Noontime News Recap: Ukraine talks open in Abu Dhabi as Iran tensions, Iraq strike and US politics jostle

New talks aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine opened in Abu Dhabi, with Ukrainian, American and European representatives meeting as negotiations focus on security guarantees and territory.  🔗

In the Middle East, Donald Trump said the war with Iran is now effectively over militarily, while leaving open the option of renewed US strikes if needed, as Qatar mediated talks continue.  🔗 France also summoned Iran's ambassador to Paris after accusing Tehran of a cyberattack that targeted supermarket refrigeration systems across the country.  🔗

Tensions linked to Iran were also felt in Britain, where several US military aircraft were moved from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk after what US officials described in reporting as a threat from Iran.  🔗

In Iraq, a drone attack hit the Khor Mor gasfield in the north, deepening disruption to electricity supplies in the semi autonomous Kurdish region and adding to pressure on already strained power networks.  🔗

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Israel's new 120 seat parliament was sworn in on Tuesday, opening the next phase of a political contest in which neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor Gadi Eisenkot's camp has a clear majority, and Eisenkot is seeking coalition support.  🔗

In Asia, Bangladesh rejected Sheikh Hasina's request for a new passport, intensifying the legal and political standoff over the ousted leader's reported bid to return to the country.  🔗 Japan, meanwhile, agreed to provide the Philippine military with a coastal radar system and surveillance drones in a 4.3 billion yen security aid package, underscoring closer regional defence ties.  🔗

In Washington, a reported espionage scandal involving Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has sharpened debate over whether the United States should tighten chip exports to China.  🔗 Separately, Representative Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, even as Trump backed him, deepening the political fight over military leadership.  🔗

On climate and US domestic politics, researchers said global fossil fuel emissions are expected to fall in 2026 for the first time since the Covid pandemic, as governments gather for climate talks.  🔗 In California, early projections showed voters rejecting a proposed one time tax on billionaires in the state's midterm election, with about 60 percent of votes counted.  🔗

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