Elite Unit 700 of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), responsible for logistics and covert operations abroad, has adapted illegal human trafficking networks to infiltrate its agents into the United Kingdom. This is reported by the newspaper The Telegraph, citing sources in European and Middle Eastern...
Major forest fires in France and Spain have spiralled out of control
Major forest fires in France and Spain have spiralled out of control. The flames have engulfed more than 122,000 hectares of forest and triggered one of the largest evacuation operations in Europe: over 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. The European Commission acknowledges that available forces and...
Burnham holds first meeting with a foreign leader
Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 27 July. It was the British leader’s first meeting with a foreign head of state since taking office. Burnham became prime minister about a week earlier, succeeding Keir Starmer. The meeting took place at a naval base in...
Italy’s military secrets in the hands of Moscow: arrests, diplomatic expulsions, and lessons for NATO
The spy scandal that erupted in Italy in June–July 2026 confirmed that Russian military intelligence has not ceased its active operations in the country, focusing on its military secrets, defense-industrial complex, and military supplies to Ukraine. On 7 July 2026, carabinieri in Rome arrested two former employees of the Italian...
NATO intern detained in Belgium on suspicion of espionage
A female intern at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) has been detained in Belgium on suspicion of espionage on behalf of a third country and participation in a criminal organisation. The Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced this on Saturday, 25 July. The suspect is a Canadian national of...
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting: London will not be intimidated by Tehran
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has stated that the United Kingdom is not afraid of Iran’s “sabre-rattling” over its support for US actions. In comments to the BBC, he stressed that Iranian officials’ claims that Britain is allegedly a “legitimate target” for allowing the use of its bases for American...
Russian hackers spent a year targeting American nuclear scientists and defence companies
A group of Russian hackers conducted a large-scale cyber-espionage campaign over the past year, targeting nuclear scientists, employees of defence contractors, and government officials in the United States. This was reported by CNN on July 23, 2026, citing data from private-sector researchers and a joint warning from U.S. intelligence and...
German counterintelligence warns businesses of heightened threat from Russian intelligence services
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has issued an official security notice (Sicherheitshinweis) to German businesses, citing a sharply increased threat from Russian intelligence services. The agency assesses the risk level as elevated, particularly for companies in the defence industry. Firms manufacturing drones and robotic systems,...
Andy Burnham rejects possibility of new Scottish independence referendum
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who took office on 20 July 2026, told Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney that a new referendum on Scottish independence is not possible. The meeting took place on 23 July in Glasgow ahead of the opening of the Commonwealth Games. Burnham stressed that holding a...
What challenges will Andy Burnham face as Prime Minister
Andy Burnham assumed the role of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 20 July 2026, three days after being elected leader of the ruling Labour Party. In previous Labour governments, he served as Secretary of State for Health and Culture and as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In opposition,...