JAPAN - In a Departure From Post-WW2 Limits, Japan Begins To Build a New Centralized Intelligence Agency. Post-WW2 Japan has operated under significant limitations on its military (the Self-Defense Forces) and its intelligence agencies. But right now, the Asian island-nation is leaving these restraints in the past, as the new government tries to build a centralized intelligence agency – something that is only natural in most countries, but still controversial there. Japanese leaders have privately approached partners such as the United States, Australia, and Germany in recent months for advice on technology, staffing, and priorities, according to interviews with officials from Japan and elsewhere. Sanae Takaichi [Prime Minster of Japan] has reversed bans on weapons exports and is presiding over the ‘biggest defense buildup in the postwar era’.

SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia has opened a new front in the Iran war after bombing Sana’a airport in Yemen. The strike on Monday damaged the runway and prevented an Iranian airliner from landing in the Yemeni capital, which is controlled by the Houthis, a pro-Tehran proxy militia. The airport bombing was claimed by the internationally recognised Yemeni government, which is heavily backed by Riyadh. However, the Yemeni administration lacks a functioning air force and a Houthi spokesman accused Saudi Arabia of conducting the attack. Two US officials told Axios that Donald Trump gave Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia his support for the military action.

MIDDLE EAST - Houthi rebels are preparing to shut the Bab el-Mandeb strait on behalf of Iran. A source told The Telegraph of a deliberate Iranian attempt to control “the other side of the Red Sea” and create a scenario similar to its grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Bab el-Mandeb is on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula from Hormuz, and forms a choke point between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The aim is to inflict more pain on the global economy and increase pressure on Donald Trump.

IRAN - In five tumultuous months, Iran’s surviving leaders have withstood more than 23,000 American and Israeli air strikes. Donald Trump’s decision to rain yet more high explosives down from the skies is unlikely to break their will. What matters far more is the imminent return of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. With that move, Trump is seeking to enforce the simple principle that Iran can only send its own ships through the Strait of Hormuz if every other country is free to do the same. If Iran starts firing missiles at passing tankers – as happened twice on Monday – then the US will ensure that the Islamic Republic cannot use this vital waterway either. Hence, the significance of the US Central Command announcement that it will “enforce” a “blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas”.

UK - The public will be told to stock up on food and water in case of a Russian cyber attack under new plans to prepare the country for conflict. Later this year, ministers will launch a public information campaign to advise households on how to prepare for emergencies, including creating a stockpile of food, medicines and basic survival tools. It comes amid rising concerns of a Russian attack on a NATO country and near-constant cyber attacks on the UK’s critical national infrastructure.

USA - More than $68 billion (£50 billion) was wiped off the company’s value at the start of trading on Tuesday after the company said customers were ploughing money into the AI boom rather than its products. If sustained until the close of trade, the plunge of more than 25 percent in IBM’s share price would be its biggest single-day drop on record, dating back to 1968. It joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1915. Arvind Krishna, IBM’s chief executive, said the company had “faltered” as clients shifted spending away from software and consulting services and towards AI infrastructure.

VATICAN - We have been reporting here on TGP about the most disturbing behavior by leftist Pope Leo XIV, who lets his ideological bias fly in the defense of ideas that are popular with the Globalist-Liberal establishment of our planet. It’s the war, it’s the migrants, it’s global warming: Leo opens his mouth, and predictable leftist talking points fill the air. Most conservative Catholics are disgusted by his relentless political statements, but the US ambassador to the Holy See went above and beyond, playing down Leo XIV’s criticism of the US war in Iran, saying he spoke as a politician, not a religious leader. The Vatican issued an angry public rebuttal, arguing that when Leo’s talks about war, migrants and other topics, he is ‘officially proclaiming the Gospel’.

USA - A coalition led by the United States and the Philippines has renewed its commitment to defending international law in the South China Sea, issuing a joint declaration marking the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 Hague arbitral ruling that rejected China's sweeping maritime claims. The statement, released Saturday, July 11, was endorsed by the United States, the Philippines, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom. Together, the governments reaffirmed their support for a "free and open Indo-Pacific" governed by international law and called on Beijing to comply with the legally binding arbitration decision.

USA - According to a report from the Daily Mail, a dense plume of wildfire smoke carrying harmful particles has begun crossing into the United States from Canada, threatening air quality in multiple regions this week. The massive smoke mass, originating from intense blazes in northern Ontario, is being pushed southward by jet stream winds. It is already affecting parts of the Upper Midwest and is forecast to spread into the Northeast, creating widespread concerns over respiratory health for millions of residents. Major cities including New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston could see noticeable declines in air quality during this period.

FRANCE - A wildfire of an “exceptional magnitude” is raging out of control near Paris, threatening one of France’s best-known palaces. Firefighters battled ⁠the blaze, which started near the Palace of ‌Fontainebleau, throughout the night. At least two ​people have been arrested ‌on suspicion of arson. “It is not under control,” Laurent Nunez, the interior minister, said late on Monday. Mr Nunez said the fire was a few miles from the historic 1,500-room château, ‌which explained the ⁠deployment of considerable resources, including water-carrying planes and helicopters.