Latest news for 15 June 2026

FRANCE

G7 kicks off.

World leaders are now descending on the French town of Evian-les-Bains for today’s G7 summit kick-off. Non-G7 guests include India’s Modi, Brazil’s Lula, Kenya’s Ruto, Korea’s Lee, and Ukraine’s Zelensky. (AP)

UNITED STATES

Not for you.

The Trump administration has used natsec export controls to order Anthropic to block all foreigners (including its own non-US employees) from its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. (Al Jazeera)

Comment: Giving off major ITAR vibes (strict rules around US rocketry), the official reason is fear that foes could use this AI to exploit US vulnerabilities, though it’s reviving two other debates: first, whether DC is still punishing Anthropic for pushing back on the Pentagon; and second, what it means for US competitiveness — EU politicians are already citing this as more proof the bloc needs to curb its US reliance, while shares in China’s own ‘Zhipu’ AI pioneer just surged 48% today (thanks to a JP Morgan target upgrade, though investors saw this Anthropic news as a tailwind).

VENEZUELA

Gang leader dead in US strike.

President Trump has announced a US airstrike in Venezuela killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, leader of the Tren de Aragua gang. (France24)

Comment: It’s notable that Venezuela is confirming it participated in the operation, revealing a new dimension to Caracas-DC ties in the post-Maduro era.

UKRAINE

Putin attacks church.

Russia’s latest attacks on Kyiv have killed at least another four and damaged the UNESCO-listed Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, founded back in the 11th century. Meanwhile, President Trump has held separate calls with both Presidents Zelensky and Putin for his 80th birthday (Sunday), discussing how to end the war. (CNN)

UNITED KINGDOM

Yoink.

The Brits have seized a tanker belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet as it was sailing through the English Channel. The tanker had been expelled from the Cameroonian registry, leaving it effectively stateless. (Guardian)

Comment: A single seizure might seem a drop in the barrel (~700 shadow tankers transport ~75% of Russia’s oil), but the goal is to raise the cost for owners who might increasingly wonder if it’s worth losing everything just to help Putin evade sanctions.

SWITZERLAND

No population cap.

Initial results suggest a 53% majority of Swiss voters have rejected the big referendum proposal to cap the country’s population at 10 million. (EuroNews)

Comment: The result still seems close enough — and high-profile enough — to inspire a few copy-cats among other societies and governments grappling with how to optimise their immigration settings.

DR CONGO

Trying to pull a fast one?

Security forces have dispersed a group of protesters opposing a feared attempt by President Tshisekedi to run for a third term. Lawmakers just passed a bill that’d allow constitutional amendments (such as on term limits) via referendum. (Reuters)

Comment: Tshisekedi has long been soft-launching the idea of hanging around, warning conflict in the east would make it impossible to hold elections by 2028, and flagging his openness to a third term if that’s what the people want. Hah.