The incident at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle airport last week with a quadcopter armed with explosives “represents a new threat scenario,” said Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt in Leipzig. Though Germany remains silent on who it thinks is responsible, U.S. intelligence experts believe Russia is behind it, as the drone was found close to a Ukrainian freight plane. And now security experts are asking a “once unthinkable” question, said Newsweek: Is Germany “de facto at war or at least engaged in a hybrid war”?

‘Delicate task’
Leipzig/Halle airport is a NATO and German military logistics hub. Since 2022, Ukraine has used it to transport military equipment. It’s also the base for Antonov Airlines, a Ukrainian cargo carrier. 

The threat of drone attacks is “becoming increasingly concrete,” said the German outlet Suddeutsche Zeitung. Drone sightings at German airports rose “significantly” in the first half of 2026, said another German outlet Der Spiegel. Over 165 drones were spotted at 15 airports, compared with 101 in the same period last year, according to German Air Navigation Services. 

Bringing drones down is notoriously difficult. They can be stopped by “jammers” or “nets or even by being shot down,” but that’s a “delicate task” when they are near residential areas, said Suddeutsche Zeitung. Leipzig airport was equipped with a drone defense system, but this “custom-made” model bypassed it. 

‘Sow fear’
Germany is becoming the “primary target” in “Russia’s shadow war,” aimed at dissuading Berlin from supporting Kyiv “in the short term” and weakening the country “in the long term,” said Suddeutsche Zeitung. Moscow “does have form” with this kind of attack, said the BBC. Although there’s no hard evidence yet, “if Russia was behind this,” its aim was likely to “sow fear.” 

There are also concerns about Russian interference in German regional elections next month. In some former communist and East German states, “pro-Russian sentiment remains strong,” said Politico. And with their campaigners warning about escalations with Moscow from a “war-mongering” government, the far-right AfD party “could take power for the first time at the state level.” 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine, mFLUSIVA, despite growing vaccine skepticism. Research shows this new vaccine can produce a stronger immune response and be made faster than the traditional flu shot.

How does this vaccine differ?
The authorization of mFLUSIVA for adults over 50 comes after “documented superiority in effectiveness to normal dose flu vaccines,” particularly for those with “underlying diseases,” said Jesse Goodman, a former top FDA vaccine regulator, to The Washington Post. The vaccine has shown to be almost 27% more effective against the flu than the standard shot.

Traditional vaccines are “typically raised in chicken eggs,” said immunologist Hanover Matz to Science News, and it “takes a long time to generate” them as a result. This method requires policymakers to “determine what the most likely strains of the flu virus are going to be for the fall season in the Northern Hemisphere," and they “need to start that production well before the fall to get the vaccine doses ready.” If there’s a “mismatch in strains, there’s really no way they can go back and update the vaccine and change it.”

By contrast, the mRNA vaccine “instructs the body to produce a fragment of a virus that then sets off the body’s immune response,” said The New York Times. Because the virus does not have to be produced in eggs, mRNA vaccines can be produced much faster and adjusted to “rapidly emerging new flu strains — a capacity we have not had before,” said Georges C. Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, to the Times.

What’s the hurdle?
The mRNA technology, notably used in Covid-19 vaccines, has been the subject of widespread anti-vaccine misinformation campaigns. The FDA “refused to even review Moderna’s application for approval earlier this year but quickly reversed course after a public outcry,” said the Times. The approval of mFLUSIVA is still “likely to face pushback,” especially from allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who have “expressed skepticism over mRNA-based coronavirus shots,” said the Post.

A rhesus macaque feeds her baby at the ancient Swayambhunath complex in Kathmandu, Nepal. A “growing conflict between farmers” and these monkeys has “prompted researchers to test artificial-intelligence-based systems that can swiftly detect and deter” macaques from eating cultivated crops, said conservation outlet Mongabay.
Chandra Bahadur Ale / ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock

Houston is at the center of a vibrant barbecue scene that embraces traditional styles alongside new ones influenced by Asian and Mexican flavors. Visit any one of these beloved spots, and you will leave full of quality BBQ and appreciation for the city’s food culture. 

Brisket & Rice
What do you get when you combine Vietnamese cuisine with Texas barbecue? Brisket & Rice, a bustling” restaurant that shares a parking lot with a gas station, said The Michelin Guide. 

Hong Tran’s signature dish is his pull-apart tender brisket served with barbecue fried rice. Other favorites include house-made jalapeño sausages, “delicate” smoked pork ribs and a pulled-to-order pork sandwich on a potato bun. 

Gatlin’s BBQ
Pitmaster Greg Gatlin has perfected the art of “decadent” barbecue enhanced by “craveably” sweet and balanced sauces, said Bon Appétit. For a little of everything, try Gatlin’s Kitchen Sink sandwich, a behemoth of sausage, sliced brisket, onions and jalapeños, with sides of the “well-seasoned” collard greens and Cajun-style dirty rice.

The Pit Room
The flavors of Texas and Mexico collide at The Pit Room. Bite into one of the chopped brisket tacos “drizzled with salsa roja and served on tortillas freshly griddled in rendered brisket fat,” and you can see how the two “marry beautifully,” said Bon Appétit. Founded by Michael Sambrooks in 2016, The Pit Room uses two custom barrel-style offset smokers and a vertical sausage cooker, resulting in “standout” meats.