Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance will be held in Shanghai from July 17-20; CHINA will attend the opening ceremony and deliver the keynote address.

Israeli military said it killed two Hamas militants in the northern Gaza Strip.

FT reports EU imports of LNG from Russia's Yamal project reached a record 9.89 mln t in 1H2026, up 18% YoY, Kpler data show. NGO Urgewald estimates Europe may have paid up to €6 bln for those cargos. Biggest buyers were France (3.6 mln t), Belgium (2.9 mln t) and Spain (2.7 mln t). Under current EU rules purchases of Russian LNG via short-term contracts are banned, requiring customs to verify imports are covered by long-term contracts; from Jan. 1, 2027 the EU will ban imports of Russian LNG under long-term contracts.