Day News Recap: Japan quake, Middle East tensions and Europe wildfires dominate a crowded day

A powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture in southwest Japan, causing building collapses, damage to a shopping centre and the historic castle, with deaths feared and dozens injured as rescue teams searched a damaged mall and power outages spread across the region.  🔗

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Separate reports said the quake measured 7.1, triggered tsunami warnings and emergency alerts across southern Japan, and left at least 50 people injured as crews worked to reach those trapped inside the shopping centre.  🔗 🔗

In the Middle East, tensions around Iran and the wider Red Sea route remained high. Donald Trump publicly rebuked Benjamin Netanyahu over reports of intelligence on Iran, even as the Israeli leader met him at the White House and the two discussed Iran and Gaza.  🔗 🔗

US Iran diplomacy also continued, with talks resuming through Oman's mediation as the Strait of Hormuz dispute stayed central, while a separate report said the confrontation had intensified after 13 nights of strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure and retaliatory attacks.  🔗 🔗 Iran also executed two protesters from Isfahan despite UN calls to stop, and another report said a video from Iran appeared to threaten Melania Trump and Barron Trump.  🔗 🔗

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The war in Ukraine remained active on several fronts. Russia and Ukraine traded fresh strikes that caused casualties in Kyiv, Rostov and Zaporizhzhia, while Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington to press Trump for stronger air defences against Russian drone attacks.  🔗 🔗 Ukraine also dismissed Iranian threats after striking an Iranian cargo vessel in the Caspian Sea, and the UN condemned Israel's planned West Bank settlement expansion amid rising violence.  🔗 🔗

Across the Red Sea and Gulf, Yemen's internationally recognised government said it was ready for escalation after Houthi drone strikes on Saudi oil facilities, and warned the Houthis were trying to control shipping lanes by copying Iran's tactics.  🔗 🔗 Asia was also watching the fallout, with governments scrambling to secure oil supplies after the Houthis imposed a blockade of Saudi shipping through the Bab al Mandab strait.  🔗

Europe faced a severe wildfire threat as a new heatwave built over France and Spain. Firefighters raced to contain blazes near Bordeaux and in Gironde, with nearly 4,000 people evacuated near Lacanau and temperatures expected to reach about 40C.  🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗

Elsewhere, Libya's Tripoli saw protests over prolonged power cuts turn into open anti government calls, Chad began the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court over bias claims, and Iraq's prime minister visited Turkiye for talks on oil pipelines, water, security and the economy.  🔗 🔗 🔗 In the Pacific, a body was recovered after a landslide at Solomon Islands' Gold Ridge mine, while in Australia Victoria's premier Jacinta Allan resigned and Moira Deeming quit the Liberal Party to sit as an independent.  🔗 🔗 🔗

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In North America, shots were fired near the US consulate in Toronto for a second time in four months, Donald Trump escalated his defamation fight with The New York Times, and two US court cases ended with a Dominican national sentenced for passport fraud and a Seattle restaurant owner pleading guilty in a $1.4 million employment tax case.  🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗

In Asia, North Korea marked the 73rd anniversary of the Korean War armistice with Kim Jong Un visiting memorials with his daughter Kim Ju Ae, while India extended an official invitation to Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah for a visit.  🔗 🔗 Haiti also set presidential and legislative elections for 13 December, its first presidential vote in a decade, despite major security fears.  🔗

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