EU Tech Sovereignty: The European Commission unveiled a sweeping “technological sovereignty” push to cut dependence on non-EU suppliers, targeting chips, AI, cloud and open-source, with new proposals including Chips Act 2.0 and a Cloud and AI Development Act. EU-China Trade Friction: Experts warn the EU’s “de-risking” protectionism could backfire as Brussels weighs tighter cybersecurity and procurement rules aimed at Chinese “high-risk” vendors. Armenia’s EU Pivot: Early results from Armenia’s parliamentary vote put Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract on course for a win, with Pashinyan pledging continued rapprochement with the EU while keeping ties inside the EAEU. Schengen Visas: The EU is discussing tighter Schengen visa rules for Russian nationals, with changes that could affect both processing and documentation. Ukraine Security Talks: Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the UK for Downing Street talks with the E3 on defence and air defence cooperation. Pope in Spain: Pope Leo XIV is set to address Spain’s parliament and meet abuse victims amid controversy over who was invited. Energy Storage Deal: Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners will partially divest its 500MW Devilla battery project to the Scottish National Investment Bank and Nuclear Liabilities Fund. Finance Appointments: ING named Andrea Cesaroni as chief risk officer. Education Exchange: Five Kenyan universities join a new Kenya-Romania EU education programme.