USA - Some communities and politicians are pushing back against data centers — vital yet sometimes controversial facilities underpinning our digital lives and the AI explosion. Why it matters: More than 5,000 of these key tech facilities now dot the American landscape, often requiring massive amounts of energy and land and receiving big government incentives. Threat level: Data centers are also driving a surge in electricity demand — especially amid the rapid growth of new AI tools. Utilities now estimate data centers will need nearly 40 gigawatts of additional electricity by 2028, per a December 2023 report from consulting firm Grid Strategies — nearly double their prior guess. Demand is so high that at least one mothballed nuclear reactor, Pennsylvania's infamous Three Mile Island, might come back online to power them.

CHINA - China’s near-total dominance of the world’s supply of rare-earth metals – which are used in the manufacture of everything from cars and computer chips to F-35 fighter jets and nuclear-powered submarines – means Xi can squeeze the US where it hurts. “Critical minerals are one of the most important bargaining chips for China in its negotiations with Washington. China will really hold on to this, as a significant point of leverage,” says Matilda Buchan, a senior analyst at Asia House, a London think tank. Beijing’s willingness to weaponise the rare-earths supply chain is so potent a threat to the US economy and military that it has already pushed the White House into de-escalating its planned trade war with China. The threat of factory production lines grinding to a halt highlights the immense power of China in this crucial market, and the power of its hand in negotiations.

RUSSIA - It’s becoming increasingly clear that new Pope Leo XIV is going to be ‘hands-on’ in the pursuit of peace, and is not going to be bound by his predecessor Francis’ approach. Further proof of that came today in the form of a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin – an act that can get almost anyone ‘cancelled’ and endlessly vilified. US-born Robert Prevost seems undeterred by that, and his Papacy as Leo XIV may well be surprising in this regard.

SWITZERLAND - The financial system is about to undergo a major transformation. The Basel III Endgame regulations, set to begin on July 1, 2025, will increase capital requirements for banks with over $100 billion in assets, forcing them to hold more reserves and limit lending. The Federal Reserve, along with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), finalized these reforms in July 2023, marking a new era of financial regulation.

USA - President Trump doubled down Wednesday on calls to scrap the nation’s debt ceiling, pressing for bipartisan action to abolish it and finding common ground with Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts). “I am very pleased to announce that, after all of these years, I agree with Senator Elizabeth Warren on SOMETHING. The Debt Limit should be entirely scrapped to prevent an Economic catastrophe. It is too devastating to be put in the hands of political people that may want to use it despite the horrendous effect it could have on our Country and, indirectly, even the World. As to Senator Warren’s second statement on the 4 Trillion Dollars, I like that also, but it would have to be done over a period of time, as short as possible. Let’s get together, Republican and Democrat, and DO THIS!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

JAPAN - Researchers in Japan have developed a self-powered artificial eye that mimics human vision by using solar cells to distinguish colors with high precision, down to 10 nanometers of wavelength difference. The device can perform logic operations and recognize motion and color with up to 82% accuracy, thanks to its unique ability to produce both positive and negative electrical responses based on light input. Because it requires no external power and filters information like a biological retina, this technology could lead to ultra-efficient machine vision systems for use in autonomous vehicles, wearable health monitors, and remote sensors. Every second, your eyes process an enormous flood of visual information, yet your brain never crashes or overheats. Japanese researchers took inspiration from our eyes, creating an artificial retina that could give today’s power-hungry machine vision systems a major upgrade.

USA - More Tech Leaders are Learning that AI Cannot Replace Humans – Efficiency and Accuracy Are Actually Getting Worse. When I began writing about the AI bubble and the future Big Tech collapse at the end of 2022 with the launch of ChatGPT’s first LLM (Large Language Models) AI app, I was just one of a handful of writers who have worked in Technology that was warning the public about the dangers of relying on this “new” technology. There were a few dissenting voices besides myself back then, but now two-and-a-half years later and trillions of dollars of LLM AI investments, barely a day goes by where I do not see articles documenting the failures of this AI, and reporting factual news about what its limitations and failures are, rather than pumping up the hype.

UK - In some alternative universe, Britain’s Labour Government would be indulging in some high-profile virtue signalling this week. In this one, unfortunately, a very different narrative is unfolding. It turns out that we are now too poor for even socialism – we have already run out of “other people’s money”. This should have been the week for a Labour Government with a huge majority to indulge its Big State instincts. It is surely clear to everyone that Thames Water is now broken, and it will inevitably require some form of bail-out from the Government if the taps and the sewers in the capital are to keep operating. The Government might be expected to step in with a plan to take it into state ownership. The problem is the Treasury doesn’t have the money, either to service its debts or to repair the pipes. Instead, it is scrabbling around for some other form of refinancing.

RUSSIA - As the world’s attention is fixed on Ukraine, a far more dangerous crisis is brewing in the Baltic – one that could explode this summer. A deadly showdown between Russian and Nato vessels is ever more likely on its dark waters that could make the events on the steppes of Donetsk look like a playground scuffle. For months, Nato countries have reported a string of sabotage attempts on vital undersea internet, energy and communications cables. Then, last week, Russia’s Baltic and Northern Fleets launched a massive display of military strength in those waters: more than 20 warships, 25 aircraft and helicopters, and 3,000 troops took to sea.

UK - White British people will become a minority in the UK population within the next 40 years, a report has predicted. An analysis of migration, birth and death rates up to the end of the 21st century predicts that white British people will decline from their current position as 73 per cent of the population to 57 per cent by 2050 before slipping into a minority by 2063. The research, by Professor Matt Goodwin of Buckingham University, suggests that by the end of the century, the white British share of the population could have fallen to around a third (33.7 per cent).

RUSSIA - Vladimir Putin is planning revenge for Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russia’s bomber fleet, Donald Trump has warned. The US president said he had a “good conversation” with his Russian counterpart, after an unexpected phone call, but that it was “not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace”. Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social network: “President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.” His comments came after Putin finally broke his silence following Kyiv’s co-ordinated drone assaults to once again rule out a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Russian leader said that Kyiv would exploit the break in the fighting to rearm and remobilise and carry out further “terrorist attacks”.

VATICAN - Putin on Wednesday also held his first telephone call with Pope Leo, in which the pair “exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine”, according to the Kremlin. Keeping the contents of the call vague, the Kremlin claimed that Putin “reiterated his interest in achieving peace” but that the “root causes” of the conflict must be addressed first. The new pontiff has been vocal in his demands for an end to the fighting and for a “lasting peace”. In a resurfaced 2022 interview, he condemned Russia’s aggression, calling it a “true invasion, imperialism in nature”. His predecessor Pope Francis did not speak directly to Putin following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Their last known call was held in December 2021, but the pair had met three times before the war.

USA - Corporate America has fallen out of love with Pride month – and it’s because of Donald Trump. Businesses that used to smother their merchandise in rainbow flags for the month of June have dramatically scaled back this year, many wary of provoking an investigation by the Trump administration. Meanwhile, Pride events across the US are facing budget shortfalls as corporate sponsors duck out. Robby Starbuck, the anti-woke activist known for his pressure campaigns, believes a “massive” shift has taken place at some of the world’s biggest companies in the past year. On his first days in office, Mr Trump issued a flurry of executive orders taking aim at diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in both the government and private sector.

USA - Elon Musk has trashed Donald Trump’s much-vaunted “big beautiful bill” as a “pork-filled disgusting abomination”. The tech billionaire, who left his role in the White House last week, savaged the president’s flagship spending bill as “outrageous” while criticising lawmakers for burdening Americans with “unsustainable debt”. He wrote on X: I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." Mr Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill has promised to deliver $4.5 trillion (£3.3 trillion) worth of tax cuts while significantly increasing America’s deficit. The Tesla founder has previously warned that America was going “bankrupt” as a result of its $36.2 trillion debt pile, echoing similar concerns made by economists.

USA - Google engineer says humans can cheat death – we just have to merge with AI. Imagine a world where age is just a number, and living for centuries is within reach. Silicon Valley's brightest minds are racing to make immortality a reality. Imagine living forever – staying young, sharp, and healthy for centuries. It sounds like science fiction, but according to leading experts and Silicon Valley elites, immortality may be closer than we think – and it could arrive within our lifetimes, reports Science.org.