A United Nations investigative body said South Sudan faces escalating atrocity risks and could slip back into widespread conflict unless entrenched abuses including killings, arbitrary detention, systematic sexual violence and forced displacement are halted and political safeguards restored, urging urgent international diplomatic pressure, enforcement of the arms embargo and accountability measures to preserve the 2018 peace deal and prevent a collapse into full–scale civil war.
Ukraine’s foreign minister alleged Russia is enlisting more than 1,780 African citizens from some 36 countries into its war effort using fraudulent schemes and job-lure tactics, with Ghana’s foreign minister calling many recruits victims of deception, amid denials from Moscow and rising concerns among African governments about trafficking networks and the welfare of their nationals on Ukrainian battlefields.
Hundreds of pro-Iranian demonstrators angry over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli strikes attempted to storm the US Consulate in Karachi, clashing with police and paramilitary forces who opened fire to disperse them, leaving at least nine dead and dozens wounded as security forces regained control; protests also erupted elsewhere in Pakistan with wider anti-US sentiment fueling unrest.
A medical train staffed with specialist doctors travels 20,000 kilometres annually across Kazakhstan, reaching more than 100 isolated settlements with little to no access to healthcare, where onboard teams provide free diagnostics, consultations and specialised treatment for eight months each year, often in sub-zero temperatures, serving tens of thousands of patients in some of the country’s most remote regions.
Pakistan’s defence minister declared an “open war” with Afghanistan after months of tit-for-tat cross-border violence, including Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia in response to Afghan attacks on Pakistani positions and alleged militant sanctuaries, and Afghan forces’ retaliatory strikes; both sides report heavy casualties and conflicting battlefield claims amid international concern and calls for de-escalation as fighting enters its third day.
A coordinated U.S.–Israeli military campaign, Operation Lion’s Roar, struck hundreds of Iranian military and leadership targets, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior figures, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missiles and drones against U.S. bases and Israeli cities and across the Gulf, marking a major escalation that has killed U.S. service members, devastated civilian infrastructure and raised fears of wider regional conflict.
After coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps broadcast warnings that “no ship is allowed to pass” through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly 20 % of global oil and LNG shipments, prompting many vessels to halt or avoid the route and driving market fears of disrupted energy flows and sharply higher oil prices, though formal legal closure has not been independently confirmed and transit rights under international law remain contested.
Torrential rains in southeastern Brazil’s Minas Gerais state have triggered devastating floods and landslides that have killed at least 64 people and left five missing, with more than 5,500 residents forced from their homes as emergency crews hunt for survivors and meteorologists warn of continued extreme weather; President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva plans to visit affected areas as authorities release emergency funds for reconstruction and humanitarian aid.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is in talks with Cuban officials and floated the idea that the U.S. could “very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba” as the island reels from a U.S.-imposed fuel blockade that has exacerbated blackouts, shortages and economic collapse; Havana denies high-level negotiations, while the White House presses pressure tactics and analysts warn of rising tensions and humanitarian strain.
Swedish military officials said an unauthorized drone launched from a Russian signals intelligence ship approached the French nuclear-powered carrier Charles de Gaulle as it was docked in Malmö for NATO activities in the Öresund strait, but Swedish forces jammed and disrupted the drone about 13 km from the vessel without affecting operations; Stockholm called the incident a violation of its airspace and access rules, while the Kremlin dismissed Russian involvement as “absurd.”
Following the five-day Workers’ Party Congress that cemented his authority and hailed “victorious results,” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presented military rifles to the daughter of a senior official in a ceremony emphasizing loyalty and the regime’s continuing prioritization of military prestige; state media framed the event as reinforcing revolutionary spirit and elite dedication as Pyongyang faces heightened tensions with the U.S. and South Korea.