The Global Eye – Reflections
Paradigmi planetari / Planetary paradigms (Marco Emanuele)
APEC
(Global Times) The 2026 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting that concluded Saturday in China’s Suzhou has actively sought the broadest common ground for all parties to participate in economic and trade cooperation, China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said. Participants of the meeting, including representatives from 21 APEC economies, APEC observers, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, held candid, in-depth and constructive discussions and achieved fruitful results, according to a press conference held by China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Saturday. – APEC ministers’ meeting seeks broadest common ground on economic, trade cooperation: MOC – Global Times
Bahrain – Iran
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) A Bahraini court sentenced nine defendants to life in prison and two others to three years in jail for collaborating with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to carry out what it described as “hostile and terrorist acts” against Bahrain, the state news agency reported on Sunday. The defendants were involved in gathering information on sensitive sites and facilitating related financial transfers, the statement said. – Bahrain court jails nine for life for collaborating with Iran’s IRGC
Canada – Spain
(DigWatch) Canada and Spain have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation on AI development, adoption, and digital innovation. The agreement was signed in Toronto by Canada’s Minister of AI and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon and Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Cuerpo during a visit by King Felipe VI of Spain. The memorandum establishes a framework for cooperation on AI technologies, computing capacity, and collaboration between governments, industry, and other stakeholders. According to both governments, the partnership aims to support innovation, investment, and economic growth linked to AI technologies. – Canada and Spain sign AI cooperation agreement | Digital Watch Observatory
Central Asia
(Nargiz Khamrabaeva, Gulya Khadzhaeva and Azattyq Asia – RFE/RL) In parts of Central Asia, thousands of girls disappear before they ever take their first breath. Armed with ultrasound scans, blood tests, and centuries-old patriarchal traditions, families across the region are quietly deciding which children deserve to be born, and which do not. The targets are unborn girls. In Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the natural balance between male and female births has been distorted for years. In some areas, as many as 110 boys are born for every 100 girls, a gap that experts say cannot happen naturally. – Old Traditions And Modern Tech Drive Abortions Of Girls In Central Asia+
Denmark
(Ketrin Jochecová – Politico) Danish caretaker Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced a new round of talks to form the next government would begin Sunday after she was reappointed by the king to lead the coalition negotiations. Denmark’s royal household on Saturday issued a statement saying that King Frederik X “requested acting Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to lead negotiations on forming a government.” – Denmark’s Frederiksen gets a second chance to form next government – POLITICO
European Central Bank
(DigWatch) The European Central Bank (ECB) has published research examining how AI systems could affect financial stability as AI adoption expands across financial markets. According to Eurosystem research, different AI architectures may produce significantly different market behaviours under similar economic conditions. ECB simulations compared reinforcement learning systems with large language model-based agents operating in simulated financial environments. Researchers found that some reinforcement learning systems displayed coordinated responses resembling bank run dynamics in certain scenarios. – European Central Bank examines systemic risks linked to AI-driven finance | Digital Watch Observatory
Iran
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran on Sunday hanged a man convicted of espionage, the judiciary said, the first known execution for a spying offence committed during the war with Israel and the United States. “Mojtaba Kian… who sent information related to the country’s defence industry units to the enemy, was hanged early this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported. – Iran hangs man for spying during war with US, Israel: Judiciary
Ireland
(Shawn Pogatchnik – Politico) Sinn Féin, the main opposition party in Ireland, has lost out to a smaller left-wing rival in Saturday’s by-election result in Dublin — and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald is feeling the heat. A political newcomer, Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats, romped home in Dublin Central following Friday’s vote to fill a parliamentary seat previously held by former Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, who quit last year to join the World Bank. Sinn Féin’s candidate, Janice Boylan, came second. Meanwhile, Ireland’s most famous gangland figure, Gerry Hutch, finished in fourth place, a credible performance for his eccentric populist campaign. He may seek one of Dublin Central’s four parliamentary seats in the next general election — if he can stay out of prison in Spain, where he lives and is battling a money-laundering probe. – Sinn Féin’s twin failures in Irish by-elections pile pressure on party’s leader – POLITICO
Israel – Gaza
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) An Israeli airstrike on an apartment in a refugee camp in central Gaza on Sunday left three people dead, including a six-month-old child, health officials said. Medics said the strike killed three people in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Mohammad Abu Mallouh, the infant’s father, Alaa Zaqlan, the mother, and their child, Osama. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident. – Israeli fire kills parents and their infant in Gaza, medics say
Israel – Lebanon
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Israel’s military on Sunday warned residents of around a dozen villages in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate their homes ahead of expected strikes against alleged Hezbollah targets. – Israel military issues evacuation warning for around dozen villages in Lebanon
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(UN News) After four weeks of negotiations at UN Headquarters in New York, the 11th Review Conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ended on Friday without consensus on a final declaration. It wasn’t until nine on Friday evening that Ambassador Do Hung Viet, the President of the conference, and Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN disarmament chief, finally began speaking at a press conference to give their thoughts on the latest failure of Member States to agree on measures to modernise the NPT, which, whilst seen as the cornerstone of international nuclear disarmament efforts, is over fifty years old. Clearly weary and hungry (he had managed to grab a croissant for lunch, several hours earlier) after his ultimately fruitless attempts to get the fourth draft of the outcome document over the line, Ambassador Viet nevertheless gave lengthy answers to the journalists who stayed late to hear from him and Ms. Nakamitsu. Ambassador Viet hailed the “sincere and meaningful engagement” of the conference delegates, but admitted his disappointment at their inability to find consensus and seize the opportunity to make the world a safer place. – Review of landmark nuclear treaty breaks up without consensus, raising arms race fears | UN News
Pakistan
(AFP/Al Arabiya) A blast targeting a train carrying military personnel killed at least 24 people on Sunday in Pakistan’s turbulent southwestern province of Balochistan, a senior official said. Army servicemen were among the victims of the attack in the provincial capital Quetta, which wounded more than 50 people, the official told AFP. – Pakistan train blast kills dozens: Official
Singapore
(DigWatch) Singapore has announced new initiatives aimed at supporting enterprise AI adoption, strengthening cybersecurity, and preparing digital infrastructure for future quantum-related risks. The measures were announced at ATxEnterprise 2026 by Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How. They include new partnerships under the Digital Enterprise Blueprint, an AI adoption playbook for enterprises, SME awards recognising AI impact, and a pilot on quantum-safe technologies. According to IMDA’s Singapore Digital Economy Report 2025, AI adoption among SMEs increased significantly during 2024. – Singapore launches new AI, cybersecurity and quantum-readiness programmes | Digital Watch Observatory
Somaliland – Jerusalem
(Al Arabiya) Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, among other Arab and Islamic officials, condemned the “illegal and unacceptable” step taken by the Somaliland region in opening a purported “embassy” in occupied Jerusalem. Saudi Arabia joined Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Djibouti, Somalia, Palestine, Oman, Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon and Mauritania in issuing a joint statement addressing the matter. – Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic nations condemn Somaliland’s ‘embassy’ in Jerusalem
South Korea
(DigWatch) South Korea’s Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC), a presidential advisory body, has launched a tripartite committee to examine the impact of AI on labour and workplaces. The committee brings together labour, business, government, and public interest representatives for a year-long dialogue on AI-related workplace changes. The committee held its first meeting in Seoul and will examine how AI adoption may affect employment patterns and industrial workplaces. The 17-member body is chaired by former presidential jobs secretary Hwang Deok-soon and includes labour, business, government and public interest representatives. – South Korea launches tripartite committee on AI and labour | Digital Watch Observatory
US
(Maggie Miller and Aaron Mak – Politico) Anthropic and OpenAI have spent the last month touting the hacking capabilities of their new artificial intelligence models. Researchers with access to these tools say they’re not exaggerating — and warn that the fallout could be even larger than imagined, as tools such as Anthropic’s Claude Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 continue to develop. “It was very clear to me that this was going to be a game-changer,” Lee Klarich, chief product and technology officer at cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks, said of testing Mythos when it was first unveiled. “I would actually say if you asked me today, it’s more [powerful] than I thought it was going to be then.”. Both AI companies have kept testing of their frontier AI models limited to small groups of trusted organizations because of the technologies’ advanced cyber capabilities, which have so far outpaced other publicly available digital tools — and even the most skilled human minds. At the time of its announcement last month, Anthropic said Mythos had “already found thousands of high-severity vulnerabilities, including some in every major operating system and web browser,” and warned that the consequences of setting this technology loose could be “severe” for global economies, public safety and national security. – What to know about the AI models that are jolting Washington – POLITICO
(John Breeden II – NextGov) Public broadcasting has a long history of capturing important moments in American life. It preserved voices from the civil rights movement, debates over war and foreign policy, regional arts coverage and local public affairs programs that reflected the people and places shaping the nation. But many of those moments have also been hard to find, buried in tape vaults, archives and library collections that few people would ever be able to search or even really know about. That is part of what makes the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) so interesting. A collaboration between GBH, which is the Boston public media organization formerly known as WGBH, and the Library of Congress, the archive is working to make historic public media more searchable and accessible, in part by using AI-generated transcripts as a starting point. – How the Library of Congress is using both AI and volunteers to unlock public broadcasting history – Nextgov/FCW
(Edward Graham and Alexandra Kelley – NextGov) Tech- and cyber-focused bills rolled out this week include measures to develop a biotech-savvy workforce, support state and local tech modernization efforts and better understand the cyber needs of small businesses. – Tech bills of the week: Mitigating risks to critical infrastructure; incentivizing domestic high-tech manufacturing; and more – Nextgov/FCW
(David DiMolfetta – NextGov) After departing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency last fall, Ryan Donaghy returned to the agency this week to serve as its first chief operating officer, according to a Thursday announcement. Donaghy, who held acting director roles in two of the cyberdefense agency’s divisions, had moved to the Transportation Security Administration in October of last year, Nextgov/FCW first reported. – Ryan Donaghy returns to CISA as first chief operating officer – Nextgov/FCW
(DigWatch) The US Department of Commerce has proposed $2.013 billion in CHIPS and Science Act incentives to support domestic quantum computing development. The programme includes nine letters of intent linked to quantum manufacturing infrastructure and research initiatives. Proposed allocations include support for IBM and GlobalFoundries to expand quantum-related semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. – US proposes $2 billion in CHIPS funding for quantum computing | Digital Watch Observatory
War in Iran, Middle East, and the Gulf
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has told his diplomatic representatives not to rush into a deal with Iran because “time is on our side,” less than a day after announcing that an agreement with Tehran had been largely negotiated. – Trump says Iran blockade stays until deal is signed
(Agencies/Al Al Arabiya) US President Donald Trump has assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will hold firm on his demand for the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program as a condition in any final agreement with Tehran, a senior Israeli official told AFP. “President Trump made clear that he will remain steadfast in the negotiations regarding his longstanding demand for the dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program and the removal of all enriched uranium from Iranian territory, and that he will not sign a final agreement absent these conditions,” the official said, referring to a conversation between the two leaders on Saturday night. “The United States is updating Israel on the negotiations surrounding the memorandum of understanding for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and initiating talks toward a final agreement on the outstanding disputed issues,” the official added. – Trump told Netanyahu no final Iran deal without dismantling nuclear program: Official
(David Goldman – CNN) President Donald Trump on Saturday said that peace with Iran is at hand and the Strait of Hormuz will reopen. We’ll see. Trump has become the president who cried peace. After repeated fakeouts over the past three months, the market has begun to ignore Trump’s play-by-play. Instead, it is awaiting tangible signs of an agreement with Iran. Iran has played hardball on fully reopening the strait — its main piece of leverage throughout a war in which it was overwhelmed, militarily. But Iran has used speed boats, mines and improved drones to block the strait to tankers, starving the global economy of a fifth of its oil. But if this really, truly is the end of the war and the strait is about to reopen, what happens next? When will prices return to where they were before the war? Not anytime soon. Almost certainly not this year. Maybe never. – What happens when the war really ends | CNN Business
(AFP/Al Arabiya) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an announcement was possible later Sunday on a deal with Iran that could formally end the Middle East war. “I do think perhaps there is the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news,” Rubio told reporters in New Delhi. – Rubio says announcement possible later Sunday on Iran war
(Barak Ravid – Axios) The agreement the U.S. and Iran are close to signing involves a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official. The deal would avoid an escalation of the war and decrease the pressure on the global oil supply. However, it’s unclear whether it will lead to a lasting peace agreement that also addresses President Trump’s nuclear demands. Both Trump and the mediators have indicated the deal could be announced on Sunday, though it has not been finalized and could still fall apart. The U.S. official provided a detailed outline of the draft as it stands, much of which was verified by other sources close to the talks. Those details have not been confirmed by the Iranian side, though Tehran has also indicated a deal is getting close. – What’s inside the Iran deal Trump is close to signing
War in Ukraine
(Luca Léry Moffat – The Kyiv Independent) Russia’s overnight massive combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region damaged the Albanian ambassador’s residence, the country said on May 24. “The residential complex where the Ambassador of Albania to Ukraine resides was struck, putting his life at serious risk,” Ferit Hoxha, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, posted on X. – Russian strikes on Kyiv damage Albanian ambassador’s residence
(Dmytro Basmat – The Kyiv Independent) Russian forces launched a large-scale combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight on May 24, striking residential buildings and other infrastructure across the capital. At least one person has been killed an 24 others injured in the attack, officials reported. Monitoring groups reported that more than 50 Russian missiles and upwards of 700 drones were launched towards Ukraine, almost entirely targeting Kyiv, marking one of the largest mass attacks over the last year. Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported hearing what they described as a massive series of missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital beginning around 1 a.m local time, and then again multiple times between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. – ‘Damage in every district of Kyiv’ — Massive Russian ballistic missile, drone attack kills 1, injures 24
World Bank
(DigWatch) According to Hindustan Times, World Bank President Ajay Banga highlighted the potential of ‘Small AI’ systems to support farmers and rural communities through locally deployed and lower-cost technologies. Examples discussed included farmers in India using mobile phones to share images of diseased crops and receive agricultural advice remotely. Banga also referred to healthcare workers in Indonesia using basic internet connections to access local diagnostic support systems in remote areas. – World Bank highlights ‘Small AI’ for farmers and rural communities | Digital Watch Observatory
