June 24, 2026 - Daily News Digest
On this day: in 2023, the Wagner Group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin launches an insurrection against the Russian government.
QOTD: “It looks like in the nearest time, Crimea will become an island. This could lead to some very unexpected consequences for Russians,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov said on a blogger’s YouTube channel.
CHINA/US/COMPUTING - Chinese Supercomputer Overtakes U.S. as World’s Fastest
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chinese-supercomputer-overtakes-u-s-as-worlds-fastest-d0f8dbff?mod=world_feat2_asia_pos1
The world’s fastest supercomputer isn’t made in America. It is now from China, according to a widely cited ranking.
China’s LineShine system won the No. 1 spot on the latest Top500 supercomputer ranking released this week. The Chinese supercomputer was able to calculate 22% faster than the No. 2 contender, El Capitan at California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Tennis-court-sized supercomputers are used for frontier scientific research and problems such as predicting hurricanes and determining where oil deposits lie. They also have military applications. The U.S. government uses El Capitan to help maintain its nuclear-weapons stockpile, among other tasks.
The U.S., China and Japan have long battled for the crown as the fastest machine. A Chinese machine won for the first time in 2010. In 2023, China stopped participating in the rankings, which are published twice a year. Experts speculated a Chinese machine had jumped into the lead but didn’t have the data to show it.
This time, LineShine, built by the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen and unveiled in April, decided to participate. LineShine relies on domestically developed central processing units, instead of graphics processing units, or GPUs, which power most of the leading supercomputers today. The machine also uses other homegrown technologies behind its memory, networking and cooling systems.
LineShine’s success “marks a historic step forward for China’s supercomputing industry in building an independent hardware and software ecosystem despite foreign technology restrictions,” the Shenzhen center said.
CHINA/JAPAN/TRADE - Xi Pressures Takaichi by Throttling Key Mineral Exports to Japan
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-23/xi-pressures-takaichi-by-throttling-key-mineral-exports-to-japan
China is choking shipments of some critical minerals to Japan, a slowdown that’s hurting companies and prompting calls for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to find a diplomatic off-ramp with Beijing.
The world’s No. 2 economy has stopped nearly all supplies of some forms of tungsten this year, while magnet flows last month fell to their lowest since May 2025 when shipments collapsed as China rolled out its export-control regime globally. The throttling of goods began after Takaichi angered Beijing last November with comments about self-ruled Taiwan.
The curbs appear calculated to inflict targeted pain on Japan without escalating to a level that could spark pushback from the US. While the measures aren’t as severe as sweeping Chinese restrictions that threatened Japanese industry in 2010, they’ve forced firms to eat into stockpiles and scramble for alternatives.
UKRAINE/RUSSIA - Ukraine says it hit a railway bridge to Crimea, seeking to isolate the Russian-held peninsula
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-crimea-drone-peninsula-d44f4639e670ed6e4f97c1e0ad6dce6e
Ukraine said Tuesday its forces struck a railway bridge, a power plant and other key infrastructure targets in Crimea as Kyiv’s military seeks to isolate the vital Russian-held peninsula in the latest stage of the 4-year-old war.
The drone attacks added to the woes on the Black Sea peninsula, where Russian authorities have had to suspend gasoline sales to civilians as Ukraine has intensified its recent campaign to disrupt supply lines and the electrical grid at the height of the summer tourist season.
The peninsula was seized by force and illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. Ukraine’s increasing use of long-range strikes has highlighted its ability to inflict painful damage on Russia and put added pressure on the Kremlin while Moscow’s advances recently have ground to a near halt, Western analysts and officials say.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said last week that his forces are “isolating Crimea with drones.”
DENMARK/VIETNAM/SHIPPING - Maersk Looks to Widen Its Foothold in Vietnam’s Container Ports
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-06-24/vietnam-and-maersk-and-ports
Maersk and Vietnamese conglomerate Hateco expect to start construction of a new port project in Hanoi as early as July with investment of about $98 million, according to information from the Vietnamese company, which has interests spanning real estate, logistics, ports and infrastructure.
The Giang Bien inland terminal is a planned port and logistics hub in Hanoi that will support freight transport for nearby industrial zones and strengthen links to the Lach Huyen port complex in Haiphong.
The project will be developed over a 239,000-square-meter site in two phases, comprising six berths for general cargo and container vessels, along with storage yards, internal roads and supporting infrastructure. The terminal is expected to help reduce logistics costs, promote inland waterway transport and ease congestion on the road network.
peaking at an event on Tuesday in Haiphong to welcome the arrival of MATZ MAERSK, one of the carrier’s largest container vessels, Hateco’s Chairman Tran Van Ky said he expects the Danish shipping giant to expand its investment in future joint projects as the two companies move forward with a number of developments, including the $1.7 billion Lien Chieu container terminal port in Danang.
Vietnam’s logistics and port sector is expanding rapidly, fueled by robust trade growth and the country’s rising role in global supply chains. Investment in ports, transport infrastructure and logistics facilities is accelerating as the government pursues double-digit economic growth.
IRAN/US/SWITZERLAND - Iran says technical talks with US in Switzerland conclude successfully
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/23/iran-says-technical-talks-with-us-in-switzerland-conclude-successfully
Iran says technical talks in Switzerland with the United States and mediators have concluded successfully, paving the way for the next phase of negotiations aimed at ending their more than 100-day war.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who led Iran’s technical negotiating team, said the four-party talks concluded with an agreement on arrangements for future negotiations, including working groups and implementation mechanisms, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday.
Gharibabadi said the discussions followed a high-level committee meeting held on Sunday to monitor the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, a framework agreement signed virtually by the US and Iranian presidents on June 17 to end the war.
“Technical discussions were held to determine the implementation mechanisms of the memorandum of understanding and the statement issued at the conclusion of the high-level meeting, and the necessary understandings were reached,” he said.
Earlier, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf said an agreement has been reached with the US to release $12bn in frozen Iranian assets.
US President Donald Trump says those funds will be used to buy US produce.
“We’re doing very well in terms of negotiating a fair and reasonable deal,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “Money that’s being unfrozen is going to be used to buy food, and the food is going to be bought exclusively through the United States from our farmers, and corn, soybeans, all of the things they need are going to be bought from our farmers,” he said.
US/GCC/IRAN - Rubio on Gulf tour as allies sceptical about Iran deal seek answers
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/rubio-kicks-off-middle-east-trip-allies-seek-answers-iran-2026-06-24/
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with the United Arab Emirates leader on Wednesday during a Middle East tour, seeking to reassure Gulf allies who view a proposed Iran peace deal as too soft on a regional power that attacked them in the war.
The U.S.-Iran accord reached last week — the first signed by an American and an Iranian president since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution — includes a proposed $300 billion fund and the waiver of some sanctions.
Arriving in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi late on Tuesday for the three-day tour of the oil-rich Gulf, Rubio is undertaking his first high-level diplomatic mission on the agreement to end the four-month U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Rubio held a working lunch with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other senior figures, including National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
IRAN/OMAN/STRAIT OF HORMUZ/MONEY, MONEY, MONEY - Iran, Oman mull charging Strait of Hormuz 'maritime service fees'
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20260623-iran-oman-mull-charging-strait-of-hormuz-maritime-service-fees
Iran and Oman will study the costs to be charged for services provided in administering the Strait of Hormuz, the two countries said Tuesday, insisting they held sovereignty over the waterway.
Tehran has repeatedly said it plans to charge what it calls maritime service fees for crossing the strait, as opposed to tolls, a plan fiercely opposed by the United States.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, Iran and Oman emphasised their "sovereign rights over their territorial waters", but Muscat's foreign minister said on X that both sides were committed to "toll-free safe passage".
They "agreed to maintain their dialogue on this issue through a joint working group between the two foreign ministries", the statement said.
The working group was aimed at reaching "agreement on the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the services that will be provided in this regard and the costs associated with them in accordance with international standards", they said.
The statement followed meetings in Muscat between top officials from the two nations. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
AUSTRALIA/BIRD FLU - Australia ramps up bird flu testing as second state reports case
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/australia-ramps-up-bird-flu-surveillance-testing-after-first-mainland-cases-2026-06-24/
Australian authorities ramped up surveillance and testing of wildlife and livestock on Wednesday after a second state reported a case of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu.
South Australia state Premier Peter Malinauskas said a migratory bird had tested positive for the virus, days after the country's first two confirmed cases were reported near Esperance in Western Australia .
"Chicken meat and eggs, as prepared normally, are perfectly safe to eat," she said.
Ground-based surveillance and drone surveys are being carried out at sea lion breeding sites along South Australia's west and far west coasts, while testing frequency has been increased in high-risk areas.
Western Australia on Wednesday said it expected to confirm a third case of the virus after 11 samples were sent for testing in the state, following dozens of reports of sick or dead birds.
The confirmed cases prompted neighbouring Papua New Guinea to briefly ban poultry meat and product imports from Australia, though Collins said the restrictions had now been lifted with some caveats.
GERMANY/ECON/DEMOGRAPHICS - German pension commission proposes shift to Swedish-style fund
https://www.reuters.com/sports/german-pension-commission-proposes-shift-swedish-style-fund-2026-06-23/
A commission appointed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed a Swedish-style pension fund and a gradual increase in the retirement age to help stabilise the country's pension system as the population ages.
The commission's report, presented on Tuesday, will form the basis for a major overhaul of Germany's pension system which the government aims to agree in the coming weeks.
It called for establishing a fund modelled on the Swedish pension system, with mandatory contributions by workers and employers that would be invested in financial assets as a complement to the current pay-as-you-go system.
"The use of the capital market in the statutory pension scheme is perhaps the key factor in determining the long-term viability and stability of our pension system," Merz told a conference of the German BDI industry federation.
Germany's current system, in which the pensions of retirees are paid directly from employees' and employers' contributions into the system, has faced increasing strains as the population ages and the proportion of workers to retirees shrinks.
Merz said the change would ensure contributions remained manageable and that younger workers would be able to count on a secure pension in future. He called for a swift agreement with his centre-left Social Democrat coalition partners to adopt all of the commission's proposals.
EUROPE/HEAT - More heat records expected as deadly 'Omega' heatwave grips Europe
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/power-cuts-france-leave-thousands-sweltering-amid-scorching-heatwave-2026-06-24/
Western Europe was in the grip of a heatwave on Wednesday that shattered records, caused the deaths of dozens of people, closed schools, knocked out electricity and wiped out poultry farms.
In France, which on Tuesday recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, authorities sought to restore electricity to thousands of homes hit by power cuts in the northwestern region of Brittany. The recorded temperature peaked at 44.3 degrees Celsius (111.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southwestern town of Pissos.
Italy's health ministry issued its highest heat alert for 16 cities, from Florence and Milan to Rome, Turin and Verona.
In Britain, on course for its hottest June day ever, the Met Office weather service issued only the second extreme-heat weather warning in history. Hundreds of schools stayed shut or closed early, as high temperatures could place even healthy people at risk.
At least 48 people died in France from drowning as they attempted to seek respite from the crippling heat, while two young children were killed by heat in a car, authorities said.
Two elderly people died of heatstroke in Spain, which has experienced extreme temperatures since the weekend exceeding 40 C. Temperatures there were starting to ease on Wednesday, after Monday and Tuesday were the hottest days on record for late June, national weather agency AEMET said.
CUBA - ‘Ominous and Feared’ Cuban Spy Chief Dies
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/ominous-and-feared-cuban-spy-chief-dies-2d38abfa?mod=world_lead_story
A chief architect of the repressive security system that has kept Cuba’s Communist government in power for almost seven decades is dead.
Ramiro Valdés was one of the last surviving revolutionaries who took power with the Castro brothers in 1959, and his influence remained embedded in Cuba’s security apparatus almost until his death Sunday at age 94. For decades, he served as the island’s main guardian against both foreign enemies and domestic dissent.
“He was an ominous and feared figure, more well-known for operating in the shadows than in public,” said Michael Bustamante, a University of Miami professor and Cuba scholar.
The death of Valdés marks a symbolic blow to a government facing its gravest crisis under an unprecedented American pressure campaign that has cut off the island’s oil supplies and blocked help from its last allies. It is another indication that the geriatric hard-liners who represent Cuba’s secretive decision-making elite are beginning to slip as Washington tightens the screws.
Over the past several months, Valdés had been ill and out of the public eye—a period when the government unveiled what may be its most ambitious package of economic reforms yet in an attempt to appease the Trump administration. Such concessions were long considered untouchable by revolutionary hard-liners like Valdés.
“It’s striking that just days before he died they announced the sort of thing that he would have reacted to with, ‘over my dead body,’” Bustamante said. “The timing is hard to ignore.”
Cuba’s former president and revolutionary leader, Raúl Castro, also 95, has delegated much of the negotiations with the U.S. to the younger generations of his family, including a son and grandson. Most of the bearded revolutionaries who entered Havana with Valdés in 1959 have died or withdrawn from public life. Few prominent old-guard figures remain.