Intensifies

• The Monsoon Session of Parliament was adjourned for the day following the laying of papers, oath-taking by new members, and obituary references. • Proceedings were disrupted as protests by the CJP intensified and opposition parties launched sharp attacks against the government. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously expressed hope that the session would remain smooth and productive.

• The United States is reportedly deploying additional warplanes to the Middle East as tensions and fighting intensify with Iran. • The IDF has attributed the death of a Lebanese soldier to an explosive device planted by Hezbollah, further escalating regional friction. • Domestically, Avigdor Liberman warned that Benjamin Netanyahu's camp may attempt to weaponize the Shin Bet against political rivals and media outlets.

Sixth day of fighting threatens to turn into all-out war and casts serious doubt on peace deal struck last month• Chaos and confusion bring US no closer to resolution on strait of HormuzMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe US has intensified its attacks on Iran, hitting targets near Tehran and striking a ship it accused of trying to break its blockade, while Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at US allies in the regionThe back-and-forth attacks, which have reached their sixth consecutive day, threaten to pull the region back into a total war and cast serious doubt about an interim deal reached last month meant to achieve a permanent peace. Continue reading...

• The Indian government is increasing its regulatory scrutiny of major digital platforms, including Meta, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, to combat AI-driven threats such as deepfakes and fraud. • Recent enforcement actions include a notice to Meta regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM) found in paid Instagram advertisements and a review of WhatsApp's proposed username feature. • This shift reflects a broader effort to safeguard user privacy, transparency, and consent as AI fundamentally reshapes digital content and data ecosystems.

• China is considering new AI export controls following the global success of models like DeepSeek's R1, which offer high capabilities at lower costs than Western alternatives. • This move follows June regulations tightening oversight on overseas agreements involving Chinese investors, data, technology, and national security. • Authorities have already begun investigating several AI startups, including Manus, to identify potential violations of existing export control laws.

More than 200 arrested in raids, comedian and journalists jailed, gay-friendly cruise turned away and protests bannedAuthorities in Turkey have widened a crackdown on public life, arresting more than 200 people during raids across Ankara last month, jailing a comedian and blocking a cruise ship carrying LGBTQ+ passengers from docking in the run-up to the Nato summit in the capital.The arrests followed a ban on demonstrations in Ankara that was put in place until 10 July. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said this was evidence of Turkey’s “ruthless intolerance of freedom of speech and assembly”. The watchdog group said the Nato summit, which starts on Tuesday, was taking place in the context of intensifying violations of basic rights, “including far-reaching restrictions on the main political opposition party, the media, and freedom of expression in general”. Continue reading...

• Analysts warn that cyberattacks from China-based entities are increasing and expanding their targets beyond specific technology sectors as the AI competition with the U.S. intensifies. • Copyleaks, a U.S. AI content detection startup, reported that responses from the Chinese model DeepSeek R1 resembled OpenAI's ChatGPT nearly 75% of the time. • This high level of stylistic similarity suggests that the open-source Chinese model may have been trained using data from the U.S.-developed LLM.