Threads
Stories that unfold over weeks: where things stand, what has changed and what comes next.
Latest changes
Tuesday 25 August
China publicly rejects US sanctions pressure on Iran trade
China stated on 25 August that its cooperation with Iran is conducted within international law and "should not be interfered with or disrupted," implicitly rejecting US demands to curtail trade under expanded secondary sanctions.
US Treasury announces expanded Iran sanctions targeting 60 entities
Treasury Secretary Bessent announced expanded secondary sanctions on 25 August targeting roughly 60 individuals, entities and vessels across oil, shipping, digital assets, gold, technology and aviation, pressing for closures of Bank Melli branches abroad.
Brazil fines ByteDance 153.8 million reais over minors' data violations
Brazil's national data protection authority fined ByteDance 153.8 million reais (about $29.8 million) for unlawful processing of children's and teenagers' data, ordering deletion of affected records and stricter privacy defaults for under-16 users within 60 days.
Ukrainian drones strike Afipsky oil refinery in Krasnodar, killing two
Ukrainian drones hit the Afipsky oil refinery in Krasnodar region on 25 August, causing a fire at the facility and killing two people at the nearby Afipsky railway station, governor Veniamin Kondratyev said. The refinery processed 7.2 million tonnes of oil in 2024.
EU plans coordinated auto trade defences with UK, Japan, South Korea
The European Commission is planning a new economic security partnership with Japan, South Korea, and the UK to protect their automotive sectors from surging Chinese vehicle exports, exploring safeguard-style trade-defence measures with exemptions for partner countries.
Spain sets up central command structure for Ceuta migration crisis
Spain's cabinet established a central command structure on 25 August to coordinate the response to the Ceuta migration crisis, alongside its draft immigration reforms. The mechanism centralises management of large arrivals in the enclave.
Supreme Court allows Trump mail-in voting executive order to proceed
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on 24-25 August that lower courts acted prematurely in blocking Executive Order 14399 on mail-in voting, allowing the administration to proceed while lawsuits continue.
US expands Iran sanctions, warns trading partners of dollar-system exclusion
The US announced expanded sanctions on Iran, with Treasury Secretary Bessent calling it an "economic D-Day" and warning that trading partners could face exclusion from the dollar-based financial system.
Commission deflects EU-wide windfall-tax push back to national governments
The European Commission indicated on 25 August that member states should tax energy windfall profits nationally within existing EU rules, effectively rejecting the six-country push for a union-wide mechanism.
Six net contributors meet in Berlin to oppose Commission's €2 trillion budget draft
Leaders from Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Sweden met in Berlin to oppose the Commission's €2 trillion draft MFF for 2028-2034, demanding cuts of several hundred billion euros.
UN and ICRC jointly call for binding autonomous weapons rules
UN Secretary-General Guterres and ICRC President Spoljaric jointly called on 25 August for a legally binding international instrument to regulate autonomous weapons capable of selecting and attacking targets without direct human control.
Russia extends diesel export ban through September 2026 as refinery outages bite
Russia extended its diesel export ban through September 2026, with a possible prolongation to year-end under discussion, as domestic fuel shortages persist and several refineries remain idle after Ukrainian drone attacks.
Nvidia employee charged in Taiwan with smuggling 130 B300 AI servers to China
Taiwanese prosecutors charged a senior Nvidia manager and eight others on 25 August with smuggling roughly 130 B300 AI servers to China via Japan and Indonesia, evading US export controls. The case is the first known indictment of an Nvidia employee over illegal AI chip exports.
Ukrainian drones strike Novoshakhtinsk refinery and rocket-fuel plant in Rostov
Ukrainian drones struck the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Rostov region on 25 August, causing a fire and suspending operations. A separate strike hit the Kamenetsky Combine, a state-owned defence plant producing solid rocket fuel, which caught fire.
US Air Force C-17 transport lands in Moscow after flight from Riga
A US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on 25 August after departing Riga. The Kremlin stated it has no information about the mission, leaving the purpose of the flight unexplained.
Israel expels Dutch officials from US-backed Gaza coordination centre
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar ordered two Dutch officials on 25 August to leave the US-backed International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat within a week, after the Netherlands moved to ban products from Israeli settlements.
Trump proposes renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America
Trump proposed renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" following the collapse of bilateral negotiations and the enactment of 50% tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods. Ontario responded with threats to cut power exports to US states.
Spain's cabinet approves draft reform of immigration and asylum law
Spain's cabinet approved draft bills on 25 August reforming immigration and asylum legislation to align with EU directives, responding to the July surge of over 80,000 arrivals in Ceuta. The proposals now require parliamentary approval.
M5S MEPs urge Commission to invoke EMFA over RAI political interference
Five Star Movement MEPs wrote to Commission EVP Virkkunen on 25 August, urging Brussels to intervene over political interference in RAI and warning of possible CJEU referral.
Hungary restores Paks reactors after Danube drought forces shutdown
Hungary plans to return its Paks nuclear plant to full 2,000 MW capacity by mid-week after low Danube levels forced three reactors offline over the past month, cutting output to about 10%. Two reactors have resumed.
Germany deports 23 Afghan men to Kabul under expanded removal policy
Germany deported 23 Afghan men to Kabul from Leipzig/Halle on 25 August under a policy extending removals beyond criminal cases to rejected asylum seekers. Whether all deportees were offenders or included non-offending applicants was not clarified.
France and Saudi Arabia align on Gaza framework during MBS Paris visit
Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman issued a joint statement on 25 August during MBS's visit to Paris, aligning on Hamas disarmament, a sustainable ceasefire, urgent aid access and Palestinian statehood within 1967 borders.
Waymo announces late 2027 commercial robotaxi launch in Munich
Waymo said it will launch commercial autonomous taxi services in Munich in late 2027, with safety-driver testing beginning in coming weeks to map streets under German federal driving laws. It marks Waymo's first planned commercial European deployment.
Putin reported to have set conditional terms for port and energy truce during Ratcliffe visit
During CIA Director Ratcliffe's Moscow visit, Putin reportedly offered to pause strikes on Ukrainian port and energy facilities if Ukraine halts strikes beyond 200km from the front, ceases attacks on Crimea and refineries, and stops targeting civilian infrastructure.
Iran and Oman draft framework for temporary Hormuz maritime corridor
Iran and Oman's foreign ministers met in Tehran on 25 August to draft a phased framework for a temporary maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz, including a joint demining operation.
Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion of US goods
Canada formally announced retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20 billion of US goods on 25 August, with duties of 15%, 25%, and 50% across about 700 products effective 8 September.
South Africa files new ICJ dossier alleging Israeli non-compliance with genocide provisional measures
South Africa's foreign ministry submitted a comprehensive dossier to the ICJ on 25 August alleging Israel's continued defiance of provisional measures against genocidal acts in Gaza, citing over 1,300 Palestinian deaths since the October 2025 ceasefire.
Commission rules out EU-level windfall tax on fossil-fuel profits
The Commission stated on 25 August that a common EU-level windfall-profit tax on fossil-fuel companies is not forthcoming, leaving such measures to national discretion within existing rules. The position responds to a six-state ministerial letter requesting bloc-wide action.
Zelenskiy outlines December 2026 to summer 2027 window for US-mediated peace deal
In a Reuters interview published 25 August, Zelenskiy said Kyiv, US officials and European partners drafted a one-page document of ideas for Moscow, including a ceasefire and a US-proposed free economic zone in Donbas under third-party administration.
Apple launches faster Macs for on-device AI agent hosting
Apple unveiled a faster Mac mini and updated Mac Studio models on 25 August, marketing them for consumers and professionals running AI agents and large models locally. The launch extends Apple's hardware strategy into the on-device AI market.
Monday 24 August
Weidel ties AfD state government to German exit from euro and Schengen
On 24 August, AfD co-leader Weidel linked an AfD-led government in Saxony-Anhalt to Germany quitting the euro and Schengen, escalating the party's demands beyond the regional election campaign into explicit EU-exit territory.
Putin decree allows state takeover of critical infrastructure
Putin signed a decree on 24 August 2026 allowing the Russian state to take temporary control of critical infrastructure deemed inadequately protected or too slow to repair, covering fuel, energy, transport, logistics and communications assets.
French poll shows Le Pen versus Mélenchon as likely 2027 run-off pairing
A poll published on 24 August shows Jean-Luc Mélenchon as the most likely rival to Marine Le Pen in France's expected 2027 presidential run-off, framing a deeply polarised electorate as Macron's term ends.
EU approves €6.1 billion defence procurement package for Ukraine on Independence Day
The European Commission on 24 August approved €6.1 billion in additional defence procurement for Ukraine under its €90 billion Support Loan, earmarked for air and missile defence, ammunition and radars.
Rare tornado injures 39 and damages 300 homes in Pomas, southern France
A rare tornado struck Pomas in Aude, southwestern France, on 24 August, injuring 39 people and damaging more than 300 homes. Interior Minister Nuñez called the event "rare and traumatic." ENEDIS reported 21,000 households without power across the region.
Poland and three NATO allies sign 8 billion PLN Piorun missile framework
Poland's Armament Agency signed an 8 billion PLN framework agreement with Mesko to supply thousands of Piorun anti-aircraft systems to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Norway under the EU SAFE programme. The deal expands MANPADS production capacity across four NATO allies.
US opens national-security review of Shein's Everlane acquisition
US authorities are conducting a national-security review of Shein's purchase of American retailer Everlane, Bloomberg reported.
Peskov threatens to target missile production sites after UK blueprint sharing
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on 24 August that the UK's sharing of Storm Shadow component data "adds fuel to the fire" and proves London is "involved in this war." He stated Russia is collecting data on missile production sites with a view to destroying them.
France joins UK in sharing Scalp missile data with Ukraine; Britain signs AI data agreement
France joined the UK in agreeing to share classified MBDA Scalp cruise missile manufacturing data with Ukraine, expanding the earlier UK-only Storm Shadow blueprint arrangement to a second European partner.
EU imposes customs duty on low-value parcels from Chinese e-commerce platforms
The EU has imposed a €3-per-item customs duty on parcels valued below €150 since July 2026, primarily affecting Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Shein.