Day News Recap: Kyiv hit again as Gulf tensions rise and markets turn risk off

Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions overnight, killing at least two people and wounding 34, in another strike that came as Washington was pushing a peace effort.  🔗

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In Washington, unease is growing over Donald Trump’s approach to Vladimir Putin, after critics said his sanctions pressure has been undercut by a diesel deal with Russia, while Marco Rubio said Ukraine’s access to Starlink is a matter for SpaceX and Elon Musk.  🔗  🔗

Middle East tensions deepened as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said its doctrine has shifted from defensive to offensive and asymmetrical, while the United States ordered non essential staff and families out of Saudi Arabia amid fears of a wider conflict involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.  🔗  🔗

Saudi Arabia said two people were killed and eight injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, adding to the sense of regional volatility.  🔗 Qatar and France separately called for freedom of navigation in Hormuz and for Gaza ceasefire arrangements to be implemented, as France’s Emmanuel Macron made an unannounced visit to Riyadh and secured extra diesel supplies.  🔗  🔗

In Gaza, Israeli attacks killed four Palestinians in the past 24 hours, including a young girl, while the military continued to expand its control inside the territory.  🔗 Benjamin Netanyahu also said toppling Iran’s government remains Israel’s primary objective, underlining the breadth of the confrontation.  🔗

Elsewhere in the region, Israeli forces shot and killed a disabled man during a raid in the village of Jamla in southern Syria, according to state media, while fighting in Yemen’s Taiz province intensified and the UN warned nearly 260,000 people have been displaced.  🔗  🔗 In Sudan, drone strikes have killed more than 160 people in recent days as the war pushes further into residential areas.  🔗

Health and security concerns also widened beyond the battlefield. Nigeria confirmed its first Bundibugyo Ebola case and expanded contact tracing in Abuja, while the World Health Organization scaled up emergency health response operations in Ethiopia’s Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions.  🔗  🔗 In Ethiopia’s Tigray, daily life is resuming in Mekelle, but residents still fear a wider war.  🔗

Across Europe, France’s borrowing costs rose above those of the United States as political and fiscal turmoil rattled investors, and French authorities widened protest bans in Paris and other cities after weekend unrest and looting.  🔗  🔗 In Germany, prosecutors said they had arrested a Ukrainian man in Brandenburg on suspicion of spying for Russia, while North Korea said border loudspeakers would be ready to restart within days, reviving tensions with South Korea.  🔗  🔗

Other political developments included Serbia’s student movement emerging as the strongest challenger to Aleksandar Vučić ahead of Sunday’s vote, Ireland’s decision to scrap the UN approval step for overseas peacekeeping missions, and Tunisia’s military court jailing opposition politician Olfa Hamdi for four years over social media posts.  🔗  🔗  🔗 In Libya, the eastern parliament approved a 2019 maritime deal with Turkiye, and Canada and Turkiye launched a new strategic partnership covering trade, defence and energy.  🔗  🔗

In the Americas, Democrats in Georgia stepped up efforts to mobilise Black voters amid redistricting and election law fights, while US officials in Florida unveiled an election integrity plan for early voting and a Virginia state senator was indicted in a marijuana distribution and bribery case.  🔗  🔗  🔗 Mexico also charged former Chihuahua prosecutor Cesar Jauregui with treason over allegations linked to a US role in an anti drug raid, and a Mexican national was convicted in Texas for stealing a deceased American infant’s identity.  🔗  🔗

In the Asia Pacific, Australia’s eastern beaches at Coogee and Maroubra were closed after a whale carcass washed ashore at Lurline Bay, while North Korea’s loudspeaker threat added to regional unease.  🔗  🔗 In the United States, Trump also said he was concerned about an Alaska Senate ballot dispute and used Truth Social to accuse Iran of trying to drive up oil prices, while the White House highlighted his South Carolina tax, investment and security agenda.  🔗  🔗  🔗

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