TOP NEWS

US job figures
Trump to appoint Fed governor and statistics chief this week

Donald Trump will appoint a new governor for the Federal Reserve and a new head of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics within two days. The president told reporters on Sunday, according to several international media outlets.

The former head of the statistics agency, Erika McEntarfer, was suddenly fired by Trump after last week's jobs report, which showed weak growth in the labor market.

On Friday last week, Fed Governor Adriana Kugler also announced that she would resign five months before her term ends. According to Bloomberg and the Financial Times, this gives Trump a chance to appoint a governor who can later be chosen as the future central bank chief when Jerome Powell's term ends.

Korean conflict
End of K-pop at the border – South Korea takes down speakers

South Korea will take down the speakers used to play K-pop music and broadcast news on the border with North Korea this week.

The broadcasts were paused in June after Lee Jae-Myung was elected as the new president. This led to North Korea also stopping playing “bizarre and unpleasant noises” through its loudspeakers.

According to the South Korean military, the dismantling of the loudspeakers should be seen as a “practical measure to reduce tensions with the North”.

Political situation in Moldova
Russia influences voters ahead of Moldova’s fateful election

Moldova’s national security chief warns of Russian interference in the country’s elections next month, reports Politico.

Stanislav Secrieru states that Russian actors are trying to influence Moldovans living abroad not to vote in the election and that disinformation against Moldovans abroad has increased significantly recently.

– The campaign is designed to demobilize voters in the diaspora – by encouraging them to stay home – and to manipulate those who vote to support a false pro-EU force, he tells Politico.

On September 28, Moldovans will go to a fateful election where the pro-European government will be put to the test. For them, voters in the diaspora are important. 

The war in Sudan
Shooting, disease and food shortages – everyday life in Darfur

Hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur in western Sudan live under constant threat of violence, hunger and disease, reports Reuters.

The Sudanese army, which controls the area, is responsible for constant artillery shelling and frequent drone attacks in its battles against the paramilitary RSF. At the same time, food in the area is running out.

Those trying to flee the region risk other problems, namely cholera.

– The number of people dying has increased every day and the cemeteries are growing, a resident tells Reuters.

Political situation in Egypt
The economy in focus as Egypt goes to the Senate elections

The economy is a crucial issue as Egyptians go to vote in the Senate elections that began on Monday, reports AP.

Many residents are expressing frustration after a period of rising inflation – prices for fuel and food, among other things, are increasing daily, the news agency writes.

200 of the 300 candidates are expected to be voted on during the week. The remaining 100 will be selected by the president.

Voting will continue on Tuesday. The results will be announced on August 12.

Swiss voices want to stop the purchase of F-35s from the US

In domestic politics, Switzerland's purchase of American F-35s has been controversial as the left, together with the peace movement, tried to stop the deal. Now representatives from the liberal FDP party also want to pull the emergency brake in response to Trump's shock tariffs, writes the Swiss Blick.

- The F-35 fighter jet has once again become a political issue. In the current situation, we cannot just continue as if nothing has happened, says Hans-Peter Portmann, foreign policy spokesman.

He has filed a motion to review the purchase.