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Leaders of all 32 NATO members have gathered in Ankara for a summit dominated by defence spending, support for Ukraine and Donald Trump's threats to pull the US out of the alliance.

This comes as explosions went off near Macron's hotel during his visit to Damascus, and as Germany unveiled a budget dedicating one in every five euros of federal spending to defence.

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Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇫🇷🇸🇾 Explosions strike near Macron's hotel in Damascus: Two devices, one placed in a rubbish bin and one in a parked car, detonated near the Four Seasons as Macron entered the presidential palace on the first visit by a major Western leader since al-Assad's fall, leaving at least 18 people injured including four police officers. The French president said he was safe and continuing his visit, and no group has claimed responsibility.

2️⃣ 🇩🇪 Germany puts defence at centre of new budget: Chancellor Merz's cabinet approved a draft 2027 budget allocating €109.7bn, around one in every five euros of federal spending, to defence, with the share projected to reach nearly a third by 2030. Finance Minister Klingbeil said Germany "cannot defend ourselves against Putin with a balanced budget," while Merz said Berlin is doubling its defence budget within four years after Trump called its spending "Ridiculous!"

3️⃣ 🇪🇺🇷🇸 Brussels pushes to advance Serbia's EU bid: The European Commission is urging member states to open accession Cluster 3 with Serbia this July, arguing Belgrade has reversed controversial judicial reforms and made progress on media freedom, electoral laws and foreign policy alignment. The cluster has been blocked since 2021, and the move is set to face opposition from member states, with Serbia still not aligned with EU sanctions on Russia.

4️⃣ 🇵🇸 Hamas dissolves its Gaza governing body: Hamas announced the dissolution of the body that has governed Gaza for nearly two decades, clearing the way for the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza headed by Ali Shaath. A spokesman said the group stepped aside "to remove any pretexts for the occupation," though its disarmament remains unresolved and the committee has stayed outside Gaza for months, reportedly due to Israeli objections.

5️⃣ 🇮🇳🇮🇩 Modi and Prabowo deepen India-Indonesia ties: Modi met Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta with eight agreements expected across defence, trade, food and energy security and critical minerals, on the first stop of an Indo-Pacific tour that includes Australia and New Zealand. India's ambassador said discussions on Indonesia acquiring the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system have reached an advanced stage.

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Major Story

🇹🇷 NATO leaders gather in Ankara

Leaders of all 32 NATO members are meeting in Ankara for a two-day summit focused on defence investment, expanding Europe's defence industrial base and long-term military support for Ukraine.

Secretary General Mark Rutte called for a "transatlantic defence industrial revolution" and announced deals including NATO's first purchase of up to five Triton surveillance drones, up to 10 GlobalEye aircraft to replace the ageing AWACS fleet and a strategic airlift fleet of A400M transport planes.

The gathering is overshadowed by Trump's threats to pull the US out of the alliance and his complaint that the relationship "is not reciprocal," with European leaders aiming to show they are delivering on last year's pledge to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035.

Turkish President Erdogan is expected to press Trump for renewed access to the F-35 programme, while the Kremlin said it would follow the summit closely as the declaration is expected to define Russia as a threat to Euro-Atlantic security.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇨🇺 Cuba suffers nationwide blackout: Cuba's electricity grid collapsed, leaving the country of some 10 million people without power as authorities worked to restore supply to vital services such as hospitals. Fuel has been running out since January, when Trump threatened tariffs on any country selling oil to the island, and nearly two-thirds of the country was already without power when the grid failed.

2️⃣ 🇨🇦🇩🇪 Canada orders 12 submarines from Germany: PM Carney announced Germany's TKMS won the multi-billion dollar contract to build 12 conventionally powered submarines with under-ice capabilities, the largest military procurement in Canadian history. The deal, which beat a South Korean bid, comes as only one in four of Canada's submarines is currently seaworthy and as Carney commits to reaching defence spending of 5% of GDP by 2035.

3️⃣ 🇺🇦 Zelensky to press NATO for air defences: President Zelensky plans to use the Ankara summit to urge allies to deliver Patriot systems and production licences after Russian missiles struck Kyiv twice in less than a week, leaving more than 50 civilians deceased. Ukraine failed to intercept a single ballistic missile in Monday's attack, while Moscow's mayor said most of the 430 Ukrainian drones fired at the Russian capital overnight were downed.

4️⃣ 🇲🇨🇺🇦 Monaco bombing suspect found shot near Kyiv: Anastasiia Berezovska, the Ukrainian woman suspected of the parcel bombing that injured oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev in Monaco, was reportedly found shot dead near Kyiv. Two people were arrested in connection with the shooting, one an active officer in Ukraine's Defence Intelligence and the other a law enforcement officer, while the motive for the original attack remains unclear.

5️⃣ 🇮🇷 Tanker struck by projectile in Strait of Hormuz: A tanker caught fire off Oman after being hit on its port side by an unknown projectile while travelling south out of the strait, the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iranian state TV implied Tehran attacked the vessel, saying an LNG tanker carrying Qatari gas came under attack after ignoring warnings, days after Iran's military threatened ships using unapproved routes.

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