EU Sanctions Push: The EU unveiled a new 21st Russia sanctions package aimed at choking Russia’s “war economy,” with proposed measures targeting banks, weapons makers, oil traders/refineries and crypto operators in third countries, plus a visa ban for former Russian combatants. Meta Antitrust: The European Commission ordered Meta to restore free access for rival AI chatbots to WhatsApp while its antitrust probe continues, arguing Meta used WhatsApp dominance to foreclose competitors. Semiconductors: Brussels proposed “Chips Act 2.0” to boost European chip demand and reduce strategic dependencies, linking the plan to broader EU cloud/AI and open-source efforts. Banking & AI Research: Lloyds Banking Group and the University of Glasgow launched a four-year agentic AI research programme for software and data engineering. Defence Industrial Politics: Airbus-led partners submitted a new European fighter-jet concept after the Franco-German FCAS collapse, feeding into Germany’s next procurement options. Cross-border Infrastructure: The EU committed €37m to extend the Blue-Raman subsea cable into East Africa, improving connectivity for Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia and Djibouti. Migration Rules: Human Rights Watch warned the EU Migration and Asylum Pact takes full effect June 12, saying it will weaken access to asylum and expand detention. Markets/Policy Context: A survey found only 1 in 10 Europeans view the US as an ally, pushing support for greater European defence self-reliance.