One thread ran through the day: economic coercion — tariffs, sanctions and enforcement fines — colliding with a widening war in the Gulf.

Trade and tariffs

  • Washington tied Google's €890m Digital Markets Act fine to the US-EU trade deal and warned of retaliatory tariffs; Brussels cannot bargain away a fine only its courts can annul. more
  • US tariffs on some 60 partners, justified by forced-labour claims, drew backlash: Canada weighed its 'full range' of retaliation, Japan and Australia called them 'unjustified'. more
  • China imposed export controls on 14 European firms in retaliation for the EU's latest Russia sanctions, turning the fight into a direct EU-China confrontation — though scale stays undisclosed. more

The Gulf and Iran

  • US forces struck Iran for a 13th straight night as Trump threatened 'bigger' attacks; the floated ceasefire failed to hold and oil broke $100, raising fuel, food and freight costs worldwide. more
  • The EU added Iranian judges and a cyber figure to its human-rights sanctions list over persecution of dissidents; the US separately sanctioned an Iranian financier the same day. more

Brussels' regulatory front

  • The Commission told TikTok its handling of minors' accounts may breach the Digital Services Act — a preliminary charge that could bring fines of up to 6% of global turnover. more
  • Ten member states warned that the Commission's 'cash-for-reforms' seven-year budget could freeze regional funds; the design needs unanimity, so the objection carries weight. more

Analysis and flashpoints

  • Western analysts are shifting the tech contest from denial toward rules, data and industrial inputs — a fight now landing on Kenya, Mexico and the global South. more
  • A single mid-reliability report said a Romanian jet downed a suspected Russian drone; with no time, location or official confirmation, whether NATO calls it an attack remains open. more