Pressure substitutes for confrontation across today's stories: Washington and Brussels choose delay and sanctions over direct action, while Pyongyang and Kyiv escalate by other means.

Middle East standoffs

  • Trump says the US is taking a low-key approach to Iran, relying on economic pressure over military action, as Iran's Revolutionary Guards vow the Strait of Hormuz stays closed until sanctions are lifted and war damages paid — more.
  • Netanyahu rejects the US-brokered 15-point Gaza plan even though Hamas has endorsed it, a move reportedly aimed at shoring up far-right support ahead of close elections — more.
  • The sanctioned tanker Caroline Bezengi has been leaking oil off Oman's coast since an onboard blast on 8 June, with satellite images showing the spill spreading toward a protected marine area — more.

Russia's war in Ukraine

  • Zelenskyy says North Korea will raise its troop deployment fighting for Russia to 30,000–50,000, up from an estimated 30,000 in July, as a North Korean missile unit begins moving into western Russia — more.
  • Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery in Russia's Tatarstan region overnight, killing at least 12 people and injuring 39, in one of Kyiv's deepest strikes on Russian energy infrastructure — more.

European Union

  • Brussels is set to extend the exemption from EES fingerprint and facial-scan checks past its 6 September deadline after airport bottlenecks left a fifth of British holidaymakers considering cancelling trips — the fourth such delay since the system's planned 2024 launch — more.
  • The European Commission flips the default rule for Chinese entities in EU-funded research from opt-out to opt-in across health, civil security and digital/industry/space programmes, covering €14 billion of 2026–2027 funding — more.

Also worth a glance

  • Analysis: the Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan defence pact signed in Mecca fits a wider pattern of states building self-controlled deterrents instead of relying on outside security guarantees — more.
  • The WHO says it is losing the race against a fast-moving Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, with patients dying before reaching a doctor — more.