🙈🙊"There were nods around the table, and for a moment I thought both the day and Nato were saved. But no. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, prime minister of Denmark, raised his hand and made it known that he was not going to withdraw his name from the list of speakers." www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

BREAKING: Sanae Takaichi, a hardline conservative security hawk, is set to become Japan’s new — and first female — prime minister. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

This article manages to name her husband before it names… her.

The informal #EUCO is underway! 🇪🇺 EU leaders are in Copenhagen to discuss Europe's common defence and support for Ukraine ⬇️

It’s good we’re discussing counter-drone measures in the context of Denmark’s EU summit, but can we please not pretend like this is somehow the first time we’re seeing counterdrone systems at high-level events? It’s pretty standard to have systems in place. This was Davos in 2017(!) 👇

❗️🇺🇦Ukrainian counter-drone specialists arrive in the Kingdom of 🇩🇰Denmark to participate in the joint "Wings of Defense" exercise Ukrainian military personnel have arrived in Denmark to provide support to partners experiencing some inconvenience due to unknown drones.

More Trump-mandated censorship: “Trump’s Energy Department forbids staff from saying ‘climate change’ or ‘green’” 9/29/25 techcrunch.com/2025/09/29/t...

As a consequence of the drone sightings and associated activities and emphazising the severity of the situation 🇩🇰Danish defence has activated several hundred reservists according to Danish TV2. Maybe it is time for more including some of us oldtimers to rejoin the reserves.

Die Nachtzugstrecke lohnt sich nicht, sagt Frankreichs Bahn SNCF. Es regte sich Protest. Doch jetzt hat der Zugbetreiber das Ende der Verbindung bestätigt.

Michel Barnier is back in elected office nine months after being voted out as France’s prime minister. The 74 year old scored a convincing victory yesterday in a by-election in Paris for the French parliament, becoming the new MP for the capital’s second electoral district.

‼️Hungary's NATO allies should pay attention: Asked if he considers what would happen if NATO’s Article 5 is invoked, Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán said he spends much time on war issues but refused to say if Hungary would respect Article 5. He’d reveal his stance only if the “situation arises.”

In today’s Russian papers: Russia needs the resources “to conduct hostilities in Ukraine for at least 2, even 3 years.” Meanwhile, “it is no longer possible to deny the signs of petrol shortages in the regions.” Plus, utility tariffs to rise, science funding falls. #ReadingRussia

PAS🇪🇺 won 55 seats in the Moldovan parliament, so it will be able to govern without having to make compromises with the pro-Russians. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Moldova has voted: PAS wins with 50.15%, beating the polls despite Russian interference. The people chose a pro-EU, reform path. Meanwhile, the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc (24%) calls for protests. PAS must now deliver reforms & lead Moldova toward EU accession. #Moldova #Elections #EU

The new owner of TikTok, everyone

Prove your rules don’t target US tech or fix them, Trump’s ambassador to Brussels warns EU “Obviously, if we’re going to have a good relationship going forward, you can’t have legislation that punishes... your ally,” Andrew Puzder tells @financialtimes.com w @bmoens.bsky.social on.ft.com/4nUQVXH

This only happens to you once

1/This is Transatlantic leadership! In historic move, German Chancellor Merz calls out US: “democracy is under pressure, freedom of expression is being questioned, and the independence of the judiciary is being repressed“. www.reuters.com/technology/g...

Reuters: Russia recruited Moldovan priests to influence the parliamentary elections, paying them hundreds of dollars. It financed their pilgrimages to Moscow, which included anti-Western lectures, and asked them to spread propaganda on Telegram.

Sorry but if that’s your reasoning, you *actually don’t* have the capabilities to down the drones. Because there are in fact many non-kinetic solutions to bring down drones which we need in a civilian context. From: on.ft.com/4pHtbI5

“… it suggests that by 1m years ago our ancestors had already split into distinct groups, pointing to a much earlier and more complex human evolutionary split than previously believed. It more or less doubles the time of origin of Homo sapiens.” www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

It is reported that Russians have developed a new drone that operates without a single communication channel& attacks its target autonomously. Ukrainian military specialist in electronic warfare &communications, head of the Center for Radiotechnologies Serhii Beskrestnov, callsign "Flash," warned⤵️

Exclusive: Chinese drone experts have flown to Russia to conduct technical development work on military drones at a state-owned weapons manufacturer that is under Western sanctions, according to two European security officials and documents seen by Reuters reut.rs/4ni5HaX

Bessent on why US troops won't get involved in defending Europe: "As I told my European counterparts about two weeks ago, 'All I hear from you is that Putin wants to march into Warsaw. The one thing I'm sure of is that Putin isn't marching into Boston.'"

The only really surprising thing about Trump's comments yesterday is how many people are still treating anything he says about Russia and Ukraine as indicative of a possible shift in the administration's policy of doing absolutely nothing.

In a UN speech today, President Trump said that "all of these [climate] predictions were wrong". Back in 2019 I led a research effort to digitize old climate model projections and assess how well they did. Turns out they got future warming pretty spot on!

Notably, as on trade - where Trump often calls the EU a country - he is much closer to recognising the EU as a power than any European leader, with here basically saying it's the EU now who beefs up Ukraine.

Pretty big news in global trading circles China will no longer ask for or avail itself of benefits and flexibilities for developing countries as a part of World Trade Organization negotiations, Beijing announced on Tuesday.

President of Moldova Maia Sandu: Russia doesn’t act alone.The Kremlin has allies in Moldova -people who have repeatedly proven in the past that for money they would sell even own country.They have no homeland.They’ve only masters. They don’t believe in Russia or in Europe.They believe only in money

In a nutshell: only 8 percent of German spending will go to US companies - the rest is to be allocated to European industry. Quite a statement and a move into the right direction.

"They know that if Russia strikes a NATO country,it would trigger World War III.But it doesn’t necessarily have to be done by our own hands" Propagandist call for European plants producing ammunition for #Ukraine to be bombed:Denmark could be struck so that it"stops being the leader in supporting🇺🇦"

Guten Morgen!

@gideonrachman.bsky.social confirming our fears about the way Trump officials see NATO allies. on.ft.com/4niOyhx

Poland's statement to Russia at the UN. "If another missile or aircraft enters our space without permission, deliberately or 'by mistake', and gets shot down, please don't come here to whine about it. You have been warned." ~AA

Vertical rows are the agrivoltaic winner! “The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”

Ursula von der Leyen has responded to written questions submitted by several European newspapers. 🧵 Her answers resemble last week's State of the EU speech but are worth breaking down.

I wish Argentina all the best. But bringing down inflation with FX intervention was always a temporary game. European politicians jumping on the early innings of a reform programme of a country that, unlike theirs, has gone bust many times was just a bit foolish and wild.

💥👀 Based on Western intel docs & interviews with perpetrators’ relatives (and one himself), @vsquare.bsky.social & partners identified the ringleader—a Russian radioactive smuggler—and traced the explosive parcels’ route through the Baltics, Poland, Germany & the UK. @michaeldweiss.bsky.social

Three Russian MiG-31 violated Estonian airspace near Tallinn for more than 12 minutes. The long duration in this NATO air space is a clear sign that this was a calculated provocation. If this would have happened in Turkish airspace, we would have three Russian wreckages.

Hungary, Greece, Italy and France opposing the idea of a visa ban did it - as they prioritize tourism sponsored by rubles. To stay factual.

A #Roman ribbed glass bowl, in a pale shade of bluey-green. It is in beautiful condition despite being about 2000 years old; this type of glass vessel was very popular in the early Imperial period. AncientBlueSky #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology

“.. as it expands, Russia may be able to gain access to valuable mineral resources and entrench authoritarian governance while projecting maritime power into NATO’s southern flank. U.S. and European policymakers should watch these developments closely and check Africa Corps’ influence …”

After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.

Look who came with

Kharkiv citizens watch the sunset as russian drones fly over the city and the air raid alert wails. I can’t explain this to anyone who hasn’t lived here. Being so close to the frontlines, with no warning before the bombs fall, changes you. 1/3

Sometimes it's nice to remember that even Marcus Aurelius was like "you don't have to comment on everything bro"

Canada is reviewing its plan to buy 88 F-35s, with a decision expected Sept. 22. The U.S. warned of “serious consequences” if Canada cancels. Sweden’s Gripen jet is under consideration as an alternative.

“It’s striking that US & China are ironing out trade disputes on European soil, while Europe itself is largely sidelined,” said @SanderTordoir, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform. “The superpowers are playing on Europe’s pitch – but Europe isn’t even in the game.”

Mario Draghi proposes three strands to combat the rise of weaponisation: - Coordination of state aid to back disruptive tech and large-scale projects - Public procurement to foster "Made in Europe" - Competition policy to promote consolidation and innovation in strategic sectors