Breakfast News Recap: Iran, Ukraine and markets jolted by fresh strikes, while UK politics and trade shift

The biggest escalation came in the Gulf, where the United States said it carried out fresh strikes across Iran, including on Greater Tunb island, after Tehran began targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Gulf. Commercial shipping was being redirected as the confrontation widened and the US said it disabled a Curacao flagged tanker that ignored repeated warnings.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

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Iran said the attacks had hit sites across its south over the past week, while the latest exchanges underlined how quickly the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz is spreading into maritime traffic and regional bases. India has now told shipping firms to avoid deploying Indian seafarers on vessels transiting the strait, reflecting growing concern over crew safety.  🔗  🔗  🔗

In Ukraine, Kyiv was hit by Russian missile attacks hours after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the city and announced a new EU Ukraine drone deal. A separate report said ballistic missiles struck the capital shortly after midnight, with drone attacks also reported in Kharkiv, while Sir Keir Starmer was in Kyiv for what he called his final visit as prime minister and pledged continued UK support.  🔗  🔗  🔗

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also dismissed his defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, as part of a wider cabinet reshuffle in Kyiv, adding to the political churn as the war grinds on. In a separate development, Iran allowed US Iranian citizen Dena Karari to leave the country after detention since December 2024, a release Donald Trump described as a goodwill gesture.  🔗  🔗  🔗

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Elsewhere in the Middle East, Lebanese and Israeli officials continued talks in Rome on a United States brokered deal that calls for Hezbollah disarmament, while world leaders arrived in Doha for the mourning of Qatar’s former emir. Syria said it had arrested a former colonel accused of chemical weapons crimes under Bashar al Assad, and Bangladesh’s tribunal said bodies of many victims of the July 2024 uprising were dumped in a river near Dhaka.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

In Europe, France’s National Assembly approved an assisted dying bill that would give adults with incurable illnesses a legal right to the practice, pending constitutional review. Germany warned Washington over a new grant scheme it sees as election interference, Malta’s court heard testimony naming former officials in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder plot, and Ireland’s central bank defended its handling of Israeli war bonds before a parliamentary committee.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

In the UK, Andy Burnham did not rule out a wealth tax as he prepared to become prime minister, saying his incoming government may need to ask for a little more in tax. Separately, the Metropolitan Police charged a 14 year old boy over an alleged plot to target mosques in Sutton, south London, and Reform UK called for round the clock protection for all 650 MPs after the alleged targeted killing of Ann Widdecombe.  🔗  🔗  🔗

On trade and the economy, India and the United Kingdom brought their Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, plus a separate social security pact, into force. UK official figures showed the economy returned to growth in May, expanding by 0.1 percent after April’s contraction, while businesses around the world are receiving refunds after Trump tariffs were ruled unlawful.  🔗  🔗  🔗

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In Asia Pacific, Hong Kong police raided two independent bookshops and arrested five people over alleged seditious books, while a senior Chinese delegation led by Wang Huning held talks in Pyongyang after Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea. The UN also warned that more than 500 people are feared dead after two large boat disasters off Myanmar, and said one third of the world cannot afford a healthy diet as food costs keep rising.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

In the Americas, Donald Trump is due to deliver a rare primetime White House address on elections and voting machines, while Mexico rejected the DEA chief’s claim that cartel links reach into government. In the United States, the military said it will begin testosterone screening for service members aged 30 and older, and federal authorities unsealed an indictment against a former correctional officer accused of sexual abuse at FCI Otisville.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

In Africa and the wider security sphere, US and West African military chaplains opened a religious affairs symposium in Accra, and Colombia’s UN verification team said security gaps remain a challenge as the president elect prepares to take office. Toronto was also hit by hazardous wildfire smoke as fires in northwestern Ontario spread haze into the US Northeast.  🔗  🔗  🔗

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