TOP NEWS

European security policy
Merz and Starmer agree on the largest agreement since 1945

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are to meet in London today to sign the largest joint treaty between the countries since 1945. This is reported by Politico.

The treaty contains, among other things, promises to jointly develop a new weapon system for long-range missiles and guarantees of mutual protection.

The strengthened cooperation also extends beyond defense. Among other things, it also includes projects in artificial intelligence and quantum technology, the newspaper writes.

Trump's USA  The future of the USA
Trump's idea to re-open Alcatraz could cost 20 billion

Donald Trump's plans to re-open Alcatraz as a maximum-security prison could cost around two billion dollars, close to 20 billion kronor, according to Axios.

– The calculations are ongoing and there is no final amount to report yet, says a White House spokesman.

The infamous Alcatraz in San Francisco closed in 1963 after operating for 29 years. It was closed because it was too expensive to keep running.

Today, you can take guided tours of the facility. The island where the former prison and military fort is located is also a bird sanctuary.

Middle East Crisis  The Battles in Sweida
Analysis: Syria is Fragile – Divisions Exposed Again

The conflict between minority groups in southern Syria poses a huge challenge to the government that has led the country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, writes The Guardian's William Christou in an analysis.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led an Islamist group that led to the fall of the former dictator, has scored diplomatic successes and has been praised by both Donald Trump and the EU. But things are moving more slowly at home, he writes, pointing out that the country is deeply divided after 14 years of civil war.

"This week the contradictions were exposed again."

The Jerusalem Post's Seth J Frantzman writes that the fighting between Druze and Bedouin risks spilling over, and that this happened this week when Israel carried out airstrikes and referred to support for Druze in the city of Sweida.

Israel has paved the way for more involvement in the future, and since it is part of the recently announced ceasefire, its ally the United States must also deal with the situation, he writes.

“The US government had hoped to focus on other regions, but its first seven months in power have been dominated by developments in the Middle East.”

The climate threat  Global challenges
Study: Penguin poop may have a positive climate effect

The feces of Adélie penguins in Antarctica release ammonia, which accelerates cloud formation that creates an insulating layer in the atmosphere. This could mitigate the effects of climate change, shows a new study cited by El País.

Cloudiness, which is increasing in part due to the droppings of around 60,000 penguins, can reflect sunlight, which has a cooling effect and leads to lower temperatures. However, the researchers point out, some types of clouds have the opposite effect, and therefore the issue needs further study.

“It's about studying the gases that affect the formation of particles in the atmosphere,” says Matthew Boyer at the University of Helsinki.

British Afghan leak
Unlikely that Afghans will receive compensation from the British

Thousands of Afghans have demanded compensation after personal information was revealed in a major British security leak. However, it is unlikely that they will receive any compensation, according to The Times.

A source states that Britain does not want to pay more for the mistake, on top of the high costs that the relocation of Afghans as a result of the leak has already entailed.

The British Ministry of Defense opposes claims for damages. According to a statement, it is “highly unlikely that anyone would be targeted because they appeared in a spreadsheet”.

The leak includes a total of 19,000 names, in addition to Afghans who collaborated with Britain, there were also names of British elite soldiers and spies. The Afghans have claimed that they risk revenge from the Taliban.

British security leak — the point is this

• A massive data leak in 2022 revealed the names and contact details of tens of thousands of Afghans who had collaborated with the UK.
• The leak also included British elite soldiers and MI6 agents, posing a serious security risk.
• Following the leak, the UK launched a secret programme to relocate around 7,000 Afghans to the British Isles.
• Around 900 individuals and 3,600 family members have so far been relocated to the UK as part of the programme.
• British courts initially classified the information, but in July 2025 the ban was lifted and the debate took off.