Christian Thiels

Trump says he wants to be involved in picking Iran's next leader as war ripples across the region U.S. President Donald Trump says he should be involved in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader. The U.S. and Israel have been hammering the country for a sixth day Thursday.

"Trump ruled out Mojtaba Khamenei, a front-runner to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the war."
@apnews.com
apnews.com/article/iran...

Surging energy prices and threats to shipping. How the Middle East war could hurt the global economy | CNN Business The conflict raging in the Middle East will test the resilience of a global economy that has already contended with wars and trade disruptions over the past year.

"Barely a week into the latest turmoil in the region, there are already signs of strain along the carefully orchestrated arteries of global trade: from rice exports stuck at ports in India to spikes in the price of fertilizer critical to food production."
@cnn.com
edition.cnn.com/2026/03/05/e...

Ukraine accuses Hungary of taking seven people hostage The employees were in two cars carrying $80m (£60m) worth of cash between Austria and Ukraine.

"The employees were in two cars carrying $80m (£60m) worth of cash between Austria and Ukraine. The authorities had sent a note demanding the employees' return, Sybiha said."
@bbcnews-world-rss.bsky.social
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Hartog Levie, seven years old when he was brutally murdered by German Nazis - one of an estimated 1.5 million children that fell victim to the Holocaust. 🕯️

Iran-backed militias intensify attacks against US, Israel and allies Iraq emerges as key front in new and often clandestine confrontation after launching dozens of attacks

"Militia in Iraq have launched dozens of attacks since the war began, targeting Israel and US bases in Jordan and Iraq itself. In recent days, they have also targeted the infrastructure of Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups in the north of Iraq."
@theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Hong Kong ex-media mogul Jimmy Lai will not appeal national security conviction, legal team says The legal team for Hong Kong pro-democracy ex-publisher Jimmy Lai says he will not appeal the national security conviction for which he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

"Lai, an outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily, was found guilty in December of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiring with others to publish seditious articles."
@apnews.com
apnews.com/article/hong...

#Iran update Mar 5, 2026

#Ukraine situation report Mar 5, 2026

Thank you very much 🙏

Good morning to #Foxfriday everybody. Couldn't resist sharing a picture of last night's pretty visitor in our front yard. Please be easy on me regarding resolution - it was rather late, light was poor and I had to push ISO to the limit. Love the mood though.
[📷Nikon D850 f/6,0 1/30 420mm ISO 65535]

Ukraine has developed remarkable expertise - they should cash in on it.

‘Veggie burgers’ are here to stay. Lab-grown ‘steaks’ never will be. A compromise that cleared the path for plant-based burgers, but banned other meaty terms, resolved a bitter food fight that pit traditional diets against food innovation.

"Veggie burgers” and “vegan sausages” can remain on European supermarket shelves, EU negotiators agreed Thursday. However, only products made of animal flesh can use terms like “steak” or “bacon.”
@politico.eu
www.politico.eu/article/vegg....

Well - that was rather quick

Ist Teil der Durchschlageübung, die im Kleingedruckten stand.

Interesting move - Spain, on the contrary, totally opposes the U.S./Israeli attacks against Iran.

Well done, Andrew!

Worth considering

How AI is Quietly Becoming a Supply Chain Problem To ensure that our most advanced systems do not become our Achilles’ heel, securing AI supply chains must be a focus for both users and policy makers.

"That is what makes supply chain compromise a strategically attractive attack vector: it offers access and scale by attacking the implicitly trusted dependency and not the defended system."
@rusi.bsky.social
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...

ICYMI

Very impressive, Dan. Thanks for sharing!

"Another Milestone for Germany's Armed Forces: First F-35A Lightning II for the German Air Force is being assembled in Fort Worth."

Europe's ballistic missile gap: what's in the EU arsenal? | Euractiv With multiple wars on Europe's periphery, EU countries are scrambling to develop new capabilities

"Iran’s repeated ballistic missile strikes across the Middle East have raised awareness of the weapon’s pivotal role in modern warfare, and questions about just how many the Europeans have in their arsenals."
@euractiv.com
www.euractiv.com/news/europes...

US Senate vote fails to curb Trump's war powers on Iran Explosions were reported in Israel after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship, prompting Tehran to threaten the destruction of military and economic infrastructure across the region.

"In what marks the first vote on the conflict in the Middle East, Senate Republicans voted down an effort to halt the US-Israeli war against Iran."
@euronews.com
www.euronews.com/2026/03/05/u...

"Queues began at dawn on the streets of the capital Kathmandu and in the usually sleepy eastern town of Jhapa, the site of a head-to-head contest between two key prime ministerial hopefuls."
@en.afp.com
today.rtl.lu/news/world/n...

Polish president hunts for alternatives to EU defense loans Accessing the EU’s €150 billion SAFE program is turning into a political battle in Poland.

"The move comes amid a standoff with Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU government over nearly €44 billion in SAFE loans earmarked for modernizing Poland’s armed forces, repayable by 2070."
@politico.eu
www.politico.eu/article/poli...

Trump, tech companies sign voluntary pledge to protect consumers from rising electricity costs | CNN Politics President Donald Trump unveiled a voluntary pledge with major tech companies on Wednesday that the administration said will protect consumers from rising electricity costs spurred by artificial intell...

"Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI and Amazon signed on to the agreement, which Trump said would help keep utility bills down 'very substantially'.”
@cnn.com
edition.cnn.com/2026/03/04/p...