In partnership with
China – Kyrgyzstan
(Zamira Eshanova and Kubatbek Aibashov – RFE/RL) China’s expanding role in Kyrgyzstan has become increasingly hard to ignore. During the first half of 2026, Kyrgyzstan issued some 61,000 work visas, according to the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department, with about 60 percent going to Chinese citizens. That influx of Chinese workers is part of a wider economic expansion. Nearly 7,000 Chinese companies, associations, and other organizations have been registered in Kyrgyzstan over the past three years, according to official statistics. – China’s Growing Footprint In Kyrgyzstan Fuels Concerns Over Resources, Sovereignty
Europe – Apple – Google
(Lisa Eadicicco – CNN) Google and Apple have a big leg up in the AI race: their control of billions of smartphones around the world. That’s according to the European Commission, which is now cracking down on what that means for AI assistants. Apple and Google have long dominated the smartphone market, combining for roughly 5 billion active Android phones and iPhones worldwide, according to market research firm Omdia. And as AI continues to become more ubiquitous and specialized, the two tech giants are enabling their AI assistants to help complete tasks rather than just answer questions. But the European Commission wants other virtual assistants to be just as prominent on smartphones as Google’s Gemini and Apple’s Siri. It’s now demanding that Google give other AI agents broader access to Android by July 2027. The EU’s mandate is part of the Digital Markets Act, a set of Big Tech regulations that went into effect in the region in 2023. The European Commission believes this new mandate could help level the playing field in the AI race. About 427 million iPhones and Android phones fall under EU regulation, according to Omdia. Apple and Google, however, say opening up their platforms could raise serious privacy concerns. Apple announced in June that it would not launch its new Siri AI assistant on iPhones and iPads in the EU because of the Digital Markets Act. – Google and Apple are clashing with the EU over the future of AI assistants | CNN Business
Iran
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran’s judiciary announced that two men were hanged on Sunday over charges relating to anti-government protests that peaked in January, having begun a month earlier over economic grievances. The two men, Erfan Esfandiari and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi, were found guilty of “tying police officers to a road sign with ropes, injuring them with stones, dousing them with gasoline, and setting them on fire” in the central city of Isfahan, said the judiciary. – Iran announces execution of two anti-govt. protestors
Israel
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman has reclassified crocodiles from wild animals to “captive-bred wildlife,” a move that clears the way for the reptiles to be used for security purposes, including to deter prison escapes. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir — who reportedly proposed in December surrounding a prison for Palestinian detainees with crocodiles, a la Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility — welcomed the decision. “Are you thinking of attempting to escape? Think again,” Ben Gvir wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, alongside an AI-generated image of himself with a crocodile on a leash. – Israel approves use of crocodiles for prison security
Israel – West Bank
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Israeli settlers set fire overnight to a mosque in a village in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official said Sunday, as an AFP journalist saw the structure’s entrance scorched and Hebrew graffiti sprayed on its walls. The incident came during a period of increased attacks against Palestinian communities by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in 2023. More than two dozen settlers, some masked, attacked the Al-Taqwa mosque in the village of Al-Tuwani during the night and set it on fire, Mohammed Rabie, head of the village council, told AFP. – Palestinians say Israeli settlers torch mosque, factory
Russia
(Evgeny Pudovkin, Daria Mosolova – BBC) Russians are returning to cash, as mobile internet shutdowns disrupt card payments, and more businesses seek to dodge tax under mounting financial pressure more than four years into the war with Ukraine. Russia has added 1.56tn roubles (£14.8bn; $20bn) in cash into circulation since the start of the year – the biggest rise for the equivalent period in any year outside the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Central Bank figures analysed by the BBC. The spike comes amid a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks, which have repeatedly led the Kremlin to shut down mobile internet across large swathes of the country, leaving many unable to pay by card. The government says the aim of the shutdowns is to counter the drone strikes. “Having cash on hand gives you some sense of control and security,” one woman in Moscow told the BBC on condition of anonymity. “If there’s an emergency in the city, I know I’ll still be able to buy basic necessities, even if the mobile network goes down.” – Russians turn to cash putting more strain on slowing wartime economy
Russia – Ukraine
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Russian strikes killed one person and wounded 13 others in Ukraine’s capital on Sunday after Kyiv launched a deadly wave of drones that struck e-commerce warehouses in Russia. The latest bombardment highlights a dual challenge for Ukraine in its fifth year of war, facing almost daily Russian attacks alongside rare domestic political instability triggered by a sudden wartime shakeup of its military leadership. AFP journalists in Kyiv heard explosions moments after the Ukrainian air force warned residents via Telegram of incoming ballistic missiles. – Kyiv hit with deadly strikes after attack on Russian e-commerce giant
US
(Ronald Brownstein – CNN) The brightest warning light for Democrats in this year’s election is the consistent finding in early national and state polls that they are not winning nearly as large a share of voters who disapprove of President Donald Trump’s performance as they did during his first term. Paradoxically, that dynamic also could represent a major danger for Republicans if it proves unsustainable through November. Views about the incumbent president’s performance have become arguably the most powerful factor shaping modern midterm elections. But Democrats are struggling to convert pervasive disapproval of Trump’s second term into sufficient support for their House and Senate candidates. The result is what might be called the 2026 approval gap. From one direction, Trump’s job approval rating has plummeted below the level that triggered midterm wave elections against other contemporary presidents, including Bill Clinton in 1994, George W. Bush in 2006, Barack Obama in 2010 and Trump himself in 2018. And yet most surveys do not show Democrats establishing a clear or consistent advantage in the key races that will decide control of the House and Senate. Evan Roth Smith, a Democratic pollster allied with the party’s centrist wing, notes that in 2018, the share of voters who disapproved of Trump’s performance was about 10 points larger than the share who approved. Today, Smith points out, Trump’s net approval rating is about 20 points negative — twice as bad — and yet the Democratic lead in generic ballot tests for the 2026 House election is considerably smaller than the party’s actual advantage of about 8.5 points in the 2018 national House popular vote. “Democrats have failed to convert a tenth of the American electorate that has turned against Donald Trump in a way they never have before,” Smith said. The risk in this pattern for Democrats is clear. The danger to Republicans is more subtle. While Republicans are running surprisingly well among voters disenchanted with Trump today, it would defy history for them to hold as many of them through Election Day. If those disappointed voters ultimately behave more like they did in Trump’s first term — or simply chose to express their discontent by not voting — today’s relatively comforting and competitive polls for the GOP could prove a false dawn. – Why the Trump effect is different in 2026 than 2018 | CNN Politics
(Aleena Fayaz – CNN) New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his office is still looking into arresting Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister visits the city for the United Nations General Assembly in September. Speaking on The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast, Mamdani said his administration’s legal department is actively discussing the potential arrest of Netanyahu, something he vowed on the campaign trail to pursue. “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani said. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years”. Asked what he believed the law allowed him to do, Mamdani responded: “That’s an active conversation with our legal department. However, what we’ve seen at the national level is a desire sometimes to write your own laws, to go outside of the bounds of legality. That’s not something we have an interest in.” – Mamdani says he’s still looking into arresting Netanyahu if Israeli leader visits New York | CNN Politics
US – Cuba
(AFP/Al Arabiya) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday urged Cuba to immediately release more than 700 political prisoners, as a prominent Cuban dissident artist arrived in Miami after five years in prison. – Rubio calls for Cuba to release 700 political prisoners
US – Lebanon
(AFP/Al Arabiya) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington on Sunday, a State Department official told AFP, after the latest round of Lebanon-Israel talks wrapped up in Italy. It is the first trip to Washington by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Sleiman was received by Barack Obama in 2009. The Lebanese president’s office said Aoun would meet with President Donald Trump on Tuesday. – Rubio and Lebanese president hold talks in Washington
War in Iran – Middle East – Gulf
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Israel’s defense minister said Sunday that his country would respond powerfully to any attack by Iran, after Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile launched towards the Jordanian city of Aqaba. – Israel warns will respond to any Iran attack with ‘full force’
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile aimed at the Jordanian city of Aqaba on Sunday, the Israeli military said, after Amman denied the city’s airport and seaport were evacuated over a threat. When asked by AFP about reports of explosions near the Israeli city of Eilat, an Israeli military spokeswoman said both Israeli and Jordanian forces had intercepted a projectile. – Iran missile towards Jordan’s Aqaba intercepted
(AFP/Al Arabiya) A drone strike in Iraq’s Kurdistan region wounded eight Iranian Kurdish rebels on Sunday, an exiled opposition group said, blaming the attack on Iran. During the Middle East war, the northern Kurdistan region, which hosts US troops and foreign oil companies as well as exiled Iranian Kurdish rebels, has been a target for attacks carried out by Iran and pro-Iran Iraqi armed groups. – Drone strike wounds eight Iranian Kurdish rebels in Iraq: Exiled group
(Agencies/Al Arabiya) Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization on Sunday said the United States attacked an under-construction nuclear power plant in the country’s southwest, as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate. US forces “in an aggressive and brutal act contrary to international law, attacked the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant… with a number of projectiles on Sunday,” the organisation said in a statement carried by state TV. – Iran says US attacked under-construction nuclear power plant
(Al Arabiya) Kuwait’s military said on Sunday it was responding to aerial salvos fired by Iran a day after the Gulf state faced barrages from the Islamic Republic that struck a power plant and oil facility. – Kuwait military says responding to Iran missile, drone attacks
(Al Arabiya) The US said it had completed an eighth straight night of attacks against Iran after earlier announcing that two US military personnel were killed in Jordan and another was missing following an Iranian attack. The US and Iran have intensified attacks since an interim ceasefire deal signed a month ago fell apart last week, raising the possibility of a return to all-out war. US Central Command said in a statement that the airstrikes began at 6 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) on Saturday, at President Donald Trump’s direction. “The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night,” it said. – US renews strikes on Iran after two military personnel killed by Iranian attack
(RFE/RL) The US military suffered its first combat fatalities since March in the Iran war, with the Pentagon saying two service members were killed and another was missing during defensive operations in Jordan, as hostilities ramped up in the region and further endangered a fragile cease-fire. “On July 17, two US service members in Jordan were killed in action as US Central Command…and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing in action,” CENTCOM said on X on July 18. Four others service members were injured and evacuated to Jordanian hospitals, CENTCOM added. Two of them have been discharged from the hospital, while several others were evaluated for minor injuries and returned to duty, it added. – 2 US Service Members Killed, 1 Missing In Jordan As Iran Steps Up Attacks, Threats
(Colin Demarest, Barak Ravid – Axios) Two U.S. service members were killed and more wounded in an Iranian ballistic missile attack on an airbase in Jordan on Saturday, military officials said. This is the first time U.S. troops have been killed since the fighting resumed two weeks ago. The incident raises the number of U.S. service members killed in the war to 16. On Saturday at least two Iranian ballistic missiles hit the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which hosts U.S. troops and fighter jets. Videos circulating on social media showed the impact of the two missiles and heavy smoke in the area right after. CENTCOM confirmed that two service members were killed and another was missing; four more were evacuated to hospitals for treatment. On Saturday around 6 p.m. ET the U.S. military conducted another round of strikes against Iranian targets. – Two US troops killed in Iranian missile attack on Jordan
(Barak Ravid – Axios) Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Saturday issued a belligerent statement accusing President Trump of violating the U.S.-Iran agreement and pledging a strong response by Iran and its proxies if the fighting continues to escalate. Khamenei’s statement came as renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran reached an eighth consecutive day. Both sides are heightening their attacks and expanding the scope of their targets. In his statement, Khamenei called the U.S. “the great Satan” — a term he hasn’t used since assuming office. This rhetoric signals a return to classic Iranian revolutionary language following the breakdown of the agreement with the Trump administration. – Iran supreme leader accuses Trump of violating deal, vows forceful response
