Hello,

American intelligence experts believe Russia was behind the explosive drone found at a German airport last week, according to US media reports, though Berlin has not named a culprit.

It comes as Turkey's parliament approves a conditional pardon for thousands of PKK fighters, and as a Damascus court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death.

More below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇹🇷 Turkey approves a conditional pardon for thousands of PKK fighters: Legislators voted 468-88 for the measure, which suspends some prison sentences for convicted PKK members and postpones trials against others for five or 10 years, but only takes effect once the National Security Council confirms the group has disbanded and surrendered all weapons. The PKK called it a "beginning" with "serious shortcomings", and demanded the release of its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is excluded from the bill.

2️⃣ 🇸🇾 Assad sentenced to death in a Damascus court: A criminal court found the ousted president guilty of premeditated murder on Tuesday, and convicted Atef Najib, the former head of political security in Deraa province, of premeditated murder and torture. Both were sentenced to death.

3️⃣ 🇺🇦🇷🇺 Ukraine says it hit a refinery 1,500km from the front line: The general staff called the site "one of the largest" refineries in the region and "an important enterprise in Russia's fuel and energy sector", adding that a fire had been reported and the extent of the damage was being clarified. At least nine people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said North Korean ballistic missiles were used in strikes on Zaporizhzhia that killed six.

4️⃣ 🇪🇺 The EU's Starlink rival moves closer to launch: The agreement adds another 66 satellites to bring the constellation to 348, of which 330 will sit in low Earth orbit and 18 in medium Earth orbit, with first launches expected to begin in 2029. Built for governments, defence and critical services rather than consumer broadband, it is intended to reduce European dependence on Starlink, with Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat working alongside the European Space Agency.

5️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump demands 50 years of damages from Iran: President Trump told reporters "we're going to ask for money for the damage they've done over a 50-year period", claiming 52,000 people have been killed in Iran in the past four months, far above Tehran's count of 3,117 deaths in January's protests. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said talks with Oman were "progressing smoothly and constructively", with a route map agreed and some technical issues unresolved.

Together with:

Daily news for curious minds.

Be the smartest person in the room. 1440 navigates 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive, unbiased news roundup — politics, business, culture, and more — in a quick, 5-minute read. Completely free, completely factual.

Sign up now!

Major Story

🇩🇪🇷🇺 US intelligence links Russia to the Leipzig drone bomb

American intelligence experts believe Russia was behind last week's attack on a German airport, US media have reported, while Berlin has stayed silent on who it thinks was responsible.

The Wall Street Journal quoted US officials familiar with intelligence reports as saying the drone probably belongs to the Russian government, and CNN reported that Washington had concluded it came from a Russian secret service, citing a US defence official who noted that the explosive material suggested a military manufacturer.

The quadcopter, carrying semtex and found next to a Ukrainian cargo plane, flew past the airport's defences and was only immobilised when an alert bus driver spotted and reported it, an estimated four hours after it breached security.

Russia's embassy in Berlin has called any suggestion it was involved a "rashly contrived provocation" serving "only the interests of Kyiv and the militarist wing of the European political establishment".

Political scientist Wolfgang Schröder said naming Moscow would carry incalculable consequences, because defining the incident as a military attack on German critical infrastructure would put the country "on the brink of entering a state of war", with implications for NATO.

Together with:

Master Claude AI (Free Guide)

The professionals pulling ahead aren't working more. They're using Claude.

Our free guide will show you how to:

• Configure Claude to be the perfect assistant

• Master AI-powered content creation

• Transform complex data into actionable strategies

• Harness Claude’s full potential

Transform your workflow with AI and stay ahead of the curve with this comprehensive guide to using Claude at work.

Get The Free Guide

Other News

1️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 Washington leans on sanctions instead of strikes: President Trump told Axios that "we are low-keying it" and that Washington is "only semi-negotiating" with Tehran while watching the toll the war has taken on Iran's economy, which he said is in "very bad shape". He credited a naval blockade in place since April with deepening the pressure, and said falling oil prices had eased the impact on American consumers.

2️⃣ 🇮🇷 IRGC veteran takes over Iran's top security body: Mohsen Rezaee, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for 16 years including during the war with Iraq, was named secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the supreme leader's representative on it, alongside six new military appointments. Analyst Sina Azodi said the move signalled no softening towards Washington, and Rezaee has said Iran "will never permit the opening of a second corridor in the Strait of Hormuz".

3️⃣ 🇺🇸🇹🇷 Trump left the NATO summit on a decoy flight, papers report: Senior US officials told the two papers that President Trump was taken off Air Force One at Ankara by a catering container lifted to the far side of the plane from the travelling press, then moved to a C-32A military jet, before switching back at RAF Mildenhall. The decision followed a briefing on a threat to his life, and the White House said only that "many enemies of America" have their sights on the president.

4️⃣ 🇨🇴 Colombia kills an alleged FARC dissident leader: Officials said Hernando Forero Mosquera, accused of leading the Frente 28 dissident faction, was killed with five other alleged members of armed groups, and President Abelardo de la Espriella said it sent "a clear and powerful message to all bandits that there is nowhere for them to hide". He has the backing of President Trump, and the US state department said on Friday it planned to provide $1bn in security assistance to his government.

5️⃣ 🌍 Oceans hit record July temperatures: The average sea surface temperature outside the polar regions was 20.96C last month, beating the 20.89C set in 2023, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, with record highs along Europe's Atlantic coast and in the western Mediterranean. Western Europe recorded its hottest June and July, at 2.79C above average, which Copernicus said showed "how climate change is intensifying heat extremes".

Weekly Updates?

Want weekly updates as well as daily?

Subscribe to our sister publication Geopolitics Weekly here ⤵️

Our Shop

Ukraine Phone Wallpaper Pack