The Hill
A Russian lab worker may have died of pneumonic plague, and the world's response is basically: shrug, mistrust, repeat. Also, AI is making bioweapons easier, which is fine.
BBC World
SpaceX's 100mph Starlink speed cap disrupts Ukrainian drone missions, because nothing says 'support Ukraine' like a speed limit during a missile barrage.
The Guardian
Trump says Ukraine needs a new leader after making a diesel deal with Putin, because clearly the problem is the guy getting bombed, not the guy doing the bombing.
The Hill
OpenAI bans Russian and Iranian propaganda accounts that used its models to run fake think tanks, fake journalists, and fake news - proving once again that AI is only as ethical as the guy with the VPN.
The Hill
Russia's plague outbreak response is basically 'trust us, bro,' and the world is not having it. Also: everything else that happened.
BBC Politics
UK PM Andy Burnham jets to Berlin to chat cyber threats and sabotage with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, because nothing bonds nations like mutual Russian paranoia and a freshly arrested ex-spy chief.
The Hill
A Russian scientist reportedly broke a test tube of pneumonic plague pathogens, died, and now 200 people are being monitored - because the news cycle refuses to be boring.
The Guardian Europe
NATO leaders warn of Russia's 'rapidly increasing threat' but skip questions, while Ukraine strikes oil facilities, drones hit Kyiv, and Klopp dismisses racist football debate as 'complete nonsense'.
BBC World
Russia's missile campaign has turned Ukraine's steel heartland into a rubble-strewn monument to economic warfare, with Zaporizhstal and Arcelor Mittal Kryvyi Rih both shuttered indefinitely.
The Guardian
Australia throws another $60m at Ukraine, because apparently freedom isn't free - it's just heavily subsidized by embarrassed world leaders.
The Guardian
Europe suspects Russia is testing NATO's limits with a 'shadow war' of sabotage, while the UN general assembly kicks off and El Niño breaks temperature records.
The Guardian Europe
European spy chiefs warn Russia may test Nato in 'months not years,' while the Baltics say calm down, and everyone agrees the sabotage is only getting started. Cheery stuff.
The Guardian
Rita Flores, a Pussy Riot-affiliated artist, says the FSB blackmailed her into spying on activists and then asked her to help kidnap a Kremlin critic - so she fled Russia instead.
Grist
Russia keeps bombing Ukraine's power grid, so businesses are installing rooftop solar - because nothing says 'resilience' like panels that survive missile strikes.
The Guardian
Von der Leyen prepares to list Europe's challenges, including Russia, China, Trump, populism, and its own competitiveness - while Canada's Mark Carney attends, presumably to see if the EU is still taking applications.
The Guardian
Ukraine's prosecutor quits over corruption allegations while Russia bombs Kyiv, plus art heists and war criminal funerals - Europe's having a week.
UN News
WHO warehouses in Ukraine keep getting bombed despite sharing their locations, because apparently 'deconfliction' means 'aim here.'
The Guardian Europe
Russia drops a drone on Ukraine's intelligence HQ in Kyiv, injuring nine and disrupting a poppy seed roll breakfast. Zelenskyy promises a 'tangible response.'
BBC World
Ukraine warns airlines that Russia's sky is filling with drones, Putin calls it terrorism, and airlines are left playing a high-stakes game of 'will they or won't they' overflight.
The Guardian
Germany finally blames Russia for the Leipzig drone attack, announces sanctions, and evicts a spy-riddled cultural center, because even hybrid warfare needs a response.
The Good Times
One sardonic roundup, delivered on your schedule. Free. Unsubscribe whenever your tolerance for wit runs out.
Already subscribed but we never reach your inbox? Check your spam folder and hit 'Not spam' (or 'Remove from spam') to bust us out of junk-mail purgatory. You'll be helping everyone else too.
The Good Times
One sardonic roundup, delivered on your schedule. Free. Unsubscribe whenever your tolerance for wit runs out.
Already subscribed but we never reach your inbox? Check your spam folder and hit 'Not spam' (or 'Remove from spam') to bust us out of junk-mail purgatory. You'll be helping everyone else too.
Don't open any of our emails for a month and you'll be automatically removed from the mailing list.