The tell-tale signs of a northern summer have begun: those 'out of office' replies are ghosting like your college group-project partner, thermometers are melting like cheap gelato, and heads of state are racking up more miles than a 22-year-old on Contiki.
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10 July
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IRAN
Amid what the Emiratis are condemning as a “brazen” Iranian attack on two more tankers near Hormuz, President Trump has declared the US naval blockade on Iran’s ships (“and customers”) is now “back on”. His tweet suggests it’ll remain open for everyone else, subject to a new fee (20% of cargo value!) to reimburse US costs. (Guardian)
YEMEN
The Houthis have fired ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia, framed as retaliation for an earlier Saudi attack reportedly aimed at preventing a Houthi delegation from landing after Khamenei’s funeral in Iran. (AP)
CHINA
Xi Jinping has expelled former Xinjiang party chief and Politburo member Ma Xingrui from the ruling party on corruption charges. Ma is now the third member of China’s elite Politburo booted since 2025. (CNA)
HUNGARY
Péter Magyar has used his party’s new super-majority to oust Hungary’s ceremonial president, widely regarded as a loyalist to Hungary’s former strongman, Viktor Orbán. (Euractiv)
SOUTH AFRICA
Diamond giant De Beers is shuttering South Africa’s largest diamond mine for two years to cut costs amid collapsing prices. (Bloomberg $)
INDONESIA
14 nations (🇺🇸🇦🇺🇨🇦🇪🇪🇩🇪🇮🇹🇯🇵🇱🇻🇱🇹🇳🇿🇵🇭🇷🇴🇸🇮🇬🇧) have marked the 10th anniversary of a Hague tribunal’s landmark ruling against China’s vast ‘nine-dash line’ claiming the South China Sea, while Beijing has reiterated its rejection of that ruling as “illegal, null and void”. Most nations overlapping with China’s nine-dash line have issued their own anniversary statements, though Indonesia has stayed silent. (RFA)
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
In a reported first for the region, Port of Spain has signed major deals with US firms Hummingbird and EY LLP, paving the way for possible new 150MW and 300MW data centres. (Independent)
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10 July
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