September 19, 2026

03 World

Ukraine’s losses from port blockade exceed $1 bln – Business & Economy– tass.com

pgnewser August 7, 2026 0

Ukraine’s losses from port blockade exceed $1 bln – Business & Economy– tass.com
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EXCERPT:

MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/. Ukraine has lost about $1.05 bln in foreign exchange earnings due to the blockade of its seaports since July 22, according to TASS calculations.

Ukraine’s main commercial ports – Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny – remain idle. Shipping schedules show that large foreign merchant vessels are not calling at these ports.

Ukraine conducts maritime trade solely through the port of Izmail, where logistics are constrained by the capacity of both the harbor and the railway network serving it. Even when operating at full capacity, Izmail can handle no more than 20 mln metric tons annually, compared with about 13 mln metric tons under normal conditions. The Greater Odessa ports, meanwhile, have a combined annual capacity of over 40 mln metric tons. Ukraine is losing around $70 mln daily, primarily because of a sharp decline in exports of agricultural products and steel.

Available vessel traffic data do not account for deliveries of military cargo to the Ukrainian armed forces. The Russian Defense Ministry regularly reports strikes on dry cargo ships at the port of Nikolayev used to support Ukrainian troops.

 

Taiwan’s military drills suggest deeper alignment with the U.S.– abcnews.com

pgnewser August 7, 2026 0

Taiwan’s military drills suggest deeper alignment with the U.S.– abcnews.com
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EXCERPT:

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Through this year’s military drills, Taiwan has chosen to emphasize its army’s and society’s flexibility and resilience as opposed to primarily putting advanced weapons on display. Experts say the exercises’ structure indicate closer ties with the U.S. military in the face of China’s ongoing military threat.

The annual Huang Kuang drills kicked off on Wednesday and are set to extend through Aug. 14 in various locations around the island. The live-fire exercises will test the Taiwanese army’s ability to sustain 24-hour defense operations as well as counter China’s “gray-zone tactics,” which stop just short of open warfare.

China claims the self-ruled democracy as its own territory, and has not renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Taiwan dismisses China’s claims and insists it is a sovereign state.

The United States, while not recognizing Taiwan as a country, sees all threats to the island as a matter of great concern. Washington is bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

While there has long been speculation that the U.S. military has been quietly training Taiwanese troops, the collaboration between the two sides has been more visible in recent weeks. A key component of the Han Kuang drills, for example, is the practice of a U.S.-inspired military communications method called backbriefing, where subordinates explain to commanders how they plan to carry out assigned missions.

Zelensky dismisses Ukrainian ambassador to US – World– tass.com

pgnewser August 7, 2026 0

Zelensky dismisses Ukrainian ambassador to US – World– tass.com
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EXCERPT:

“To dismiss Stefanishina Olga Vitalyevna from her position as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States of America,” Zelensky’s decree reads.

Stefanishina served as Ukrainian ambassador to the United States since August 27, 2025. A new ambassador has not yet been appointed.

Shortly after Zelensky’s decree was posted on his website, Stefanishina said the decision was her own. “Today, I decided to step down as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States. This is my own decision stemming from personal circumstances that were mentioned earlier,” she wrote on Facebook (Facebook is banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist).

She posted a photo of her letter of resignation where she also cited “personal circumstances” as the reason for her leaving the post. At the same time, she promised to provide comments on the probe against her in the near future. “As for the issues going around about me in the mass media, I will comment on them specially and publicly soon,” she added.

Reports on Stefanishina’s voluntary resignation appeared in Ukrainian media back on July 13. According to Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) member Alexey Goncharenko (designated as a terrorist and extremist in Russia), Stefanishina has already returned to Kiev and may be charged by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). The RBC-Ukraine agency also mentioned NABU’s probe against Stefanishina as a possible reason for the government reshuffle initiated by Zelensky.

Iran, US make opposing claims of peace talks as cargo ships report strikes – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser August 7, 2026 0

Iran, US make opposing claims of peace talks as cargo ships report strikes – National– globalnews.ca
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A British maritime monitoring agency said a cargo ship reported being hit by a projectile overnight off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States and Iran made opposing claims about whether they were holding talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said the two sides are resuming talks to wind down the war. But Iran insisted it only was talking with Oman and the discussion focused on the Strait of Hormuz.

Here is a look at the most important developments in the Middle East on Tuesday.

Threats Force U.S. to Suspend Activities in Mexico’s Avocado Heartland– legalinsurrection.com

pgnewser August 7, 2026 0

Threats Force U.S. to Suspend Activities in Mexico’s Avocado Heartland– legalinsurrection.com
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U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico announced the State Department has suspended activities in Michoacan State.

“Due to a threat against American interests, U.S. government activities in Michoacan State have been suspended as of August 5,” according to the warning. “Reminder that the U.S. travel advisory designates Michoacan as a Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ area.”

While the State Department did not specify the threat, four cartels work out of Michoacan State, all of which the administration designated as terrorist organizations:

  • Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)
  • Los Viagras
  • La Nueva Familia Michoacána
  • Cárteles Unidos

Spain pushes migrants back to Morocco as fallout deepens over mass border breach– www.washingtonpost.com

pgnewser August 7, 2026 0

Spain pushes migrants back to Morocco as fallout deepens over mass border breach– www.washingtonpost.com
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EXCERPT:

CEUTA, Spain — Tens of thousands of migrants were expelled from this tiny Spanish city on the coast of North Africa almost as quickly as they came, and calm returned to the beaches and sidewalks, after a mass breach of the border from Morocco. For Spain, however, the political fallout and intrigue only deepened Saturday.

 

Meta says AI model accessed the internet and hacked another firm– www.bbc.co.uk

pgnewser August 7, 2026 0

Meta says AI model accessed the internet and hacked another firm– www.bbc.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

Facebook owner Meta says an error during an evaluation by an independent testing company allowed one of its artificial intelligence (AI) models to connect to the internet and hack another organisation’s system.

The announcement follows recent incidents across the AI industry, including breaches by OpenAI and Anthropic models, that have raised cyber-security concerns.

A Meta spokesperson told the BBC that it was investigating the hack that was caused by a “misconfiguration”, which it described as similar to previously reported incidents at other firms.

The incidents have prompted researchers and governments to call for tougher safeguards and more rigorous testing.

Meta said the tests were conducted by Irregular, an AI security vendor, which notified it about the breach.

Your AI Might be Propagandizing You

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

The Federal Trade Commission is looking to create rules to prevent what it suspects is intentional propagandization by AI chatbots.

The FTC declared, “As the proposed policy statement explains, the FTC Act prohibits businesses from engaging in ‘unfair or deceptive’ conduct. The proposed statement goes on to describe how AI companies that distort their systems’ outputs to achieve undisclosed ideological objectives could be deceiving consumers in violation Section 5 of the FTC Act. Such conduct, it explains, may be at odds with explicit and implicit representations made to consumers about the effectiveness and suitability of AI systems for various tasks.”

Chilling Political Dissent: Are LLMs Censoring Output Criticizing Restrictive Regimes? | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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EXCERPT:

In July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sought public comment about its proposed policy statement addressing the Commission’s concern that artificial intelligence companies train large language models (LLMs) to “surreptitiously . . . produce ideologically motivated distortions in a response to a factual question.” That same month, Meta’s Oversight Board published a fact-specific research report revealing a different yet real problem—one on an international scale—about LLM output: censorship of content “criticiz[ing] political regimes that restrict free expression.”

Unlike the FTC’s speculative, nefarious-businesses premise that “AI companies . . . [may] distort their systems’ outputs to achieve undisclosed ideological objectives” that don’t match an amorphous understanding of “consumers’ reasonable expectations,” Meta’s Oversight Board admits it “cannot determine the causes of the associations that emerged between declining to generate politically critical material and national legal restrictions on criticism.” The Board’s findings merit serious attention by free-speech advocates everywhere because, as the report notes, “there is a real and concerning risk that foundation models could be reflecting and further entrenching the restrictive speech norms of repressive regimes.”

Russian attacks kill 17, exploiting Ukraine’s lack of missile interceptors | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Russian attacks kill 17, exploiting Ukraine’s lack of missile interceptors | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com
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EXCERPT:

Russia has pounded Kyiv and surrounding areas with ballistic missiles and drones, killing at least 17 people, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns lives could have been saved had allies replenished its stocks of missile interceptors.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Telegram that cleanup operations were under way following what it described as a “massive attack”, which took place overnight on Tuesday. Among the sites struck were warehouse facilities in the city of Brovary, while a fire broke out at another warehouse in the city of Bucha.

Former European and Russian Officials Held Secret Talks in Austria – Bloomberg– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Former European and Russian Officials Held Secret Talks in Austria – Bloomberg– www.themoscowtimes.com
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EXCERPT:

Former diplomats and national security officials from Europe and Russia met secretly in Vienna last month to explore potential terms for holding peace talks with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The Western figures included former British national security adviser Tim Barrow, former German State Secretary Markus Ederer and veteran French diplomat Pierre Vimont. The former Russian official’s identity was not disclosed.

The Kremlin has not commented on the reported meeting.

Ederer and Vimont sit on the board of the Swiss-based conflict resolution group Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, which was said to have organized the talks.

China announces ‘countermeasures’ after US trade sanctions– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

China announces ‘countermeasures’ after US trade sanctions– www.channelnewsasia.com
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EXCERPT:

BEIJING: China announced restrictions on drone exports to the United States and blacklisted six companies on Wednesday (Aug 5) in response to trade sanctions imposed by Washington over forced labour and national security concerns.

The move comes days after the US imposed fresh tariffs on China and 59 other countries, adding to a series of recent trade measures.

The US actions “seriously harm China’s legitimate rights and interests”, a commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

“China can only take necessary countermeasures in response, including strengthening export controls on drones, and their key components and technology to the US.”

Beijing’s measures also include suspending factory follow-up inspections by Chinese certification bodies, blacklisting US compliance testing companies, and launching national security investigations into imports of office printers and copiers, according to the ministry.

Ceuta crisis: 1,000 child migrants stuck in Spanish enclave after mass border crossing– www.independent.co.uk

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Ceuta crisis: 1,000 child migrants stuck in Spanish enclave after mass border crossing– www.independent.co.uk
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Priest calls for ‘Reconquista’ of Morocco after Islamic migrant surge into Spain– www.lifesitenews.com

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Priest calls for ‘Reconquista’ of Morocco after Islamic migrant surge into Spain– www.lifesitenews.com
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EXCERPT:

Father Javier Aizpún, a priest in the Archdiocese of Pamplona and Tudela, went viral in recent days after he called for a “Reconquista” of Morocco to Catholicism in response to tens of thousands of migrants swarming into Spain last week.

Per various Spanish media outlets, Fr. Aizpún, the canon of the Pamplona Cathedral, in a series of since deleted social media posts in the wake of approximately 50,000-60,000 migrants rushing into the small Spanish territory of Ceuta from the Moroccan border last week asked for the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, the patroness of the city, to spur the “Reconquista” of Morocco to Catholicism.

The priest also called for all “Arab colonizers” to be expelled from the northern region of the African country, called “Mauretania Tingitana” by the ancient Romans, and reclaim the original “Roman Hispania.”

“May Our Lady of Africa, patron saint of Ceuta, spur the reconquest of Morocco and its conversion to Christianity,” the priest wrote in one of the now-deleted posts. “Let us finish what Queen Isabella the Catholic left undone.”

Putin Signs Law Targeting Exiled Russians Convicted in Absentia– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Putin Signs Law Targeting Exiled Russians Convicted in Absentia– www.themoscowtimes.com
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EXCERPT:

President Vladimir Putin has signed a law imposing sweeping financial, property and consular restrictions on Russians living abroad who have been convicted in absentia, including under legislation used to prosecute Kremlin critics.

The measure was one of several laws signed by Putin on Tuesday that expand state oversight of Russian citizens and the economy. Separate legislation establishes a tightly controlled cryptocurrency market and gives government agencies access to confidential data across the food supply chain.

The new restrictions will apply to Russians convicted of any criminal offense as well as selected administrative offenses, including violations of Russia’s “foreign agent” rules, participation in “undesirable organizations,” “discrediting” the military, calling for sanctions or challenging Russia’s territorial integrity.

US has used ‘virtually all’ of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war: Sources– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

US has used ‘virtually all’ of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war: Sources– www.channelnewsasia.com
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According to the report, PrSM stockpiles were low to start with, since it is a relatively new munition, but the US military has ordered a large number of them for 2027.

The Army has said that ATACMS are being phased out and that production is shifting to the newer PrSM missiles.

Military leaders have for weeks warned the president that stockpiles of defensive weapons – including Patriot interceptors, which are effective against ballistic missiles – were dwindling, said two of the sources.

Last week, several media outlets reported Trump had decided not to launch another massive offensive inside Iran in part because his military advisers had warned about the US stockpile.

Iran readied three huge strikes on Ukraine but ‘pulled out last minute’ | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Iran readied three huge strikes on Ukraine but ‘pulled out last minute’ | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

Iran has claimed it was poised to strike Ukraine before an apology from Kyiv led to the attack being cancelled. Mohsen Rezaee, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, alleged the country’s armed forces had been preparing to target three sites in retaliation for a strike on a ship in the Caspian Sea that Iranian officials said had been transporting military cargo.

Speaking to Iranian state television, Rezaei said: “We were set to strike three sites in Ukraine, but cancelled the attack after Ukraine’s apology.” He did not provide any evidence to support the claim or identify the alleged targets, and Ukraine has not publicly responded. His comments came after a July 25 attack that Iranian officials say killed one crew member and destroyed the vessel.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later demanded compensation from Ukraine, writing on X: “Iran does not seek escalation either, but made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable.”

Trump Administration Finalizes Misguided Approach to Public Charge Rule | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Trump Administration Finalizes Misguided Approach to Public Charge Rule | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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EXCERPT:

A longstanding law generally bars immigration by any person who, in the “opinion” of the government, “is likely at any time to become a public charge.” This law, commonly called the public charge rule, seeks to prevent potential immigrants from imposing undue fiscal burdens on American taxpayers. In a previous blog post, I discussed the Trump administration’s misguided proposal to change the regulations that implement the public charge rule. After receiving public comments, the administration has now finalized the proposed regulation without change, slating it to take effect on September 18.

The administration’s own analysis of the new regulation indicates that it will serve no legitimate purpose because it will rarely affect people who are subject to the public charge rule. However, confusion created by the regulation will prompt many people who are not subject to the public charge rule, including some US citizens, to forego government benefits to which they are legally entitled.

Trump’s despair over Iran revealed in memo seeking ‘creative and unconventional’ ways to punish the enemy: report– www.independent.co.uk

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Trump’s despair over Iran revealed in memo seeking ‘creative and unconventional’ ways to punish the enemy: report– www.independent.co.uk
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Trump says he’s cancelling strikes on Iran as ‘perimeters of a deal’ agreed– www.euronews.com

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

Trump says he’s cancelling strikes on Iran as ‘perimeters of a deal’ agreed– www.euronews.com
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EXCERPT:

Published on

US President Donald Trump has announced he is cancelling a new attack on Iran after Tehran and a number of unspecified Middle Eastern countries asked the US to postpone strikes as the “perimeters of a deal” had been agreed.

“This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

He added that he had called off strikes subject to “rapidly” making a deal but warned that US forces remained “locked and loaded and ready to go.”

EU’S AI Act Kicks in

pgnewser August 4, 2026 1

Starting this Sunday, the EU’s new AI Act begins to take effect, which includes key provisions empowering the EU to regulate AI models and apply fines to companies that fall out of compliance. The law also gives the EU investigatory powers to penalize non-cooperating companies and individuals.

The Act itself presents a challenge to AI geopolitical realities of power as nations and associations like the EU attempt to use domestic laws to affect foreign AI powers. For instance, the fines countries give to foreign companies doing business in their territory due to non-compliance with their AI rules could become weapons of war in the AI geopolitical reality of power.

EU to begin enforcing AI Act from Sunday with hefty fines for rule breakers – Firstpost– news.google.com
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The European Union will begin enforcing key provisions of its AI Act from Sunday, empowering regulators to oversee AI models and fine companies that violate the bloc’s rules.

The European Union will take a major step in regulating artificial intelligence from Sunday, when authorities gain the power to enforce key provisions of the bloc’s landmark AI Act. The move allows regulators to oversee advanced AI systems, order corrective measures and impose significant financial penalties on companies that fail to comply with the law.

The AI Act, adopted by the European Union in 2024, is being rolled out in phases and follows a risk-based framework.

Under the legislation, AI systems considered to pose greater risks to people’s rights or health face stricter obligations designed to safeguard individuals.

The law also prohibits the use of AI for predictive policing, emotion recognition systems in workplaces or schools, and technologies that manipulate human behaviour.

 

Australia Wants to be the World’s Internet Cop

pgnewser August 4, 2026 1

The Australian government is considering legislation that appears to give Australia jurisdiction over all social media companies worldwide that run afoul of their national laws. The legislation would grant Australia the power to retrieve any data from any person or company affiliated with a social media company.

X protested the bill, claiming it would “compel any person outside Australia to provide information and documents merely because they are affiliated with a company.” X claimed the bill gave no “due regard to procedural fairness, privacy, the broader impacts on online services, and Australia’s digital economy.” Elon Musk called it a “backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians.”

Australian Government Moves to Censor Americans with Global Free Speech Crackdown– slaynews.com
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Elon Musk’s X is sounding the alarm over a sweeping new Australian censorship proposal that could allow government regulators to demand documents and personal information from people outside the country, including Americans.

In a formal submission to the Australian Senate, X warned that the legislation would dramatically expand the power of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner and reach far beyond the nation’s borders.

Under the proposal, a person would not need to live in Australia or operate an Australian company to be targeted.

They would only need to be considered “affiliated” with an online platform.