Armed conflicts and attacks
Middle Eastern crisis
The IRNA reports that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has hit the Togo-flagged oil tanker Trend as it attempted to pass the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via FMT) (Al Jazeera)
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
A suicide car bombing outside a mosque located inside a police station in Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, kills at least 27 people, including 15 policemen, and injures 75 more. The Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group claims responsibility. (Al Jazeera)
Business and economy
Russia places the local assets of Auchan and Nestlé under temporary administration, transferring their control to Russian firm L.E.V. Management, headed by interior minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev. The government cites the companies' origins in countries it designates as "unfriendly" amid broader seizures of foreign-owned businesses. (CNN)
Warren Buffett steps down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, with his son Howard Graham Buffett replacing him. (NPR)
Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
The Bank of Japan raises its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1.25%, the highest level since 1995, citing inflation pressures from rising energy costs and a weak yen, and signals further increases. (AFP via France 24)
Disasters and accidents
2024–2026 Cuba blackouts
Millions of people are left without electricity in Cuba as a result of a collapse of the country's energy power grid. (AP)
Health and environment
Zealand Pharma's drug Zeydovio receives approval by the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use to treat short bowel syndrome. (Reuters)
International relations
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk announces that Poland has joined the Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition to develop a joint anti-ballistic missile defence system with some other European countries. (Firstpost)
Law and crime
Protests erupt in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria, after 37 miners died yesterday in custody of the Security and Civil Defence Corps following raids on suspected illegal mines. Niger state governor Mohammed Umar Bago imposes a curfew. (Reuters)
Russia designates filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev a foreign agent, subjecting him to financial restrictions, reporting requirements, and mandatory labels on published material. Zvyagintsev, who lives abroad, has criticized the Russo-Ukrainian war and president Vladimir Putin. (Reuters)
1MDB scandal
King Sultan Ibrahim of Malaysia grants former prime minister Najib Razak a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, following his corruption conviction linked to 1MDB. (Reuters)
2026 Ceuta migrant crisis
Spanish police begin moving more than 3,000 migrants from beaches in Ceuta to temporary accommodation at the port. The operation prompts crowding and clashes, with officers firing warning shots and several people sustaining injuries. (News.Az)
2026 South Cotabato school shooting
Three students, including the perpetrator, are killed and eight others are injured in a mass shooting at a secondary school in Banga, South Cotabato, Philippines. (AA)
Afghanistan–Pakistan relations
Pakistan's medical regulator orders Afghan students enrolled in medical and dental programs to leave their colleges and return to Afghanistan. Dozens challenge the directive in court, while a Lahore judge temporarily suspends expulsions in Punjab. (AFP via France 24)
Politics and elections
Protests against the 2026 Iran war
2026 Iranian pro-government rallies
A pro-government rally is held in Tehran, Iran, in what is called the biggest show of defiance since the war started on February 28. (PBS) (The Times of Israel)
2026 Russian legislative election
Russians begin voting to elect 450 seats of the State Duma over a period of three days following Ukrainian attacks upon oil infrastructure. The elections are also held under strict control during the Russo-Ukrainian war, combined with an ongoing crackdown on anti-war opposition and the anti-war party Yabloko being disqualified from running. (AFP via RNZ) (AP)
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