Noontime News Recap: Iran strikes widen conflict fears as Ukraine, Europe and Asia face fresh shocks

The United States said it struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran overnight, a major escalation that followed earlier regional retaliation reports and raised the risk of a wider confrontation.  🔗

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Russia kept up pressure on Ukraine with missile and drone attacks that killed at least eight people and wounded dozens overnight, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again called for stronger air defences.  🔗 In Poland, officials said an object that crashed near Tarnawa Kolonia was probably a Russian missile, after it left a crater about 10 metres wide, and an investigation is continuing.  🔗

In the Middle East and South Asia, Amnesty International accused India of continuing to supply weapons, ammunition and components to Israeli military suppliers despite the war in Gaza, saying the exports risk complicity in genocide.  🔗 Separately, satellite tracking showed the sanctioned Iranian crude tanker Humanity moving into waters off Malaysia’s Eastern Outer Port Limits before switching off its automatic identification system, suggesting continued oil transfer activity.  🔗

Energy markets were also jolted by the conflict. Shell said second quarter profits doubled as the Iran war pushed up oil prices and disrupted global energy supplies, underlining how quickly the fighting is feeding through to corporate results.  🔗

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Severe weather remained a major story in Europe. On Crete, around 8,000 residents and tourists were evacuated as a wildfire driven by strong winds burned out of control through villages and holiday areas.  🔗 In Britain, a major incident was declared after a wildfire broke out at Dunwich Heath on the Suffolk coast, forcing homes and a holiday park to be evacuated near Sizewell B.  🔗

In India, Assam’s flood emergency worsened as the death toll rose to 78 and more than three lakh people remained affected, with more rain forecast.  🔗 In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, deadly clashes erupted during the first round of voting in regional elections, with protest leaders saying more than 30 people were injured.  🔗

Africa and Europe also saw political and health developments. Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye collapsed unconscious in court during his treason trial and was taken to intensive care in Kampala.  🔗 In Italy, Giorgia Meloni welcomed final approval of a law expanding recovery programmes for people convicted of drug-related offences.  🔗

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia recorded its first helium capture since 2023 after Gold Hydrogen extracted the gas at its Ramsay 1 site on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, a small but notable step as the shortage persists.  🔗 Europe also faces mounting climate costs, with a report warning that wildfires and other disasters are straining insurance and disaster risk systems across the continent.  🔗

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