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Palantir Technologies has published a 22-point manifesto written by its CEO Alex Karp and his colleague Nicholas Zamiska, calling on Silicon Valley’s tech elite to wholeheartedly embrace the US military cause. The text does not merely advocate for new defence contracts: it proposes the introduction of compulsory military service in the United States, calls for an end to the restrictions imposed on the Japanese and German armed forces since 1945, and urges technology companies to get involved in the fight against “violent crime”.
The manifesto goes even further on ideological grounds, lambasting “the elite’s intolerance of religious beliefs” and urging the United States to reject “empty and hollow pluralism”. Certain cultures, the authors write, “have proven to be mediocre, or even worse, regressive and harmful”. This language echoes the rhetoric of US Vice-President J.D. Vance and the Trump administration’s national security strategy, which referred to the risk of the West’s “civilisational erasure”.
Founded by libertarian billionaire Peter Thiel, Palantir is the leading provider of data analytics software to the US military, intelligence services and police forces. The company has supplied its tools to ICE for the mass deportations of undocumented migrants, as well as to the Israeli military for its operations in Gaza. The Pentagon has asked Congress for an additional $2.3 billion to develop the Maven Smart System, an artificial intelligence targeting platform designed by Palantir.
The company goes far beyond its role as a technology supplier, recruiting former lawmakers and civil servants whilst placing its executives in key positions within the US government. According to William Hartung of the Quincy Institute, Palantir “should be content to remain a supplier”. Diederick van Wijk of the Clingendael Institute points to a broader trend: that of technology companies “so powerful, so unregulated, that they are able to innovate and act wherever they deem necessary. Without being accountable to anyone.” France 24
🇺🇳 UN • The four candidates for the post of UN Secretary-General — Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Rafael Grossi (Argentina), Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica) and Macky Sall (Senegal) — presented their platforms to the 193 Member States. All placed peace at the heart of their priorities, whilst avoiding taking too strong a stance on ongoing crises so as not to alienate the states that will decide on their candidacy.
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Europe
🇪🇺 European Union • Meeting at an informal summit in Cyprus, the 27 member states discussed Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union, the mutual assistance clause which had hitherto remained a dead letter (it has been invoked only once, by France following the 2015 terrorist attacks). Against the backdrop of the US withdrawal, the European Commission is preparing an action plan to clarify the procedures for implementing this clause in the event of an armed attack against a Member State.
🇺🇦 Ukraine – 🇷🇺 Russia • Kyiv and Moscow have exchanged 193 prisoners of war from each side, with the United Arab Emirates and the United States acting as mediators.
🇩🇪 Germany • A cyberattack of “extremely worrying” scale targeted the Signal messaging app, affecting MPs, diplomats and military officials. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office has been conducting an investigation into “suspected espionage” since February, and points to Russia as the prime suspect. Members of the Bundestag warn that the integrity of MPs’ communications can no longer be guaranteed.
🇩🇪 Germany – 🇳🇱 Netherlands • Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the Dutch Prime Minister have jointly called for spending limits in the European Union’s future multiannual budget, ruling out any recourse to additional debt. The two frugal nations intend to redefine the priorities of the financial framework, going against the wishes of those advocating a joint investment effort for defence and competitiveness, such as France.
🇮🇹 Italy – 🇬🇷 Greece • By the end of the year, Italy is expected to overtake Greece as the most indebted country in the eurozone. Italy’s debt is forecast to reach 138.6% of GDP in 2026, compared with 137% for Greece, whose ratio continues to fall thanks to fiscal consolidation efforts.
🇷🇴 Romania • The Social Democratic Party has left the coalition government led by the liberal Ilie Bolojan, depriving him of his parliamentary majority. This departure plunges the country into a new political crisis, following months of tension over tax hikes imposed to reduce the EU’s largest budget deficit. The PSD is the largest party in parliament with some 130 seats out of 465.
🇪🇺 Eurozone • Private sector activity in the eurozone fell in April for the first time in 16 months, according to S&P Global’s Flash PMI index, undermined by geopolitical uncertainties. The euro reacted little to the news, with markets anticipating the European Central Bank will maintain the status quo at its next meeting.
🇺🇦 Ukraine – 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia • Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Riyadh today to strengthen bilateral cooperation on defence, energy and infrastructure with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. An initial defence agreement had already been signed in March, and Kyiv has sent anti-drone experts to the Gulf, an area in which Ukraine has developed recognised expertise.
Americas
🇺🇸 United States – 🇷🇺 Russia • Donald Trump is considering inviting Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit scheduled for December in Miami, according to the Washington Post. The White House has not confirmed the report, but the invitation would symbolise a new step in the Russian leader’s rehabilitation on the international stage.
🇺🇸 United States • US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has been sacked with immediate effect. The businessman, who has close ties to Wall Street, was accused of failing to accelerate shipbuilding sufficiently and of having damaged his relationship with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. This is a further sign of the ongoing purge at the Pentagon.
🇺🇸 United States • A Special Forces Master Sergeant, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, has been charged with using classified information to bet on the capture of Nicolás Maduro on the Polymarket platform, pocketing around $400,000 in winnings. He faces several charges.
Middle East
🇱🇧 Lebanon • Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, following talks at the White House. But the truce remains on paper: Israel has resumed strikes and evacuation orders in the south of the country, where journalist Amal Khalil, a reporter for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, was killed in an Israeli strike.
🇮🇱 Israel • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he has been successfully treated for early-stage prostate cancer, which was discovered during a routine check-up. He said he had delayed the publication of his annual health report by two months to avoid disclosing the information, without specifying the date of the treatment.
🇮🇷 Iran – 🇵🇰 Pakistan • Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in Islamabad, where Pakistan has been mediating between Tehran and Washington for several weeks. US-Iranian talks are expected, though nothing is certain.
🇮🇷 Iran • The Pentagon reportedly estimated, during a classified briefing to the US Congress, that clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz would take up to six months if Iran were to lay mines in the waterway.
Asia-Pacific
🇵🇭 Philippines • The International Criminal Court has unanimously confirmed the charges of crimes against humanity brought against former President Rodrigo Duterte, 81, for the thousands of killings committed during his “war on drugs”. He will stand trial before the ICC, a first for a head of state from South-East Asia.
Africa
🇹🇿 Tanzania • A government commission of inquiry has established that the post-election violence in October and November 2025 caused 518 deaths, a figure four times lower than the more than 2,000 deaths recorded by the opposition. The opposition accuses the government of attempting to cover up the crimes of the security forces, who had brutally suppressed anti-government protests in the days following the election.
