Saudi defense minister said he discussed regional developments with the UAE president.

Microsoft has pulled out of a planned data‑centre partnership with UK cloud startup Nscale at Laindon, Essex, removing its role as the project’s intended anchor tenant. Microsoft gave no reason; the project has suffered repeated delays and local authorities have told Nscale grid power may not be available until the 2030s. Nscale’s Norway flagship is about six months behind schedule and running 6.4 MW of an expected 30 MW capacity. Nscale’s IPO filing shows roughly 85% of contracts depend on Microsoft and ANTHROPIC. The company is seeking up to $3 bln in an IPO that could proceed as soon as this month.

Al Jazeera cited Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov saying Ukrainian President Zelenskiy does not want to negotiate and has repeatedly sabotaged talks.