France Extends Nuclear Umbrella to European Partners

Emmanuel Macron arrived to the highly-secretive nuclear submarine base where he would give his speech in a manner perfectly choreographed for the weighty remarks he was about to deliver: accompanied by a squadron of nuclear-capable Rafale jets. "To be free one must be feared," Macron said, "and to be feared one must be powerful." France's president has

Trump and Merz Meet on Iran, Tariffs and Ukraine

Skip next section Merz to head back home March 3, 2026 Merz to head back home Following his meeting with Trump, the German chancellor is set to fly back to Germany. With that, we will be closing this blog. Thank you for following along, and don't forget to check out our other blogs for more

Heavy Clashes Between Pakistan and Afghan Taliban

Pakistan said its military posts along the border came under attack by Afghan Taliban forces on Tuesday, sparking renewed clashes that killed 67 Afghan troops and one Pakistani soldier. Afghanistan rejected that account as "baseless." The Taliban government in Kabul instead said its forces had successfully repelled attacks from Pakistan and killed four Pakistani soldiers.  Fighting

US Regime Change: A Checkered History

At the beginning of the current war with Iran, US President Donald Trump was clear about the goals: Tehran should no longer pose a nuclear or conventional military threat, and the weakened mullah regime should be removed from power. Since then, Trump and other top US officials have mentioned different reasons for the US and Israeli airstrikes on

Ali Larijani: Iran’s Interim Powerbroker

The airstrike on the Tehran residence of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — one of the opening salvos of the current US-Israeli war with Iran — killed the 86-year-old supreme leader together with large parts of the Iranian command structure. Iran has yet to decide on the next leader. Currently, however, the power vacuum appears to be filled by Iran's

Customs Find Ketamine Hidden in Golden Garden Gnomes

Germany's customs agency on Tuesday revealed that a sizable seizure of the drug ketamine was made at Cologne/Bonn Airport when an otherwise innocent-looking decoy object drew suspicion. Some 25 kilograms (about 55 pounds) of the widely misused anesthetic was found squirreled away inside five bushy-bearded garden gnomes that had been painted gold. How was the ketamine shipment found? The haul

Nepal Vote: Gen Z’s Bid for Real Political Reform

Liza Adhikari, a 20-year-old student, carries the wounds of the "revolution" in her left shoulder.   Every day, she goes to physiotherapy to regain movement after a bullet shattered the top of the bone in her upper arm. She was shot on September 8, 2025 — the day when Nepal's Gen Z movement faced a deadly crackdown

Bundeswehr report: urgent need for major recruitment drive

Parliament's special commissioner for the Bundeswehr military, Henning Otte, lobbied for a rapid recruitment drive in the army in the coming years in his annual report published on Tuesday.  "The issues of personnel and its expansion remain the central challenges for the Bundeswehr, if it is to further strengthen its capabilities," the report said.  Germany has been

Heat pumps work in freezing cold weather

Germany's ruling coalition plans to slow parts of its renewables push and amend a key heating law, amid fossil-fuel industry lobbying and public hesitation over alternatives like heat pumps. Though new buildings frequently feature heat pumps, many Germans remain skeptical of the technology as an alternative to standard heating systems that rely on polluting fuels like

Foushee Holds Slim Lead Over Allam in NC Democratic Primary

Nida Allam in 2022; Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) in 2025. Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee holds a narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam in the Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Congressional district as ballots continue to be counted. In a race
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