Maryann Keady

[Brian McDonald @BrianMcDonaldIE]

Kazakh President Tokayev, speaking alongside Putin in Omsk, suggested freezing the Ukraine conflict and returning to what he called an “Istanbul 2.0” formula.

Tokayev said he had been receiving “many signals” from Western Europe and the US and had already discussed them with Putin by phone and he also praised Putin for showing “maximum diplomatic flexibility” at the Anchorage meeting in Alaska, last year.

“Perhaps this conflict should now be frozen and we should return to the Istanbul formula 2.0, since significant results were achieved there,” Tokayev said, adding that any settlement would require guarantees from major powers, including Russia.

[Megatron @Megatron_ron]

NEW: 🇺🇸🇨🇳 Apple wants to use Chinese memory chips to lower the prices of their products, Micron the only major U.S. memory chip maker, is lobbying against, per WSJ

Apple is lobbying the Trump administration to allow it to use memory chips from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies and Yangtze Memory Technologies in products sold outside the U.S., arguing the move would ease the global memory shortage and help lower costs, WSJ reports.

Micron, the only major U.S. memory chip maker, is lobbying against the plan, warning it could undermine the domestic semiconductor industry, even if the chips are only used in products sold abroad.

[Clash Report @clashreport]

German battery maker Varta AG filed for insolvency along with three subsidiaries after shareholders Porsche and Michael Tojner refused to inject fresh capital.

It's the company's second collapse in under two years.

The killer blow came in May when Apple dropped Varta as its AirPods battery supplier for cheaper Chinese ones, forcing the Nördlingen plant to close and 350 jobs to go.

[Open Source Intel @Osint613]

CENTCOM says the U.S. naval blockade of Iran remains in force, with 12 commercial vessels redirected, 2 boarded, and 2 disabled after violating the blockade.

The latest: The Mozambique flagged tanker Lavine was disabled in the Gulf of Oman after ignoring repeated warnings and attempting to breach the U.S. naval blockade on Iran.

[The Hormuz Letter @HormuzLetter]

BREAKING: Ukraine has struck the Antipinsky Oil Refinery in Tyumen, Russia with drones today, damaging Russia's largest privately owned oil refinery in one of Ukraine's deepest strikes at 2,000 km from the front.

The Antipinsky Refinery has a capacity of ~160,000 barrels per day and is the only industrial oil refinery operating in Russia's Ural Federal District, supplying Euro-5 diesel and gasoline to the broader Urals/West Siberia region.

[NEXTA @nexta_tv]

⚡️Zelensky says Ukraine successfully struck vessels in the Caspian Sea that were transporting military cargo between Russia and Iran

[Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en]

President of Kazakhstan Tokayev, during a meeting with Putin, suggested "freezing" the war in Ukraine.

The meeting between the presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia is taking place in Omsk, Russia. President Tokayev emphasized that his country has always respected the Ukrainian people, their culture, and language. The President of Kazakhstan stated that he has been receiving "many signals from Europe and the US regarding the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine." "The nature of this conflict is not entirely clear to many, including us," he noted.

President Tokayev said: "My humble opinion. Perhaps it is time to freeze the conflict and return to the Istanbul Agreements 2.0." In response, Putin promised to inform Tokayev "in detail" about "the situation on the Ukrainian front."

[Middle East Observer @ME_Observer_]

⚡️⭕️ Oil facilities in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, are still burning after Yemen's overnight retaliatory strikes

[Sarah Wilkinson @swilkinsonbc]

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, who issued the arrest warrants for israeli war criminals Netanyahu & Yoav Gallant, has been removed from office

[Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده @RamAbdu]

🚨More than 10 Israeli settler-operated bulldozers are uprooting olive trees in Palestinian villages around Nablus, while Israeli soldiers block the entrances and exits, trapping residents as the destruction unfolds. @AbeerSalmanCNN

[Byron Wan @Byron_Wan]

🇺🇸 Department of War has placed 🇨🇳 Fudan University and 🇨🇳 Shanghai Jiao Tong University on its Section 1286 list of foreign institutions deemed to pose a threat to US national security.

https://t.co/cly3QcWFNX

https://t.co/g97YXaiCQf

https://t.co/Skhg1QxsYX

https://t.co/x0Zw95k0ye

https://t.co/ODnvoCAOWU

[MonitorX @MonitorX99800]

🇸🇦🇾🇪⚡– Saudi Arabia has suspended all flights from Riyadh and Jeddah until furthur notice.

Meanwhile a new wave of ballistic missiles have been launched from Yemen targeting Yanbu, Jazan and Khamis Mushait.

[Current Report @Currentreport1]

BREAKING:

Yemen's Ansarullah has struck the Saudi Aramco refinery in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

[Open Source Intel @Osint613]

Iran's Araghchi and China's Wang Yi met on the sidelines of the SCO meeting.

[Stephen Dziedzic @stephendziedzic]

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi praises PNG's decision to close Taiwan's representative office in Port Moresby, and says it will "provide a reference for other countries in handling issues related to Taiwan institutions"

[UnveiledChina @Unveiled_ChinaX]

Just 24 hours after the European Union sanctioned 14 Chinese firms aiding Russia, Beijing retaliated by blacklisting 14 major European defense contractors and high-tech research labs.

The targeted list hits critical defense and technology hubs across eight EU nations. Affected entities include German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall, Czech military vehicle maker Tatra Trucks, French defense drone builder Cavok UAS, and French semiconductor research center III-V Lab.

Also blacklisted are Polish infrared sensor producer Vigo Photonics, Lithuanian laser manufacturer Ekspla, Italian industrial motor maker Lafert, and Dutch maritime shipbuilder IHC Merwede.

Under Announcement 30 issued by China's Ministry of Commerce, these entities are immediately barred from receiving Chinese dual-use goods or Chinese-origin technology. The move directly targets Europe’s dependence on Chinese critical minerals, including antimony for ammunition primers, tungsten for armor plating, and gallium for radar semiconductors.

While European Commission Chief Press Secretary Paula Pinho confirmed that officials are analyzing the economic damage, the retaliation exposes how vulnerable supply chains become when controlled by a geopolitical rival.

[Tymofiy Mylovanov @Mylovanov]

More than 70% of Crimea's 2.5 million residents have lost power, many now going days with no electricity or running water.

Cheap Ukrainian drones did in one month what Russia swore for 12 years could never happen, handing Kyiv leverage over any peace talks — The Guardian. 1/

[Ihab Hassan @IhabHassane]

UPDATE: The situation in the West Bank is rapidly escalating. The Israeli army has imposed a lockdown across the West Bank, closing nearly all entrances and exits.

Meanwhile, Israeli settler terrorists are escalating their attacks on more than 15 Palestinian villages, setting homes and fields on fire.

These are coordinated attacks between the Israeli army and settlers with one objective: to make Palestinian life in the West Bank unbearable.

[Michelle Wiese Bockmann @Michellewb_]

if you pay a toll to Iran to go through the Strait of Hormuz shipowners will lose their insurance cover. London, 23 July 2026, this release from the LMA makes it very clear:

"The Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA) has published a new model clause for use by marine hull underwriters, addressing the position of transit fee, toll or other payments made in connection with vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The clause has been developed to provide clarity to the market on the insurance position where it has been confirmed that a payment (including financial or other forms of payment) has been made to enable a vessel to pass through Iranian territorial waters or otherwise transit the Strait.

"The LMA has developed the clause in response to concerns about applicable sanctions and terrorism legislation arising where insurers become aware, or through appropriate due diligence ought reasonably to become aware, that any financial or non-financial payment has been given by the insured. It is intended to operate alongside existing sanctions clauses.

"Under the clause, insurers will not cover any such payment. In addition, where a payment has been made, cover for the relevant vessel will cease due to the risk of a breach of sanctions and/or terrorism legislation in the US, UK or EU.

"Arabella Ramage, Legal and Regulatory Director at the LMA, commented: “The clause and guidance have been developed to support the market in navigating a complex and evolving legal and regulatory environment.

“It provides a clear contractual position for insurers and insureds where transit payments, including non-financial payments, are given in connection with passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The clause and guidance align with existing sanctions and terrorism frameworks, while also evidencing the insurer’s due diligence and compliance.”
https://t.co/IMgb2Sui03

[Ihab Hassan @IhabHassane]

BREAKING: Israeli settler terrorists have begun carrying out coordinated pogroms across the West Bank, vowing to murder Palestinians and burn families alive.

This video is from the village of Urif, where Israeli settlers set homes on fire and attempted to burn families alive.