding has allowed Kiev to divert most of its own coffers to military ends. In addition, this year’s EU €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan is largely military-oriented: of up to €45 billion to be made available in 2026, roughly €28–32 billion is expected to subsidize the armed forces. Read more Ukraine’s mobilization crisis deepens: The gap between numbers and reality widens The IMF, meanwhile, approved a new four-year $8.1 billion Extended Fund Facility in February as part of a broader international financing package estimated at $136.5 billion. One foreign donor that has backed away, however, is the US. Since taking office in January 2025, the administration of President Donald Trump has not approved any new aid packages. Ukraine’s debt stock is quite large – debt-to-GDP is around 100%, which, while not exceptionally high for a country on a wartime footing, is elevated for an economy such as Ukraine's. The immediate cost of servicing that debt is relatively low because much of the more recent debt comes on highly concessional terms: 66% of state debt was held on concessional terms at the end of 2025, up from just 26% in 2021. The weighted-average cost of state debt fell from 7.2% in 2021 to 4.6% in 2025, reflecting the growing share of concessional financing. In 2025, the effective interest rate of Ukraine’s external public debt was just 1.9%. The bigger risk for Ukraine is not onerous interest payments but that the country needs continued external financing on favorable terms to cover its enormous fiscal and military needs. Can Ukraine repay its loans? Ukraine’s public debt “continues to be assessed to be unsustainable,” while restoring sustainability would require a combination of debt relief, fiscal tightening, and continued highly concessional foreign financing, according to an IMF assessment. Read more The Ukraine knot: How gas transit tied up Russia, Europe, and Kiev in one conflict Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergey Marchenko acknowledged last year that the country will be unable to repay its foreign creditors “in the next 30 years,” adding that “in any scenario… we will not be able to hold the situation together on our own, whether there is war… or peace.” Also last year, European Council President Antonio Costa admitted that Ukraine would be able to repay the bloc’s €90 billion support loan “only” once Russia paid reparations. Moscow has said it has no plan of doing so and warned that confiscating its assets frozen in the West for that purpose will not be left without a response. How Ukraine earns its money Exports of agricultural products are Ukraine’s key lifeline, particularly as it imports much more than it exports. For instance, Ukraine imported $84.8 billion of goods in 2025 but exported only $40.3 billion, while food products alone generated $22.5 billion in exports. Read more Germans turned into ‘cash cows’ for Ukraine – veteran politician In addition, Ukraine exported services to the tune of about $16 billion – significantly more than exports of metals ($4.7 billion) and exports of equipment and transport goods ($3.6 billion). Meanwhile, imports of machinery cost Ukraine $34.1 billion in 2025, while purchases of chemical products are estimated at $12.5 billion, and fuel and energy products at $10.5 billion. Some of the demand is directly linked to the military. Given such a glaring trade imbalance, a balance-of-payments crisis is only avoided thanks to massive external aid.  Ukraine’s foreign exchange reserves actually rose by over 30% in 2025, reaching a record-high $57.3 billion as of January 1, 2026. It is essentially unheard of for a country with a high current-account deficit, as Ukraine does, to also have rising FX reserves. Port in a storm: Why Odessa is a lynchpin of Ukraine’s economy Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to escalate the fighting on the Black Sea triggered a predictable Russian response that saw Moscow’s forces close off Ukraine’s ports, including the city of Odessa. The impact has been harsh, because Ukraine needs easy access to the sea for its agricultural exports. Read more Russia hits Ukrainian military logistics in Odessa – MOD The ports in Odessa Region handle more than 90% of Ukraine’s seaborne exports; more than 42 million tons of cargo have been shipped from the country in 2026 so far, including nearly 24 million tons of agricultural products. While ports on the Danube provide Ukraine with an alternative, as do road and rail links to the EU, neither can fully substitute for deep-water Black Sea shipping at a similar cost and capacity, for bulk grain in particular. Ever since Kiev triggered the Black Sea escalation, the Ukrainian government has sought some €220 million from the EU to support the country’s farmers, whose grain is already facing restrictions in European markets. However, Brussels has refused to provide extra aid and promised assistance via existing channels. Ukraine's tax collection Ukraine’s tax system is a paradox in itself: the taxable population and private economic base have shrunk dramatically, yet the overall intake has actually risen. Read more Ukrainian prosecutor sacked for shooting OnlyFans porn at work – media Kiev addressed the shrinking tax base by raising the military levy from 1.5% to 5% in late 2024, while banks have repeatedly faced exceptional profit taxes, including a 50% corporate income tax rate on bank profits. During the first half of 2026, large taxpayers paid roughly $12.8 billion into the budget, accounting for almost 49% of total tax revenue, according to Ukraine’s State Tax Service. Military-related government spending also creates taxable turnover. Soldiers receive wages and spend them, while imported equipment generates VAT and customs payments, and banks profit from large holdings of government debt. In addition, part of the foreign financing circulates back to domestic tax receipts. Read more Ex-senior official at Ukrainian energy giant faces money laundering charges The tax money the Ukrainian state generates is real, but it cannot be viewed independently of the foreign money that one way or another supports the taxable economic activity in the country, and therefore supports the tax base.  Why corruption is such a big problem for Ukraine For Ukraine, corruption has become an additional tax – but one that escapes state coffers. Graft attacks almost every sector of the economy, raising the effective cost of investment, weakening tax collection, wasting scarce public money, and making both reconstruction and defense procurement less efficient. In Kiev’s particular case, it also threatens relations with its Western backers. Read more With Ukraine’s corruption, one thing is certain: You haven’t seen the worst yet Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Ukraine 104th out of 182 countries, leaving it below the lowest-scoring current EU members and on par with countries such as Zambia, Brazil, and Algeria. The exact cost of corruption and the shadow economy is impossible to assess, but it is evident that it is measured in the hundreds of billions of hryvnias each year. A 2025 study by CASE Ukraine estimated that under-the-table salaries alone deprive the state of $5.2–5.8 billion annually, while grey imports and smuggling cost another $2.4–2.75 billion. ©  RT In terms of macroeconomic impact, a 2017 IMF study estimated that reducing Ukraine’s corruption simply to levels then seen elsewhere in the region could raise the country’s real GDP-per-capita growth by about 0.85% per year. Meanwhile, high-profile graft cases have become a recurring feature of the landscape, leading to further government instability. Here are some of the most prominent scandals: Energoatom graft: Last year, Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-corruption authorities alleged that contractors working with the state nuclear company were forced to pay 10–15% kickbacks, with about $100 million passing through a related money-laundering network; the scandal prompted the resignations of the justice and energy ministers, as well as Andrey Yermak, Zelensky’s powerful former chief of staff. Foreign Ministry ring: A group led by a former top official allegedly diverted millions in private foreign donations intended to support Ukraine after the start of the full-scale conflict with Russia. Key official in Zelensky’s office: In August, Ukrainian investigators reportedly searched premises linked to the deputy head of Zelensky's office, Irina Mudraya, and several senior officials and lawmakers during a $3.4 million money-laundering probe tied to the wider Energoatom affair. Defense procurement: In early 2025, Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities alleged $16.1 million in losses from inflated military food contracts and another $5.4 million embezzled from a command-system project. Bottom Line While the IMF says Ukraine has “maintained macroeconomic and financial stability,” the country is as stable as a patient on life support. Read more Ukraine’s debt doubles in three years – finance minister Foreign infusions course through almost every vein of the economy: loans and grants plug the budget deficit and cover a structural shortage of foreign currency, while financing on highly generous terms keeps borrowing costs artificially low. This largesse, which Ukraine has no real chance of repaying, puts Kiev in a highly subordinate position relative to its benefactors.  Ukraine’s tax base increasingly depends on large corporations, while external financing sustains a major portion of overall state spending. Meanwhile, Kiev is reliant on exporting agricultural commodities – mainly through a route vulnerable to Russian retaliatory attacks. Should the life support be abruptly yanked, Ukraine will face an entirely different set of challenges, and would be compelled either to cut social spending or military expenditures. Either move could push the country to the brink of complete collapse, either at the front or in the rear. Read more Ukraine at 35: How a country’s population halved in three decades

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— US court reverses Trump’s 75-country visa ban

 

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Denying people entry on nationality grounds is against the law, a judge has ruled A US court has overturned a Trump administration rule that suspended the issuing of immigrant visas to people from 75 countries. The State Department announced the restrictions in Janurary, which did not apply to tourist or student visas, saying they were needed to prevent the entry of those who would “take welfare and public benefits.” Russia, Brazil, Colombia, Albania, Egypt, Haiti, Somalia, and Pakistan were among the nations covered by the policy. Judge Jeannette Vargas of Manhattan said in her ruling on Friday that US consular staff had been ordered to reject visas for all applicants from the blacklisted countries even if they were able to support themselves. Under American laws, an immigrant’s application can only be turned down if the person is determined likely to become a “public charge” by a review of their finances, health, and skills. Read more US approved payment to Liberia for accepting deportees – NYT “The Policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme,” the judge stated. Vargas, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, also found that Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not have the authority to impose the visa ban. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups, along with applicants for immigrant visas and American citizens whose relatives had been denied visas to the country. The Trump administration can still appeal. Read more ICE arrested the ‘worst of the worst.’ Washington made sure he walked free Responding to NPR, a State Department spokesperson would not comment on ongoing litigation. The Trump administration is “protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” the spokesperson insisted. A sweeping clampdown on immigration, which the White House says is needed to improve domestic security, led to nationwide protests after the fatal shootings of two US citizens by federal agents in Minnesota in January. Besides imposing visa restrictions, the US government has stepped up deportation of illegal aliens, with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo saying earlier this week that some 2,300 Mexican nationals had been flown to his country from the US since the start of year, despite objections by Mexico. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also faces scrutiny over conditions in its detention centers. At least 52 people died in the agency’s custody during the first 500 days of Trump’s second term, according to a report by Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights.

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— Iran vows ‘not a single drop’ of oil will leave Gulf if region complies with US plan

 

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Tehran has warned neighboring states it will close the Strait of Hormuz if they take part in Washington’s economic pressure campaign Iran has said that not “a single drop of oil” will leave the Persian Gulf and threatened to attack alternative export routes if neighboring states take part in the US economic pressure campaign against Tehran. The warning comes after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday called on Washington’s allies and other countries to choose sides and stop doing business with Iran, as the US prepares what he touted as “the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world.” In an interview with state broadcaster IRIB which aired on Saturday, Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, urged other countries not to participate “in the economic war with America,” saying that otherwise Tehran would treat them as enemies. “If the countries surrounding Iran join the Americans in the economic war, not a single drop of oil will leave the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and we will also target other routes through which oil is exported from the Persian Gulf,” he said. Read more China rejects US demand on Iran If US President Donald Trump “wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner,” Rezaei added. On Thursday, Trump announced what he called the “most crushing economic operation against Iran,” describing it as an “Economic D-Day” and calling on US allies “to stand with the United States of America to isolate and defeat the Iran threat.” The announcement came after a 60-day window for negotiating a peace agreement with Tehran expired on Monday without a breakthrough, prompting Trump to declare that the talks had ended. Read more Trump threatens Iran with ‘economic D-Day’ Earlier on Wednesday, the UAE suspended economic ties with Iran after two ballistic missiles were fired at its territory. Tehran denied responsibility, describing the incident as an Israeli “false-flag operation.” Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which handles around a quarter of global seaborne oil and LNG trade, shortly after the US and Israel launched their joint bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic on February 28. The US Navy imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports in April and has since been guiding ships along routes that Tehran considers illegal. Nearly 200 ships navigated the strait last week, up from 150 the previous week and just 40 two weeks earlier, bringing traffic to around 20% of pre-war levels, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center. Kpler data showed that more than 80% of liquid cargo vessels crossing the strait over the past two weeks either used a US-backed route through Omani waters that Iran considers illegal or switched off their tracking systems, likely to use the same corridor. Five vessels were struck by Iranian projectiles during the past week, resulting in two reported casualties. All five ships were reportedly damaged but not lost.

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— Denmark to further tighten rules affecting Ukrainian refugees

 

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Some municipalities in the country are under “severe pressure” due to a large number of asylum seekers, the immigration minister has said Denmark plans to stop issuing temporary residence permits to Ukrainian refugees from regions least affected by the conflict with Russia, the EU nation’s immigration minister, Morten Bodskov, has said. The announcement follows a wider trend among European nations to cut benefits to those fleeing the conflict with Russia and strip protections for military-aged males from Ukraine. In June, the government in Copenhagen presented a bill aimed at preventing military-aged men from Ukraine, who do not have an official exemption from service, from receiving asylum. In a statement on Saturday, Bodskov said that Denmark wants to further tighten the rules for those who escaped the fighting, despite prolonging the Ukraine Special Act that allows them to stay in the country until March 2028. Denmark has accepted 47,600 displaced Ukrainians since the escalation between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, according to the minister’s data. Read more Ukraine at 35: How a country’s population halved in three decades The “large number” of refugees puts some Danish cities and towns under “severe pressure” as they struggle to find housing for them and integrate them into the society, he explained. In order to relieve the municipalities, “the government will now adjust the rules so that only the Ukrainians who need protection the most can be granted a residence permit under the relaxed rules,” Bodskov said. This means that people from 14 “less war-torn” regions in western and central Ukraine, including Lviv, Transcarpathia, Ivano-Frankovsk, Zhytomir and others, will not be able to apply for a residence permit, he added. Norway and Switzerland previously introduced similar restrictions, which led to a drop in the number of applications, the minister stressed. In early August, the EU announced that it is ending its temporary protections for military-aged Ukrainian men. Starting from this week, the bloc obliges all refugees from the country to provide proof that they aren’t dodging the draft. Read more Ukrainian conscripts fleeing from training camps in Germany – Die Zeit More than 4.35 million refugees from Ukraine are currently registered across the EU, according to Eurostat data. Many countries such as Poland, Germany and Hungary have been cutting back benefits for them in recent months amid increasing pressure on their welfare systems and public frustration over the rising cost of accepting migrants. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for military-age men to return from abroad due to severe troop shortages and continued setbacks on the front line with Russia. Vladimir Zelensky said in April that it would be “a matter of justice.” In order to replenish the ranks of its armed forces, Kiev has resorted to so-called “basification,” in which draft officers ambush men on the streets, often using force against those who resist. Moscow has accused Kiev’s Western backers of being willing to wage a proxy war against Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”

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— US Quran-burning activist detained after rally erupts in clashes (VIDEOS)

 

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Jake Lang was arrested after his rally descended into fights with counterprotesters outside Minneapolis City Hall US far-right influencer Jake Lang, known for his Quran-burning stunts, has been arrested on suspicion of rioting after clashes with counterprotesters outside Minneapolis City Hall. Lang spent four years in prison over the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, before being pardoned by US President Donald Trump. This week, he announced what he described as a “crusader freedom of speech rally” in Minnesota’s largest city on Saturday. The event was billed in support of Shiloh Hendrix, a white woman found guilty last month of disorderly conduct following a viral video showing her using a racial slur against an autistic black child at a playground in Rochester. She was fined $1,000, given a stayed 90-day jail sentence and one year of supervised probation, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. Mayor Jacob Frey called on Lang’s opponents not to attend the “lame-a** racist rally” and urged them to avoid confrontation. “We don’t need to take the bait,” he said in a message on X on Thursday. Nevertheless, an angry crowd formed in anticipation of the event. BREAKING: Chaotic scene in Minneapolis as Jake Lang rides in the bed of a pickup truck outside city hall pic.twitter.com/fjvMqUIh4A— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 22, 2026 Lang’s two vehicles drove onto the sidewalk in front of City Hall, while Lang stood in the back of a pickup truck holding a large sign that read, “Jake Lang loves black people but hates n***ers.” One of his associates held a tall white cross. WATCH: Protesters PEPPER SPRAYED as they Smash Up Jake Langs truck, while he drives through the side walk outside Minneapolis City Hall.Lang crew was seen hovering in the back by the end of the drive as police struggled to keep crowds away.Originally promoted as "N March",… pic.twitter.com/O3RtJwZV3W— Oliya Scootercaster ? (@ScooterCasterNY) August 22, 2026 Counterprotesters attempted to block the vehicles and clashed with Lang as police tried to separate the groups, resulting in chaotic scuffles. According to 5 Eyewitness News, police arrested all seven occupants of the vehicles, including Lang, and later arrested four other individuals in connection with the clashes. A message on Lang’s official X account said he was “brutally assaulted” and taken “as a political hostage.”  In November 2025, Lang attempted to burn a copy of the Quran in Dearborn, Michigan, home to a large Muslim community, but was stopped by a counterprotester. He tried setting another copy of the Quran on fire outside a Dearborn mosque in May but was again stopped when someone sprayed it with a fire extinguisher. In January, Lang held a demonstration outside the headquarters of the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC in Washington, DC, with a banner reading “Make Jerusalem Christian Again,” and threw chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil.

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— Russian skaters sweep golds on international comeback (VIDEOS)

 

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Junior figure skaters won all four disciplines at an ISU Grand Prix event in China after a four-year absence Russian junior figure skaters have won gold medals in all four disciplines at an ISU Junior Grand Prix event in China, following a four-year absence from the competition due to an international ban. The event concluded in Xi’an on Saturday, with the Russians competing as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs). Polina Shesheleva and Egor Karnaukhov claimed the pairs title after finishing first in both the short program and free skate. They earned a combined 191.84 points, ahead of China’s Chen Yuxuan and Dong Yinbo, who took silver with 157.52. ?? | ISU Figure Skating Junior Grand Prix XiAn 2026✔️Junior Pairs | Short Program⚪️Polina Shesheleva and Egor Karnaukhov✅Score: 65.54#JGPFigure #JGPXiAn #FigureSkating pic.twitter.com/rw53LYFieR— Figure Skating ❄️⛸️ (@majuskating) August 20, 2026 Lev Lazarev won the men’s competition with 250.21 points after also topping both programs. New Zealand’s Li Yanhao finished second with 230.89 points, while Japan’s Daiya Ebihara took bronze with 219.76. Sofia Dzepka secured the women’s title with 213.28 points, while Maria Fefelova and Artyom Valov rounded out the Russian victories by winning the ice dance competition with 162.16 points. shesheleva/karnaukhov 100% a class act our stunning first pair pic.twitter.com/Mq8sBNHAcf— uu (@archerxprey) August 22, 2026 Russian figure skaters were excluded from most international events in 2022 in response to the Ukraine conflict. The International Skating Union (ISU) suspended athletes from Russia and Belarus in March of that year. Several international federations have since restored Russian participation. In April, the women’s water polo team became the first Russian national squad in four years to compete at a major team event under the country’s flag and anthem after World Aquatics fully lifted its restrictions. LEV LAZAREV FREE SKATE HE WINS at JUNIOR GRAND PRIX XI’AN 2026?3 Clean Quads ‼️?”The Little Prince”? FS 163.45 and OVERALL 250.21 won by 19.32 points! pic.twitter.com/K8Gaxuj4vJ— Figure Skating Stuff (@figureskatinghq) August 22, 2026 On June 30, the ISU approved the return of eligible Russian and Belarusian skaters for the 2026–27 season following their participation as neutral athletes at the Milano Cortina Winter Games. Read more Estonia stripped of major sports event over ban on Russian athletes The IOC provisionally reinstated the Russian Olympic Committee in July, a move welcomed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who said that “common sense has prevailed.” Russian officials have repeatedly denounced what they have called the “politicization” of sports. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the IOC leadership of “flagrantly flouting the Olympic ideals they should be defending,” while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the West of engaging in “sports aggression.”

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— Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes chiefs after censorship row

 

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Senior staff defended the military newspaper’s editorial independence after reporting on problems facing US forces during the Iran war The Pentagon has fired senior employees of its official newspaper Stars and Stripes after they publicly criticized what they called government interference in its editorial policy. First published during the US Civil War in 1861, the newspaper has served as a voice for American troops and reaches about 1.4 million readers daily online and through its overseas print editions. Although partly funded by the Pentagon, it is legally required to maintain editorial independence. The paper recently criticized US tactics in the war against Iran and reported on numerous problems facing the military during the campaign. Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte each received a notice of separation on Friday citing insubordination. Slavin told AP that he was fired “for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line.” “I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department’s own policies,” he added. Read more Trump rants about ‘LOSER’ MAGA defectors Korte, who participated in the same interview last month, wrote on X that she was dismissed after telling CBS that she worked for Stars and Stripes and “not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker.” Lederer, who had served as publisher for 19 years and was due to retire in September, wrote in his resignation letter on Tuesday that his understanding of the newspaper’s “value and mission” differed “in fundamental ways” from the Pentagon leadership’s plans. In an interview published on July 5, the journalists criticized a push to rid the paper of what the Pentagon termed “woke distractions that siphon morale,” as well as changes to regulations guaranteeing its independence. Slavin said his team had been barred from publishing news from paid wire services such as AP, making it “more difficult for us to cover breaking news.” Jacqueline Smith, the publication’s ombudsman responsible for safeguarding its editorial independence, was fired in January after writing an article critical of Pentagon press restrictions. She later sued the US Department of War, alleging that her dismissal was retaliatory. Stars and Stripes was among the first outlets to report on deteriorating living conditions and low morale aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which spent more than 200 days operating near Iran without port calls. It also reported on ammunition shortages and published an op-ed earlier this month by retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel L. Davis, who argued that “America’s war against Iran has already been lost at the strategic level.” US President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused media outlets of spreading “fake news” and sued several of them. War Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to push “woke culture” out of the military and revive “the warrior spirit.”

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— EU nations push windfall tax on oil giants over Iran war profits – media

 

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Six member states reportedly want energy companies which have benefited from soaring prices to help ease the cost-of-living burden Six EU nations want the bloc to introduce a windfall tax on oil companies’ “excessive profits” linked to price hikes caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran, several media outlets reported on Saturday, citing a joint letter from the countries’ finance ministers. Oil prices have repeatedly topped $100 per barrel this year due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which handles around a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and LNG trade. Global crude benchmark Brent futures reached $102 per barrel last month, with Goldman Sachs predicting that prices could exceed $120 in the fourth quarter and average $100 next year if disruptions in the strait continue through 2027. Read more Oil back at $100: Time to worry? Finance ministers from Portugal, Spain, Austria, Italy, Poland, and Germany called the crisis “one of the biggest supply shocks in decades,” according to the reports. In a letter addressed to the Irish finance minister, they warned that “around the world, discontent is growing over the rising cost of living” and called for a “common approach that ensures those who profit from the crisis contribute their share to reducing the burden on the general population.” Ireland currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council. The initiative, reportedly led by Germany, seeks to “tackle the issue of high energy prices by discussing an EU-wide framework to tax excess profits.” The group demanded that the issue be placed on the agenda of the bloc’s next meeting of economic and finance ministers, scheduled for mid-September. Oxfam, a network of anti-poverty NGOs, estimated last month that the combined profits of BP, Chevron, Eni, ExxonMobil, Shell, and TotalEnergies amounted to nearly €40 billion ($46.6 billion) between April and June and could reach €147 billion ($171.2 billion) by the end of the year. The charity called for a permanent windfall tax of at least 50% on profits exceeding a 10% return on investment. Read more EU sets new Russian gas record despite ban plans – data The EU has been struggling with a cost-of-living crisis, which was exacerbated by its decision in early 2022 to phase out Russian energy supplies in response to the Ukraine conflict. According to the European Commission, Russian oil accounted for 27% of the bloc’s crude imports, while Russian gas covered 45% of the EU’s needs in early 2022. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged last month that the loss of these imports had contributed to the country’s current energy problems, while refusing to change Berlin’s stance on anti-Russian sanctions. The EU has meanwhile continued to set records for Russian LNG imports despite Brussels’ goal of ending them entirely. Belgium, in particular, relied entirely on Russian supplies of the fuel last month, Bloomberg reported in early August.

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— Dutch watchdog fines Uber nearly $1 billion

 

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The US ride-hailing company allegedly broke EU laws by using a fully automated system to review and ban drivers The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has fined US ride-hailing company Uber €825 million ($964 million) for using automated systems to suspend drivers suspected of fraud or given low customer ratings without adequate human review. The watchdog found that Uber’s use of automated decision-making to suspend drivers between 2018 and 2022 violated the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Tensions are mounting between Washington and Brussels over multi-billion-dollar fines imposed on American tech giants, with US President Donald Trump recently threatening tariffs in response to what he has described as unfair treatment of US firms. In a statement on Friday, the AP said Uber had violated EU privacy rules by using a fully automated system to suspend drivers suspected of fraud or those who received low customer ratings. “Uber has committed serious infringements,” AP vice president Monique Verdier said in the statement. Drivers were summarily suspended and had their incomes cut off, she said. Read more Trump threatens EU over ‘robbing American companies’ “That’s forbidden. A computer is not allowed to make independent decisions that have major consequences for you. A human should have reviewed this first.” The AP said it launched the investigation following a complaint from French human rights advocacy group LDH. The Dutch watchdog handled the case because Uber’s European headquarters is located in the Netherlands. Uber denied that it permanently deactivated driver accounts without human intervention and said it would appeal. Read more US accuses allies of China tariff ‘scam’ The AP said the fine was calculated under European guidelines that allow penalties of up to 4% of a company’s worldwide annual turnover. Uber generated about €44.5 billion ($52 billion) in global revenue in 2025. The €825 million penalty amounts to roughly 1.85% of that figure. Trump has repeatedly threatened the EU with economic retaliation over penalties imposed on American technology companies. In July, he said the US would launch a trade investigation after the bloc fined Google approximately $1 billion for violating competition rules, warning that it could lead to new tariffs on EU imports.

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— Supreme Court lets Trump go on with White House ballroom project amid pending lawsuit

 

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The administrative order issued by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. is only temporary US Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has allowed work on President Donald Trump’s controversial White House ballroom to continue despite a pending lawsuit. On Friday, the judge issued an administrative stay of lower courts’ rulings that would have halted construction. Last month, an appeals court supported a decision by a federal district court judge stating that the project requires congressional approval and that work must stop until it is given. Trump then filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court. Trump argued that work on the 90,000-square-foot addition to the White House needed to continue for the sake of national security and the president’s own safety. The construction includes a five-story underground military complex that would include shelters and a hospital to protect senior officials in case of an emergency, the Washington Post reported, citing court filings. According to the paper’s estimates, the overall project could cost $600 million. Read more Trump demolishing part of White House The Trump administration is also said to have claimed that the ballroom itself would be outfitted with missile-resistant columns and a drone-proof roof, adding an additional layer of protection to the underground bunker and the White House in general. Roberts’ decision is reportedly aimed at giving the Supreme Court more time to assess the emergency appeal. It is unclear how long the administrative stay might last. According to the Washington Post, such injunctions usually stay in place for days. Trump praised the development on Truth Social, stating he was “grateful” and calling the project “vital for National Security.” He also vowed to make the ballroom “the greatest of its kind.” On Saturday, he also claimed that the project was “under budget, and ahead of schedule” and would cost taxpayers “zero dollars.” Read more King Charles jokes about burning of White House (VIDEO) The National Trust for Historic Preservation – a privately funded non-profit overseeing protection of historic places across the US and which challenged the ballroom in court – stated that the decision was “not final,” adding that they were awaiting “further action.” It has questioned the administration’s claim that the project is needed for national security. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer blasted the judge’s decision by accusing what he called the “MAGA Supreme Court” of “rubber stamping Trump’s vanity-driven, gilded corruption.” He also claimed that the administration was “wasting money” on Trump’s “pet projects.” The ballroom started being built in October 2025. A section of the East Wing of the White House was torn down to make space for the addition, expected to seat 650 people – more than three times the space in the East Room, the largest event space in the White House. The Democrats were quick to slam the project as a “disgrace.” According to the Washington Post, officials told the Supreme Court this month that construction was about “65% complete,” with some 250 people supposed to be working on it 20 hours a day, seven days a week.

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— Israeli settlers kill Palestinian teenager in occupied West Bank

 

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A 58-year-old man was reportedly shot dead by IDF troops in a separate incident the same day Israeli settlers shot and killed a Palestinian teenager near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Palestine’s Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday. In a separate incident the same day, the IDF killed a retired Palestinian man in Jenin, according to Al Jazeera. Karim Sanad Shalaldeh, 17, was shot dead by Israeli settlers during an attack on the town of Sa’ir, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. A 70-year-old man was also wounded by the gunfire, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. Israeli troops were sent to the area after Israelis “present in the area without advanced authorization” were injured by thrown rocks, the IDF said. A “security official” then opened fire, causing Palestinian casualties, it said, adding that Israeli police are investigating. Read more Israeli settler attacks terrorize last all-Christian village in West Bank (VIDEO) On the same day, Israeli forces killed a 58-year-old Palestinian man in Jenin, according to Wafa. Fathi Khazem, a retired colonel of the Palestinian National Security Forces, was shot dead during an Israeli raid of his home, Al Jazeera reported. According to the IDF account, “a terrorist armed with a knife” attempted to attack a soldier and was shot. The shootings came just days after Israel opened a tender for the construction of more than 1,200 homes in the occupied West Bank as part of a controversial settlement expansion unveiled in July. Critics say the construction will effectively cut Palestinian territory in two if completed. Read more ‘Don’t come out, you’ll be killed’: Palestinians recount Israeli settler violence in West Bank On Thursday, leaders of more than a dozen countries, including Germany, France, and the UK, as well as the European Commission, issued a joint statement condemning the project as illegal and “unacceptable.” Rising violence in the Palestinian territory has also drawn a warning from the US. Israeli settlers who take West Bank property belonging to Palestinian-Americans could face sanctions, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Reuters. Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. Around three million Palestinians live there along with more than 600,000 Israeli settlers. Under the internationally backed two-state solution, the West Bank would form part of a future Palestinian state together with East Jerusalem and Gaza. READ MORE: Is Israel trying to start a proxy war in Syria? Moscow has long stressed the conflict can only be resolved through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

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— ICE arrested the ‘worst of the worst.’ Washington made sure he walked free

 

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The extraordinary case of a Pinochet henchman reveals how US foreign policy has repeatedly trumped justice Imagine you are a Chilean who’s lived in America – the so-called “Land of the Free” – for decades in peace and tranquility. Suddenly, one humid day in late October 2025, in your adopted home of Fort Myers, Florida, you are snatched in broad daylight then imprisoned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Your capture remains completely unknown to the outside world until January the next year, when the US Department of Homeland Security names you among the “worst of worst criminal aliens” arrested by ICE to date. You are accused of committing “homicide” almost 50 years ago. Your incarceration makes international headlines, and comes as a personal shock. But not because you’re innocent.  Read more Hitler’s forgotten Ukrainian state lasted just three days You are no ordinary Chilean. You are Armando Fernandez Larios, a 76-year-old fascist intelligence veteran who in September 1976 helped assassinate former Chilean Defense Minister Orlando Letelier using a car bomb. An outspoken opponent of dictator Augusto Pinochet, Letelier fled Santiago a year after the September 1973 CIA coup that installed Pinochet in power. What role precisely Fernandez Larios played in Letelier’s murder, which also took the life of his colleague Ronni Karpen Moffitt, is still not fully clear. He has told a variety of stories about what he knew, when he knew it, and what he did and did not do regarding the event. But Fernandez Larios was a key operative. It seemed in 2025 ICE had gotten their man, in a huge win for immigration enforcement and international justice. But this March, Fernandez Larios was released from jail. Court documents obtained by the National Security Archive show he launched a legal action, accusing the US government of “breach of contract” by violating a plea deal he cut in 1987. That agreement saw Fernandez Larios provide information to US prosecutors on Letelier’s assassination, in return for an extremely light prison sentence and promise the government “would neither seek to deport [him] to Chile nor to cooperate in his extradition to Chile.” Rather than let Fernandez Larios’ action go to court, ICE freed him. Presumably, he’s sunning himself in Fort Myers right now. Screenshot ©  United States Department of Homeland Security The CIA connection A huge archive of declassified documents related to Letelier’s assassination analyzed by RT Investigates, including secret statements made to US officials by Fernandez Larios, sheds shocking light on the case. They show that in mid-1976, Fernandez Larios was tasked by Pinochet’s regime with obtaining fake passports and US visas to fly to Washington DC. Fernandez Larios was joined by Michael Townley, Pinochet’s US-born lead hitman and CIA double agent. They secured visas from Chile’s US embassy, after claiming to be on a secret mission to meet with CIA deputy director Vernon Walters at Langley headquarters in Virginia. Fernandez Larios traveled to Washington first, to conduct surveillance on Letelier’s movements in advance of his assassination.  Read more No license to kill: This country insists on its right to prosecute British troops On September 9, 1976, 12 days before Letelier’s murder, Fernandez Larios met Townley in the lavatory of New York’s John F. Kennedy airport to provide him with a surveillance map, notes on Letelier’s home and office addresses, as well as cash for the operation. Townley then recruited members of the Cuban National Movement, to assist him in building, placing, and detonating the car bomb.   A militant anti-Fidel Castro Cuban exile group, CNM was founded by veterans of the CIA’s failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, and worked closely with the CIA. Experts at explosives, the bomb was planted without detection then detonated as Letelier, Moffitt and her husband Michael were driving to work in downtown DC. Michael was sole survivor of the bombing. In April 2010, it was revealed that only days before Letelier was killed, a State Department warning due to be sent to Chile, against carrying out “the assassination of subversives, politicians and prominent figures,” was cancelled at the behest of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. His department had been extremely worried about Pinochet carrying out killings outside Chile. “We are trying to head off a series of international murders that could do serious damage to the international status and reputation of the countries involved,” Kissinger had been informed by aides, but he was unmoved. A close confidante of Pinochet who’d personally assisted his bloodstained rise to power, did Kissinger know Letelier was due to be killed? (L) Firemen remove victims from a car shattered by a bomb blast on Embassy Row in Washington on September 21, 1976; (R) Armando Fernandez Larios. ©  AP Photo; AP Photo / Luis M. Alvarez The coverup and polygraph test  In the aftermath of the assassination, Fernandez Larios participated in an extensive cover-up orchestrated by Chilean officials, including Pinochet himself. After being identified by the US media along with Townley as a lead suspect in Letelier’s murder, he deceived military investigators, gave false testimony to the Chilean Supreme Court, and lied to FBI and Justice Department investigators. By 1985 though, Fernandez Larios was open to talking, having back-channel discussions with the US about testifying on Letelier’s assassination. In return for defecting and providing what he knew – or claimed to know – about the killing, and Pinochet’s intelligence operations generally, Fernandez Larios would receive extreme leniency, then be allowed to stay in the US, safe from extradition. Read more Britain’s forgotten proxy war against Russia Fernandez Larios was debriefed by US officials in Santiago in mid-January 1987, then subjected to polygraph tests in Brazil. He consistently denied knowing his 1976 mission to Washington DC was an assassination plot. The lie detector results showed “consistent signs of deception in Fernandez’ disclaimers.” Under further debriefing, he finally admitted “his surveillance contributed to the death of Letelier and Moffitt.” A late January 1987 State Department cable on what to do with Fernandez Larios however disregarded the polygraph tests, shockingly stating he was “not a murderer or party to a conspiracy to murder.” The memo judged his information on the Letelier-Moffitt case to be of “limited value”, but stated “foreign policy benefits” to providing him a generous plea deal were “substantial.” In February 1987, Fernandez Larios pleaded guilty to being an “accessory after the fact” to Letelier’s assassination. Within just five months, a State Department legal advisor wrote to the US Parole Commission, praising Fernandez Larios’ “character” and “his willingness to come forward and pay his debt” over his role in the crime. He was paroled in autumn 1987. The “Caravan of Death” In keeping with “consistent signs of deception” when discussing his foreknowledge of Letelier’s assassination, Fernandez Larios also did not tell US officials about many violent atrocities he personally committed as a member of Pinochet’s elite military unit, the “Caravan of Death.”  Generals Sergio Arellano Stark (left) and Augusto Pinochet embracing a few hours before the departure of the Caravan of Death (September 1973). ©  Wikipedia / National Library of Chile / La Nacion Newspaper Archive Following Pinochet’s seizure of power this deadly Caravan flew around Chile kidnapping local officials who remained loyal to Salvador Allende, who died in contested circumstances during the coup. Approximately 72 dissidents were executed or “disappeared.”  Fernandez Larios was identified by multiple witnesses as one of the most ruthless members of the military death squad. After Pinochet’s fall in 1990, investigations into his regime’s many atrocities were opened in Chile. In several cases, substantial evidence against Fernandez Larios as a personal perpetrator of appalling crimes was found, leading to Santiago launching legal proceedings. In accordance with his plea deal though, Fernandez Larios remained at liberty in Florida. Read more The fragile machines that carried Russia into the First World War It took until March 1999 for a civil suit to be launched against him in the US. The family of Winston Cabello, a 28-year-old Allenda-era regional planning director executed alongside 12 other political prisoners by the Caravan of Death in October 1973, accused Fernandez Larios of “extrajudicial killing, torture, crimes against humanity and cruel and inhuman treatment.” Numerous Chileans identified Fernandez Larios as a participant in the torture and executions of prisoners in multiple municipalities. One witnessed him personally slashing Cabello to death with a knife. The three-week trial ended in October 2003, Fernandez Larios found liable for extrajudicial killings, torture and crimes against humanity. Cabello’s family was awarded $4 million in damages.  That sum remains uncollected, and Fernandez Larios is once again a free man after his recent spell in prison, despite him truly being the “worst of the worst” captured by ICE. A strong case for his deportation to a country other than Chile remains. He has not been granted a special “snitch” visa protecting foreign informants from deportation. 

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— Trump rants about ‘LOSER’ MAGA defectors

 

at 8/22/26 12:09pm

The president has slammed Tucker Carlson, Thomas Massie, and Marjorie Taylor Greene as “fools” having almost no chance in politics US President Donald Trump has broken into a scornful tirade against conservative journalist and podcaster Tucker Carlson, as well as his other allies-turned-critics, including former Congress members Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie. In a Truth Social post on Friday, he branded the trio a bunch of “losers” having little to no chance in US politics and incapable of bringing any meaningful change. Trump’s rant particularly targeted a meeting between Carlson, Massie, and Greene earlier this month, which was followed by the journalist unveiling a political manifesto claiming that the American political system is “totally incapable of responding to reality” and suggesting a reform involving “a third party or multiple parties.” The journalist also repeatedly criticized Washington’s war on Iran, arguing that the US betrayed its own national interests by acting on Israel’s behalf. “I think America lost its sovereignty many years ago,” he told RT last month. Speaking on Sanchez Effect last week, he also called the US political system a “fraud,” accusing both Republicans and Democrats of “collusion against the American people.” Read more What’s in Tucker Carlson’s ‘Save America’ manifesto? The president stated in his post that Carlson was a “totally irrelevant” person with “surprisingly… very Low I.Q.” He claimed that Carlson was supposedly planning to “run for political office” while stating at the same time that “nobody cares about him any longer” and he had “no chance” at any political race where he could “probably take a couple of points away from whatever the Republican ticket happens to be.” Carlson himself has repeatedly denied personal political ambitions but says he would back any attempt to create a third party. The president also branded Massie a “failed politician, and a real JERK” voting “No” on “everything” and accused Greene of going from an “ultra conservative to a liberal ‘fool’" in weeks simply because he allegedly did not answer her calls. Read more US political system is a ‘fraud’ – Tucker Carlson (VIDEO) Massie and Greene both publicly condemned the war with Iran and criticized Trump over what Greene called his efforts to conceal documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “What a team this would be, THREE LOSERS, and a pocketful of change!” the president wrote, telling them to “join the Radical Left Dumocrats.” The rendezvous in early August was treated by the US media as a step towards potentially creating a third party to contest the 2028 election, although no official statements were made. Greene did say that “the movement has begun” in a post on X featuring a photo from the meeting. The former congresswoman also responded to Trump’s post in a lengthy statement of her own, calling Trump “a neocon puppet of Israel” and blaming his tirade on his own “bad polling.” Massie claimed on X that the president was “weeks away from failing his midterms in November” while stating that he “should have listened to” him, Greene, and Carlson.

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— The new world won’t be ruled by the ICC’s bias – or Washington’s overreach

 

at 8/22/26 10:18am

The clash over sanctions on judges reveals a fading order in which neither moral monopoly nor financial coercion can claim legitimacy Washington’s clash with the International Criminal Court exposes the contradictions between supranational legal claims, American exceptionalism, and the rise of multipolar sovereignty. The latest clash between Washington and the International Criminal Court says more about the structure of the present world order than about Tomoko Akane or Abdoulaye Seye. On August 18, 2026, the United States imposed sanctions on Akane, the Japanese president of the ICC, and Seye, a Senegalese senior trial lawyer in the Office of the Prosecutor. The measures freeze assets subject to American jurisdiction and restrict access to the American financial system. The ICC answered by calling the sanctions a “flagrant attack” on the independence of the court. Nine of its 18 judges, both deputy prosecutors, a former prosecutor, and another staff member now face American sanctions. Washington says the court has exceeded its mandate by pursuing officials from states that never accepted its authority, above all the US and Israel. This dispute raises the oldest political question in a new form: who has the right to judge whom? The liberal international order promised an answer based on universal law. The American response supplies another answer based on sovereign power. A multipolar view has reason to distrust both claims when either seeks authority over civilizations and states that never freely granted it. The American position contains a genuine question of sovereignty, even when Washington applies that principle selectively. The US never became a party to the Rome Statute. Israel also remains outside the court. From the American perspective, an international tribunal created by a treaty cannot simply acquire authority over American soldiers, officials, or allied leaders without American consent. The ICC answers that its jurisdiction can arise through the territory on which alleged crimes occurred, including territory belonging to states that accepted the Rome Statute. This is the legal basis behind some proceedings involving nationals of countries outside the court. Lawyers can argue over jurisdiction, territorial consent, complementarity, admissibility, and treaty interpretation, but that us beside the point of the political issue in question here. A multipolar order begins from the existence of several sovereign centers of power, each possessing its own history, institutions, political traditions, and conception of justice. Any institution claiming authority above these centers carries an immense burden of legitimacy. A tribunal with universal ambitions must either possess genuine universal consent or depend upon political power to enforce its judgments. The ICC possesses neither a world state behind it nor universal membership. The US, China, Russia, India, Israel, and several other important powers stand outside its system. Such a court can aspire to universality, yet aspiration alone cannot create a universal political community. Read more ICC head decries US sanctions Yet Washington weakens its own argument whenever it converts sovereignty into a privilege reserved for itself and its allies. Sovereign equality means that American sovereignty deserves respect because every sovereign state deserves respect. American exceptionalism follows another principle: Washington claims freedoms that it frequently refuses to extend to others. The US objects when an institution beyond its control threatens American officials, while successive American governments have used sanctions, financial restrictions, diplomatic pressure, military power, and extraterritorial legislation to pressure individuals and companies far beyond American territory into complying with American policy. Washington rejects the ICC because the court supposedly projects authority beyond the consent of sovereign states; Washington then answers that alleged violation by using the global reach of the dollar and the American financial system against foreign judges and prosecutors. Sovereignty becomes both the defense and the weapon. An international institution may pursue justice until its work touches the protected sphere of American power. At that point, financial coercion begins. For advocates of multipolarity, this episode illustrates why the concentration of global finance, sanctions power, communications infrastructure, and legal influence inside one geopolitical center creates political dependence even for institutions that describe themselves as independent. The ICC itself deserves scrutiny from the same multipolar standpoint. The answer to American domination cannot consist of transferring ultimate authority from Washington to The Hague. The court arose during the high tide of the post-Cold War order, when Western political ideas increasingly appeared under universal names. Liberal democracy became “democracy.” Western doctrines of rights became “human rights.” Western political assumptions became “international norms.” Institutions created within that historical climate often inherited the same universal language. The moral appeal is easy to understand. Genocide, mass killing, torture, and deliberate attacks upon civilians are terrible acts, and societies naturally seek ways to punish those responsible. The difficulty begins when moral judgment becomes a permanent supranational machinery claiming jurisdiction across radically different political worlds. International criminal law then enters the sphere of geopolitics. Prosecutors depend upon evidence supplied by states. Courts depend upon governments to arrest suspects. International bodies depend upon funding, diplomatic backing, banking systems, travel access, and political cooperation. Enforcement follows the distribution of power. A defendant from a weak state may find himself in The Hague. A leader protected by a great power may remain beyond its reach. The language remains universal while the ability to enforce it remains unequal. That gap between universal principle and political reality has haunted international justice from its beginning. Read more US targets ICC chief in push to ‘dismantle’ court The case involving Israel has made these contradictions extremely evident. Washington’s campaign against the court intensified after the ICC pursued Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. American officials argue that the court lacks legitimate authority over Israeli leaders and presents a danger to American personnel as well. Human Rights Watch takes the opposite position and describes the sanctions as an effort to shield American and Israeli officials from accountability. These rival claims are a sign of a deep transformation. For decades, international institutions appeared strongest when their judgments fell upon governments situated outside the central Western alliance. Their authority becomes much harder to sustain when legal mechanisms move towards leaders of states protected by Washington. The result is a collision between two competing claims to authority: the ICC’s claim to universal jurisdiction and America’s claim to exceptional freedom from external judgment. The first seeks a law capable of reaching across political boundaries; the second reserves a sphere of exemption for the hegemon and selected partners. Multipolarity points towards a third principle: rules between civilizations require consent, reciprocity, and equal application. A rule that binds Senegal yet spares America lacks equality. A court that claims authority over states that reject its jurisdiction faces a problem of consent. Both problems belong in the same discussion. Japan’s reaction adds another layer. Tokyo has long stood among Washington’s closest allies, yet the Japanese government called the sanctions against Akane “very unfortunate” and reaffirmed its support for the ICC and for the prosecution of serious international crimes. This dispute cuts across the familiar division between the West and its geopolitical opponents. Japan supports the American alliance system while also defending an institution that Washington now seeks to weaken. Such disagreements will become more common as the unipolar age recedes. States will increasingly refuse to place every question of law, trade, security, technology, culture, and diplomacy inside a single geopolitical hierarchy. They may cooperate with Washington in one field, Beijing in another, Moscow in yet another, and regional institutions in still another. This fluidity lies near the heart of multipolarity. Multipolar politics does not require every country to join an anti-American bloc. Such a bloc would merely reproduce bipolar logic. It means recovering the capacity to judge particular questions according to national interests, treaty obligations, civilizational traditions, and regional realities. Japan’s criticism shows how an allied state can maintain its strategic relationship with Washington while publicly rejecting an American measure that conflicts with another part of its foreign policy. Read more US pressuring African states to abandon ICC – Le Monde The sanctions also expose the political character of the global financial system. An American sanction carries weight because the US controls access to institutions and networks that reach far outside its borders. A judge living in Europe can feel the force of a decision taken in Washington because banks, payment systems, corporations, insurers, and technology firms fear American penalties. This gives the US something close to a global administrative power without the formal structure of a world government. The same mechanism has appeared in sanctions against states, companies, businessmen, politicians, media organizations, and private citizens. From a multipolar perspective, the central question therefore concerns architecture. A world containing several sovereign poles requires several financial centers, payment systems, reserve assets, legal forums, information networks, and diplomatic mechanisms. Otherwise formal sovereignty survives while material sovereignty disappears. A government may possess a flag, parliament, army, and constitution while its officials, citizens, and companies remain vulnerable to decisions made inside another country’s financial bureaucracy. The present conflict with the ICC dramatizes this problem because the target is an institution that describes itself as independent. Judicial independence means little when foreign financial power can impose serious personal costs on judges for performing acts authorized by their institution. Even critics of the ICC should understand the danger contained in that precedent. A mature multipolar position therefore has little reason to choose between worship of the ICC and worship of American sovereignty. The better principle is sovereign equality joined to negotiated international responsibility. Great crimes require mechanisms of judgment, yet those mechanisms gain strength through broad consent, reciprocity, clear jurisdiction, regional legitimacy, and rules applied to powerful and weak states alike. International law will command deeper respect when it grows from agreements among civilizations instead of presenting the political inheritance of one historical era as the final constitution of mankind. The same standard must apply to Washington. America may defend its sovereignty, but that defense becomes credible only when it respects the sovereignty of others. The ICC may defend judicial independence, but its claim to authority becomes stronger when its structure reflects a genuinely plural distribution of global power. The dispute over Akane and Seye therefore marks another stage in the breakdown of the old order. The future will contain fewer institutions capable of speaking unquestioned in the name of “the international community.” That phrase once concealed a hierarchy. Multipolarity brings the hierarchy into view. From there a different order can emerge: several great political spaces, several legal traditions, and several centers of power negotiating common rules without granting any capital, court, or ideology the right to tower above humanity as its final judge.

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— Putin hints at ‘catastrophic scenario’ for Ukraine

 

at 8/22/26 9:16am

Kiev “let the genie out of the bottle” by striking economic infrastructure, and is now reaping the retaliation, the Russian president has said Ukraine is facing a “catastrophic scenario” from Russian retaliatory strikes after it “opened Pandora’s box” with its attacks on economic and civilian infrastructure, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday. In spring, Kiev sharply escalated its long-range drone attacks on Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure, thereafter extending the strikes to e-commerce warehouses and civilian logistics facilities. Russia retaliated by targeting Black Sea shipping and key port facilities it said were handling Ukraine’s military-related imports, effectively severing the country’s main export route. Kiev is now reaching out through intermediaries to try to “prevent this situation from developing into a catastrophic scenario,” Putin said in an interview with Russia 1. However, their trajectory is apparent, he added. Ukraine initiated this with its “massive missile and drone strikes on our civilian targets and logistics,” the president stated. It has opened Pandora’s box itself. Russia’s retaliation struck Ukraine’s “most sensitive economic sectors,” including agricultural exports, which are its main source of revenue, Putin said. READ MORE: Three killed, including two children, in Ukrainian drone attack on Russia – governor He added that the diplomatic proposals Moscow is now receiving are sometimes “exotic and unacceptable.” We are always ready for dialogue on peace, but only on the basis of the realities unfolding on the ground. Moscow has long stressed that it prefers a diplomatic settlement to the Ukraine conflict, but will only accept a long-term and stable peace that removes its underlying causes. READ MORE: Ukraine at 35: Winter is coming to Zelensky’s state of corruption Russia will continue to push toward its goals via military means as long as Kiev refuses to compromise, the Kremlin has said.

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— Zuckerbeg’s Meta in $1.4 trillion addiction showdown: Why is the giant in court again?

 

at 8/17/26 3:09pm

The social media behemoth that controls Instagram and Facebook is accused of breaking child protection laws and harming underage users’ mental health Meta is heading to court on Tuesday to face accusations that it broke child safety laws and harmed underage users’ mental health. A loss could bankrupt Mark Zuckerberg’s company and force permanent changes to Facebook and Instagram. Read more EU targets Meta over ‘addictive’ Facebook and Instagram design Who’s suing Meta? Four US states – California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey – are suing Meta in a federal court in Oakland, California. The four states are parties to a wider lawsuit involving a total of 29 states, filed in 2023. The remaining 25 states are expected to have their trials at later dates. Attorneys general in all 29 states have consolidated thousands of individual complaints – a practice known as multidistrict litigation – all alleging that Meta knowingly harmed its youngest and most vulnerable users. What is Meta accused of? All four states argue that the social media giant deliberately engineered its platforms to keep children and teenagers scrolling for as long as possible, while knowingly allowing under-13s to use these platforms without parental consent.  “Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains,” the lawsuit states. This week, Attorney General Phil Weiser joined @Morning_Joe to discuss the ongoing fight to protect our young people from harmful social media algorithms and practices. pic.twitter.com/yA7MzfxymE— Colorado Attorney General (@COAttnyGeneral) August 13, 2026 These addictive design features – including the infinite scroll feature and algorithms that encourage “compulsive use” – amount to unfair, fraudulent, or deceptive business practices in all four states, the plaintiffs allege. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that Meta knows its products are harming users’ mental health, but “prioritizes engagement and profits to the detriment of young users’ well-being,” for example by recommending “content related to eating disorders” to young girls. On top of these ‘addiction’ allegations, the four plaintiffs claim that Meta violated federal law, namely the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), by collecting personal information from under-13s without obtaining parental consent. “Meta does not obtain – or even attempt to obtain – verifiable parental consent before collecting the personal information of children on Instagram and Facebook,” the suit states, claiming that the company falls back on its nominal ban on under-13s to skirt its COPPA obligations. An excerpt from a 29-state lawsuit against Meta, filed November 22, 2023 “But Meta’s own records reveal that it has actual knowledge that Instagram and Facebook target and successfully enroll children as users,” the suit continues, pointing to internal documents detailing the company’s efforts to increase “penetration” in the 11- to 13-year-old demographic. Has Meta been sued for causing ‘addiction’ before? The Oakland case comes after Meta suffered back-to-back legal losses this year. In early March, a state court in New Mexico found the company liable for 75,000 violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act, fining the social media giant $375 million, before branding its platforms a “public nuisance” to teens’ mental health and imposing an additional fine of $567 million. Read more Zuckerberg testifies in social media addiction trial Later in March, Los Angeles County Superior Court ordered Meta to pay $3 million in compensation to a 20-year-old California woman identified as ‘Kaley’, who developed anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia after becoming addicted to Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms as a pre-teen. Meta was also ordered to pay $2.1 million in punitive damages. The Los Angeles case was a bellwether, in that the jury accepted the plaintiff’s argument that the design features of Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms – and not the content that Kaley was exposed to – caused her harm.  Kaley’s lawyers presented some of the same internal documents included in the latest case, which show Meta employees discussing plans to bring in more under-13 users and maximize their screen time, and that the company is aware that heavy use of its platforms is linked to depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among teens. The Oakland trial marks the first time that these arguments will be heard in a federal courtroom, and the first time that Meta will be tried for breaches of state and federal law in the same case. Should Meta lose, the case could be brought to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and potentially to the US Supreme Court, where any ruling would set a legal precedent.  What do the states want? The four states are seeking damages of up to $1.4 trillion, a figure that would almost equal Meta’s entire market capitalization and bankrupt the company. However, this figure assumes individual payouts for hundreds of thousands of users affected by Meta’s practices, rather than a single payout for every deceptive practice committed by the company. The plaintiffs also want Meta to implement a process of parental verification for teenage users, change its “dopamine-manipulating recommendation algorithms,” remove image filters “designed around beautification,” end the autoplay of video content, and end “ephemeral” video content such as stories. What has Meta said about the lawsuit? Read more Meta to pay millions over student mental‑health crisis – Reuters Meta has long argued that mental health issues are triggered by far more factors than social media. “Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app,” a company spokesperson said after losing the Los Angeles lawsuit in March. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.” “These lawsuits misportray our company and the work we do every day to provide young people with safe, valuable experiences online,” Meta said in a statement ahead of Tuesday’s trial. “We have listened to parents, researched the issues that matter most, and made real changes to protect teens online.” Meta pointed to its introduction of restricted teen accounts on Instagram last year, and its use of AI to detect teens attempting to use adult accounts as examples of these changes. However, during his testimony in Los Angeles in March, Zuckerberg admitted that it is “very difficult” to prevent under-13s from lying about their age to set up accounts. Regarding the potential of a $1.4 trillion fine, Meta wrote in a court filing last month that “a sanction of that size has no analog in the history of consumer protection enforcement.”

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As of 8/26/26 11:45am. Last new 8/23/26 9:36am.