US Vice President J.D. Vance has accused Politico of running a “foreign influence operation” against special envoy Steve Witkoff, blasting the outlet’s reporting as “journalistic malpractice” for relying on anonymous officials while excluding on-the-record statements from senior figures who defended him.

The article, published Friday by Politico correspondent Felicia Schwartz under the headline “'His inexperience shines through': Steve Witkoff struggles to manage Russia as Trump peace envoy,” cited 13 anonymous American and foreign officials who alleged that Witkoff lacked diplomatic skill and had caused confusion in ongoing negotiations with Moscow.

On July 30, 2025, the United States announced 25 percent tariffs on Indian goods [SINCE THEN TRUMP HAS INCREASE THIS TO 50%]. While diplomatic tensions simmered on the trade front, a cosmic calm prevailed at the Sriharikota launch range. Officials from NASA and ISRO were preparing to launch an engineering marvel into space—the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), marking a significant milestone in the India-U.S. bilateral partnership.

 

NISAR Soars While India-U.S. Tariff Tensions Simmer

By Tejas Bharadwaj

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced his upcoming visit to China for the Victory Day Parade during a powerful speech in Bratislava commemorating the Slovak National Uprising.

Fico condemned what he called a resurgence of fascism and nazism in Europe, warned against escalating East-West tensions, and defended the Soviet Union’s role in Slovakia’s WWII liberation. He stressed the importance of remembering historical truth, stating:

"We know very well where freedom came from in Slovakia... and we know what the peoples of the former Soviet Union paid as a huge price for this liberation struggle."

Fico will be one of only two European leaders attending China’s September 3 Victory Parade, alongside Serbia's Aleksandar Vučić. The event will also be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

During her visit to Denmark, Kallas was asked directly by a journalist whether the EU would provide security guarantees in the event of an American attack on Greenland. She responded that the EU “respects the decisions of Greenland, whatever they may be,” and supports Denmark as a member state of the Union. Kallas emphasized that the EU would show solidarity with Denmark “as a worthy member state,” but avoided addressing the military dimension of the question.

The International Court of Justice handed down a significant climate action advisory opinion at the behest of the UN last month. Rex Patrick looks at Australia’s response.

So far, Australia’s approach to the ICJ’s climate advisory has been to try having its carbon cake and eating it too.

Along with 130 other countries, the Australian Government co-sponsored Vanuatu’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution requesting an advisory opinion on nation-states’ climate action obligations. It then proceeded to argue against generalised obligations and against the proposition of generalised legal consequences.

The questions before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) were significant.

For 80 years the world has sympathised with and supported Israel through the prism of the indescribably brutal Holocaust.

 

George Browning

Never again – so the world pledged

 

For generations to come the world will now view Israel through the prism of its atrocities in Gaza. This will be a huge burden for members of the Jewish community to bear, especially as it was not carried out with their imprimatur, but through its vengefully and ideologically driven, self-interested and self-aggrandising inner political circle. Waging war has always served the self-interest of those doing the waging.

Defence Minister Richard Marles  said in June that if war broke out between the US and China, Australia would inevitably be involved.

 

Michael Keating,  Jon Stanford

Ditch AUKUS Pillar One. It involves Australia too much in US strategy

 

Alastair Crooke’s remarkable analysis of Trump in the context of myth as geopolitics has left us with much to ponder. There’s no escape from Trump’s “extraordinary ability to dominate the discourse”, globally, as well as his capacity for “bending people to his will” – and thus wreak havoc on the geopolitical chessboard.

 

Mythic Trump: the incendiary Narcissus

BY Pepe Escobar

Mythic Narcissus, depending on his mood while facing his reflection in the pool, may at any moment authorize Kiev hits on Moscow and St. Petersburg with long-range missiles.

 

It's the most expensive single defense project in Europe, with a projected cost of at least €100 billion ($116.6 billion). From 2040, the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) aims to combine a new European fighter jet with fleets of drones controlled via a European defense cloud.

"It's more like a flying combat system," Christian Mölling, a German security expert, told DW. The goal is to reduce European dependence on the United States and the F-35 fighter jets, equipped with stealth technology, that the US produces.

 

On 15 August, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska, the first head-of-state meeting between the two countries since the Ukraine War began.

It was widely panned as a “shameful” and “vomit-inducing” episode where Putin apparently came out on top.

 

Jersey Lee

Taking a win from Alaska

 

Just when you think that the Australian Government cannot sink any lower, the prime minister still manages to surprise!_

 

Cameron Leckie

Gaslighting the electorate, virtue signalling to our ‘partners’

 

We have now been made aware of accusations that the Republic of Iran was involved in two antisemitic “incidents” in Australia.

No one killed. No one hurt. Relatively minor property damage.

Yet these accusations, based on intelligence shared with ASIO from “foreign partners” (presumably Israel), were sufficient for the prime minister to decide, for the first time in Australia’s history, to expel the Iranian ambassador.

Yes, you heard it correctly.

It is a dilemma... Swiss banks that used to profit from Russian oligarchs cash, had to support the sanctions imposed by the USA and Europe against Russia — for "Russia's invasion of Ukraine"...

As well, the origin of some cash from other sources (EU, UK, USA) may be more dirty than profits made by the Russians. Ukraine's elite is siphoning a huge amount of the cash given to Ukraine by its "allies"... Where does the money go? Dubai? Switzerland?...

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has made a moderate media splash and ruffled some feathers in his own ruling coalition with the Centrist Social Democrats (SPD). Using the platform of a regional party congress of his CDU Conservatives in Niedersachsen, Merz has delivered a speech that immediately attracted national attention and will be remembered for one phrase.

 

Cut welfare, give billions to Ukraine, suppress opposition: The German leader’s checklist to success
Friedrich Merz thinks he is the savior of the old German establishment. He is really more of a gravedigger

BY Tarik Cyril Amar

 

Brussels has “bent at the knee” before US President Donald Trump – that’s how one White House official described the recent trade deal involving tariffs, massive investment in US economy and a pledge to purchase American energy.

 

Fifty shades of the EU: Queen Ursula should start charging to watch her kinky dance with Trump
Is the US president having his way with the EU, or just getting more “solidarity” smoke and mirrors?

BY Rachel Marsden

 

Only 8% of Democrats support Israel’s “war in Gaza,” and almost two-thirds of Democrats—65%—believe that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, with only 8% disagreeing that they are. In response to this, Democratic leaders, with a long history of backing both the current genocide and Israel more broadly, are scrambling to hedge their support and create an image of not only being Very Concerned Humanitarians, but of politicians willing to stand up to Israel—in some vague and ill-defined capacity.