June 26, 2026 - Daily News Digest

On this day: in 1407, Ulrich von Jungingen becomes Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. He would lead the order into a series of escalationg confrontations with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, eventually sparking the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War that would result in his death and the collapse of his order. These conflicts would also serve as a key area of coperation for the future Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

QOTD: “Drones are battlefield game-changers,” [ROK] Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Friday, referencing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

GIFT LINK: How Iran Devastated an American Naval Base—and Caused a U.S. Recalculation
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-us-naval-base-bahrain-e87bbca3?st=Np1u6X&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

When the Iranian missiles and drones came for the nerve center of America’s naval operations in the Middle East, some of them hit their mark.

The U.S. Navy base in Bahrain was repeatedly targeted between late February and June. Strikes that got through caused extensive damage, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of satellite imagery, social-media footage and interviews with current and former servicemembers—damage that the Pentagon hasn’t publicly acknowledged. Hit hard were the command headquarters and at least a dozen other buildings, along with two satellite communications terminals.

The military said no one was killed at the base, known as Naval Support Activity Bahrain, and that the strikes didn’t significantly impact operations. The U.S. evacuated most personnel but has kept a small staff on the ground.

Over the course of the war, “Centcom rightfully prioritized the protection of people over buildings, and our strategy of protecting people worked. Iran shot more than 8,000 missiles and drones and only two hits resulted in U.S. fatalities,” said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East. Hawkins also said the U.S. military inflicted far more damage to Iran than it received, with the U.S. striking more than 13,500 targets.

The extensive damage done to America’s sole naval base in the Middle East—along with hits to at least 20 U.S. sites across the region, including military installations and diplomatic facilities—has the U.S. re-evaluating its entire footprint in the region, according to U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations.

ROK/MIL/TECH - South Korea to Train All Active-Duty Soldiers to Operate Drones
https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/south-korea-to-train-all-active-duty-soldiers-to-operate-drones-28ddcceb?mod=world_feat2_asia_pos1

South Korea will train hundreds of thousands of troops to become “drone warriors” to counter the threat from North Korea, as unmanned systems reshape modern warfare.

On Friday, South Korea announced a plan to deploy 60,000 drones in the next three years and eventually train the country’s entire active-duty personnel to operate drones to counter North Korea.

“Drones are battlefield game-changers,” Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Friday, referencing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

North Korean troops deployed to support Russia in its war against Ukraine have already learned to operate drones on the battlefield. Pyongyang has also received transfers of drone technology and production know-how from Russia, Seoul officials say.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s military is shrinking as the country’s overall population declines, highlighting the need for more unmanned combat systems. The country’s active-duty personnel have declined by around 20% over the past six years, shrinking to roughly 450,000.

Drones will be distributed across South Korea’s army, navy, air force and marines in the coming years, Ahn said.

“Drones should no longer be equipment used by a limited number of units, but a universal combat tool,” said Ahn.

He said Seoul’s military is looking to produce all components domestically, in response to concerns about relying on China for key parts.

“The North Koreans have been learning directly from the battlefield in Ukraine,” said Yang Uk, a military expert at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, a Seoul-based think tank. “The South Koreans have been caught off guard.”

CHINA/SEC - Small Plane Crashes Into Tallest Building in Beijing
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/world/asia/china-plane-crash-beijing.html

A small aircraft flew into the tallest building in Beijing on Friday, sending huge hunks of debris and plane parts plummeting onto the streets below and prompting crowds to flee.

Video shared on social media and verified by The New York Times showed debris falling from the skyscraper, as people ran to safety. The footage showed broken windows and debris, including what appeared to be the tail of a small aircraft, falling dozens of stories into the street below.

The building is in the capital’s busy central business district, which was clogged with cars at evening rush hour. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured, if any were. The whereabouts and identity of the pilot were also unknown.

Photos posted to social media from the site showed parts of an aircraft that appeared to be a lightweight model with only a few seats, registered to the airline Shuangyue General Aviation, a regional flight training provider. Calls to the company went unanswered.

Data from FlightRadar, a flight tracking website, showed that the plane took off from an airfield in Beijing’s eastern Pinggu district. The plane circled the area before flying west into the city center.

It was unclear if the crash was an accident or intentional. It was also unclear how the pilot was able to fly into the city center apparently unobstructed. Calls to the Civil Aviation Authority of China and a nearby police station in Beijing rang unanswered.

“This aircraft is normally used for pilot training east of Beijing,” said Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for FlightRadar. He said that this flight was “out of character” with those types of flights, adding: “I don’t think we can rule anything out at this point.”

There was significant police presence near the building on Friday night. The police closed at least one major road near the building, setting up a folding metal grille gate, and a police car with flashing lights was parked on the street. High above, bright lights occasionally flashed around a hole in the side of the building as repair work got underway.

UKRAINE/RUSSIA/MIL - Ukrainian Attacks Spur State of Emergency Declaration in Crimea
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/world/europe/crimea-ukraine-state-emergency.html

The authorities in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula controlled by Russia, declared a state of emergency on Friday after weeks of intense air attacks by Ukraine, including a wave of drone strikes overnight that appears to have been one of the largest since the war began.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday that its air defenses had intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones overnight. Crimea and about a dozen other regions were targeted, according to the ministry, which said nothing about damage or casualties. Later on Friday, the ministry said 46 additional Ukrainian drones had been destroyed that morning.

Advances in Ukrainian drone and missile production have enabled Kyiv to launch bigger attacks, farther away from the front, that can more easily overwhelm Russia’s air defenses. Over the past several months, Ukraine has carried out increasingly heavy air attacks on Crimea and parts of Russia, puncturing the peace that Russian civilians had largely enjoyed during the four-year-old war.

The assaults have underscored how President Vladimir V. Putin’s ability to isolate Russian society from the impacts of the war is sharply eroding. In Kyiv, they have reinforced a growing sense of confidence that it would be able to force Mr. Putin to the negotiating table, even as Russia continues to hammer Ukraine with missiles and drones, exploiting its air defense shortage.

MIDDLE EAST/SHIPPING - Hormuz traffic flows despite ship attack as Iran fights to keep its grip on key trade route
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/hormuz-traffic-flows-ship-attack-iran-trade-route-rcna351885

A trickle of marine traffic was passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday despite an attack on a ship in the vital waterway a day earlier, as Iran reiterated its warnings for ships to follow a Tehran-approved route.

A flow of vessels transiting via an alternative route close to Oman in recent days has drawn Iran’s ire, as it works to maintain its grip on the key trade route despite the United States’ assertion that the strait is open.

The two sides have been engaged in a public dispute over the future of the waterway as they clash over the terms of their initial deal to end the war, with Iran intent on maintaining its leverage while American and global officials insist transit must be free.

At least 37 vessels had transited the strait or are in the process of doing so since Thursday’s incident involving a container ship from Taiwan-based shipping giant Evergreen Marine, an NBC News review of MarineTraffic data showed.

Despite Iran’s threats, 20 of those ships had taken a route far south of Iran that hugs the coastline of the United Arab Emirates and bends along Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, avoiding Iranian waters.

Iran has warned that it cannot guarantee safety for ships not following a specified route close to the Iranian coastline. Its newly-formed Persian Gulf Strait Authority warned Thursday that such ships will not be covered by safe passage guarantees and warned that any “consequences” will be the responsibility of the vessels and their owners.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency said Friday that three oil tankers had altered their course and returned toward the Persian Gulf after receiving warnings from Iran’s naval forces.

ROK/POL - South Korea court gives ex-First Lady Kim Keon Hee 7-year jail term for bribery
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/former-south-korean-first-lady-kim-keon-hee-sentenced-7-years-jail-bribery-2026-06-26/

South Korea's former First Lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced on Friday to seven years in jail for receiving bribes, after a court found her guilty of ​accepting luxury items such as jewellery and a Dior handbag in exchange for political favours.

The wife of ​ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol - who was ousted in 2025 following his failed attempt to ⁠impose martial law - received the bribes before and during his presidency, the lead judge at the Seoul ​Central District Court said.

"She exercised her power as first lady to offer jobs and business favours," the judge ​said, citing her willingness to use her influence to help people obtain key government or parliamentary posts.

"She received without any hesitation those bribes, which ordinary people would hardly encounter during their lives."

The list of bribes included jewellery such as a Van ​Cleef & Arpels necklace, a Tiffany brooch and a pair of Graff earrings, the judge said.

Kim also received a ​gold turtle, a Dior handbag, a Vacheron Constantin watch worth 39 million won ($25,349.86) and a painting worth 140 million won, ‌he ⁠said.

JAPAN/WEATHER - Japan braces for double storms, torrential rains shut down parts of Taiwan
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/torrential-rain-passing-typhoon-shuts-down-southern-taiwan-rail-line-cut-2026-06-26/

Japan grappled with transport disruptions on Friday while bracing for more torrential rain and risks from two ‌approaching tropical storms that spurred authorities to issue high-level landslide warnings and order the evacuation of 1 million people.

More than 200 flights were cancelled and dozens of train services suspended while many expressways were closed, the land ministry said, while carmaker Toyota (briefly halted operations at a factory in the southern region of Kyushu.

Weather ​officials said a lingering seasonal rain front combined with warm, moist air from tropical storms Mekkhala and Higos brought downpours to ​wide swathes of Japan's west, threatening landslides, floods and swollen rivers.

About 1 million people faced evacuation orders after ⁠some were lifted in Okinawa and other southern areas, emergency management authorities said.

Mekkhala, downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm, was ​passing over the southern Ryukyu Islands on Friday after skirting Taiwan, where severe rains shut down parts of the island to keep about 6 ​million people from work or school.

CANADA/JAPAN/MIL/ANYTHING BUT BUYING AMERICAN I SUPPOSE - Canadian defence minister says he discussed GCAP fighter with Japanese counterpart
https://www.reuters.com/world/canadian-defence-minister-says-he-discussed-gcap-fighter-with-japanese-2026-06-25/

Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty said on Thursday he had discussed the advanced fighter ​jet programme being pursued by Japan, Britain and Italy with ‌his Japanese counterpart to learn more about what he described as a "promising initiative".

The three countries launched the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) in 2022 ​to field a next-generation stealth fighter by 2035, led ​by Britain's BAE Systems, Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and ⁠Italy's Leonardo.

Canada's potential interest comes as the programme attracts attention ​from potential new partners and a rival European fighter project has ​collapsed. Any Canadian involvement would mark GCAP's first expansion beyond its three founding members. Speculation has grown that additional countries could join the programme, with Italian ​Defence Minister Guido Crosetto saying this month he would welcome ​partners willing to share development costs.

"We are interested in learning more about it. ‌I'll ⁠take it back to my team and see what it looks like," McGuinty told Reuters in an interview after meeting Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo on Wednesday.

SPAIN/ANOTHER WEATHER-RELATED TRAGEDY - Hundreds in Spain may have died from record heat, agency warns
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/06/25/hundreds-spain-may-have-died-record-heat-agency-warns/

More than 200 people may have died in Spain in recent days as a result of the record heat wave that has gripped much of Europe this week, according to data from a national monitoring system that estimates excess deaths.

Researchers at Spain’s leading public health agency in Madrid, using models based on a decade of mortality records, and temperature and demographic data, projected the heat wave has caused 212 excess deaths since Sunday.

Diana Gómez, a scientist at that agency’s National Center for Epidemiology who manages the monitoring program, told the Spanish news agency EFE that the numbers are preliminary and based on statistical projections, rather than real-time records. This approach for assessing how many excess deaths over a given time period can be attributed to heat is well-established among scientists and has been published in a peer reviewed journal.

In a study published earlier this year, researchers used the monitoring system to identify 11,684 excess deaths between 2021 and 2024 that could be connected to heat.

MONTENEGRO/US/IRAN - Montenegro arrests Iran-linked hacker wanted by US
https://www.dw.com/en/montenegro-arrests-iran-linked-hacker-wanted-by-us/a-77720738

Montenegro has arrested an Iran-linked hacker wanted by the United States over cyberattacks that allegedly caused $3.4 billion in damage.

The arrest is part of a broader US effort to disrupt cyber operations that prosecutors say were carried out on behalf of Iranian state interests.

What was the man arrested for?

Montenegrin police said the 39-year-old suspect, identified only as A.B., was arrested in the tourist town of Kotor in cooperation with the FBI. He holds Iranian and Turkish citizenship.

He is wanted by a federal court in New York on charges including conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking and identity theft.

Police said that from 2013 onward, A.B. carried out large-scale hacking attacks against US infrastructure, including more than 150 universities. The attacks allegedly caused more than $3.4 billion (nearly €3 billion) in damages.

According to Montenegrin authorities, the stolen data and access to compromised university accounts were used for the benefit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other entities, including Iranian universities.

CONGO/UGANDA/HEALTH - Ebola Is Devastating Congo. Uganda Found a Way to Stop It.
https://www.wsj.com/world/africa/ebola-is-devastating-congo-uganda-found-a-way-to-stop-it-180761a4?mod=world_lead_story

t was no surprise that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo quickly jumped across the border into Uganda. Citizens of both countries routinely cross over to do business and visit relatives.

The surprising part is that Uganda’s aggressive control methods appear to have stymied the spread of the deadly virus, in part by prohibiting people from hugging or even shaking hands.

There have been just 20 confirmed Ebola cases in the country, and two fatalities, less than 1% of the death toll in Congo. The most recent confirmed infection in Uganda surfaced last weekend, after 15 days with no new cases. It is far short of the worst spillover, in 2000, when more than 400 people got sick and 224 died.

Hastily erected isolation-and-treatment centers sit empty around the country. With so few patients at home, Uganda’s Ministry of Health has even sent 80 medical experts to aid response efforts in eastern Congo, where both infection numbers and the death toll continue to grow.

“The outbreak in Uganda is under control—they are doing a great job,” Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a recent briefing.

How did Uganda pull this off? In part by dispatching health workers with megaphones to remind residents in traffic-clogged streets not to shake hands or hug. At bus stops, passengers must wash their hands before boarding. Along the 550-mile Uganda-Congo border, Ugandan agents garbed in protective clothing patrol villages in search of people who have been in contact with infected individuals.

AUSTRALIA/TECH - Australia pledges tougher enforcement of social media ban for teens
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/australia-considers-tougher-enforcement-social-media-ban-teens-2026-06-26/

Australia's prime minister vowed on Friday to bullet-proof laws supporting a social ​media ban for under-16s as the government prepares legal action against platforms amid a steady stream of evidence that the ban ‌has had little impact on teen use.

The country's groundbreaking six-month-old experiment is being closely watched by many nations seeking to emulate it due to concerns about the impact of social media on youth mental and physical health. Britain this month said it planned restrictions that go further as gaming and live-streaming platforms will also be affected.

The Australian government plans to stress-test the ​law which bans platforms like Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube from giving under-16s accounts.

COMPLIANCE TOOLS NOT WORKING

Numerous studies have shown age-assurance mechanisms, such ​as taking a selfie, that have been put in place by tech companies are easily circumvented by children and ⁠that in many cases, the children have never been asked to prove their age.

"What we want to do is to make sure that the laws ​are as strong as possible and that they will withstand any legal challenges which are made," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.