Russia's war keeps radiating past Ukraine's borders — into markets, alliances and Washington's Russia policy — while the EU debates surrendering its own foreign-policy veto.

Ukraine's war front

  • Russia struck Kyiv for a sixth straight night, killing at least nine and prompting a NATO air-policing mission to scramble jets — the alliance's most visible reaction since the bombardment began. more
  • Germany's government formally blamed Russia for an attempted bomb-drone attack found near Ukrainian cargo planes at Leipzig/Halle airport on 4 August, one of Berlin's most explicit hybrid-attack accusations against Moscow yet. more
  • A Senate bill for sweeping new Russia sanctions is stalling as Republican leaders fill the pre-midterm calendar and Hakeem Jeffries voices skepticism; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Moscow there will be no relief until the war ends, leaning on executive leverage instead. more

Oil shock ripples through markets

  • Oil climbed above $90 a barrel as the Strait of Hormuz stayed closed amid the Middle East conflict, pushing Asia's refined fuel imports to their lowest level since the war began. more
  • Government bonds are selling off worldwide and Asian stocks are slipping as investors price in higher inflation, raising borrowing costs for mortgages and government debt far from the war itself. more

Brussels debates the veto

  • Eleven EU governments — including Germany, Austria and the Netherlands — called current foreign-policy vetoes "obstructive" and want decisions adopted by qualified majority instead of unanimity. more
  • France added its signature to the German-led push; the mechanism, Article 31 TEU's passerelle clause, itself needs unanimous approval to activate, so a single objector — with Hungary's post-Orbán government the open question — could block the reform meant to end its own veto. more

Indo-Pacific hedging

  • China warned Pacific Island states and Taiwan of "consequences" over Taiwanese envoys' presence at the Pacific Islands Forum summit, a seating dispute that follows an earlier standoff with empty leader chairs. more
  • A new pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, Indian calls for a new deterrence doctrine, and Australian pushes to reinforce ANZUS share one diagnosis: inherited security guarantees no longer feel automatic. more

UK Channel crossings

  • Just under 7,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats between June and August, the lowest summer total since 2020. more
  • But the average number of people crammed onto each dinghy has risen sharply since Labour took office, raising the risk of drownings even as crossings fall. more