The Banana Apocalypse.

Part One of today's News Items.

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Editor’s Note: Today’s News Items comes in two parts. Part One is devoted to news that we think is “interesting, important or both.” Part Two is devoted to “political news,” broadly defined. What follows is Part One.

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1. Safety at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is deteriorating after a drone strike Saturday, International Atomic Energy Agency monitors warned. On Saturday, a drone exploded close to essential cooling water sprinkler ponds about 100 meters from the only remaining 750 kilovolt line providing a power supply to the plant, IAEA monitors said in a statement. “Yet again we see an escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. “I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint from all sides.” (Sources: bloomberg.com, iaea.org)

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2. Eurointelligence:

While the western media are focusing on Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region in Russia, we feel the much bigger story is that Germany has quietly abandoned its aid for Ukraine. We have two stories on this subject today, this one here on budget, and the next on how the latest Nord Stream revelations are starting to affect the domestic debate.

German news media reported that the budget compromise reached between the coalition partners rested on the notion that Germany would no longer support Ukraine – not beyond what it already committed. The €8 billion earmarked for this year have already been allocated, and there is no money left in this year’s or next year’s budget. This is what happens when an inflexible fiscal rule meets a politically-divergent coalition: important things fall off the ladder. It is not so much that the current coalition does not want to support Ukraine any more. What is happening is that domestic spending or taxation priorities are becoming more important. Olaf Scholz and Christian Lindner are fighting for their political survival. (Source: eurointelligence.com)