WORLD ROUNDUPHow Orban Became Putin’s Pawn | China and Russia Plot Course for ‘Ice Silk Road’ in the Arctic | Hezbollah’s Weapons Arsenal, and more
· How Orban Became Putin’s Pawn
Among all of Russia’s useful idiots, few have sought to make themselves more useful than the Hungarian prime minister
· What We Know — and Don’t Know — About Hezbollah’s Weapons Arsenal
The Lebanese militant group has guided and unguided rockets, antitank artillery, ballistic and antiship missiles, as well as drones equipped with explosives
· Forces on Both Left and Right Battle for Europe’s Political Soul
A coarsening of public discourse and contempt for mainstream parties have politicians on both sides denouncing what they say are extreme positions by their opponents, analysts say
· ‘Key Campaigner’ for Pro-Gaza MP Who Unseated Jonathan Ashworth Charged with Terrorism Offense
Majid Freeman, a supporter of Shockat Adam, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 24
· China and Russia Plot Course for ‘Ice Silk Road’ in the Arctic
Moscow has a new ally in its efforts to keep the Northeast Passage open throughout the summer months
· Germany to Remove 2 Chinese Firms’ Components from 5G Networks
Starting in 2026, Germany will begin removing key components made by Chinese telecom firms Huawei and ZTE from its 5G core networks
· The New Dutch Government Is a Total Mess
An unwieldy alliance highlights far-right scandals
How Orban Became Putin’s Pawn (Keith Johnson, Foreign Policy)
Among all of Russia’s useful idiots, few have sought to make themselves more useful than Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
What We Know — and Don’t Know — About Hezbollah’s Weapons Arsenal (Mohamad El Chamaa and Samuel Granados, Washington Post)
Hezbollah, a militia and political party that grew out of Lebanon’s civil war to become one of the strongest non-state actors in the Middle East, has been preparing for this moment since 2006, when Israeli forces last invaded the country.
Forces on Both Left and Right Battle for Europe’s Political Soul (Andrew Higgins, New York Times)
Primed to celebrate victory but left explaining why his party finished third, the leader of France’s hard-right National Rally blamed Sunday’s surprise election result on the “caricature” of his party as extremist.
‘Key Campaigner’ for Pro-Gaza MP Who Unseated Jonathan Ashworth Charged with Terrorism Offense (Amy Gibbons, The Telegraph)
A “key campaigner” for the pro-Gaza MP who unseated Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth has been charged with a terrorism offence.
China and Russia Plot Course for ‘Ice Silk Road’ in the Arctic (Richard Spencer, The Times)
It is northern China’s version of the shipping forecast and, like Britain’s nightly bulletin, it marks out the range of its seafarers’ geographical ambitions.
Germany to Remove 2 Chinese Firms’ Components from 5G Networks (VOA News)
A top security official in Germany said Thursday that starting in 2026, the European nation will begin removing key components made by Chinese telecom firms Huawei and ZTE from its 5G core networks.
The New Dutch Government Is a Total Mess (Stan Veuger, Foreign Policy)
Instead of policy development, the parties have spent most of the past half-year dealing with two unusual challenges.
