Breakfast News Recap: US sanctions Russia as Middle East and Europe tensions widen

President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russian officials, banks and a shadow tanker fleet used to move energy exports, stepping up pressure on Moscow’s oil revenues as the war in Ukraine grinds on.  🔗

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On the battlefield, a Russian glide bomb hit an apartment block in Sumy, killing two people and injuring seven, while Russian drone activity near Ukraine’s western border has raised fresh concern for officials travelling to and from Kyiv, with incidents reported close to Poland and Moldova.  🔗  🔗

In Pakistan, the death toll from the attack on a police headquarters complex in Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has risen to at least 31, underscoring the scale of the assault in the north west.  🔗

Across the Middle East, Israeli artillery shelling injured two people in southern Lebanon as troops advanced towards border towns and briefly withdrew, while residents in Riyadh were given the all clear after air raid alerts and explosions were reported in the Saudi capital, the first such alerts there.  🔗  🔗

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Iran executed a man convicted of spying for Mossad over missile site intelligence during the 12 day war, and a government organised rally in Tehran drew hundreds of thousands as authorities unveiled a newly formed volunteer force linked to defence.  🔗  🔗

Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is worsening, with the United Nations saying more than 112,000 people have been displaced as fighting intensifies, and thousands are now fleeing towards Djibouti.  🔗

In Europe, the United States, Denmark and Greenland have reached a security agreement that would expand the US military presence on the island, with the deal expected to be signed next week on the sidelines of the United Nations.  🔗 Germany has also received its first F 35A Lightning II fighter jet under a 35 aircraft order, a sign of the wider NATO rearmament drive.  🔗

Elsewhere, Russia is holding a three day federal parliamentary election expected to deliver another large majority for United Russia, while the EU has rejected the so called presidential elections in Georgia’s occupied South Ossetia and condemned Moscow’s role. Russia has also designated Cannes winning director Andrey Zvyagintsev a foreign agent.  🔗  🔗  🔗

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In the Americas, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had a very good call with Mr Trump as talks continue over tariff relief, Bolivia’s Congress approved a $1.9bn IMF loan despite protest threats, and Virginia opened early in person voting for the 2026 US midterms. Washington is also weighing a major troop reduction in Europe, while the Pentagon has resumed mandatory testosterone testing for service members aged 30 and older and the Trump administration is moving MQ 9 Reaper drones to South America for anti cartel operations.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

President Trump also said he was banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House over alleged fake news, and warned leakers over Iran coverage as he signalled a tougher counterintelligence posture. Australia, meanwhile, has withdrawn from West Bank sanctions talks ahead of a joint statement by 12 countries.  🔗  🔗  🔗

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