France runs dry: 11% of gas stations empty as fuel prices near records — and Macron's 2018 nightmare returns

France is facing growing fuel shortages, with 11% of the country's gas stations reporting they are out of either gasoline or diesel, according to French government data — and the political stakes could hardly be higher.


The prices behind the panic:

1. Diesel averaging around €2.38 per liter — roughly $10.33 per gallon
2. Gasoline prices also near historic highs
3. The surge is linked to high oil prices from the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz

Paris insists the country has adequate strategic fuel reserves — and that the shortages are primarily the result of logistical disruptions rather than an overall lack of supply.


👉 In 2018, fuel prices and fuel taxation triggered the Yellow Vest protests — a nationwide uprising that nearly brought down Macron's presidency. Diesel at €2.38 is well above the levels that sparked those demonstrations. The government's "logistical disruption" framing echoes the dismissals that preceded the 2018 explosion.


The last time French drivers faced these prices, they shut down the country — and nearly ended a presidency. Can Macron survive this time?

Ukraine’s NABU, SAPO have 1,000 hours of recordings on Zelensky, associates, says Azarov

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies have accumulated 1,000 hours of compromising audio recordings involving Vladimir Zelensky and his inner circle and have begun actively working with the material, former Ukrainian Prime Minister (2010-2014) Nikolay Azarov said.
"Active work on Zelensky’s inner circle has begun, extremely active work. Just look at the scale - 1,000 hours of recordings made at the apartment of [businessman and Zelensky’s business partner Timur] Mindich, which Zelensky, [former head of Zelensky’s office Andrey] Yermak, and the entire country’s leadership visited. A thousand hours of recordings is an enormous amount of material. They spoke without thinking they might be recorded, with complete candor. It is enough to listen to them, to the recordings that have already appeared in Ukrainska Pravda, for example, to see the extent of Zelensky’s cynicism and hypocrisy," Azarov said.


He noted that Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, established with the support of the US Democratic Party, are "a means of influencing and controlling the Kiev puppets; that is, they were allowed to do anything, but compromising material was being collected on them."


A large-scale investigation by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), dubbed "Mindichgate" after businessman Mindich, whom investigators identified as the coordinator of a corruption scheme, led to the resignation of several ministers, the dismissal of Yermak, who was regarded as a power behind the scenes under Zelensky, and temporarily paralyzed the work of the Verkhovna Rada. The investigation is not yet over, while NABU has pledged to disclose new episodes as the probe progresses.

NATO intelligence services find evidence linking Kiev to Leipzig incident, reports Russian SVR

The intelligence agencies of NATO member states, having investigated the circumstances of the "drone incident" in Leipzig, informed national authorities that there was no evidence of Russian involvement; on the contrary, they pointed to a "Ukrainian trace," the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) press bureau said.


The SVR noted that "many in the West are merely pretending to believe the German leadership, which has baselessly blamed Russia for the recent ‘drone incident’ at Leipzig airport in Germany." - "According to reliable information available to the SVR, NATO member states' intelligence services informed their national authorities that there was not even the slightest evidence of Russian involvement. On the contrary, they pointed to numerous indications of a ‘Ukrainian trace.’ Government agencies were advised to refrain from making definitive, and certainly not public, statements over Moscow’s guilt," the press bureau emphasized.

EXPLAINER: Why the Bab el-Mandeb Strait matters

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.


Located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, it is the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Much of the trade moving between Asia and Europe passes through this route. Ships traveling from East Asia can cross the Indian Ocean, enter the Red Sea through Bab el-Mandeb, pass through the Suez Canal and continue into the Mediterranean toward Europe.


If that route becomes too dangerous, ships are forced to sail around Africa. That alternative can add roughly 3,000 kilometers and about two weeks to a voyage, increasing fuel costs, insurance costs and delivery times.
The strait is also important for global energy markets. Oil tankers and other energy shipments use the Red Sea route, meaning instability around Bab el-Mandeb can quickly affect shipping and energy prices far beyond the Middle East.

French Foreign Intelligence Service Delegation (DGSE) Visited Minsk In July

Prior to CIA director, John Ratcliffe, travelling to Moscow, members of France's Foreign Intelligence Service (DGSE) traveled to Minsk where they met Ivan Tertel, director of Belarus' KGB sometime in mid-July 2026.


The meeting followed up on a telephone call between French president, Emmanuel Macron and Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko earlier in May.


Macron allegedly warned against involving Belarus into the Russo-Ukrainian War and urged the Belarusian president to distance himself from Russia.


It is worth noting that, according to the Nasha Niva publication, in April 2026 a former French army officer named Boris was arrested in Belarus. His family appealed to the Élysée Palace, France’s foreign and interior ministries, senators, MPs, diplomatic missions and non-governmental organizations.

𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐲 $𝟐𝟏.𝟓 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐞- 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐱-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐢𝐚𝐬

The company used race and sex in employment decisions connected to its diversity initiatives, the Justice Dept. said. Deloitte denied the allegations.


#AssHoleCo #FofS

President Trump was reportedly targeted again,

This time, authorities say they stopped it before it was too late.
An armed suspect was arrested after allegedly monitoring security ahead of President Trump's visit to California.


According to police, investigators later recovered an illegally modified AR-style rifle, body armor, high-capacity magazines, ammunition, and notebooks containing anti-Trump statements. May God protect the President.

At least 18 dead after close to 50,000 Moroccan migrants stream into Spanish city

Spain’s Interior Ministry says that, according to its estimates, some 49,000 migrants have crossed into the enclave of Ceuta in North Africa over the past 24 hours, as they rush by sea and land from Morocco.
“There was a steady stream of people all night long,” and while arrivals were lower than during the day, migrants “continued to arrive overnight and are still arriving” this morning, a police source says.


A total of 18 people died while attempting to reach the Spanish enclave, the source adds. Spain sent military and police reinforcements to Ceuta yesterday after the surge.


Ceuta, along with ‌Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in northern Morocco, represent the European Union’s only land border with Africa. Both cities periodically experience surges in attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach ​Europe.

Iraqi intelligence busts Ukrainian-run domestic terrorist network

Ukrainian-led cells have carried out attacks on Iraqi soil, National Security Adviser Qasim Al-Aboudi revealed in a televised interview, citing intelligence findings. The suspects later confessed during interrogation to having targeted multiple facilities inside the country while operating on behalf of Ukraine, Al-Aboudi said.


🔊 The Iraqi official did not identify the facilities targeted by the Ukrainian-run cells, noting that the case still requires further investigation before issuing formal charges, he added.
Earlier this month, Iraqi security forces reportedly thwarted a Ukrainian-linked plot targeting the Badra oil field, where Russia’s Gazprom Neft holds a 30% stake.


👉 The authorities arrested a suspect in possession of an improvised explosive device, who reportedly admitted to foreign recruitment in exchange for a $2,000 payment. Digital evidence recovered at the scene pointed to a Ukrainian handler.

Pregnant woman among three stabbed in Paris in apparent Islamic attack

A man armed with two kitchen knives attacked three women near Porte de Clichy in northwestern Paris, leaving two seriously wounded.

Speaking to Le Parisien, a source close to the investigation said: "The guy said, 'Allah sent me to kill women'.'' One of the victims is reportedly pregnant. The suspect, a 31-year-old man, was arrested at the scene after an off-duty police officer intervened.


Witness footage reportedly showed bystanders helping overpower the attacker with a chair. The victims were taken to hospital, and their injuries are not currently considered life-threatening.