The White House has unveiled the final list of levies on foreign goods taking effect August 1
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order, unveiling a modified global tariff schedule just hours before a self-imposed August 1 deadline. The sweeping measure adjusts tariffs for dozens of countries, with some seeing increases, while select nations secured last-minute reprieves.
In a Thursday night statement, the White House said the action reflects whether countries have “agreed to, or are on the verge of agreeing to, meaningful trade and security commitments.” Nations that failed to engage in talks or that offered terms which “do not sufficiently address imbalances” were hit with elevated tariffs.
India will face 25% tariffs after Trump announced additional penalties on Wednesday over its continued trade with Russia. He said the tariffs were imposed partly because of India’s membership in BRICS, and partly due to what he called a “tremendous” trade deficit with New Delhi.
There appear to be some discrepancies in the list, with Brazil facing a 10% tariff –even though Trump had hiked it to 50% the day before, claiming the country poses a threat to “the national security, foreign policy, and economy” of the US. Trump also previously threatened an additional 10% tariff on all BRICS nations, accusing the bloc of trying to “destroy the dollar as the global standard.”
Trump also abruptly raised tariffs on Canada to 35% from 25%, citing Ottawa’s “continued inaction” in curbing fentanyl trafficking into the US. Tensions between Washington and Ottawa escalated in recent weeks, after Trump criticized Canada for supporting Palestinian statehood, saying it would “make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.”
Meanwhile, Mexico avoided a tariff hike after reaching an agreement with Washington earlier on Thursday. The White House confirmed that the 25% tariff on certain Mexican goods will remain in place for another 90 days, postponing a planned increase to 30%.
The EU, South Korea, and Japan are facing a 15% rate after securing trade agreements with Washington in recent weeks. Some of the highest adjusted tariffs include Syria (41%), Laos and Myanmar (40%), Switzerland (39%), Iraq and Serbia (35%), and Algeria, Libya, and South Africa (30%).
The White House said the “universal” baseline tariff for goods entering the United States will remain at 10% for countries with a trade surplus, and 15% for countries with which the US has a trade deficit.
The bloc has plunged into a Russophobic frenzy and uncontrolled militarization, the Russian foreign minister has said
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Germany and the wider European Union of sliding into what he described as a “Fourth Reich,” marked by a surge in Russophobia and aggressive militarization.
The stark warning was delivered in an article published Friday in Rossiyskaya Gazeta, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act on European security.
Lavrov lambasted the EU and NATO for betraying the core principles of the Helsinki process, which emphasized equal and indivisible security for all. Instead, he claimed that Western powers have pursued unilateral dominance, NATO expansion, and political interference in sovereign states under the guise of promoting democracy and human rights.
“Today’s Europe has completely plunged into a Russophobic frenzy, and its militarization is becoming, in fact, uncontrolled,” Lavrov wrote, citing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s calls to build Europe’s strongest army and reintroduce conscription as evidence. He also pointed to recent remarks by Germany’s defense minister about readiness to kill Russian soldiers as further proof of a hostile and dehumanizing agenda.
This brings historical events to mind. With their current leaders, modern Germany and the rest of Europe are transforming into a Fourth Reich.
He argued that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has failed in its mission, becoming a vehicle for Western propaganda and selective enforcement. He said the West ignored Russian calls for equitable security guarantees, and that NATO’s continued encroachment on Russia’s borders left Moscow no choice but to launch its 2022 military operation in Ukraine.
To defuse tensions, Lavrov called for “an honest dialogue” aimed at stabilizing the situation on the Eurasian continent through a new security framework based on sovereign equality and the principles of the UN Charter.
“There will be a place for European countries within this architecture,” he wrote, “but they certainly will not be the ones calling the tune. If they want to be part of the process, they must learn proper manners, abandon diktat and colonial instincts, and get used to equality and teamwork.”
Lavrov concluded by warning that if NATO and the EU continue to hollow out the OSCE’s core principles, the organization may collapse altogether, and history will remember those who “buried” the last chance for peaceful coexistence in Europe.
The removal of the statue in Karabakh is a blow to cultural cooperation between the two nations, according to a Russian presidential envoy
The dismantling of a monument to renowned Russian artist Ivan Aivazovsky in Karabakh, Azerbaijan, was a “demonstrative unfriendly act” toward Russia, a senior official in Moscow, Mikhail Shvydkoy, has said.
The monument in the town of Khankendi, known as Stepanakert in Armenia, was demolished on July 29 – on what would have been the artist’s birthday – according to the Agency for the Development of Tourism and Culture of Karabakh.
Mikhail Shvydkoy, the Russian president’s special representative for international cultural cooperation, expressed deep regret over Azerbaijan’s decision, calling it a violation of cultural respect.
“Such actions by the Azerbaijani side cause regret and deep rejection,” he said in a statement on Thursday. “Instead of removing the monument without warning, Baku could have informed Moscow. I’m confident the issue could have been resolved in a civilized manner, such as relocating it to Russian soil.”
According to the official, the move contradicts not only “the spirit of alliance, partnership, and good‑neighborliness between our countries and peoples” but also “common sense.”
Aivazovsky was a Russian artist of Armenian origin, born in Feodosia, Crimea, in 1817. He became famous for painting dramatic seascapes and ocean scenes. His mastery of light, water, and atmosphere earned him acclaim as one of the greatest marine painters of the 19th century.
The statue, created by Russian sculptor Sergey Shcherbakov, was erected in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2021. Baku claimed that the installation of the bust “by Russian peacekeepers on our territory without the consent of the Azerbaijani side was illegal.”
“The dismantling of such so-called monuments, erected during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, is logical, fair, and in accordance with the law,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Karabakh in 2020, after Azerbaijan reclaimed parts of the area in a brief war with local Armenian militia. In September 2023, Azerbaijan fully recaptured the breakaway region.
Tensions between Moscow and Baku have been rising following the deaths of two Azerbaijani nationals suspected of being gang members during a police raid in June. In response, Azerbaijani police raided the local office of the Russian news network Sputnik, detaining two journalists along with several other Russian nationals. Baku also suspended multiple Russia-related cultural events.
The newly declassified Russiagate document exposes a deep state coverup, Chuck Grassley says
The newly released annex to John Durham’s 2023 Special Counsel report exposes the “weaponization” of the FBI under the Obama administration and the agency’s involvement in an attempt to ruin Donald Trump's presidency in 2016, US Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has said.
The senator, a key figure behind the release of the 29-page document, made the remarks to Fox News on Thursday shortly after the annex was published. The file outlines the alleged effort by the Hillary Clinton campaign to falsely accuse Trump of colluding with Russia, and the FBI’s failure to properly investigate the activities despite having solid intelligence.
“[The Durham annex] gives us information that the FBI had eight to ten years ago that they never followed up on. It actually brings attention to the fact that there was either a Clinton conspiracy to make this happen, or Russian disinformation. Either way, it was an attempt to stop Trump, and it proves that the FBI had a hand in it,” Grassley stated.
The annex provides “evidence of the great depth that the deep state will go to cover up weaponization that was going on in the FBI and the executive branch of government, generally, under the Obama administration,” the senator suggested. America needs “maximum transparency” on the 2016 presidential race “schemes” that were hatched “to either stop Trump from being elected or… to ruin his presidency,” he added.
According to the document, the FBI obtained intelligence on “confidential conversations” between then-Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and individuals at George Soros’ Open Society Foundations in early 2016, yet did not take any action. The conversations reportedly detailed a plan to discredit the then-Republican candidate by preparing “scandalous revelations of business relations between Trump and the Russian Mafia.”
The agency allegedly obtained further evidence on the matter in mid-2016, including several “likely authentic” emails sent by Leonard Benardo, senior vice president of Soros’ Open Society Foundations. The emails further detailed the plot to “disseminate the necessary information through the FBI-affiliated ‘attic-based’ technical structures,” and appeared to predict a future FBI probe into Russiagate, suggesting the agency “will put more oil into fire” later on.
The meteoric rise of feelings-first schooling has ended academic excellence
As someone who hadn’t set foot inside a grade school for decades, I knew something was amiss when I visited my former Canadian high school for a craft fair.
“Where did all the photos on the walls of the atrium go of all the top achievers from academics and sports throughout the years?” I wondered, wanting to laugh at my early ’90s-style hairdo. Turns out they were taken down, perhaps around the same time that rainbow and native tribal flags went up beside Canada’s national one.
The high achievers that previously adorned the walls were replaced with evidence of successful collectivist cooperation. Teams seemed to matter, while individual success was boxed up and hauled away from public view. Heaven forbid their mere existence make anyone feel bad about themselves. Personally, I used to love seeing those faces. They were inspirational for someone growing up in a small town and aspiring to do great things outside of it. “We Pursue Excellence” was the school’s longtime motto. But now, on the wall, was the result of a student survey showing that 75% of students felt “uncomfortable” to even use the washroom. One might think that the first step in the pursuit of excellence would involve mastering whatever went down in the toilet stalls.
The participation trophy generation now has to have a portable safe space in the form of a bubble around them at all times. Everything is seen as a potential threat – especially standards of excellence. Which would explain why the entire province of British Columbia, on Canada’s Left Coast, ditched standardized tests in subjects such as math, physics, chemistry, and languages – which allowed for a form of ranking and comparison among all students in the entire province — in favor of just two types of tests: general literacy and numeracy.
A sample final high school year literacy test, for example, features an excerpt from ‘The Inconvenient Indian’, suggesting that explorer Christopher Columbus’ contributions are overrated, and asks, “Which type of magazine would most likely feature this description of Columbus’s landing in the Caribbean?” The description: “And let’s not forget all the sunny weather, the sandy beaches, the azure lagoons…” The potential multiple-choice responses? “Chronicles of History,”“Business Ventures,”“Travel World,” or “Living Well.” So are they going to be interpreting Shakespeare’s classics in essays next, or not?
Another question: “Which invention would most likely have caused concern for factory workers?” Choices: the Unimate industrial robot that went to “work at General Motors replacing humans,” MIT’s Kismet emotionally intelligent robot, the Roomba that cleans your floors at home, or Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa. Oh gee, that’s a tough one! For a seven-year-old, maybe. But surely not for someone heading to university next year, one would hope.
A sample test from two years earlier in the curriculum, the numeracy assessment asks questions like, “The size of this [fish] trap would depend on the size and species of fish that people were trying to catch… Which of the following factors would be most important in designing a cone-shaped fish trap?” One of the answer choices: “the size of fish in the river.” We’re certainly a long way from the mathematical proofs that we were doing 35 years ago at around the same age. The standard seems to be more along the lines of, “Can this kid fill out one line on a tax form for their influencer gig without having a meltdown?” (Likely answer: Probably not. Because government forms are a form of colonialism, you bigot.)
Two years ago, the same province moved away from any and all letter grades for students, up to and including about age 14. Instead of As and Ds, teachers could only assess whether the kid was ‘emerging’, ‘developing’, ‘proficient’ or ‘extending’. The rationale? Apparently they didn’t want to highlight any deficits. Guess that comes later in the real world when he or she gets trolled mercilessly for being a moron at a time when there’s a much larger price to be paid for not having learned earlier to avoid being one.
In France, the attempt to institute a similar post-knowledge educational system has seen middling results. High school math classes were ditched entirely in 2019 under President Emmanuel Macron. But the outcome was such a disaster that it was reversed for the 2023/24 school year.
This year’s French final standardized exams for high schoolers and middle schoolers, which have just taken place, saw the French media publish a bunch of instructions that were given to the test graders to dummy things down for France’s future Nobel Prize hopefuls. “The first is to not deduct points for spelling or grammar mistakes. What matters is not compliance with the spelling code, but intelligibility,”said France’s RTL.
Oh, so something like this, you mean? “Shur, whi not rite a sentins like this won, wear awl the wurdz sound rite but luk lyke they flunked owtta speling skool?” Because that fits the stated criteria. Imagine an email from that colleague when he or she gets into your workplace.
Apparently, graders were also told not to remove all points when a student is asked to conjugate a verb – and then gets the root of the same verb that was just listed wrong. Maybe the verb they replaced whatever was right in front of their eyes with doesn’t even exist, but the ending is right. Only half the points are taken away for that.
The final philosophy exam had to explain the meaning of the word “preponderant,” because it was apparently considered too hard for kids about to head off to university, RTL reports. The media outlet also pointed out that graders of the oral exam, read from a text that the student has 20 minutes to prepare, were only to focus on the student’s performance at the end of the session, to account for nerves.
This may or may not have been read off a student’s page:
“Hai, my naym is Sam. I hav two bruthurs and wun sistur. We lyk to play soker togethur. My mum cuks gud fud and my dad lukes to wach mooviz wif us. I lyk drawin and playin vidyo gayms. Thansk for lisnin! Do I pas high skool now?”
Oui, oui! A+.
Every day seems to bring a new revelation about how the West’s Wokémon Academy is doing. In a world where feelings outrank facts and spelling is optional, it’s anyone’s guess what our ‘graduates’ will actually know and be equipped with for real life. But hey, at least their safe spaces are well-furnished.
Roscosmos and NASA have decided to keep the International Space Station in service until 2028
Russia and the US have agreed to continue space cooperation, extending joint operations aboard the International Space Station (ISS), according to the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
On Thursday, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov met acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy in Houston, Texas. The meeting marked the first in person talks between the heads of the two space agencies in eight years.
The two discussed ongoing ISS operations, future lunar missions, and joint deep-space exploration projects.
“The dialogue went well,” Bakanov told reporters after the meeting. “We agreed to continue operating the ISS until 2028,” he said, adding that discussions also covered deorbiting the station by 2030.
The ISS, the largest space station ever built, has orbited Earth since 1998, serving as a unique platform for international scientific research. Despite political tensions over the Ukraine conflict, the ISS remains one of the few spheres of continued cooperation between Moscow and Washington.
Russia had previously indicated it might withdraw from the program after 2024 but later signaled a willingness to continue.
Bakanov said he had invited Duffy to attend a November launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome that will carry an American astronaut. The NASA chief agreed to attend.
A day earlier, the Roscosmos head met with members of NASA’s Crew-11 team, who are preparing to fly to the ISS. The crew includes Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, US astronauts Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke, and Japan’s Kimiya Yui. Their launch aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center had been scheduled for Thursday but was postponed just over a minute before liftoff until Friday due to weather conditions.
The French president criticized the bloc’s recent trade deal with the US
French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized the newly signed EU-US trade deal, stating that the bloc was not “feared enough” during negotiations, according to sources cited by Euractiv.
The agreement, concluded on Sunday during talks between US President Donald Trump and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, sets a 15% tariff on the majority of EU exports to the US. As part of the deal, Brussels also committed to investing $600 billion in the US economy and buying $750 billion in American energy over the next three years. The US, however, will not face any EU tariffs on its exports.
“To be free, you have to be feared, and we haven’t been feared enough,” Macron told the Council of Ministers in Paris on Wednesday, according to two attendees present during the meeting.
Macron reportedly expressed regret that the EU “does not yet see itself sufficiently as a power.” He urged Brussels to “work tirelessly” to rebalance its relationship with Washington.
The French president also called for an acceleration of the “European agenda on sovereignty and competitiveness,” in what some have interpreted as a veiled critique of von der Leyen’s leadership and priorities, Euractiv reported.
“France has always maintained a firm and demanding stance. This is not the end of the story, the negotiation has to continue,” Macron added.
Government spokesperson Sophie Primas later confirmed at a press conference that Macron welcomed elements of the deal, particularly the increased visibility it offers to French businesses. However, she emphasized that the president considered the agreement “incomplete.”
Criticism of the deal has continued to mount within the French government. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou described it as a “submission” on Monday, while several ministers have questioned both its content and the process behind it.
“We would have preferred that these negotiations take place in an official setting and not in a private golf course in Scotland,” Primas said, calling the location “unusual.”
Germany’s auto sector has been struggling with soaring energy costs, US tariffs, and rising competition
German auto giant BMW has reported a sharp drop in first-half profits, as US tariffs, weak demand, and mounting competition from China took a toll on earnings.
The company posted a profit after tax of €4 billion ($4.6 billion), down 29% from the same period last year, according to a company report issued on Thursday. It marked the automaker’s third consecutive first-half decline.
BMW said US import duties on cars and vehicle parts, imposed by President Donald Trump in April, weighed heavily on earnings.
EU automakers are still digesting the new 15% tariff agreed upon by Washington and Brussels, which is due to take effect in August. The trade deal, signed on Sunday, has sparked backlash across the bloc, with some EU officials calling it “scandalous” and “a disaster,” saying it secured no concessions from Washington.
BMW didn’t disclose how much the US tariffs cost it in the first half but warned that trade-related charges could shave 1.25 percentage points off its automotive margin this year, potentially costing billions.
CEO Oliver Zipse welcomed the tariff deal but cautioned that the duties still burden exports and hurt consumers.
BMW also flagged intense “competitive pressure,” particularly from China.
Other German automotive giants reported even steeper drops. Volkswagen and Audi saw earnings tumble by over a third, while Mercedes’ profits plunged more than 50%.
The sector’s downturn has fueled fears over the health of the EU’s economic powerhouse. Germany endured a recession last year, and the IMF now expects zero growth in 2025, the weakest outlook among G7 nations.
The UAV reportedly lost control and crashed after being exposed to electronic warfare measures
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed into a lake in Russia and exploded on contact with the water surface, a new video circulating online purports to show.
The video, which emerged on Wednesday, is said to have been taken by fishermen at Orlik Lake, a large body of water just to the northwest of the city of Bryansk.
Footage shows a large fixed-wing kamikaze drone cruising above the lake before abruptly taking a sharp dive and crashing into the lake, exploding on impact.
The incident was cheered by the fishermen, who seem to have welcomed the unexpected blast-fishing opportunity and suggested they should go and collect the stunned fish, the video shows. According to Russian media reports, the drone lost control after being subjected to electronic warfare measures.
Moscow and Kiev have recently been exchanging long-range attacks using larger kamikaze UAVs to reach deeper into each other’s territory. In the early morning hours of Thursday, Russian missiles and drones targeted Ukrainian “defense industry facilities, a military airfield infrastructure, and a depot storing ammunition, missiles, and components for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles.”
Russia maintains that it only strikes military and dual-use sites. Moscow has also said that its raids are retaliation for indiscriminate Ukrainian strikes deep into its territory, which often hit civilian sites and infrastructure. Earlier this month, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky reiterated his intention to “bring the war to Russian territory” and vowed to ramp up the long-range attacks.
The most dangerous thing about Western Europe today is not just its decline, but its refusal to recognize it. The half-continent continues to posture, continues to lecture, and continues to imagine itself as a pillar of global order. But it has lost the internal resources that once sustained that illusion. What remains is a hollow echo of power, wrapped in a language of values that even those same Western Europeans no longer seem to believe.
The region’s failure is most visible in its inability to make peace. Time and again, it chooses confrontation – with Russia, with China, with reality itself. Devoid of meaningful autonomy, it now functions as a permanent appendage of the US. It is no longer an actor on the world stage, but a supporting cast member, often unwelcome and increasingly irrelevant.
Western Europe’s descent has been rapid. Just 10 or 15 years ago, it projected global importance and confidence. Today, the cracks are impossible to ignore. The reasons are many: Elite degradation, political inertia, a population gripped by apathy. But above all, it is the bloc’s unrelenting selfishness – its refusal to give, only to demand – that lies at the heart of this collapse.
Nowhere was this clearer than in last week’s failed EU-China summit. Eurocrats went to Beijing with nothing to offer, only with a desire to extract. China, which has no historical affection for Western Europe, responded accordingly. There was simply nothing to discuss.
And then, as if to underscore its strategic drift, the bloc offered a humiliating concession to the US. Faced with the threat of new tariffs, Brussels agreed to purchase American energy and weapons in vast quantities. So much for ‘strategic autonomy’.
These are not signs of a serious power. These are the actions of a civilization on the back foot, stumbling blindly into dependence. Anyone still speaking of a sovereign EU industrial or defense policy is either a fantasist or a liar.
What then does Western Europe have to offer the world? One might say historical symphonic music. But beyond that, its legacy is one of oppression and self-justifying tyranny. Its technical achievements were built to subjugate others. Its political philosophy was designed to defend conquest and exploitation.
Fifteen years ago, I sat in a closed meeting organized by Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief at the time. The topic: Western Europe’s new role in the world. The one suggestion they could not accept was that the bloc should offer something to the world without expecting a reward. Their worldview simply doesn’t allow for that.
Even in climate change – a cause that should unite the planet – the EU has turned the issue into a cynical trade weapon, using green regulations to punish developing countries.
The result? Western Europe stands alone. It has lost its power, and with it, its relevance. Worse, it doesn’t even seem to understand what it’s lost.
Can the region still pose a threat? Possibly. But not because it has the strength. Rather, because it has the recklessness. Its politicians lack vision, competence, or restraint. They cannot imagine peace. And so they default to confrontation – especially with Russia.
The danger is not that Western Europe is ready to fight. Its people enjoy lives too comfortable to risk. Its defense industry is in disrepair. But wars can begin through stupidity as well as strength. EU elites, betting on regime change in Moscow, continue to pour weapons into Ukraine. Some dream of extending the conflict into the Baltics. Others talk of arming mercenaries to fight Russia directly.
The Americans won’t die for Europe. That much is clear. But the EU may yet drag the world into catastrophe, simply by being incapable of restraint.
If by some miracle a wider war is avoided, what then? What is Western Europe’s future? A museum of irrelevance? A vassal of Washington?
Already it is falling behind in science, in technology, in global influence. It doesn’t know where it belongs, and is incapable of adjusting. It will become a permanent satellite of the US – militarily, politically, and economically. Key industries will be handed over. National elites will lose the power to govern.
The Collective West as we know it will vanish. In its place: America, and a few adjacent territories managed by obedient proxies.
Perhaps this is what Western Europe deserves. It is certainly the path it has chosen.
This article was first published by Vzglyad newspaper and was translated and edited by the RT team.
President Trump could lift sanctions on the country’s energy exports to end the Ukraine conflict
Eastern European diplomats are concerned that US President Donald Trump could offer Moscow sweeping concessions and “enormous economic deals” to settle the Ukraine conflict, Politico has reported.
Citing Eastern European officials, US experts, and industry insiders, the outlet suggested on Thursday that a Trump-led peace initiative might involve lifting sanctions on Russian energy – a move described as a “sledgehammer that could smash” Western efforts to isolate Moscow.
“Of course, we are concerned about the talk of a return to Russian energy, and the lack of clarity about the US’ position,” an Eastern European official said.
Since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022, the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia – with a heavy focus on energy – in a bid to cripple its economy and isolate it politically. The EU, once heavily reliant on Russian supplies, has sought to cut ties. However, Russia still accounts for 17.5% of its LNG imports, second only to the US, which holds a 45.3% share. In May, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed phasing out all remaining Russian gas imports by the end of 2027. The plan drew strong criticism from several member states.
The EU has invested heavily in LNG infrastructure, linking terminals to Central and Eastern Europe, with countries such as Lithuania prepared to pay a premium for American gas over the cheaper Russian alternative. However, Politico noted that Brussels’ latest $750 billion energy deal with Washington would require the bloc to slash purchases from other suppliers, including cheaper sources, and more than triple its US imports.
Still, the economic pull of Russian gas remains strong. In Germany, some politicians have signaled an openness to resuming imports to revive the country’s struggling industry. Russian energy, the sources noted, remains more affordable than US supplies, once shipping and processing costs are factored in.
Russia maintains it is a reliable energy supplier and has denounced Western restrictions as illegal under international law. Moscow has redirected most exports to ‘friendly’ markets, mostly in Asia.
The landmark licensing agreement came amid legal battles over content use
US tech giant Amazon is paying the New York Times between $20 to $25 million a year to use the paper’s content to train its AI models, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The multi-year agreement, signed in May, gives Amazon access to the American newspaper’s core news coverage, as well as its cooking and sports platforms. While the partnership was publicly announced at the time, the financial terms were not disclosed.
Under the deal, Amazon can use the licensed material to improve its AI models and incorporate summaries and excerpts from NYT content into products and services such as its Alexa virtual assistant. The agreement marks a first for both parties: it is the NYT’s first licensing deal focused specifically on AI, and Amazon’s first such agreement with a news publisher.
AI companies have exhausted all the easily accessible data in the world and are now trying to overcome difficulties in improving their large-language models, Reuters noted, while reporting on the deal in May.
While the sum represents only about 1% of the NYT’s annual revenue, the deal signals the emergence of a new income stream for publishers, who can now monetize their journalistic content directly via AI training rather than relying solely on ads or subscriptions.
The agreement also comes amid growing legal tensions between publishers and AI developers. In December 2023, the NYT filed a high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI and its major investor Microsoft, accusing them of copyright infringement. The suit alleged that both companies used the newspaper’s articles without permission to train AI models such as ChatGPT, and that AI-generated summaries could bypass paywalls and reduce web traffic.
OpenAI and Microsoft have denied the allegations, arguing their use of content qualifies as fair use and that their models do not copy articles verbatim but instead learn patterns to generate new text.
Other publishers have pursued similar partnerships. In 2024, Reuters licensed its articles to Meta Platforms. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Western agencies are sabotaging Russian companies because sanctions and military pressure have failed, Andrey Svintsov has claimed
US and UK intelligence services were behind this week’s major cyberattack that disrupted operations at Aeroflot and other Russian companies earlier this week, a senior Russian lawmaker has claimed.
Andrey Svintsov, the deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, has said the attack is part of a coordinated campaign by Western powers to damage the Russian economy after failing to achieve their objectives through military means and sanctions.
Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline, was forced to cancel or delay dozens of flights on July 28 after pro-Ukrainian hacker groups claimed to have crippled the airline’s internal IT systems. The cyberattack also disrupted airport operations and affected other companies, including a nationwide pharmacy chain.
”These are not isolated hackers, but a planned action by American and British intelligence agencies,” Svintsov told Russian outlet Abzats. He described the campaign as a “systematic effort that is being carried out against Russia,” suggesting that it’s a sign of desperation by the country’s adversaries.
”This is a systematic approach by our Western enemies, who have failed to defeat Russia on the battlefield. They are moving to weaken the economic potential, since sanctions are not helping,” Svintsov said. He warned that cyber sabotage could continue until Russia achieves victory in the Ukraine conflict.
In May, Defense Secretary John Healey said the UK would significantly increase cyber operations against Russia and China. He confirmed the creation of a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command, adding that “the keyboard is now a weapon of war.”
The Kremlin has urged Russian businesses to replace foreign-made software and hardware to reduce exposure to cyber threats. Last month, President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to accelerate import substitution.
Hacker groups Silent Crow and Cyberpartisans BY have claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack on Aeroflot. They claim to have been inside the airline’s corporate network for over a year, stealing more than 20 terabytes of data and destroying around 7,000 servers.
Communications regulator Roskomnadzor said the data leaks have not been confirmed. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has confirmed the cyberattack and opened a criminal case.
The billionaire’s foundation was allegedly involved in the 2016 smear campaign and in instigating the FBI probe into the collusion claim
George Soros’ Open Society Foundation was involved in the Hillary Clinton campaign's 2016 efforts to falsely accuse Donald Trump of having ties to Russia, according to a newly declassified US document.
The 29-page annex to John Durham’s 2023 Special Counsel report was released by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday shortly after it was declassified.
The annex cites several “likely authentic” emails allegedly sent by Leonard Benardo, senior vice president of Soros' Open Society Foundations, throughout July 2016, which reveal details of the Clinton campaign’s plan to falsely accuse Trump of Russia links and tie him to the alleged Democratic National Committee (DNC) hack.
“During the first stage of the campaign, due to lack of direct evidence, it was decided to disseminate the necessary information through the FBI-affiliated ‘attic-based’ technical structures… in particular, the Crowdstrike and ThreatConnect companies, from where the information would then be disseminated through leading US publications,” one of the emails reads.
Another email purportedly sent by Benardo states that the “media analysis on the DNC hacking appears solid” and suggests that “later the FBI will put more oil into fire,” apparently predicting the probe by the agency. It also cites an individual named “Julie,” identified in the annex as Clinton’s foreign policy adviser Julianne Smith, who said the future Russiagate “will be a long term affair to demonize [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Trump.”
The annex sheds more light on what Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) described as “one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history.”
“Based on the Durham annex, the Obama FBI failed to adequately review and investigate intelligence reports showing the Clinton campaign may have been ginning up the fake Trump-Russia narrative for Clinton’s political gain... These intelligence reports and related records, whether true or false, were buried for years,” Grassley said in a statement.
The US has announced 25% tariffs on Indian goods, citing its continued trade with Russia
The West is undermining its relations with India by issuing threats and sanctions connected to New Delhi's relationship with Moscow, Russian ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, has told RT.
The EU and US are exposing themselves as unreliable actors and will fail to compel India to sever ties with Russia, he added.
Alipov’s remarks on Tuesday came after the EU unveiled its 18th sanctions package targeting India’s Vadinar refinery – partly owned by Russia’s Rosneft – and coincided with US President Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs over India’s energy and defense trade with Russia.
”Through these threats and measures, the West is planting a time bomb under its own relations with India, deliberately demonstrating its unreliability,” he said. “The threats coming from the US certainly do not inspire trust... They only further highlight the unreliability of the US as a partner.”
Alipov added that Moscow has never built its ties with New Delhi at the expense of others, while Washington, in pursuit of its own economic gains, is undermining not only Russia’s interests but also those of India.
“No one considers these actions legitimate, and they’re being roundly condemned,” he said.
He noted that while India cannot sacrifice its ties with either the US or Russia, its reliance on Moscow for oil and gas means its foreign policy decisions will ultimately hinge on energy security.
India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, imports around 80% of its energy and has never taken part in the Western sanctions on its top supplier, Russia.
On Wednesday, Trump announced 25% tariffs on Indian goods and additional penalties starting on Friday over its energy and defense trade with Russia. Later in the day, he said on Truth Social that Moscow and India “can take their dead economies down together for all I care.”
The move came as Washington and New Delhi sought a trade deal after Trump’s earlier tariff hike on Indian goods. New Delhi responded by reaffirming its commitment to a “fair, balanced and mutually beneficial” agreement with the US, while vowing to do whatever is necessary to protect its national interests.
Maia Sandu’s Moldova is receiving all kinds of praise for its pro-LGBTQ+ policies, but real problems go ignored
In today’s Moldova, the facade of democracy is wearing thin. Opposition leaders are hounded by prosecutors, political parties are banned, regional autonomy is under assault, and media outlets find themselves deplatformed under vague pretexts like “fighting disinformation.” Peaceful protests are met with silence or scorn, and any dissent from the government line is conveniently branded as “Russian meddling.”
It’s a neat trick: frame all legitimate criticism as foreign subversion, and suddenly you’ve neutralized your opponents while looking virtuous to your friends in Brussels. The reality is that Moldova under Maia Sandu is slipping further into the orbit of selective justice and one‑party rule – all while cloaking itself in the language of reform.
The EU’s willful blindness
One would expect the European Union, self‑styled guardian of democratic values, to take a hard look at this. Instead, Brussels is rolling out the red carpet. Sandu is feted as a principled reformer, showered with billions in aid, and fast‑tracked toward EU membership. Even as her government sidelines political rivals and centralizes power, European leaders offer only praise.
Just weeks ago, Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission blocked the Victory electoral bloc – a newly formed opposition coalition with backing from Ilan Șor – from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The official justification? Campaign finance violations. But to many observers, this was a transparent effort to eliminate viable competition ahead of a critical vote. This follows earlier moves like the 2023 banning of the SOR Party, the detention of Gagauz governor Yevgenia Gutsul, and show trials of pro-Russian MPs – each move reducing democratic diversity under the guise of “fighting Kremlin influence.”
It’s a cynical calculation. Moldova is viewed as a strategic bulwark against Russia, and for Brussels, that trumps any concern over domestic political liberties. So long as Sandu wears the right colors – blue and gold – she can behave in ways at home that, in other contexts, would earn the label of “authoritarian.”
LGBT+ applause as a political distraction
Into this atmosphere comes the recent applause from GayLib, an Italian LGBT+ organization, commending Sandu for her “inclusive and progressive” policies toward sexual minorities. Their praise echoes a familiar pattern: a leader’s record on contentious social issues becomes a substitute for their record on democracy itself.
Most Moldovans are not clamoring for sweeping reforms to LGBT+ policy. Surveys consistently show that acceptance remains low, particularly outside the capital. Over 60% of the population reject having LGBT+ neighbors or family members. Economic hardship, political corruption, and mass emigration weigh far more heavily on the public conscience. Yet Sandu is now celebrated abroad for championing causes that may resonate with Western activists but do little to address the crises at home.
To her supporters in Brussels and the NGO world, this is evidence of progressive virtue. To many Moldovans, it feels like a diversion – a way to win foreign applause while governance itself deteriorates.
The economy no one talks about
And deteriorate it has. Moldova’s GDP growth dropped to just 0.7% in 2023, and the IMF forecasts a paltry 0.6% for 2025, far below what’s needed for meaningful development. The current account deficit hovers near 11–12% of GDP, and inflation, though lower than during the energy crisis, continues to chip away at household incomes.
Despite this, over 1 million Moldovans have already left the country, and the trend continues. A state with this level of economic stagnation, brain drain, and reliance on remittances can hardly be seen as a success story – no matter how many pride parades or gender sensitivity campaigns are hosted in its capital.
Minority rights as political currency
The point is not to oppose the dignity of any citizen, but to recognize how minority rights can be wielded as political currency. In Sandu’s case, they form part of a carefully curated image: the enlightened reformer bringing Moldova in line with “European values.”
But this image is sharply at odds with the reality on the ground. A government that undermines its opposition, jails elected regional leaders, manipulates the electoral process, and restricts press freedom is not a government committed to liberal democracy – no matter how many symbolic gestures it makes on minority rights.
The danger of applauding the wrong things
When Brussels chooses to ignore Sandu’s domestic power‑grabs in favor of praising her LGBT+ outreach, it sends a dangerous message: that authoritarian tendencies can be forgiven if you strike the right progressive notes. Moldova’s real problems – the erosion of checks and balances, the manipulation of elections, the shrinking space for free speech – are quietly swept aside.
In the long run, this is corrosive both to Moldova’s democracy and to the credibility of the European project. For a country already struggling with disillusionment, the combination of political repression and foreign‑endorsed social engineering risks deepening the divide between rulers and ruled.
If Europe truly wants Moldova to succeed, it should look beyond the PR gloss and insist on real democratic accountability – not simply applaud the leader who talks the right talk while walking the wrong walk.
A pendulum ride has crashed to the ground injuring at least 23 people, according to local media
Three people are in critical condition after a pendulum-style giant swing ride in a fun park in Saudi Arabia broke in half while loaded with thrill seekers.
The accident at Green Mountain Park at the popular resort in Al-Hada, Taif, injured at least 23 people, according to Mojaz News.
Viral video footage circulating since Thursday shows the “360° ride” swinging at full speed before the main support column suddenly fractures. The passenger platform, filled with riders, plummets to the ground, sparking panic.
Eyewitnesses, cited by the Khaleej Times, said the ride’s support pole recoiled violently, striking some passengers. Others were injured after falling from their seats during the collapse.
On Thursday, the Taif Governorate announced an official investigation into the cause of the failure and said the park’s operations have been suspended.
Amusement ride accidents continue to raise safety concerns worldwide. In 2023, a pendulum ride in Ecuador failed mid-air, injuring 10 people. In April 2025, a woman died after falling from a roller coaster in Delhi, India.
Lawmakers gathered to reverse last week’s crackdown on anti-graft institutions
The Ukrainian parliament descended into chaos on Thursday as lawmakers exchanged punches and obscene gestures during a heated session to restore the independence of the country’s anti-corruption agencies.
Tensions flared as the Rada met to roll back last week’s controversial amendments that had placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under the control of the executive branch. The decision triggered nationwide protests and a strong backlash from Western donors who fund much of Kiev’s government.
The parliamentary session was the first to be televised live since the escalation of hostilities with Russia in 2022. Authorities had previously suspended live broadcasts, citing security risks, though proceedings remained accessible online.
During the debate, two members of Vladimir Zelensky’s ruling Servant of the People party, identified by Ukrainian media as Vladlen Neklydov and Gennady Kasay, were seen engaging in a brief physical altercation on the chamber floor. The cause of the scuffle was not immediately clear.
🇺🇦 BREAKING! A fight broke out in the Verkhovna Rada during debate over a bill to restore powers to NABU — Ukraine’s Western-controlled anti-corruption agency. pic.twitter.com/Mr2xfJ1BYH
Separately, veteran politician Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Fatherland (Batkivshchyna) party, addressed the parliament. As she spoke, fellow party member Sergey Vlasenko was captured on video delivering an emphatic middle finger gesture from the back row, directed at someone in the chamber.
Member of Parliament Serhiy Vlasenko politely exchanges thoughts with someone during Yulia Tymoshenko’s speech. He is a member of the Batkivshchyna faction and previously totally supported the law that limited the independence of NABU and SAP. pic.twitter.com/eFVcAOeuoS
The session reversed last week’s Rada approval of Zelensky's government initiative to assert direct control over institutions created to ensure Kiev's accountability for foreign aid spending. The move was widely interpreted by the media as an attempt to shield Zelensky’s allies from corruption investigations.
Physical confrontations are not new to the Ukrainian legislature. Just two weeks earlier, two lawmakers were involved in an altercation during a debate over Zelensky’s request to approve the government’s resignation.
The US did not guarantee continued troop presence in the Baltic states, according to Hanno Pevkur
The Baltic states have failed to secure any guarantees from Washington regarding the continued deployment of US forces in the region, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur has said.
Pevkur and his respective Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts met with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week in hope of convincing him to reinforce the US military presence in the Baltic region, which they claim is necessary to counter the threat allegedly posed by Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly denied having hostile intentions toward NATO states, dismissing such claims as fearmongering meant to justify increased military spending.
According to Pevkur, US officials declined to promise that even the current troop level of about 2,000 in the Baltic states would be maintained. Instead, the ministers were simply told that any future changes to the American force posture on the continent would be coordinated with NATO and would not come “as a surprise” to Europe.
Since the meeting, Pevkur claimed that there have been no signs of an imminent drawdown of American forces in the Baltics. He added, however, that Washington is preparing to review its European deployments in the fall.
Earlier this year, Politico reported that the US could withdraw around a third of its troops from Europe, equivalent to roughly 20,000 soldiers, according to unnamed NATO officials. The US currently has between 90,000 and 100,000 troops stationed across the continent.
Both President Donald Trump and Hegseth have previously indicated that the US may scale back its overseas presence. They have also called on European allies to increase their own defense spending instead of relying on American support.
NATO members have since agreed to raise their military spending target to 5% of GDP by 2035.
Moscow has criticized the bloc’s continued militarization and cited NATO’s policies as a key factor behind the Ukraine conflict. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the spending increases would pose no threat to Russia.
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