Breakfast News Recap: Russia strikes Kyiv and Odesa as US pressure builds on Moscow and markets turn lower

Russian airstrikes hit Kyiv and Odesa overnight, with officials reporting explosions in the capital and the Black Sea port city as Ukraine faced another wave of attacks. At the same time, Ukrainian and US diplomatic teams were working to arrange a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump at the UN, even as fresh strikes underscored the urgency.  🔗  🔗

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In Washington, the House of Representatives passed a sweeping sanctions and tariff bill aimed at increasing economic pressure on Russia, while Donald Trump also renewed his own pressure on interest rates, saying they should be 1% or less. Separately, the Federal Reserve has raised rates to 3.75% to 4.00%, its first increase in more than three years, adding to the tension between the White House and the central bank.  🔗  🔗  🔗

Across the Middle East, the US military said commercial shipping was still moving through the Strait of Hormuz despite an Iranian blockade and attacks on vessels, while leaked photographs reportedly showed extensive damage at multiple US military sites in the Gulf after Iranian strikes. Fighting also intensified in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has asked allies for missile defence support after the Houthis claimed to have downed a Saudi F 15 over Marib.  🔗  🔗  🔗

Diplomatic and political shifts continued elsewhere in the region. The US extended visa sanctions on officials linked to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, and more than 900 wheelchairs donated for injured children in Gaza remained stuck in warehouses in Jordan because of aid restrictions. In a separate development, Israel and Morocco agreed to open embassies and appoint ambassadors, while a report said Israel is using artificial intelligence tools to help justify West Bank demolitions and displacement.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

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In Europe and the former Soviet space, Russia moved into a parliamentary vote expected to cement Kremlin control, with Vladimir Putin urging turnout as a test of support for the war in Ukraine. Belarus freed 25 political prisoners after the US lifted sanctions on two Belarusian firms, and Syria's parliament abolished the Assad era Counter Terrorism Court in one of its first major reform steps. In Paris, European and Arab military chiefs met to discuss support for the Lebanese Armed Forces as the UN peacekeeping mandate nears expiry.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

Elsewhere, North Korea rejected denuclearisation expectations at a Vienna nuclear conference, saying its status as a nuclear power is absolute. In the Caucasus, Azerbaijan said it would preserve Christian heritage on its sovereign territory while warning against forces in Armenia and elsewhere trying to undermine the peace process. Malaysia also offered to invite Myanmar's military ruler for an official visit in an effort to speed the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.  🔗  🔗  🔗

Humanitarian and health crises deepened in several places. Scientists said climate change played a significant role in last month's deadly Himalayan flood disaster near Nepal's border with China, while three people died after flooding hit the Navajo Nation near Newcomb in northwestern New Mexico. In Africa, the World Health Organization warned Ebola transmission is rising sharply in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in Bangladesh more than 1,000 children have died in the country's worst measles outbreak in decades as vaccination efforts expand.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

Other legal and security cases also moved forward. The US House held billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt over Epstein related subpoenas, a BBC investigation said the Assad regime planned Austin Tice's kidnapping for weeks, and US courts handed down sentences in cases involving a Russian identity theft and voter registration scheme, an ISIS K material support conspiracy, and an alleged Gulf Cartel support case. In Oklahoma, a Mexican national was sentenced for unlawful reentry, while in Missouri a wrongful death case ended in a defence verdict.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

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Separately, a report said two British nationals were among three people killed when a light aircraft crashed into a mountain slope near Leukerbad in the Swiss Alps, adding to the day's list of international incidents.  🔗

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