Breakfast News Recap: Russia intensifies Ukraine strikes as Middle East tensions and Bank of America fine dominate

Russia launched heavy overnight strikes on Ukraine that killed at least six people and cut power to hundreds of thousands, with attacks hitting multiple regions and adding to pressure on the energy grid. The UN said recent Russian strikes in Kharkiv and Kyiv killed and injured civilians and damaged homes and infrastructure, while Ukraine’s landmine contamination is also widening as deminers increasingly use drones and AI.  🔗  🔗  🔗

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In the Middle East, blasts were reported in Yemen’s capital Sanaa after the Saudi led coalition warned civilians to stay away from an oil depot and nearby storage facility, as the Houthis vowed retaliation. Saudi Arabia said an Aramco administrative building in Dhahran was struck, causing a limited fire and leaving four people wounded, while President Donald Trump accused the Houthis of trying to drive up oil prices before the US elections.  🔗  🔗  🔗

Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is worsening alongside the fighting, with suspected cholera cases tripling in three weeks and more than 200,000 people displaced as conditions deteriorate in crowded camps.  🔗

In Europe, the UK is preparing to accelerate military support for Ukraine when Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosts Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street, following a US Russia diesel deal. In Germany, a trial has opened in Hamburg over the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, with prosecutors alleging an organised plot involving a Ukrainian former military officer. France has also seen mass protests spread nationwide over poor school conditions, with reports of violence and turnout rising sharply.  🔗  🔗  🔗

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Elsewhere in Africa, Sudan is facing fresh scrutiny over a new internal dialogue initiative as the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces continues. In eastern DR Congo, a senior UN envoy told the Security Council there is still a window for peace despite worsening fighting.  🔗  🔗

In Asia Pacific, China and North Korea are set to formally open the New Yalu River Bridge to traffic, a long delayed crossing that underscores closer ties between the two neighbours. Australia is weighing nationalising Northern Minerals after China linked investors missed a divestment deadline, while severe storms in Alice Springs and parts of the Northern Territory damaged buildings, power lines and businesses.  🔗  🔗  🔗

In the Americas, Argentina has launched legal action to block oil and gas exploration north of the Falkland Islands, escalating its dispute with the UK. In the United States, federal prosecutors in Boston have begun a trial of Eric Nshimiye, a Rwandan American accused of lying about his role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, while a separate Arizona man has been indicted after an onboard assault forced an emergency landing at Baltimore Washington International.  🔗  🔗  🔗

Security and technology concerns also featured, with NATO outlining a new defence plan centred on low cost drones, artificial intelligence and rapid strikes as it responds to Russia and a US troop drawdown. Separately, more than 300 scientists called for tighter controls on advanced AI systems that could enable cyberattacks.  🔗  🔗

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In corporate and legal news, the US Treasury imposed more than 1.21 billion dollars in penalties on Bank of America over anti money laundering and sanctions failures. BHP said it will cut hundreds of jobs across several Pilbara iron ore operations, and Russian authorities detained Japanese journalist Yuki Imai on Sakhalin in an espionage case and ordered him into custody in Moscow.  🔗  🔗  🔗

US President Donald Trump also said a massive oil, gas and mineral exploration effort is preparing to begin in Greenland, adding another geopolitical flashpoint around Arctic resources.  🔗

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