Day News Recap: Riyadh airport attacks widen Middle East tensions as energy shock deepens

Saudi Arabia said it would respond seriously after Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, where two strikes left 14 people dead and more than 300 injured, according to the civil aviation authority. The airport was also suspended as Gulf allies voiced support for a stronger security response.  🔗  🔗

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The escalation comes as the International Energy Agency warned the world is facing the biggest energy crisis ever, with disruption from the Iran, US war now stretching beyond seven months. Iran also threatened to disrupt US and UAE oil shuttle operations in the Strait of Hormuz, while diesel markets were hit by tighter supply from the conflict and Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities.  🔗  🔗  🔗

There were signs of diplomatic movement even as the crisis widened, with Iran and Saudi Arabia holding their first publicly reported contact since the Houthi escalation intensified and discussing Yemen.  🔗

Elsewhere in the Middle East, an explosion near Ramim Ridge in northern Israel injured about 20 people, including children and teachers on a school excursion, while Israeli forces pushed the Gaza Yellow Line further west in Shujayea, forcing families to flee. In southern Lebanon, two men were killed during the olive harvest as ceasefire tensions persisted.  🔗  🔗  🔗

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In Sudan, a rights group said at least 72 workers were killed in air strikes on a gold mine near the Sudan, Egypt border, with survivors describing a devastating attack.  🔗

Security concerns also spread beyond the region, with North Korea firing several ballistic missiles toward the East Sea and South Korea calling an emergency meeting. In Europe, Germany accused Russia of using nearly all available means in hybrid attacks and planning assassinations, while NATO's top commander said the alliance would be ready to fight tonight if attacked.  🔗  🔗  🔗

Political and legal pressure on Russia also featured in Britain, where Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum and vowed to renegotiate parts of the UK's post Brexit trade deal with the EU. In Poland, authorities detained a suspect over an alleged plot against Donald Tusk and the defence minister.  🔗  🔗  🔗

In the Americas, a US federal judge ordered Donald Trump's administration to halt taxpayer funded television adverts for 14 days, while a Republican senator challenged the legality of Trump's temporary easing of sanctions on Russian diesel. Trump also claimed the EU paid Russia $250 billion for energy, as a Colombian national faced US charges in an alleged $2 billion Venezuelan money laundering case.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

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Other developments included a school shooting in Aubagne near Marseille, where police detained a 14 year old student after the principal and a teacher were injured, and a BBC investigation alleging Deloitte helped falsify documents in Roman Abramovich's tax case. Slovenia narrowly rejected a bill expanding parliamentary inquiry powers, Australia pressed the Palestinian Authority to hold elections without delay, and the UAE said the suspect in an alleged flydubai hijacking attempt was radicalised in Melbourne.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

Finance officials gathered in Bangkok for the IMF and World Bank meetings under the shadow of war, debt and energy shock concerns, as the global fallout from the conflict continued to dominate the agenda.  🔗

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