On Tuesday morning, French President Emmanuel Macron supervised the experimental “first launch” of an intercontinental missile from a submarine off the coast of the west of the country, according to what the Elysee Palace and the Ministry of the Armed Forces announced.
The presidency told Agence France-Presse that Macron followed the launch from aboard a frigate belonging to the National Navy.
The Ministry of the Armed Forces explained in a statement that the missile, which is the third version of the GM 51 sea-to-surface strategic ballistic missile, was “devoid of its nuclear charge” and fell “in the North Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of kilometers from any coast.”
The Elysee did not announce in advance this presidential activity, which took place without the presence of the media, while the military test was announced.
The test comes in light of increasing tension in Europe, as Emmanuel Macron warned of a change in the nature of “Russian aggression and threats” directed against European countries, following a series of “multi-media” attacks attributed to Moscow. He pledged in mid-September that these attacks “will not go unanswered.”
This year, the French President also proposed to the Europeans to join the “advanced” nuclear deterrence system stemming from his new doctrine that he revealed in the spring, which leaves the decision to use nuclear weapons limited to him alone.
France introduced into service a year ago this new version of the intercontinental missiles that are deployed aboard submarines responsible for nuclear deterrence. The move was described at the time as “a major stage in the modernization of the maritime component of the French nuclear deterrent.”
The Ministry of the Armed Forces explained that the missile was launched on Tuesday from the missile-launching nuclear submarine “Le Vigilane” within the framework of “Operation Smertrius,” with the aim of verifying the submarine’s ability to use the “M51” missile after its periodic stoppage for maintenance and repair.
She added that “the missile was monitored throughout its flight,” in “full compliance with France’s international obligations.”
The award-giving body announced today (Tuesday) that scientist Francis Halzen has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics, in recognition of “his decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astronomical origin.”
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences noted that Halzen's "vision and scientific leadership" were a fundamental pillar of the observatory, which it described as "a cubic kilometer-sized cube of ice equipped with light sensors," according to Agence France-Presse.
Using this observatory, researchers can detect neutrinos, which are rare subatomic particles, “resulting from enormous energy processes in the distant universe.”
Professor Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel Committee for Physics, told reporters at the academy’s headquarters in Stockholm, “This Nobel Prize relates to a giant ice cube located at the south pole of our planet, as this ice cube allows for the detection of neutrinos.”
Halzen (82 years old) was born in Tennen, Belgium, and is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States.
“It was a big surprise, and I obviously wasn’t expecting it,” Halzen said in a telephone press conference shortly after the award was announced.
He added, "But I was thrilled to hear the news of winning this award."
This is the second Nobel Prize announced this season, after the Medicine Prize was awarded on Monday to the American psychiatrist and neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth, and the German scientists Peter Hegemann and Jorg Nagel.
These researchers were rewarded in recognition of their pioneering work in the field of optogenetics, which relies on controlling neural signals using light.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences selects the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics, who receive a financial prize worth a total of 12 million Swedish krona ($1.2 million), and this value is divided among them in the event of multiple winners.
Today (Tuesday), German authorities announced the arrest of August Hanning, who led the Foreign Intelligence Service (BND) for more than 6 years, and a former aide to him, on suspicion of espionage and treason by providing foreign agencies with sensitive security information, according to Agence France-Presse.
Although the Federal Public Prosecution did not specify in its statement the countries that may have benefited from this information, this case constitutes an embarrassment to the German intelligence services that are seeking to enhance their capabilities and improve their reputation, especially in the face of the growing Russian threat that Berlin monitors through espionage and sabotage activities attributed to Moscow.
Hanning led Foreign Intelligence from December 1998 to November 2005. As for his office director, Manfred D., whose full identity was not revealed, he also worked as an assistant to Manning’s successors as head of the agency for about 14 years.
The Public Prosecution said in a statement: “Hanning is strongly suspected of committing acts of espionage that constitute treason to the state... collecting information that falls within state secrets,” as well as “attempting to commit high treason... and working as an agent for an intelligence service.”
Manfred D. is suspected of engaging in “aiding and abetting an attempt to commit treason and treasonous espionage.”
Searches are underway at sites linked to both men in several places, including the capital, Berlin.
The prosecution said that Manfred D. was also the chief of staff in the office of Hanning’s successors between 2012 and 2026, and he exploited the position to access confidential information that he then transferred to Hanning “in exchange for money.”
She added, “The current findings indicate that Manfred D. provided Hanning over the years with approximately two thousand documents, many of which contained classified information intended for the exclusive use of the Federal Intelligence Service for internal purposes.”
She explained that “Hanning once used secret intelligence information... to prepare an analysis for an officer in a foreign intelligence service,” although it is not clear whether “the material reached the intended recipient.”
August Hanning is also accused of “close communication with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he conveyed political information that was based in part on materials provided by Manfred.D over a period of years.”
Iran and Russia
According to the German ARD network, the information conveyed by Manfred D. included material related to the Iranian nuclear program and the Russian army.
The network quoted security sources as saying that some of this information was received from partner intelligence agencies abroad.
Although the unfolding of the case is still in its early stages, it quickly sparked criticism from political officials.
Mark Henrichmann, head of the German Parliament's intelligence oversight committee, told Agence France-Presse that Berlin "will not tolerate betrayal of secrets."
He added: “Anyone who allys with the enemies of our liberal democracy will be exposed,” considering that the behavior attributed to Hanning represents “a denial of his job duties.”
This MP also expressed his dissatisfaction with the ability of former senior officials who had access to confidential information to move to work in the private sector and exploit their network of relationships and access to information for personal gain, which may allow Germany's opponents to access sensitive information or circles.
He added: “We have repeatedly alerted the federal government to this very problematic matter. It is clear that such practices also constitute an outlet for enemy intelligence services. The whole truth about this issue must also be revealed.”
After the intelligence service, Hanning, 80 years old, served as Minister of State for the Interior between 2005 and 2009.
Suspicions about Hanning were revealed through his involvement in the case of Christina Block, the heiress of a chain of steak restaurants, who is being tried on charges of ordering the kidnapping of her two children.
In this case, Hanning and a retired police officer were accused of accepting an assignment from Block for more than 100,000 euros ($112,000) to return the two children from Denmark, where they were living with her ex-husband.
As part of this investigation, Hanning's property was searched in September 2025, which led to the opening of the current investigation.
