July 15 2026 News

The United States conducted a new wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.The strikes targeted coastal defense systems, cruise missile storage, and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island during the 90-minute wave, CENTCOM said.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of a devout Orthodox Jew suing the city of University Heights, Ohio, after officials required him to obtain a permit to pray in his home with a small group of friends. Lower federal courts threw out his lawsuit and said he needed to finish the permitting process before vindicating his constitutional rights.

Britain said on Tuesday it would carry out its biggest home defence exercise in decades next year, ​seeking to test its ability to counter hybrid ‌threats such as cyberattacks, disinformation and sabotage of critical infrastructure. Britain and European allies have rapidly accelerated defence preparations since Russia invaded Ukraine in ​2022, with NATO warning that Moscow could be ready ​to attack Europe by 2030. Britain has said ⁠Russia has stepped up hybrid threats — from physical and cyberattacks ​to information warfare.

Ten European countries have agreed to establish a new Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition, aiming to address one of Europe’s key defence gaps by accelerating the development of a shared missile defence capability. In a joint declaration signed on Monday in Paris on the margins of the Coalition of the Willing meeting, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom said the initiative would create a “purely defensive” framework to strengthen Europe’s security through closer industrial, technological and military cooperation. The coalition’s “Flagship Project” will focus on rapidly developing anti-ballistic missile capabilities, “complementing existing national and European missile defense systems” rather than replacing them.

Reuters reported on July 14 that Son said AI would need $5 trillion annually by 2040, could account for 20% of global GDP, and would involve 100 trillion autonomous AI agents in an “agent-centric world.” The same report linked those claims to large investments in data centers and robotics.

Britain aims to become the first major advanced economy ​to issue a digital sovereign ‌bond by doing so by early next year, finance minister Rachel Reeves ​said in a speech on ​Tuesday.

On Tuesday, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order instituting a one-year moratorium on new environmental permits for hyperscale data centers that “consume or can consume” 50 or more megawatts of energy. The order is intended to give lawmakers in the state time to “build a nation-leading regulatory framework” to rein in data center development, which Hochul says “threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers.”

A Christian Finnish MP convicted of hate speech has been denied entry to the UK. Päivi Räsänen was found guilty of hate speech in March, over comments she made regarding a traditional view of marriage. Now, her electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to the UK has been cancelled. The travel permit can be denied due to someone having criminal convictions. Räsänen said her ETA application was initially approved, but she later received notification from UK authorities that it had been cancelled. No explanation was given for the decision.

On July 9, the US Federal Communications Commission authorized Reflect Orbital to build, launch, and operate a mirror satellite in low Earth orbit. The experimental satellite, named Eärendil-1, would be capable of reflecting sunlight onto specific locations on Earth during the night.