UNITED STATES – CHINA
The Trump administration is drafting plans to ban Chinese data centre components. Specifically, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is working on a measure to ban the import of new Chinese optical transceivers, which allow data to travel over fibre-optic cables at the speed of light inside data centres. The measure targets Zhongji Innolight, which in June was added to the Pentagon's list of companies allegedly linked to the Chinese military.
SOUTH KOREA
Eight South Korean students, four men and four women, were arrested for breaking into the US air base in Osan, near the capital, Seoul, shouting anti-American slogans. In a Facebook post, the Korean Progressive University Student Union say that the students are members of the organisation. Their intent, the post reads, was to demonstrate against the US military's opposition to the creation of a semiconductor cluster project.
INDIA
Floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains have killed more than a hundred people across India since July, official figures released today indicate. The northeastern state of Assam is among the hardest hit, with at least 87 victims. In Kerala, 300 relief camps have also been set up, housing approximately 10,000 people.
INDONESIA
Only yesterday, Indonesian rescuers completed the evacuation of all 233 passengers and crew members who survived a fire on a ferry that broke out on Sunday off Madura Island. The final death toll stands at five. According to the authorities, the Mutiara Sentosa 2 was sailing from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city in East Java, to Makassar, South Sulawesi, when it caught fire.
PHILIPPINES
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the southern coast of the Philippines this morning. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, nor was a tsunami warning triggered. The quake follows a strong tremor on 8 June that brought down buildings, triggered landslides, and killed at least 76 people on the neighbouring island of Mindanao.
RUSSIA
Large Russian companies have rejected Vladimir Putin's requests for a new investment cycle aimed at reviving the stagnant economy. Instead, businesses are slashing costs, complaining of declining profits and demand, expensive loans, a shortage of working capital, and an increase in payment defaults. According to a survey by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, in July 2026, a record 86 per cent of companies declared they cut costs to “improve business efficiency”.
GEORGIA
On Sunday, Azerbaijani Alphabet and Language Day, an artificial intelligence platform was launched in Georgia. It was created as part of the "Legal Assistance Under Georgian Law" project. The platform allows users to receive consultations, analyse documents, and access the services of accredited lawyers in six languages, including Azerbaijani. The platform covers over 12 areas of law, enabling users, for example, to find a human rights defender who can speak their native language in any city in Georgia.
