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• The European Union announced plans on Thursday to invest €30 billion into the construction of seven massive computing hubs designed to train AI models. • Germany, Greece, Portugal, Italy, and Spain are leading the effort to back and develop these multi-billion-euro data centers. • This initiative aims to bolster Europe's technological sovereignty and capacity to compete with global AI leaders by providing the necessary infrastructure for large-scale model training.

• The European Union has announced a €10 billion public funding initiative to support the construction of up to seven new artificial intelligence data centers across Europe. • The program invites companies to apply for funding to build the infrastructure, aiming to strengthen the bloc's internal technological capabilities. • This move is a strategic effort to reduce the EU's heavy reliance on overseas technology and foreign cloud providers, particularly those from the U.S. and China.

• A Shanghai-based firm has commenced the mass production of Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines for major Chinese chipmakers including SMIC, Hua Hong, and CXMT. • This development marks a significant step in China's effort to reduce its reliance on foreign semiconductor equipment amidst ongoing trade restrictions. • Despite this progress, ASML maintains a dominant lead in the market due to its superior technology and the complexity of high-end chip manufacturing.

• The Federal Reserve is expected to maintain current interest rates during its upcoming meeting, though two members may dissent by voting for a rate hike. • Market focus is centered on the number of dissenters, as the official statement and Chair Warsh are not expected to provide significant new policy signals. • This specific meeting will not include the Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), limiting the available forward-looking guidance on inflation and growth.

Coalition says Chemours downplayed health and climate risks in bid to fast-track the compound’s useA coalition of 17 environmental groups is demanding the Environmental Protection Agency reject a new Pfas that chemical giant Chemours is attempting to fast track for approval for use in cooling datacenters, and would almost certainly pollute regions around the facilities.In formal comments submitted to the agency, the groups accuse Chemours of using bad science to downplay the chemical’s toxicity and climate risks. Approving Chemours’ application as it is would violate the law, the Earthjustice legal non-profit, a lead author of the comments, wrote. Continue reading...

• Non-profits including Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), Earthjustice, and DarkSky International have filed a US petition demanding a formal review of proposed space-based datacenters. • The petition targets plans from tech companies, specifically those associated with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, citing fears of severe environmental destruction. • Experts warn that these orbital facilities could be "catastrophic" for the planet, specifically highlighting risks of increased light pollution and atmospheric damage.

‘Ratepayer Protection Pledge’ president has touted is non-binding as people continue to struggle with rising billsDonald Trump has announced that some 200 entities have signed onto his non-binding “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” expanding a voluntary commitment which claims to ensure US consumers will not bear the cost of the AI datacenter build-out.Trump delivered remarks on Thursday at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters, alongside Lee Zeldin, the agency’s administrator, and Chris Wright, the energy secretary. Other attendees included governors who signed onto the pledge, including Brian Kemp of Georgia, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Spencer Cox of Utah and Jeff Landry of Louisiana. Continue reading...

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman disclosed a major security incident on July 21 involving "jailbreak" attacks targeting the company's models. • The breach was discovered during a round of model safety evaluations, leading to a joint investigation with Hugging Face, the leading AI open-source community. • This event is significant as it represents one of the first exposed autonomous AI cyberattacks, signaling a new and more dangerous phase of AI security risks.

• Microsoft announced on Tuesday a multibillion-dollar deal to fund European data centers for the French AI startup Mistral. • The partnership integrates Mistral's AI models more deeply into Microsoft's ecosystem, specifically through the Microsoft Foundry application-development platform. • Two specific models, Medium 3.5 and OCR 4, are now available in Microsoft Foundry, with Medium 3.5 also launching in Copilot Studio.

• The CJP protest in West Bengal has entered its 24th day without a breakthrough following violent "Sansad Chalo" clashes. • The BJP-led government has begun reopening several high-profile investigations, including the 2021 post-poll violence, the school recruitment scam, and the 2024 RG Kar rape and murder case. • These legal moves signal a shift in the state's political discourse by revisiting major scandals and crimes from the past five years.

• A recent POLITICO Poll reveals that American attitudes toward data centers have become increasingly negative and politically polarized over the last six months. • Governor Kathy Hochul has implemented the first statewide moratorium on new data center projects to address critical infrastructure concerns. • The pause is intended to allow policymakers to evaluate the impact of these facilities on rising energy costs and excessive water consumption.

A longstanding bromance means the Liverpool regional major very much has the ear of the soon-to-be PMWhen a new prime minister enters Downing Street, observers usually look to those around the cabinet table to see where influence lies. With Andy Burnham, they should look 200 miles north – not to Manchester, but Liverpool.Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool city region, may not have a formal role in government but he has a strong claim to having the closest personal bond to the incoming prime minister, a man he calls his “bezzie mate”. Continue reading...

Demonstrations planned across the US this weekend will focus on three issues likely to define the midterm electionsThousands of Americans are expected to take to the streets this weekend in mass protests around issues likely to define the midterm elections: widespread violence from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, voter suppression and datacenter construction.The protests – some recently planned in response to last week’s ICE shootings, others an annual event with new urgency – will take place not just in big cities and progressive towns, but also in rural and red areas. Continue reading...

• Major technology firms, including Oracle, are increasingly turning to the bond market to secure the massive funding required to build AI data centers. • S&P Global downgraded Oracle's debt on July 9, noting that the company's financial health has been deteriorating. • This downgrade leaves Oracle's debt just one notch above "junk bond" status, signaling a significant increase in financial risk.

• Activist Sonam Wangchuk entered his 21st consecutive day of an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, July 16, 2026. • The protest is driven by allegations of irregularities and paper leaks surrounding the NEET examinations. • A court has intervened, directing government doctors to provide continuous medical monitoring of Wangchuk to ensure his safety.

Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order enacting a moratorium on the large, resource-intensive AI facilitiesNew York became the first US state to enact a moratorium on new datacenters on Tuesday.Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order mandating a one-year statewide pause on the large facilities used to power artificial intelligence products. Continue reading...

• LTM reported strong revenue growth and margin expansion for Q1 FY27, driven by a surge in corporate AI spending and strategic hiring initiatives. • According to Venu Lambu, clients are prioritizing AI-led software engineering to accelerate product development and increase throughput velocity. • This shift matters as it demonstrates how AI is being integrated into core business operations to deliver products to market at a significantly faster pace.

• Oxford University has launched Phase 1 human trials for a new Ebola vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain, supported by CEPI. • The Serum Institute is producing over 620,000 doses, with the trial beginning just 57 days after the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. • This rapid development marks one of the fastest responses to an emerging infectious disease, aiming to curb the spread of the rare strain.

• Environmental and scientific organizations are calling for mandatory federal environmental reviews of proposed space-based data center projects. • Critics argue that deploying potentially millions of orbiting data centers without oversight is "reckless" and irresponsible. • The push for regulation highlights growing concerns over space debris, orbital congestion, and the ecological impact of large-scale satellite infrastructure.

• The CDC is providing updates on Ebola outbreaks currently affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. • The agency is also preparing its "activation" strategy for the upcoming 2026 World Cup to manage public health risks. • These efforts highlight the CDC's role in monitoring global infectious disease threats and coordinating health safety for major international events.

• New Project Media (NPM) has launched new intelligence and data coverage focusing on renewable energy and data centers across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. • Founder and CEO Ken Meehan stated that this expansion transforms NPM into a global intelligence platform, building upon its existing presence in North America and Europe. • The move integrates APAC data with NPM's other offerings, including Distributed Generation, API integrations, and AI-powered intelligence via NPM Edge.

• President Lee Jae Myung announced a massive $649 billion AI investment plan through 2026, led by the Samsung Group's decade-long commitment to robotics, data centers, and semiconductors. • The strategy leverages South Korea's global dominance in high-bandwidth memory chips, which currently account for approximately 80% of the worldwide supply. • This push is supported by the AI Framework Act, which took effect on January 22, 2026, establishing South Korea as one of the first Asian nations with comprehensive AI legislation.

• Indian badminton players have dominated the US Open 2026 in Fullerton, USA, with three athletes advancing to the semifinals. • Teenager Rounak Chouhan reached his first-ever BWF Super 300 semifinal, joining veteran Kidambi Srikanth and Devika Sihag in the final four. • This strong performance significantly increases the possibility of an all-India final across the categories.

• The 2026 BET Awards, hosted by comedian Druski, will air live on Sunday, June 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the BET network. • The event will honor Sylvia Rhone with the Ultimate Icon Award and recognize Teyana Taylor as the Icon of the Year. • Known as “Culture’s Biggest Night,” the ceremony serves as a major celebration of Black excellence in music and entertainment.

• RAYE and Ari Lennox have been added to the performance lineup for the 2026 BET Awards, which will be hosted by comedian Druski. • The ceremony is scheduled to air live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28, at 8 p.m. ET. • High-profile stars including Keke Palmer and Kelly Rowland are confirmed to appear as presenters during the event.

• Nebius, Azur Datacenters, and Inflect are collaborating to develop "AI factories" to enhance digital infrastructure in Northern France. • The project marks a shift from multi-billion dollar investment announcements and sovereign AI planning toward the actual execution of high-capacity data centers. • This initiative is critical for establishing European AI sovereignty by providing the necessary compute power to support large-scale AI model training and deployment.

• Global spending on AI data centers surpassed $300 billion in 2025, marking a significant 60% increase compared to the previous year. • Investment trends indicate that spending on these facilities is projected to reach $27.5 billion specifically in 2026. • This surge highlights the accelerating demand for computational infrastructure to support the rapid growth and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.

Tenants push for tougher rules against unfair add-on charges. Industry players argue against policies that they say could limit the ‘effective use of fees’‘Extremely overwhelmed’: apartment renters face rising tide of feesAcross the US, many renters are calling for national action to stem add-on charges that spike their housing costs and increase their risk of eviction.“The rental housing market is one where consumers have little power,” Farah Momin, a renter in Seattle, told the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in April. “Landlords can impose fees through take-it-or-leave-it lease terms, and the cost/disruption of moving means that tenants may absorb unfair charges rather than leave. Federal baseline protections are needed to level this playing field.” Continue reading...