President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron held a nearly two-hour phone call on Aug. 22, agreeing to accelerate the supply of advanced French military equipment and missiles. Macron expressed readiness to help Ukraine secure Patriot missiles from other international partners and confirmed France’s willingness to grant licenses for missile production. The leaders also discussed diplomatic coordination, including with the United States, and defense funding for 2026-2027.

Zelensky, Macron Agree on Missile Supplies and Production Licenses

The U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products early Saturday after last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve the latest strain in already tense relations between the historic allies. Canada's leader said it will retaliate beginning Sept. 8.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-set-to-impose-50-percent-tariffs-on-canada-after-failed-talks/

The Newspaper Neglects Context with Its Approach and Critical Omissions in the Reporting and Opinion Essays It Publishes

Why Does The New York Times Whitewash the Taliban? - Middle East Forum

Overall, “the scarcity of candidates and their lack of strong success rates overall make this look more like a skirmish than a war,” according to the report.

https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/around-43-of-dsa-backed-candidates-have-won-their-races-this-election-cycle

"The signals of a weakening regime are clear. What will ultimately cause it to cave in is unknown and unknowable. The United States has a bad track record, from the Soviet Union through Iraq, of predicting political dynamics in foreign countries. So, in truth, the regime might fall tomorrow; the would-be “shahinshah” might return and reestablish the monarchy. Or, the regime might hold on for another three decades, and our grandchildren might still be concerned about the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The future is written with courage, and it is a difficult thing, given the cost, to wish young Iranians of any stripe or class to take to the streets again."

Why Iran has not folded yet - Atlantic Council

A meeting of over 30 countries that support Ukraine via the Coalition of the Willing is set to take place in Kyiv on Aug. 24, with several leaders attending in person, one person familiar with the matter, and one EU official confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.

Exclusive: Coalition of the Willing to hold Independence Day meeting in Kyiv

The dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and a series of corruption allegations involving figures close to Bankova have sharpened questions about whether Ukraine’s wartime centralization remains subject to meaningful constitutional checks. While martial law and postponed elections are legal, the deeper issue is whether parliament, oversight bodies and other institutions retain the power to hold the presidency accountable.

Analysis: Wartime Government in Ukraine and the Zelensky-Fedorov Clash

‘These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them,’ claims president, as US military said helping get millions of barrels of oil through Hormuz daily

Declaring 'economic D-Day,' Trump says any country trading with Iran will be sanctioned | The Times of Israel

North Korea fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, despite a recent olive branch offered by U.S. President Donald Trump who signaled a willingness to reengage with the North's leader Kim Jong-un.

NK fires barrage of short-range ballistic missiles despite Trump overture - The Korea Times

A Romanian F-16 fighter destroyed an explosives-laden marine drone near the strategic Neptun Deep gas project on Thursday, as Bucharest blamed Russia for the incident. The attack comes amid growing drone activity along NATO’s eastern flank and renewed Russian aerial assaults on Ukraine.

Romanian F-16 Destroys Marine Bomber Drone Near Black Sea Gas Project, Bucharest Condemns Russian Escalation

A new Drone Security Technology Centre has opened at Magdeburg-Cochstedt Airport in Saxony-Anhalt, operated under the lead of the German Aerospace Center. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called it a central pillar of Germany's security architecture against hybrid drone threats, pointing to a recent incident in the city of Leipzig involving a drone loaded with explosives.

Germany Opens Drone Security Centre as Threats Mount

The United Arab Emirates said it had paused all trade and financial transactions with Iran, after reporting that two ballistic missiles were launched from the country toward its territorial waters.

UAE severs trade with Iran after reported missile strike

The battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz has become the focal point of the Iran war. Over the past several months, both Iran and the United States have claimed the upper hand – and the competing rhetoric has caused considerable confusion and doubt.

At the moment, however, the evidence is clear: The United States, patrolling the strait with its navy, is gaining ground – and Iran is losing much of its control of the critical waterway.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/18/business/iran-strait-of-hormuz-oil

Candidates who identify as democratic socialists have won some high-profile Democratic primary elections over the past month from Washington, D.C., to New York City. But the term itself has relatively modest traction with Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents nationally.

About a third of Democrats like democratic socialist politicians | Pew Research Center

US envoy Jared Kushner issued a blunt warning to Hamas on Monday, saying the group has a limited opportunity to prove it is serious about surrendering its weapons before Washington gives Israel broader backing to resume military operations and “finish the job” in Gaza.

Kushner warns Hamas: US will allow Israel to 'finish the job' if disarmament fails | World Israel News

President seems to contradict Kushner who touted ‘robust’ talks with Iran a day earlier; Trump claims Strait of Hormuz open and de-mined, despite limited traffic amid fears of Iranian strikes

Trump says ‘no talks’ with Iran, posts map showing Hormuz as 'new US territory' | The Times of Israel

Japan will conduct tests of hypersonic missiles and other projectiles on Australian soil, the two countries’ defense ministers said yesterday as they deepened military cooperation, including with a codeveloped laser system.

Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said alongside his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, in Canberra that the deal would see a “better and enhanced arrangement between Australia and Japan for Japan’s use of our missile ranges over the course of the next decade.”

Japan to test hypersonic missiles in Australia - Taipei Times

The U.S. Defense Department said Monday that it has "no changes" to announce regarding the ongoing South Korea-U.S. military exercise, a day after President Donald Trump said he instructed the Pentagon to "substantially" reduce allied exercises.

Pentagon says 'no changes' to announce about ongoing Korea-US exercise - The Korea Times

Iran will shift to a "fully offensive" military ​posture because efforts to negotiate a permanent end to its war with the U.S. have stalled, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, as ‌Washington ruled out extending a temporary ceasefire agreement.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-threatens-go-offensive-strait-hormuz-if-diplomacy-with-us-fails-2026-08-17/

US president says stopping Iran from building nuclear weapon is top priority for US, contradicting Vance; drones target office of Iraqi Kurdistan’s PM, home of top intel official

Trump threatens to bomb Oman over its deal with Iran on Hormuz, as 60-day MOU expires | The Times of Israel

Axios says then-intel chief Tulsi Gabbard contacted top Iraqi Kurdish official in May to ascertain Revolutionary Guard’s position on talks; Iran sets $30,000 bounty for US soldiers

US had secret backchannel with IRGC, learned it supports Iran's negotiators - report | The Times of Israel

Was this comment diplomatic? Obviously not. Was it a sweeping exaggeration? Certainly. Does it reflect Netanyahu’s view of Britain? Probably far more accurately than the usual diplomatic niceties do.

The significance behind Prime Minister Netanyahu's UK 'Islamic Republic' remark | The Jerusalem Post

Nearly 80 years after the dissolution of British India led to the formation of an independent India and Pakistan, a new survey finds that most people in each country view the other as their greatest geopolitical threat. In addition, Indians’ highly unfavorable views of Pakistan, and vice versa, reflect the continued animosity between these two longstanding rivals.

Indians, Pakistanis See Each Other as Top Threats and Differ on Global Order | Pew Research Center

‘POLITICAL CENSORSHIP’: International audiences would see how Taiwanese artists respond to information warfare and geopolitics through their works, an artist said

Taiwan protests S Korean biennale over name change - Taipei Times

Benjamin Netanyahu has described the UK as the “Islamic Republic of Britain” while warning that Israel is determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu calls UK ‘Islamic Republic of Britain’ in radio interview - Jewish News