China
(Military Times staff – Defense News) China’s newest air-to-air missile, the PL-16, could vie with an equivalent advance by the U.S. military and give the People’s Liberation Army an edge in any Asia-Pacific conflicts because of its increased travel distance and a second-wind feature, experts say. The PL-16 beyond-visual-range missile as described in social and trade media would answer Lockheed Martin’s AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) for the U.S. armed forces, analysts believe, and improve on previous generations developed in China – Can China’s latest air-to-air missile take on its US equivalent? Definitely maybe, experts say.
Europe
(Sebastian Starcevic – Politico) Few of the EU’s current chiefs have dodged criticism as well as António Costa. But is the shine wearing off just as he gears up for re-election? As a crucial few months loom ahead for the European Council president ― he’ll be tasked with herding the bloc’s 27 national leaders toward agreement on the EU’s next seven-year budget ― he has made his first serious misstep, according to diplomats. Often praised for his sure-footedness and ability to build consensus, the former Portuguese prime minister suddenly finds himself in the line of fire, with the heads of the bloc’s two most powerful countries among those most aggrieved. Since he started his role in December 2024, Costa has won little but plaudits from the leaders he represents and on whose support he depends. But a current of annoyance that had started to emerge over the past few months surfaced at a summit he chaired last week: His chief of staff’s unannounced contact with Russian officials, which broke years of diplomatic silence between the EU and Moscow, caught many by surprise. – Costa’s Putin move triggers doubts ― just as he most needs support – POLITICO
(Ben Munster – Politico) Europe is facing growing competition from Asia for limited natural gas supplies, as national reserves run low and demand soars during the summer. And it’s a contest the EU will struggle to win, analysts and officials warn. Centralized Asian economies like China, Vietnam and South Korea are better equipped to negotiate deals to purchase gas on the spot market, leaving free-market oriented Europe at a disadvantage. – ‘Every man for himself’: Europe warned of rising competition for energy from Asia – POLITICO
Iran – Pakistan
(Al Arabiya) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will travel to Pakistan on Tuesday, state media reported, following talks between Tehran and Washington in Switzerland which were mediated by Islamabad and Doha. – Iran president to visit Pakistan on Tuesday: State media
Ireland
(Ellen O’Regan – Politico) As Ireland gets ready to engineer compromises between EU countries on tricky tech files in the latter half of this year, the very loud, trumpeting elephant in the room will be the country’s close relationship with U.S. tech giants. Sixteen of the world’s top 20 tech companies operate hubs in Ireland and more than 100,000 people are employed in the tech sector. Ireland’s fiscal watchdog warned earlier this year that just two tech firms — not named but understood to be Apple and Microsoft — paid almost 40 percent of all corporate tax in Ireland in 2024, adding up to €11 billion. “It’s widely acknowledged, including by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, that Ireland is too reliant on Big Tech firms,” said liberal Member of the European Parliament Michael McNamara, who was the lead lawmaker on a package to roll back AI rules, and a key figure in another plan to streamline data and privacy laws. – Ireland’s Big Tech presidency dilemma: Shaping the rules for companies it hosts – POLITICO
Russia – Ukraine
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Russian drones killed five people early Monday, including an Egyptian sailor in the Black Sea and a family of three in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow and Kyiv have intensified attacks on each other in recent weeks, as US-led talks on ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II remain effectively frozen. “A drone strike set fire to a vessel sailing under the flag of Panama. A crew member was killed — a 58-year-old cook, a citizen of Egypt,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said on Telegram. – Russian strikes kill five, including Egyptian man: Kyiv
(Volodymyr Ivanyshyn – The Kyiv Indendent) Ukrainian drones targeted a power plant in Russian-occupied Crimea, with additional strikes reported in other occupied territories and Russia’s Moscow Oblast overnight on June 22, social media channels reported. Russian air defenses were engaged as Ukrainian drones targeted the Tavriyska thermal power plant in a massive attack, Pro-Ukrainian Telegram news channel Crimean Wind reported. Explosions were also reported in Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, according to pro-Ukrainian Telegram Channel Exilenova Plus. A large fire was reported in occupied Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the outlet reported. – Ukrainian drones bombard occupied territories, Russia in overnight strikes
Syria
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Syria’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday it had appointed a former spokesman under now ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad as an adviser, returning him to the diplomatic corps years after he joined the opposition. A ministry list of “new appointments” included Jihad Makdissi as “adviser for American affairs.” – Syria’s foreign ministry appoints Jihad Makdissi as US adviser
UK
(BBC) Keir Starmer resigns as prime minister and leader of the Labour Party, in a statement outside 10 Downing Street. He says every decision he has made in office has been about “putting the country I love first”. Starmer thanks his “fantastic wife, Vic”, describing her as a “rock”. He also says he wants to be the “best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and joy”. Andy Burnham – who could replace the PM – will be in Westminster today to be sworn in as MP for Makerfield, after winning the by-election last week – Keir Starmer resigns as prime minister and leader of Labour Party – BBC News
Ukraine
(Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo – Breaking Defense) War robots took over exhibitors’ stands at the 2026 Eurosatory edition, with at least 50 unmanned ground vehicle makers in attendance and more than a dozen systems of various sizes on display. Many of the offerings came from various European or American firms, but experts say the country at the forefront of these technologies is, without a doubt, Ukraine. “Ukraine leads in this space because it has an invaluable three years of battlefield testing and experimentation, which in turn have enabled the development of robust tactics and dedicated organizational structures, like new units, to employ UGVs,” Federico Borsari, fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told Breaking Defense. – War robots invade Eurosatory 2026 as interest grows in UGVs after use in Ukraine – Breaking Defense
(Katie Livingstone – Defense News) U.S. President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Group of Seven summit in France that he would consider letting Ukraine build its own Patriot interceptor missiles, the first time Washington has signaled openness to a request Kyiv has made since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine previewed the shift weeks before Trump’s signal proved the point. Asked by Defense News earlier this month in Kyiv whether its growing web of weapons deals was changing its hand in the peace talks, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and the country’s former military intelligence chief, said Kyiv no longer comes to the table empty-handed. – Kyiv’s drone leverage moved the US. Moscow could be next, a top Ukrainian official says.
(Linus Höller – Defense News) Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense launched an access-controlled online platform last week that provides allied governments, defense companies and research institutions with technical intelligence drawn from captured Russian military hardware − a formalization of what Kyiv has long done informally with select partners. The snazzily branded platform, called TrophyLab and accessible at trophylab.mod.gov.ua, currently catalogs more than 115 samples of seized Russian equipment across 79 categories. Users who pass a vetting process gain access to blueprints, component analyses, schematics, and the findings of Ukrainian state laboratories and intelligence agencies − more than 225 studies at present, according to the ministry. – Ukraine launches ‘TrophyLab’ platform to share captured Russian weapons with allies
US – Gulf
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain this week on his first official visit to the Gulf since the outbreak of the Iran war and just days after Washington and Tehran signed a framework agreement aimed at bring peace to the region. The diplomatic mission to reassure regional allies of the Trump administration’s strategic trajectory with Tehran will also look to reinforce security protocols around the volatile Strait of Hormuz. The June 23–25 tour occurs at a critical juncture for US foreign policy: It follows intensive weekend negotiations in Switzerland that Vice President JD Vance described on June 22 as having established a “good foundation for a successful final deal” to conclude the Middle East conflict. – Rubio Heads To Gulf As US Seeks To Cement Iran Framework, Allay Security Fears
US – Iran
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Two crude tankers with just under 2 million barrels of oil sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, ship tracking data showed, in a sign that traffic was picking up following weaker flows on Sunday due to concerns over passage through the waterway. – Oil tanker traffic picks up through Hormuz
(Al Arabiya) Tehran has agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country, US Vice President JD Vance said Monday, after a first round of US-Iran talks towards ending the Middle East war. “The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into their country,” Vance told reporters at Switzerland’s Burgenstock resort, where his talks with Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf opened on Sunday. “That is a major milestone for the American people and the first step in permanently denuclearizing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran,” he said. – Iran agrees to invite IAEA inspectors back; unfrozen funds won’t fund terrorism: Vance
(Al Arabiya) Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday there was “major progress” in talks with the United States. “Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War,” Araghchi posted on X. – Iran FM Araghchi says ‘major progress’ in US talks
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran and the United States wrapped up the first round of talks to end the Middle East war at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland on Monday, with technical talks to continue. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi hailed the “major progress” achieved with the help of mediators Pakistan and Qatar, while the United States government has yet to issue a statement. – Key points from the first round of Iran-US talks
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran and the United States agreed Monday to set up communications lines to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open and end fighting in Lebanon, mediators said, after their first round of talks in Switzerland toward ending the war in the Middle East. The teams led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf opened talks Sunday, as part of a two-month negotiating period set out under a preliminary deal agreed last week. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the negotiators reached agreement on a “roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days,” with technical talks to continue for the rest of the week at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock. – ‘Progress,’ say mediators, after Iran-US talks towards ending war
(Stephen Collinson – CNN) Making peace with Iran is going to be just as painful as waging war. Vice President JD Vance’s first attempts at talks in Switzerland to solidify a memorandum of understanding with Tehran into a permanent end to the war are already in treacherous waters. The MOU signed by Trump in France last week halts fighting, opens the Strait of Hormuz and offers economic carrots to Iran in exchange for a pledge never to develop nuclear weapons. But it leaves vital details like the future of Tehran’s nuclear program and its stocks of enriched uranium to be hashed out over 60 days of high-stakes negotiations. The best thing in the agreement’s favor is the end of direct US-Iran hostilities. “There’s decent chance at least that the truce holds simply because it is in the interest of both sides,” Philip Gordon, a former senior US national security official, told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, citing Tehran’s capacity to begin earning millions of dollars a day in oil revenues. “Iran has an interest in sticking with this. And the United States certainly has an interest in sticking with this, because it doesn’t want to resume the war.” – Analysis: Iran shows Trump just how hard making peace will be | CNN Politics
(Barak Ravid – Axios) U.S. and Iranian negotiators held marathon talks in Switzerland into Sunday night as they worked to launch a 60-day effort toward a new nuclear agreement. The nearly nonstop talks at the Lake Lucerne Summit signal both sides remain engaged despite significant differences and may be laying the groundwork for broader discussions on regional security. The talks, led by Vice President JD Vance and including White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, continued through Sunday night despite Iran’s claim Saturday that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to alleged Israeli ceasefire violations in Lebanon. As the negotiations started at Lake Lucerne on Saturday, President Trump issued several threats to Iran both on his Truth Social account and in an interview with Fox News. – Inside US, Iran talks in Switzerland
US – Ukraine
(Volodymyr Ivanyshyn – The Kyiv Independent) U.S. President Donald Trump plans to ask U.S. weapons manufacturers to produce air defense missiles under production licenses in Ukraine and Europe, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a June 21 interview. “President Trump plans to ask American defense companies to manufacture missiles for air defense systems under licenses in Europe and Ukraine,” he said. Kyiv and its allies discussed the possibility of Ukraine producing Western weapons under license at the most recent Group of Seven (G7) summit that took place June 15-17. – Trump plans to ask US arms firms to produce air defense missiles under license in Ukraine, Zelensky says
WHO
(Rory O’Neill – Politico) The race to choose the head of the World Health Organization is a test of who will shape global health after America’s retreat: Europe, rising powers in Asia or increasingly influential Gulf states. Countries will decide next year who should lead the WHO after Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ second term ends in August 2027, handing the winner an agency recovering from the loss of its biggest donor, facing calls for institutional reform and the increasing threat of another global health crisis. By convention, Tedros, who is from Ethiopia, is unlikely to be succeeded by another African candidate. Beyond that, the field remains wide open. – Who will lead the WHO after Trump’s retreat? – POLITICO
Tech World, Security, and Surveillance
(Alessamdro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) One of the most active ransomware gangs of 2026 has been handing its affiliates a ready-made toolkit for switching off victims’ security software before the encryption begins. New analysis from ESET detailed the endpoint detection and response (EDR) killer suite of The Gentlemen, a ransomware-as-a-service operation (RaaS), built around an in-house framework the researchers named GentleKiller. GentleKiller’s job is to disable endpoint protection. ESET found it targeting more than 400 processes across roughly 48 security products, from Microsoft Defender and CrowdStrike to Sophos and ESET’s own tools, killing them at the kernel level so the ransomware could run unchecked. . GentleKiller Framework Disables Victims’ Security Software – Infosecurity Magazine
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A novel iPhone BootROM vulnerability has been discovered by researchers that gives attackers with physical access a route to compromise the boot chain on Apple A12, S4/S5 and Apple A13 systems-on-chips (SoCs). Paradigm Shift’s new analysis shared how the bug, which the firm dubbed usbliter8, could be exploited by combining a hardware vulnerability in the USB controller with a firmware configuration flaw in SecureROM. The finding matters because BootROM code is immutable after manufacture. Unlike recent Apple software flaws, this class of issue cannot be fully corrected through an operating system update. Exploitation is not remote. The proof-of-concept (PoC) shared by Paradigm Shift requires Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode and RP2350-based microcontroller hardware, limiting broad abuse but increasing the risk for seized, stolen or unattended devices. – Unpatchable BootROM Flaw Impacts Apple A12, A13 Chips – Infosecurity Magazine
(Danny Palmer – Infosecurity Magazine) A supply chain attack which targeted Mastra, an open-source typescript for building AI-powered applications and agents, was the work of North Korean hackers, cybersecurity researchers have said. The attribution was made on June 19 by Microsoft Defender Security Research Team and Microsoft Threat Intelligence. The technology giant assessed with “high confidence” that the activity is attributable to Sapphire Sleet, a North Korean state actor that primarily targets the financial sector. – Microsoft Attributes Mastra AI Supply Chain Attack to North Korea – Infosecurity Magazine
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) Several companies have disclosed that they were affected by a breach of business intelligence provider Klue, including a number of cybersecurity firms. Huntress, Recorded Future, Jamf and Tanium have all acknowledged using Klue’s intelligence services and confirmed that the breach enabled unauthorized access to their Salesforce accounts via stolen OAuth tokens used for Klue integrations. – Klue Breach Enables Hackers to Compromise Cybersecurity Firms – Infosecurity Magazine
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released guidance for Fortinet customers impacted by a global credential theft campaign. A database of around 75,000 credentials stolen from FortiGate firewall and SSL VPN customers was discovered by security researchers last week. Dubbed “FortiBleed,” it features usernames, email addresses and plaintext passwords for organizations including Oracle, Spotify, Toyota and AT&T. – NCSC Urges Fortinet Customers to Tackle FortiBleed Fallout – Infosecurity Magazine
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) On June 12, the Trump administration directed Anthropic to restrict access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5, its two most capable models, exclusively to US citizens. Because verifying every user’s nationality in real time isn’t practically possible, Anthropic’s only option was to shut both models down for everyone. Allies included. No warning. The U.S. government ordered Anthropic to limit access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models to U.S. citizens after a jailbreak was discovered. That includes Five Eyes partners, Australia, the UK, Canada, and New Zealand, and it blocked the UK AI Security Institute, the main international body for testing frontier AI models, from accessing systems it was actively evaluating. – Anthropic’s Mythos AI broke into almost all NSA classified systems in hours
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) A new threat intelligence report from SOCRadar’s Threat Research Unit (STRU), the team that first identified and named the FortiBleed campaign, goes deeper than anything published so far on what is shaping up to be one of the most significant credential-theft operations of 2026. – FortiBleed: The Most Detailed Breakdown Yet of an Active Russian Credential-Harvesting Operation
(DigWatch) Canada has enacted new criminal justice legislation aimed at strengthening protections for children, restoring mandatory minimum sentences for serious sexual offences and expanding legal tools to combat online exploitation and digital abuse. The Protecting Victims Act has been presented as a major update to the Criminal Code. The law increases penalties for offences including sexual abuse, voyeurism, sextortion and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, including AI-generated or digitally manipulated sexual deepfakes. Authorities have also been given enhanced powers to pursue offenders operating across borders. – Digital harms and child protection drive major Criminal Code reforms in Canada | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Norway is introducing new national guidance that significantly restricts the use of generative AI in primary education as part of a broader effort to strengthen foundational learning outcomes. From the upcoming school year, pupils in grades 1–7 will generally not be permitted to use generative AI tools in their schoolwork. The approach reflects concerns over declining foundational skills, with international assessments indicating a drop in reading and numeracy levels among Norwegian students. Policymakers have linked the decision to evidence suggesting that early and uncritical reliance on generative AI could interfere with the development of essential literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills. – Norway restricts generative AI use in primary schools | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Spain’s Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia identified 31,003 pieces of hate speech and discriminatory content on social media in May 2026, according to its monthly monitoring report. The Observatory, known as OBERAXE, said digital platforms removed 65% of notified content, up from 56% in April. TikTok, X and Instagram recorded the highest removal rates, while the Trusted Flagger route continued to perform better than ordinary user reporting. – Spain reports higher removal of online hate speech content | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Indonesia plans to integrate AI into major government programmes, including its flagship free meals initiative valued at approximately $15 billion, under a draft presidential regulation awaiting approval from President Prabowo Subianto. The draft establishes a roadmap for AI adoption across ministries and regional governments between 2026 and 2029. It aims to improve economic growth and strengthen Indonesia’s competitiveness in AI at both regional and global levels. – Indonesia plans AI integration across major government programmes | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Malaysia is moving to strengthen its legal framework to address AI-enabled offences, including deepfakes, identity impersonation and AI-generated child sexual abuse material, according to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo. Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Gobind said Malaysia already has legal protections in several areas, particularly those involving children, but that the country’s regulatory framework must evolve to keep pace with emerging AI-related risks, especially those affecting young people. – Malaysia moves to strengthen laws against AI-enabled crimes | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) The European Commission has selected the EUROPA consortium, led by Italian company Domyn, as the winner of its Frontier AI Grand Challenge. The project will develop a large-scale open-source AI model capable of operating across all 24 official languages of the EU. Launched in February 2026, the competition challenged European AI innovators to propose a frontier model exceeding 400 billion parameters, a scale typically associated with some of the world’s most advanced AI systems. – EU selects EUROPA consortium to build multilingual frontier AI model | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Publishing leaders and professionals have called for clearer copyright rules and industry standards for the use of AI in publishing, following discussions at the 2026 International Publishing Forum in Beijing. The forum, held during the Beijing International Book Fair, brought together nearly 300 publishing executives and professionals from 26 countries and regions. It was jointly organised by the Publishers Association of China and the International Publishers Association. – Beijing publishing forum calls for AI copyright standards | Digital Watch Observatory
(Megan Morrone – Axios) Only a small fraction of data center opponents actually live near one, according to new polling by a consulting firm that counsels leading AI labs and tech startups. The findings by Milltown Partners, shared first with Axios, highlight how data centers have become a stand-in for broader anger at an AI future many Americans don’t want but fear they’ll have to pay for. The public is still divided on data centers, with direct opposition not yet a majority view. But nearly half of respondents support a temporary construction ban, according to Milltown’s findings. 38% of respondents said they would support a data center being built near their home, while 34% would oppose it. Meanwhile, 49% say they support a moratorium on construction of new data centers, while only 16% oppose a moratorium. Another 27% neither support nor oppose a moratorium and 8% say they don’t know. Most opposition to data centers isn’t coming from neighbors. Only 8% of the respondents who oppose data centers say they know of one or more data centers near their home, the poll found. – Data centers become the face of AI backlash
(Amy Harder – Axios) A top Nvidia executive says water concerns surrounding data centers could be largely addressed by the company’s next generation of AI infrastructure. It’s a bold claim with high stakes by the world’s dominant chip maker. Data centers are facing growing scrutiny for their use of energy and water, and Nvidia’s chips are helping drive the AI boom behind much of that demand. Nvidia announced Monday at London Climate Week that its latest AI system can be fully cooled with liquid warm enough to reduce the need for additional chilling equipment. “The water consumption challenge for data centers is largely solved,” said Josh Parker, Nvidia’s chief sustainability officer, in an interview last week ahead of his trip to London. Nvidia’s announcement comes on the heels of Google and Amazon defending their data center water practices amid growing local opposition to AI infrastructure. – Nvidia says AI’s water challenge is largely solved
