Trump says Iranian ships and those trading with Iran will be barred, while other commercial traffic will pay a 20% transit fee
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Ukraine and 9 European nations form anti-ballistic missile coalition
Nine European countries and Ukraine on Monday announced the formation of a coalition to develop “purely defensive” anti-ballistic capabilities in Europe, citing the growing threat of ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Paris on Monday for a meeting of Kyiv’s allies to reaffirm support for the country and step up pressure on Russia to end the war, now well into its fifth year.
“We believe that the protection of Europe, requires a global solution of integrated missile defence architecture to deter and defeat future missile threats
1 killed in ICE-involved shooting in US
A person was killed on Monday in a shooting involving US immigration agents in Maine, a top state lawmaker said, days after a man was fatally shot by a US agent during a traffic stop in Texas.
“This morning a shooting occurred in Biddeford. A person was killed. ICE was involved,” Ryan Fecteau, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives and a native of Biddeford, wrote on Facebook. “State Police and the Department of Public Safety are now on scene to gather details
Pan Jianwei becomes first Chinese scientist to win the top UN basic science prize
Chinese quantum scientist Pan Jianwei has won the United Nations’ top fundamental science prize for his work in quantum computation and communications, Unesco has announced.
Pan is a laureate of the third Unesco-Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences, an award commemorating Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, creator of the periodic table.
The annual award, which is funded by the Russian government, honours two scientists for discoveries and innovations in basic sciences that drive global or regional transformation.
Northern Metropolis fast-track laws will ‘run parallel’ with environmental rules
Dedicated laws designed to fast-track Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis project will not override the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, the authorities have said.
The remarks on Monday followed a meeting of the government-appointed Advisory Council on the Environment, where the main agenda was streamlining procedures and requirements for construction noise permits within the development near the border with mainland China.
Why a Chinese academic claim over Batanes has unsettled the Philippines
A university symposium in Guangzhou has placed the Philippines ’ northernmost province of Batanes at the centre of a new argument over history, geography and sovereignty, after scholars at the event claimed the islands belonged to Taiwan and, on that basis, fell under overall Chinese sovereignty.
The claim, made at a June 30 symposium hosted by Jinan University in Guangzhou, has been rejected by Philippine historians and officials, who dispute the scholars’ reading of geography, dynastic administration, cultural links and post-war treaties.
Beijing sees Taiwan
China works on AI safety benchmark as regulators target large model risks
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has started building a safety benchmark to evaluate artificial intelligence models, as regulators in the United States and Europe strengthen oversight of AI security.
The MIIT-led National Industrial Information Security Development Research Centre is now recruiting companies and experts to co-build the benchmark, with applications due on Tuesday, according to a notice published on Monday.
The institute said that current frameworks fail to meet complex safety-governance needs, requiring a standardised testing platform to support industrial compliance
Authorities slam online claims about Wang Fuk Court acquisition company
Hong Kong’s housing authorities have dismissed online rumours that a government-established company set up to acquire flats at fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court is an “empty shell” at risk of bankruptcy, saying it has signed contracts with more than 550 owners.
The Housing Bureau said on Monday that claims concerning “Wang Fuk Court Property Rights Acquisition Limited” were “entirely unfounded”.
“It cannot be ruled out that the allegations
Taiwan’s new military outsourcing plan: a pragmatic fix or security risk?
The island hopes contractors at military academies will free up personnel for combat missions, but critics raise infiltration concerns
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Taiwan’s armed forces plan to outsource guard duties at military academies to private security firms in a pilot programme aimed at freeing up limited personnel for core combat missions.
But the plan has triggered concerns that handing frontline access to civilian contractors could create new security vulnerabilities as the island grapples with a rise in
Iran war is no longer a contest over just the Strait of Hormuz
Peiman Salehi is a political analyst focusing on Iran’s foreign policy, multipolarity, and global South alignments.
Early on July 12, after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice and struck a Cyprus-flagged container ship, the United States launched its third round of strikes in a week, hitting some 140 targets. Most were along Iran’s southern coast overlooking the strait – including Bandar Abbas, Sirik,