TOP NEWS

Europe's security policy
Satellite images show massive European rearmament

Europe's arms factories are expanding three times as fast today as in peacetime. This is according to a compilation by the Financial Times, which has analyzed satellite data from 150 facilities at 37 companies on the continent.

According to the newspaper, the escalation has mainly occurred since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This shows that Europe's long-promised defense boom is now not just rhetorical but is starting to appear concrete.

- These are profound and structural changes that will transform the defense industry in a longer perspective, says William Alberque, senior researcher at the Asia Pacific Forum and former head of NATO arms control.

The biggest change on the surface is visible at the German defense giant Rheinmetall and the Bulgarian defense company N7 Holding, which has built a large factory for ammunition and explosives in southern Bulgaria.

Political situation in Germany
New survey: AFD largest party in Germany

The far-right party AFD has become the most popular among German voters. This is shown by a recent opinion poll by German RTL according to Politico.

This means that far-right parties have the largest voter support in all three largest European economies – National Rally in France, and Reform UK in the UK.

The AFD receives 26 percent of voter support in the survey. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats CDU/CSU receive 24 percent, the worst result since the 2021 election. Their coalition partner, the social democratic SPD, receives 14 percent.

While Merz struggles with foreign policy issues such as the war in Ukraine and the relationship with Donald Trump, he is losing support at home. Two out of three Germans are dissatisfied with his performance after 100 days as chancellor, according to the survey.

Political situation in South Korea
Yoon Suk-Yeol's wife arrested – accused of bribery

Kim Keon Hee, wife of South Korea's ousted president Yoon Suk-Yeol, has been detained on suspicion of several crimes, Yonhap reports. She is accused of, among other things, bribery, stock manipulation and election interference, which she denies. The charges could lead to prison sentences.

The suspicions include that Kim Keon Hee received expensive bags and a necklace from a religious group in exchange for supporting the group.

According to the South Korean news agency, she was taken to the same detention center where her husband is awaiting trial. Yoon Suk-Yeol was ousted in April after trying to impose martial law last December.

Cyberattacks
Sources: Russian hacker attack on US computer systems

There is evidence that Russia was involved in a hacker attack on the US computer system that handles federal court documents, sources tell the New York Times. The system contains documents that may contain sensitive information about people suspected of crimes related to national security.

It is still unclear exactly what the Russian involvement looks like, the newspaper writes. Whether the Russian intelligence service was involved or whether more countries are behind the attack is still being investigated.

The Justice Department has been informed and officials have been asked to remove the most sensitive documents from the computer system, according to the sources.