Middle East & Iran-US Tensions
Trump says he delayed ‘very major attack’ on Iran; Tehran warns of ‘new fronts’ President Trump announced he postponed a planned major attack against Iran, saying there is a “very good chance” of reaching an agreement with Tehran. Pakistan continues mediation efforts. In response, Iran’s army warned it would “open new fronts” against the US if attacks resume. Qatar said the diplomatic process needs “more time” to succeed. — Guardian · NYT · Middle East Eye · Middle East Eye (Qatar)
Gaza aid flotilla: 41 boats intercepted by Israel, 10 still sailing Organisers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla say Israel intercepted 41 boats, but 10 vessels are still sailing toward Gaza. Foreign ministers of 10 countries said Israel’s storming of the flotilla is a “blatant violation of international law.” The UN warns that humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain dire, with rodent- and insect-linked infections spreading in overcrowded displacement camps. — Al Jazeera · Middle East Eye
Iran hosts mass weddings for wartime volunteer couples Iranian authorities held mass public weddings in Tehran for couples who signed up to a state-sponsored scheme declaring readiness to sacrifice their lives in the war against the US and Israel. The ceremonies were broadcast on state TV to boost wartime morale. — SCMP
United States
San Diego mosque shooting leaves 3 dead; investigated as hate crime Two teenage gunmen opened fire at a mosque in San Diego, killing three men — including a security guard whose response helped prevent a deadlier attack — before killing themselves. Police are investigating the shooting as a hate crime after finding evidence that the suspects engaged in generalised hate rhetoric. Trump also dropped his lawsuit against the IRS, paving the way for an “anti-weaponization fund.” — France 24 · NPR · France 24 (video)
Six-state primary elections: Trump targets Rep. Massie in Kentucky Voters in six states head to the polls, with the Kentucky race seen as a test of Trump’s grip on the GOP. The president has urged voters to reject Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the few senior Republicans who has defied him. Separately, the US government announced it will increase the number of white South African refugees admitted this year from about 7,500 to 17,500. — Guardian
New York and US Northeast brace for extreme heat and power strain New Yorkers face a sweltering Tuesday commute as temperatures soar, threatening to topple regional records and strain energy supplies. — Bloomberg
Europe & NATO
NATO jet shot down stray Ukrainian drone over Estonia Estonia’s defence minister confirmed that a NATO jet shot down a reported stray Ukrainian drone over Estonian territory. Separately, Ukraine and Latvia repeatedly refuted Russian claims that Kyiv was preparing attacks against Russia from Latvian territory. — Guardian
Czechia: Uproar over Sudeten German gathering in Brno The first gathering of Sudeten Germans in Czechia since World War II is set to go ahead this weekend despite a political backlash that has exposed tensions over one of Central Europe’s most painful historical legacies. — DW
UK: Minister to face questions over withheld Mandelson documents Darren Jones will answer an urgent question over the government’s failure to fully comply with a parliamentary instruction to release documents relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US. Parliament’s intelligence and security committee issued a damning statement about the government’s response. — Guardian
UK watchdog to investigate death of man after police contact at Bristol protest The police watchdog is investigating the use of force against retired NHS worker Nicholas Stone, 65, who died after becoming unwell at a counter-demonstration against the far-right group Bristol Patriots. — Guardian
Russia & China
Putin heads to Beijing for two-day visit; trade and energy to dominate Vladimir Putin is travelling to Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping, less than a week after Trump’s own visit to China. Russia says it has “high expectations” for the talks and will seek energy and trade deals as well as continuing geopolitical support from Beijing. — France 24 · CNBC · France 24 (explainer)
Africa & Health
WHO warns Ebola outbreak in DRC unlikely to end within two months WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is “deeply concerned” about the scale and speed of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC. At least 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths have been recorded. DRC is opening three Ebola treatment centres and the US is screening passengers from affected areas. — Guardian · France 24
UBA chairman: ‘We need to fix our problems ourselves’ Tony Elumelu, chairman of United Bank for Africa, said at the Africa-France summit in Nairobi that the continent’s private sector must step up and invest in electricity and infrastructure as Western aid cuts bite. — France 24
Asia-Pacific
Thailand to slash tourist visa-free stays with new tiered visa system Southeast Asia’s tourism powerhouse is introducing a new tiered visa system that will reduce visa-free stays for tourists. — Al Jazeera
Afghanistan: Fathers forced to sell children to survive Three in four people in Afghanistan cannot meet their basic needs, with some fathers making the impossible choice to sell their children to survive. — BBC
Two missing Italian divers recovered from Maldives cave The bodies of two Italian divers were recovered from the furthest chamber of a cave in the Maldives by specialist divers. — BBC
Markets & Finance
S&P 500 futures fall 0.4%; oil worries and chip sell-off weigh on equities US stock futures dipped as investors weigh profit taking and rotation. A sell-off in chip stocks and inflation worries tied to the Iran war are adding to pressure on equities. — Bloomberg · Quartz
Russian oil flows rebound as key Black Sea port fully restarts Loading has resumed through all berths at the Novorossiysk crude oil terminal, boosting Russian oil exports. — Bloomberg
NextEra’s mega-deal signals the age of the battery The US utility is focusing on energy storage as ballooning data-centre growth drives demand. — Bloomberg
Tech & Business
Blackstone commits $5 billion to AI chip cloud venture with Google The new US-based company will sell access to Google’s Tensor Processing Unit chips as a compute-as-a-service offering, with 500 MW of capacity targeted for 2027. — Quartz
Meta moving 7,000 workers into AI roles ahead of ~8,000 job cuts The reassignments, combined with planned cuts of about 8,000 jobs, will affect roughly 20% of Meta’s workforce. — Quartz
SpaceX IPO could squeeze Europe’s offering market Elon Musk’s SpaceX, expected to debut next month, could absorb investor demand and crowd out other IPOs. — CNBC
Musk vs Altman: OpenAI verdict — legal battle far from over Elon Musk’s planned appeal suggests the legal battle over OpenAI is far from over. — Al Jazeera
AI economy rewriting the American Dream — blue-collar workers poised to win AI-driven hiring slowdowns are hitting some entry-level jobs for college graduates, while companies like Ford and AT&T ramp up recruiting for skilled trade workers. — CNBC
Clarity Act concerns: worry over how a last-minute deal may impact DeFi Amid fanfare around the Clarity Act, there is some worry over how a last-minute legislative deal may harm decentralised finance. — CoinDesk
Also Noted
French-Algerian diplomatic thaw — French and Algerian ministers discussed cooperation including illegally-acquired assets and the case of detained journalist Christophe Gleizes. — France 24
Old Speckled Hen sold to Spanish brewer — Greene King agreed to sell its Old Speckled Hen ale brands to Barcelona-based Damm, owner of Estrella lager. — Guardian
Iran’s video jibes at Trump go viral in China — The Iranian embassy in Beijing released an animated rap video mocking US leaders, drawing 370,000+ views in a day. — SCMP