Noontime News Recap: Drone incidents spread across Europe as Middle East tensions and US leak probe deepen

Drone incidents linked to the Russia, Ukraine war have now been recorded in at least 20 European countries, underlining how the conflict is spilling far beyond the battlefield and into airspace across the continent.  🔗

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In the Middle East, Iranian media reported that an oil tanker was struck near Kharg Island on Saturday morning, close to the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest sign of rising US, Iran tensions around a vital shipping route.  🔗

Israel also carried out strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon overnight, with Lebanon's health ministry saying three people were killed and 15 injured, as cross border violence continues to exact a growing toll.  🔗

In the United States, the Pentagon has reportedly subjected about 50 members of the Joint Staff to polygraph tests as part of an inquiry into unauthorized leaks of classified information, highlighting the pressure on the defence establishment over security breaches.  🔗

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In Asia, rescue teams in Nepal brought a Chinese national out alive from a hydropower tunnel 10 days after catastrophic flooding and debris flows hit the area, offering a rare positive development after the disaster.  🔗

In the Gulf, Fitch Ratings removed Qatar from Rating Watch Negative and affirmed its sovereign rating at AA, saying risks linked to liquefied natural gas had eased.  🔗

The United Arab Emirates has pardoned Egyptian opposition activist and poet Abdul Rahman al Qaradawi, days after an Abu Dhabi court sentenced him to 10 years in prison, in a move that could ease a politically sensitive case.  🔗

#RussiaUkraine #MiddleEast #Pentagon #Qatar #Nepal #breakingrecap #recapnoon

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