July 15, 2026 - Daily News Digest

On this day: in 2012, South Korean rapper Psy releases his hit single Gangnam Style.

QOTD: “We need to combine our strengths," von der Leyen said in a speech in Kyiv at a ceremony to mark the country’s Statehood Day. "This deal will bring together Ukrainian ingenuity and Europe's industrial ⁠scale."

US/IRAN/MIL - Iran war live: US launches new wave of strikes and Tehran threatens to close shipping routes
https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-war-live-trump-threatens-power-plant-hits-us-resumes-blockade-launches-more-2026-07-15/

The US military said it had carried out a fresh wave of strikes on Wednesday, hours after carrying out a fourth night of attacks on Iran

Iran has threatened to block more energy routes, after President Donald Trump reinstated the US blockade of Iranian shipping

Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait came under attack again on Wednesday after Iran vowed to continue retaliation on US military assets, leaving an interim ceasefire in tatters

Trump renewed his threat to hit Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran does not return to negotiations to end the war started by US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

UK/EU/SPAIN - Britain and EU formally sign Gibraltar treaty, easing border crossings
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-eu-formally-sign-gibraltar-treaty-easing-border-crossings-2026-07-14/

Britain and the European Union formally signed a treaty on the status of Gibraltar on Tuesday, following an agreement struck last year aimed at easing border crossings and ending ​years of political uncertainty over the British overseas territory.

The treaty was signed in ​Brussels by European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, British Minister of State for ⁠Europe Stephen Doughty, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

Gibraltar ​residents can cross over to Spain using residence cards without needing to have their passports ​stamped, while Spanish citizens can cross using a government ID card. The deal is designed to facilitate the movement of people and goods and avoid lengthy delays for the roughly 15,000 workers who cross the ​border each day.

Albares said the deal opened a new chapter for Gibraltar, Spain, Britain ​and the European Union. He said it would benefit the 300,000 residents of the Campo de Gibraltar ‌region ⁠by improving connectivity, encouraging investment and strengthening cross-border cooperation, while replacing centuries of mistrust with a shared future built on coexistence and prosperity.

CHINA/ECON - China’s Economy Grows at Weakest Pace Since 2022
https://www.wsj.com/world/china/chinas-growth-cools-more-than-expected-in-second-quarter-132e0670?mod=world_lead_story

China’s growth slowed in the second quarter of the year to the weakest pace in more than three years, as surging exports buoyed by the artificial-intelligence boom failed to compensate for a struggling domestic economy and sluggish consumer spending.

China’s gross domestic product expanded 4.3% in April to June from a year ago, according to official data released Wednesday, down from 5.0% in the first quarter of the year. This marks the slowest growth since the end of 2022, when the country was grappling with the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“China’s weakening headline growth is an indicator of enormous underlying economic fragilities, which have stifled domestic demand and kept the economy heavily reliant on exports to sustain growth,” said Eswar Prasad, an expert on China’s economy at Cornell University and former head of the China division at the International Monetary Fund.

Earlier this week, Beijing reported that exports rose 27% from a year earlier in June, largely fueled by demand from the AI sector, with outbound shipments of semiconductors up more than 120%.

This week’s data underscores the lopsided nature of the Chinese economy. Chinese exporters are booming in everything from chips to electric vehicles and industrial batteries. The country’s tech companies are churning out winning AI models in a high-stakes race with the U.S.

But, at the same time, much of the domestic economy is a mess. A crash in the property sector has drained family savings and made many unwilling to spend. Young people increasingly struggle to find jobs. Deflation is eroding company profits.

LITHUANIA/RUSSIA/SEC - Lithuania says Russia is planning attacks on infrastructure
https://www.reuters.com/world/lithuania-says-russia-is-planning-attacks-infrastructure-2026-07-15/

Lithuania has intelligence that Russia is planning attacks on infrastructure, and security around energy and ​transport sites will be tightened as a ‌precaution, President Gitanas Nauseda said in an interview published on Wednesday.

Nauseda said he had no information on when or where ​the attacks were planned, and did not ​say that his country was the target, in ⁠his interview with BNS news agency.

"We have such ​signals, which we receive from our (intelligence) services. They do ​not clearly identify place or time ... because the opponent is not at the end of its planning, and we only know ​about the planning or the goal,” he said.

"It ​could be various means aimed at physically damaging critical infrastructure. ... ‌Anything ⁠that halts the functioning of these sites," he added.

Lithuania — a NATO member which shares land borders with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and with Moscow's ally ​Belarus — has tripled ​its defence ⁠spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Neighbouring Poland said earlier this month that Western ​intelligence agencies were concerned about the risk ​of ⁠Russian attacks against its territory and the Baltic states.

EU/UKRAINE/MIL/TECH - EU seals deal for drone production with Ukraine
https://www.reuters.com/world/eu-seals-deal-drone-production-with-ukraine-2026-07-15/

Ukraine and the European Union have sealed a "drone deal" to combine Kyiv's expertise with European industrial capacity ​to establish joint projects and scale up production, European ‌Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

"We need to combine our strengths," von der Leyen said in a speech in Kyiv ​at a ceremony to mark the countryss Statehood Day. "This ​deal will bring together Ukrainian ingenuity and Europe's industrial ⁠scale."

Ukraine has signed a series of such deals with ​individual countries. At last week's NATO summit in Akara, President ​Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed three more, saying that brought the total to nine.

But Wednesday's deal is the first agreement intended to cover countries and ​companies across the European Union.

"The knowledge you have gained on ​how to work drone and anti-drone systems is truly unique," von der ‌Leyen ⁠said, addressing Zelenskiy.

"We must tap into this together. Because we know the threats that Europe faces in this area – we have seen incursions and alerts across many (EU) member states," she ​added.

US/IRAQ/IRAN/MIL - US troop withdrawal from Iraq set for September 30
https://www.dw.com/en/us-troop-withdrawal-from-iraq-set-for-september-30/a-77959648

US troops are set to fully withdraw from Iraq by September 30, the country's prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, said at a meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington.

"Well, we don't think we need the military there anymore," Trump said at the White House.

Previously, about 2,500 US troops were deployed in Iraq, carrying out counter-Islamic State operations, but that number has declined in recent months.

Al-Zaidi's government has tied the planned US withdrawal to the disarming of powerful Iran-backed militias.

"On September 30th, American forces will leave, and American companies will enter," Zaidi said. "After 30 September, we will not allow any entity to bear arms outside the state."

UKRAINE/RUSSIA/MIL/ENERGY - Ukraine Says It Hit Russian Oil and Gas Tankers in the Black Sea
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-15/ukraine-says-it-hit-russian-oil-and-gas-tankers-in-the-black-sea

Ukrainian forces hit multiple Russian vessels in the Black Sea overnight as Kyiv expands the scope of its naval attacks against Moscow.

“The first round of the naval battle is over” after Ukraine hit more than 100 Russia-linked ships in the Sea of Azov in recent days, drone unit commander Robert Brovdi said in a statement on Telegram. “Now, the Black Sea.”

On Wednesday, Ukraine attacked 17 oil tankers, two gas carriers and one tug boat there, Brovdi said, adding that he’ll provide an official report and video evidence later. Bloomberg couldn’t independently verify the number of affected vessels.

The Black Sea is a key waterway for Russia’s crude oil exports, and any disruptions there can curb shipments that recently reached the highest level since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Novorossiysk, Russia’s largest Black Sea oil port, loaded more than 980,000 barrels of crude a day in June, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s more than 20% of Russia’s total seaborne crude exports for the month, based on figures from the International Energy Agency.

The Black Sea also hosts the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, the single largest export route for Kazakh crude and an outlet for some Russian barrels. Last week, a Ukrainian drone attacked an oil tanker en route to the CPC facility.

UKRAINE/POL - Ukraine reshuffle puts defence minister in focus as war grinds on
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/ukraine-reshuffle-puts-defence-minister-focus-war-grinds-2026-07-15/

As President Volodymyr Zelenskiy prepares to reshuffle his cabinet, the focus will be on Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov — a 35-year-old tech expert with "Cossack ​military cunning" — whose ouster could impact Kyiv's efforts in its war with Russia.

Since his appointment just six months ago, Fedorov has led an ‌ambitious campaign to transform Ukraine's outmanned army into a more efficient fighting force.

Maria Berlinska, a prominent volunteer and drone warfare advocate, said Fedorov's "out-of-the-box thinking" has helped break through bureaucracy in all the roles he has held.

"I see before me a thoughtful, mature Ukrainian with Cossack military cunning," Berlinska wrote on Tuesday, recalling her first meeting with him after his appointment.

It is unclear whether Zelenskiy, embarking ​on his second cabinet shake-up in a year, plans to keep Fedorov in his post at a time when the war with Russia is ​at a critical juncture.

Even if he is nominated again, some lawmakers have suggested that parliament may not approve him given ⁠cross-party concerns, adding an element of risk ahead of a vote scheduled for Thursday.

US/UAE/TECH - U.A.E. Rewarded With Coveted AI Chips for Supporting U.S. War in Iran
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/uae-ai-chips-iran-war-26c10d77?mod=world_feat1_middle-east_pos1

The United Arab Emirates has gained expanded access from the U.S. to coveted artificial-intelligence chips after aiding America in recent months by carrying out dozens of airstrikes against Iran, intercepting hundreds of missiles and keeping oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

The move by the U.S. to give greater AI capabilities to the U.A.E. caps a yearslong push by the Gulf state to obtain American technology to diversify its economy. The decision also highlights the central role chips have come to play during diplomatic discussions.

Under a Trump administration rule change announced Friday, the U.A.E. will be treated like European countries, South Korea and India when buying technology, military items or energy infrastructure that could have military applications, the Commerce Department said. The U.A.E. previously was in a group that included China and Yemen.

The change is likely to draw scrutiny because it rewards a country whose national-security adviser became a top business partner of the Trump family last year.

The shift allows the country’s main AI company, G42, to buy chips freely from companies such as Nvidia for at least the next nine months. It removes limits on large U.S. companies including Microsoft and OpenAI that have planned data centers in the country. Those companies previously needed licenses approved by the Commerce Department to export chips needed to run AI models, a laborious process that can take months and is frequently delayed. The greater chip access could be worth billions of dollars, industry analysts said.