The sudden removal of Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov has blindsided EU officials in Brussels, disrupting carefully built working relationships at a critical moment. The dismissal raises fresh questions about continuity in EU-Ukraine defence cooperation.
The UN verification mission warned the Security Council that armed groups continue to threaten civilians in rural Colombia as president-elect Gustavo Petro prepares to take office on August 7. Colombia’s hard-won peace remains real but uneven, officials said.
The UN reports a sharp rise in West Bank school closures while AI diagnostic tools expand in hospitals and Indigenous land rights score a landmark win in Canada. Three stories from a world still wrestling with its most persistent inequalities.
The UN is urging world leaders not to abandon the Sustainable Development Goals despite alarming data showing fewer than 17 percent of targets are on track. With 2030 approaching fast, the organization says the SDGs remain humanity’s best bet for bridging a world of stark inequalities.
Iran has turned the Strait of Hormuz into its most powerful bargaining chip since the US-Israel strikes killed the Supreme Leader in February. But with Trump’s invasion threats ringing hollow and a provisional council in Tehran consolidating power, breaking the oldest cycle in Middle East diplomacy won’t come easy.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says a 21st round of sanctions against Russia is nearly finalized but still lacks a final agreement among member states. The new package is expected to crack down harder on sanctions evasion and Russia’s shadow oil fleet.
President Trump announced a prime-time national address for Thursday just hours after threatening a naval blockade on Iran and a 20% fee on Strait of Hormuz shipping. The White House hasn’t disclosed the topic, but the timing is hard to ignore.
UN relief chief Tom Fletcher has issued an urgent warning over the pace of the global Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With funding gaps exceeding 60 percent and armed conflict blocking health workers, the window to contain the outbreak is closing fast.
Trump threatened to ‘completely decimate’ Iran with 1,000 missiles just one day after suggesting nuclear talks were underway. The whiplash has left allies and analysts deeply confused about Washington’s true intentions.
Renewed drone and missile strikes on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices surging past $97 a barrel Wednesday and triggered an urgent IMO call for de-escalation. The attacks are reigniting fears of a broader US-Iran war in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.
