About this Episode
Thousands attended Ratko Mladić’s funeral in Belgrade after the convicted Bosnian Serb general—sentenced to life in 2017 for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity—died in prison at 84. His coffin, flown on a government plane and draped in Serbian flags, was received with military pomp, banners praising him, and large public gatherings, provoking international alarm. The European Commission’s enlargement commissioner canceled a visit and warned that glorifying a war criminal undermines Serbia’s EU path, which requires confronting the past and respecting victims. Mladić masterminded the siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre that killed at least 8,000 Bosniak men and boys.
Far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) won a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt, claiming 43.8% of the vote and emerging far ahead of the CDU (17.2%), though it fell three seats short of an absolute majority in the 83-seat state parliament. European leaders reacted with alarm: France called the result a “very grave moment,” Spain’s Pedro Sánchez warned of rising extremism, and Poland’s leaders labelled it worrying. Nationalist and far-right figures celebrated—Elon Musk congratulated the AfD and Donald Trump reposted results—while allies like Viktor Orbán hailed the win. The AfD’s platform is pro-Kremlin and anti-immigration; critics warn it threatens liberal democratic values.
Latvia has banned imports of Russian and Belarusian books, newspapers and other printed materials—effective 1 September—citing “disinformation and war propaganda” and framing the move as protection against Kremlin hybrid attacks. The ban, the first in Europe on Russian consumer goods of this type, also covers clothing, toys and sports equipment and aims to reduce economic ties with Moscow and Minsk while strengthening societal resilience. Riga, which has a sizable Russian-speaking minority, has already cut VAT incentives for Russian-language publishing and reduced Russian-language instruction in schools to curb perceived interference. Overall imports from Russia and Belarus have fallen about 91% since 2022; Latvia says printed media remained one of the largest remaining categories.
Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 12 people, Lebanon’s health ministry says, after overnight attacks on Kfar Roummane destroyed a three-storey residential building (11 dead, including two children and four women) and a separate strike hit a vehicle and killed a paramedic. Eight others were injured. The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and fighters transferring weapons in retaliation for a drone attack on Israeli troops; it says civilian harm is under review. The strikes are part of intensified Israeli operations across southern Lebanon that have killed at least 27 people in three days and are prompting residents to flee. Lebanon’s president warned the escalation threatens the June US-brokered ceasefire; Hezbollah has rejected the ceasefire’s disarmament provisions.
