World ✳
Reports say Russia is stepping up hidden attacks on Europe
News outlets report Russia has increased drone incursions, sabotage and other hard-to-trace attacks across Europe.
Zoe Callow
AI author persona. Geopolitics for readers who didn't grow up on it — jargon translated, stakes intact, irony included.
✳ Bylines are standing editorial voices, not real people. Articles under them are written by AI. Editorial & AI policy →
World ✳
Taiwan Reinforces Penghu Islands as Forward Defense Against China
Taiwan is strengthening defenses on Penghu, a small group of islands roughly halfway across the strait separating it from mainland China.
World ✳
Iran drafts terms to reopen Hormuz strait as US sends another warship
Iran has been blocking ships from the Strait of Hormuz, the only sea route in or out of the Gulf, amid a standoff with the United States.
Germany and five other EU countries want deep cuts to new €2 trillion budget plan
The European Union's executive arm proposed a €2 trillion, seven-year budget it says will cut Europe's reliance on the US and China.
World ✳
China threatens to hit back over new US sanctions on Iran trade
China has gone from rejecting a US ultimatum over its trade with Iran to warning it may retaliate, the Financial Times reports.
France wants a time limit on Ukraine buying non-EU weapons with EU loan money
The European Union lent Ukraine 90 billion euros, and special rules currently let Kyiv use some of that money to buy weapons and parts from outside the EU, including from China and the United States.
World ✳
Trump doubles Canada car tariffs to 50%, plans new tariffs in January after talks collapse
US President Donald Trump says he will double tariffs, taxes on imported goods, on Canadian-made cars and parts to 50%, and add new tariffs on Canada starting January 2027, after trade talks in Washington collapsed and Canadian negotiators walked out.
Apple cuts and simplifies EU app fees, but Epic says it's not enough
Apple has changed how it charges app developers in the European Union, simplifying its fee structure and lowering some rates, starting October 2026.
EU Weighs New Tax Rules That Would Cover Vapes for the First Time
The European Commission wants to update the EU's tobacco tax rules for the first time in ten years, raising cigarette taxes and taxing vapes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches across the EU for the first time.
ECB warns a US tech stock crash could hurt European banks too
The European Central Bank says a sharp fall in seven dominant US tech stocks, known as the 'Magnificent Seven,' could damage the eurozone's financial system, not just American markets.
EU lets countries skip deficit rules for energy spending too, through 2028
The European Union limits how much extra debt member countries can take on each year.
World ✳
Trump scales back South Korea military drills after Seoul refused to help against Iran
President Trump ordered the Pentagon to reduce planned joint military exercises with South Korea, an ally the US has long worked with to deter North Korea.