EU Sanctions Push: The EU unveiled its 21st Russia package, proposing a temporary freeze on the oil price-cap adjustment, new bank and crypto-related designations, tighter export controls, and a first-ever EU entry ban for former Russian combatants since the Ukraine war began. Armenia-EU Reset: EU Council President Antonio Costa congratulated Nikol Pashinyan and pledged deeper cooperation on energy, trade and digitalisation, while Armenia is drafting a citizenship strategy tied to visa liberalisation requirements. Armenia Vote Under Scrutiny: The EU praised Armenia’s parliamentary elections as competitive and well run, but election observers and a political scientist warned of numerous violations even as international missions said voters had genuine choices. Migration Pact Backlash: Human Rights Watch says the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, fully applicable June 12, will weaken the right to asylum via faster decisions and more detention. Climate Shock: EU climate monitors said May was the world’s second-hottest on record, with an early, intense heatwave hitting Western Europe. Digital Connectivity: The EU pledged €37m to extend the Google-backed Blue-Raman subsea cable into East Africa, aiming to cut bandwidth costs and boost resilience. Tech & Industry: The Commission proposed “Chips Act 2.0” to strengthen European chip demand and reduce strategic dependencies. Israel/West Bank Sanctions: The UK, France, Norway and others targeted entities and individuals linked to Israeli settler violence, with Israel rejecting the measures. EU Courts & AI: The UK plans AI trials in Crown Courts to help clear backlogs, while EU regulators ordered Meta to restore free WhatsApp access for rival AI assistants.