320 million: The cost of a pier the US military is building on the Gazan coast has risen to at least $320 million. The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of more humanitarian aid to the besieged strip, as Israel continues to restrict aid trucks arriving by land. The UN warned in March that famine was imminent in the enclave of more than two million people.
2: On Sunday, the Philippines closed schools nationwide for two days amid an unprecedented heatwave. With temperatures nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit and heat indices (a combination of heat and humidity measures that reflects the temperature actually felt by the body) touching a record 113 degrees, authorities there took action out of concern for the health of their citizens and their power grids alike.
6: Equipped with its standard-issue nine lives and a microchip, a Utah-based cat somehow survived six entire days after finding its way into an Amazon return package that its owner unwittingly mailed to California. “Galeana loves boxes,” said the cat’s owner, who was contacted after an Amazon worker discovered the accidental feline stowaway and took it to a vet who scanned its tracking microchip.China was largely absent from the core conversations at the 2026 Munich Security Conference. That, says Ian Bremmer, is telling.
At the 2026 Munich Security Conference, Brad Smith announces the launch of the Trusted Tech Alliance, a coalition of global technology leaders, including Microsoft, committing to secure cross-border tech flows, ethical governance, and stronger data protections.
Tune in today at 12pm ET/6pm CET for the live premiere of our Global Stage from the 2026 Munich Security Conference, where our panel of experts takes aim at the latest global security challenges. NY Times National Security Correspondent David Sanger moderates the discussion with Benedetta Berti, Secretary General, NATO Parliamentary Assembly; Ian Bremmer, President & Co-founder, Eurasia Group & GZERO Media; Dr. Wolfgang Dierker, Global Head of Government Affairs, SAP; and Brad Smith, Vice Chair & President, Microsoft.