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(Reuters-Al Arabiya/Israel) Benjamin Netanyahu will seek re-election this year, his party announced on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump said he wasn’t sure if the Israeli prime minister would stand again. In a brief statement, Netanyahu’s Likud Party said he would run in the election and, God willing, he would win. The election has not yet been formally announced but must be held by October. – Netanyahu to run for re-election, his party says, after Trump raises doubts
(Reuters – Al Arabiya/Russia, Ukraine) Ukrainian forces struck several key facilities at the Russian-occupied port of Mariupol, Kyiv said on Wednesday, in an attack that has “significantly limited” its capacity as a critical logistics hub for Moscow’s war effort. The port was left without power after strikes on its energy and management infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s drone forces, which said they had carried out the operation with the 1st Azov Corps and the SBU security service. – Ukraine strikes Mariupol port, ‘significantly limiting’ its use
(AFP – Al Arabiya)/US, Iran, Russia) Russia on Wednesday urged “restraint” in the Iran war after Washington and Tehran traded new strikes in the worst escalation since their April 8 ceasefire. “We are extremely concerned about the new round of US-Iranian armed confrontation, which began with the unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. We call on both sides to exercise restraint and to immediately cease military attacks,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters. – Russia, China calls for ‘restraint’ in Iran war after new strikes
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE RL/US, Iran) The US strikes on Iranian air defense and radar systems appear intended as a limited warning to Tehran rather than the opening salvo of a broader military campaign, according to senior US officials and regional security experts. The attacks targeted several Iranian air defense and radar systems, with another US official telling RFE/RL that the operation was “ongoing” and focused on air defenses and radar installations. Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations across Hormozgan Province, including Sirik, Bandar Abbas, Minab, and on Qeshm Island. The strikes come at a delicate moment in US-Iran relations, as the Trump administration continues to pursue negotiations with Tehran despite rising military tensions in the Persian Gulf. Multiple US officials briefing reporters emphasized that they do not expect the military action to derail ongoing diplomatic efforts. One senior official said that President Donald Trump still believes a peace agreement with Iran remains achievable, saying that “nothing changes where the deal stands right now” and describing an agreement as “still close.”. At the same time, another US official characterized the strikes as a “warning shot,” suggesting Washington intended to demonstrate its willingness to respond militarily while avoiding steps that could trigger a wider conflict. – Limited Strikes, Larger Signal: What The US Attack On Iran Reveals
(Zamira Eshanova and RFE RL’s Turkmen Service/Trans-Caspian Pipeline) With the Iran war disrupting traditional energy supply routes and the West seeking to lessen reliance on Russian transit networks, Trans-Caspian corridors have again emerged as a focus of international diplomacy and investment. Several distinct regional networks gained increased attention from global players at the Baku Energy Week earlier this month, including a subsea green electricity link and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor. But prospects for another key project, the long-delayed Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP), remain in doubt, languishing in a geopolitical deadlock since 1999, although it does have its backers still dreaming of a fresh route for natural gas from Turkmenistan and other Central Asian nations. – Can The Dream Of A Trans-Caspian Pipeline Be Revived?
(RFE RL/Europe, Russia, Russian Orthodox Patriarch, Sanctions) The European Union is calling for financial sanctions on the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian head of the International Chess Federation, a historian who is a close adviser to President Vladimir Putin, and other top officials. The proposed list, which was obtained by RFE/RL, is part of the latest round of financial penalties that the 27-member bloc will consider. Any decision, which requires unanimous approval from all members, would likely not be taken until late June, or early July. Sanctioning Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church — the largest branch of the global Orthodox Christian faith — is seen as a major step for the bloc, which has resisted targeting religious figures. – EU Considering Sanctions On Russian Orthodox Patriarch, Chess Federation Chief, Others
(Farangis Najibullah – RFE RL/China, Russia, Central Asia) China has surpassed Russia as the biggest direct foreign investor in Central Asia, a resource-rich region that has long been in Moscow’s sphere of influence but is being increasingly courted by Beijing, according to data from the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). China’s cumulative direct investment in Central Asia over the past decade exceeded $35 billion in 2025, the EDB said in a report published in December. Founded in 2006 by Russia and Kazakhstan, the bank promotes trade and economic integration among seven former Soviet republics. During a regional summit in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow’s cumulative direct investment in Central Asia, in comparison, was around $20 billion, a figure he admitted was “rather modest.”. Moscow’s investment in Central Asia has dropped since 2022, driven by the economic toll of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions. In that time, China has expanded its economic footprint in the region. – China Overtakes Russia As Central Asia’s Top Foreign Investor
(Reuters – Al Arabiya/Russia, Ukraine) Ukrainian drones hit a historic museum in Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea, local authorities said on Wednesday, as they reduced the number of nighttime trains in the face of intensifying air attacks. The museum commemorates the 1853-1856 Crimea War between the Russian Empire and a coalition that included the Ottoman Empire. Russia was defeated in that war. – Drones hit historic museum in Russia-annexed Crimea as officials alter train schedule
(Al Arabiya/US, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Gulf states) Jordan and other Gulf states repelled Iranian and hostile attacks on Wednesday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it carried out attacks against its neighboring countries in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported. The clashes mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in April. The Iranian strikes, which included attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain, came after the US military said on X it had targeted Iranian air defense, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the strait in response to what US President Donald Trump said was the downing of a US Apache helicopter on Tuesday. “I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” Trump told ABC News on Tuesday. – Gulf states, Jordan intercept Iranian attacks after Trump orders strikes near Hormuz
(Reuters – Al Arabiya/Yemen) A cargo vessel reported being approached by a small craft carrying six armed people about 88 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s Balhaf on Wednesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. – Cargo vessel exchanges fire with armed craft off Yemen coast, UKMTO says
(The Associated Press – Al Arabiya/Afghanistan, Pakistan) Afghanistan said Wednesday that Pakistan launched new airstrikes targeting the country, killing at least 13 people and wounding 14 others, in a further sign of rising tensions between the two neighbors after months of fighting that has killed hundreds. Though the situation along the border was calm hours after the strikes, Kabul has previously responded to Pakistani strikes by targeting Pakistani posts along the frontier. – Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan kill at least 13 people, Taliban official says
(Al Arabiya/US, Iran) The US military said in a statement early Wednesday that it had “completed” its retaliatory strikes against Iran over the downing of an attack helicopter. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said on X that it had “completed self-defense strikes against Iran.” – US military says ‘completed’ strikes against Iran
(Ian Ward – Politico/Eric Zemmour, France, US) In recent months, leaders of Europe’s far-right nationalist parties have scrambled to distance themselves from the increasingly unpopular policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. But this week in Washington, one aspiring European nationalist rushed headlong into MAGA’s warm embrace: Eric Zemmour, the leader of France’s far-right Reconquest party. Zemmour, a writer and longtime anti-immigration activist who burst onto the French political scene with a long-shot bid for the presidency in 2022, was nominally in Washington to promote a new English-language translation of his 2014 book “The Suicide of France” — a jeremiad about the ills of mass migration and the decline of traditional French culture. But Zemmour, who is reportedly laying the groundwork for another presidential bid in 2027, used his trip to visit some of the leading power centers of the Trumpist right. On Monday afternoon, he headlined an event at the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank that drew headlines during the 2024 U.S. presidential election for leading the controversial “Project 2025” initiative. Later that evening, Zemmour spoke at a private event hosted by American Moment, a conservative organization that places MAGA-aligned staffers in jobs in the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill. – French far-right firebrand finds a friendly audience in Trump’s Washington – POLITICO
(Koen Verhelst, Jacopo Barigazzi and Laura Kayali – Politico/Europe, South Korea) The EU is looking for international friends at a time of rising global turmoil, and South Korea fits the bill — with a top-level meeting set for Wednesday to cement tech, defense and industrial ties. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet with Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa for over two hours — the first such summit in three years. “The summit also provides an important opportunity for the EU to deepen its economic security cooperation with South Korea, which is a crucial de-risking partner,” said Alexander Lipke, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. – Tanks, guns and rocket launchers: The ties that bind the EU and South Korea – POLITICO
(Chris Lunday and Laura Kayali – Politico/Europe, Defense) The collapse of a €100 billion program to build a European next-generation jet fighter has countries scrambling for options. For nearly a decade, the Future Combat Air System was supposed to embody a new vision of European military power: a French, German and Spanish effort — with Belgium as an observer — to build not just a fighter jet, but an entire networked system of jets, drones, sensors and satellites capable of competing with some of the world’s most innovative military aircraft. But after Berlin pulled the plug this week due to irreconcilable differences between France’s Dassault Aviation and Germany’s Airbus Defence and Space, countries are now trying to figure out what happens to their air power plans. – Europe’s next fighter jet problem has no easy answer – POLITICO
(Caroline Hug and Hans von der Burchard – Politico/Europe, US, Medicines) The Trump administration is launching a full-scale charm offensive across Europe to persuade governments to follow Britain’s lead to pay more for medicines. U.S. embassies across the continent are being mobilized to deliver a message to European capitals: American patients are paying too much for medicines — around three times more than Germany for new drugs — and Europe better chip in. If not, the bloc risks losing out on pharmaceutical investment and access to new drugs, two industry figures with knowledge of negotiations told POLITICO. – Trump’s drug pricing war comes for Germany – POLITICO
(Ben Munster – Politico/Europe, Energy Market) European energy markets have been strangely calm since the outbreak of the war in Iran but that might be about to change, as analysts warn governments are underestimating the seriousness of the shock to come. Across oil, gas and other energy products — particularly jet fuel — prices in Europe have remained subdued, with officials repeating that supplies are secure, appearing to contradict institutional warnings that the world was in the throes of history’s worst energy shock. In part, the calm is warranted. Europe has been able to adapt surprisingly well to the loss of big chunks of its supply, increasing its imports from the U.S. and other producers, boosting its domestic production and hastening the rollout of renewables. – The European jet fuel crisis that never came — and why it still might – POLITICO
(Hanne Cokelaere – Politico/Europe, Migration) EU plans to send failed asylum seekers to deportation hubs outside the bloc look set to gain momentum, as national capitals are poised to back new rules on migrant returns. Ambassadors are expected on Wednesday to approve rules allowing individuals who have been ordered to leave EU territory to be sent to “return hubs” outside the bloc — an option several EU countries are already exploring, but which civil society groups warn could open the door to abuse and human rights violations. The ambassadors’ sign-off comes ahead of a broad package of migration reforms that will apply from Friday. Some countries have already started work on return hubs, with Italy having a deal in place with Albania (albeit one mired in legal problems), and other countries holding regular meetings on setting up deportation centers of their own. – EU capitals boost plans for migrant ‘return hubs’ – POLITICO
(Elena Giordano – Politico/Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Renewable Energy) The European Union is betting that the future of its energy system lies under the North African sun. On Tuesday, the European Commission pledged €5 billion of EU money to renewables projects in North Africa and the Middle East, which could feed electricity back into Europe’s grid. The dream is that solar panels in the sun-soaked Sahara Desert and wind turbines along the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean generate electricity that is then sent through high-voltage transmission lines under the sea and into Europe’s grid. – EU wants African sunlight to power Europe’s electric revolution – POLITICO
(Clea Caulcutt, Esther Webber, Felicia Schwartz and Giorgio Leali – Politico/G7) French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to next week’s G7 leaders’ summit, according to two government officials and two individuals from the private sector who have been briefed on the plans. Al Thani has accepted the invitation, according to an Arab official and a European diplomat, who, like others quoted in this piece, were granted anonymity to speak candidly about a meeting still in the works. It’s unclear if Prince Mohammed will attend. “There’s no point talking about them without them there,” said a U.K. official. “It’s right to bring them in … Let’s hear what they’re hearing through their channels.” – Macron invites Saudi crown prince and Qatari emir to discuss Middle East crisis at G7 – POLITICO
(Ferdinand Knapp and Koen Verhelst – Politico/Europe, Russia, Sanctions) The European Union unveiled a new package of proposed sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, targeting the country’s banking, energy and trade sectors in an effort to weaken its economy. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russia’s economy was “slowing sharply” as she presented the bloc’s 21st sanctions package, seven weeks after Council President António Costa announced the previous one entering into force. “Four years after the start of its full-scale invasion, Russia has clearly failed to subjugate Ukraine,” she said. The new measures now need to be approved unanimously by EU countries. – EU targets Russian economy and soldiers in newest sanction package – POLITICO
(Volodymyr Ivanyshyn – The Kyiv Independent/Russia, Ukraine) An oil refinery in the Russian city of Samara was struck by Ukrainian drones, and a manufacturing facility in Cheboksary was struck by missiles overnight on June 10, social media channels reported. Located about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the Ukraine-Russia border, the Kuybyshevskiy oil refinery in Samara was set ablaze following Ukrainian drone strikes, independent Telegram news channel Exilenova Plus reported. An air raid alert was declared earlier in the night due to the threat of a missile strike, Samara Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said. In Cheboksary, Chuvashia, a research and manufacturing site was struck by Ukrainian missiles, Exilenova Plus reported. – Ukrainian missiles, drones reportedly strike oil refinery, manufacturing site in long-range strikes on Russia
(Lucy Pakhnyuk – The Kyiv Independent/Defense, Germany, Czech Republic) Germany will contribute an additional 300 million euros ($346 million) to the Czech-led initiative supplying artillery ammunition to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on June 9 during talks with his Czech counterpart in Berlin. “Germany will contribute an additional 300 million euros to this initiative – that’s approximately 50,000 rounds of long-range ammunition,” Pistorius said. The German minister described the Czech initiative as essential to supplying Ukraine with urgently needed ammunition and pledged Berlin’s continued support for the effort. – Germany pledges 300 million euros to Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine
(Lucy Pakhnyuk – The Kyiv Independent/Defense, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia) Ukraine signed a drone cooperation agreement with Latvia and a defense cooperation declaration with Estonia on June 9, strengthening security and defense ties with the Baltic nations during the Nordic-Baltic Eight summit in Tallinn. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the agreements following meetings with Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. The agreement with Latvia focuses on drone production, technology sharing, and defense cooperation, while the declaration with Estonia formalizes collaboration in areas including defense industry development, air defense, and the exchange of military experience. – Ukraine strengthens defense ties with Latvia, Estonia
(UN News/Palestinians) Palestinian civilians are trapped between escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank and fear-based Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, investigators appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said on Tuesday in a new report. They “are being systematically and deliberately subjected to severe violations of human rights law by all parties to the region’s conflict,” according to the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel. “Violence by settlers is the direct outcome of Israeli policies that support, enable and protect their actions, whereas Hamas-affiliated forces have exploited the vacuum created by relentless Israeli attacks and widespread destruction of Gaza,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, the Commission’s chair. “What is alarmingly similar is the deliberate infliction of suffering on Palestinian civilians. While their origins and motivations differ, both operate within environments engineered by Israel.” – Palestinians face systematic abuse by Israeli settlers and Hamas alike: Independent investigators | UN News
Tech world
(DigWatch/AI, UNESCO, Governance) UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) convened an orientation meeting on 20 May to brief stakeholders on its activities and priorities in an increasingly complex digital and information environment. The meeting took place as the Programme marks its 25th anniversary in 2026. IFAP Chair Ambassador Salih Abdullah said the anniversary presents an opportunity to strengthen the Programme’s role as a global platform for policy dialogue and standard-setting in the digital era. He linked IFAP’s mission to UNESCO’s wider goal of ensuring access to information and supporting inclusive knowledge societies. – Information for All Programme convenes its community to address the
(DigWatch/AI, Belgium, Governance) Belgium ranks among Europe’s top five countries for business use of AI, with more than a third of companies now using at least one AI technology. In 2025, 34.54% of Belgian companies reported using AI, up from 24.71% in 2024. The figure is well above the European average of 19.95%, according to the latest Belgian Digital Economy Overview. Adoption varies strongly by company size. More than 76% of large enterprises already use AI technologies, compared with just over 28% of small businesses. – Belgium ranks among top 5 in Europe for AI use by businesses
