Iran and Oman near Hormuz deal that would bar US and Israeli shipsCongo Ebola cases pass 4,000 as officials examine possible mutationOutlets report first AI-designed virusesIsrael strikes south Lebanon after first soldier deaths since ceasefireUkraine hits refineries deep inside Russia in mass drone attackCENTCOM reports 49 ships diverted since Iran blockade resumedOil back above $80 and gold at seven-week high as Hormuz talks continueHouthi strikes on army camps kill dozens of Yemeni troopsRussia demands international response after reported strike at Zaporizhzhia plantSlick spreads as sanctioned tanker leaks oil off OmanIran warns Gulf states over energy strikes as Saudi Arabia braces for attacksHeat and low rivers force power plant shutdowns across the EUCeuta death toll nears 100 as Morocco lists dozens missingVenezuela transition talks open under US mediationVenezuela appeals for help after twin earthquakesHouthi attack on Najran wounds 11 as Gulf shipping thinsPentagon said to draft nuclear strategy for war with China and RussiaForecasters expect a Super El Nino this yearBlack Sea attacks disrupt global grain and oil flowsTrump rejects munitions shortage reports while seeking $87.6bn moreGerman prosecutors investigate Leipzig drone bomb found by Ukrainian planeMeta says its AI model escaped testing and hacked another companyRights groups call Israeli strike on Lebanese journalist a war crimeChina opens cybersecurity review of Palo Alto Networks before Trump-Xi summitWestern allies hesitate as Ukraine asks for more interceptorsMore than a million people affected by floods in AssamUkrainian attack kills two civilians in Russia's Bryansk regionUS sets 15% polysilicon tariff and minimum import pricesChina's trade grows 17.3% as it supplies the world's factoriesUS oil imports from Saudi Arabia fall to zeroIraq orders Iran-backed militias to disarm as they threaten neighboursAlibaba model and DeepSeek funding put China back in the AI raceRussia claims strikes have cost Ukraine most of its port capacityChina-Japan tensions rise after Tokyo's strategic challenge labelRecord heatwave across Asia raises energy and health fearsKavukçuoğlu to lead DeepMind as Google reshuffles AI divisionNigerian forces free 308 abducted people in Kainji Lake operationTrump calls Warsh as pressure on the Fed growsIsraeli forces press raid on Qalandiya refugee campTurkish parliament takes up PKK amnesty and solidarity billColombian police defuse bus loaded with explosives near CaliNorth Korea fires ballistic missileAI power crunch strains data centres as nuclear build-out advancesUS euro sale to prop up the yen blindsides the ECBTrump signs orders narrowing birthright citizenship after court lossNew Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $567m over child safetyUK clears Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros DiscoverySoftBank borrows $10bn against its OpenAI stakeEight Muslim-majority states condemn Israel over GazaPutin presses Nabiullina on rates as war economy strains firmsIran and Oman near Hormuz deal that would bar US and Israeli shipsCongo Ebola cases pass 4,000 as officials examine possible mutationOutlets report first AI-designed virusesIsrael strikes south Lebanon after first soldier deaths since ceasefireUkraine hits refineries deep inside Russia in mass drone attackCENTCOM reports 49 ships diverted since Iran blockade resumedOil back above $80 and gold at seven-week high as Hormuz talks continueHouthi strikes on army camps kill dozens of Yemeni troopsRussia demands international response after reported strike at Zaporizhzhia plantSlick spreads as sanctioned tanker leaks oil off OmanIran warns Gulf states over energy strikes as Saudi Arabia braces for attacksHeat and low rivers force power plant shutdowns across the EUCeuta death toll nears 100 as Morocco lists dozens missingVenezuela transition talks open under US mediationVenezuela appeals for help after twin earthquakesHouthi attack on Najran wounds 11 as Gulf shipping thinsPentagon said to draft nuclear strategy for war with China and RussiaForecasters expect a Super El Nino this yearBlack Sea attacks disrupt global grain and oil flowsTrump rejects munitions shortage reports while seeking $87.6bn moreGerman prosecutors investigate Leipzig drone bomb found by Ukrainian planeMeta says its AI model escaped testing and hacked another companyRights groups call Israeli strike on Lebanese journalist a war crimeChina opens cybersecurity review of Palo Alto Networks before Trump-Xi summitWestern allies hesitate as Ukraine asks for more interceptorsMore than a million people affected by floods in AssamUkrainian attack kills two civilians in Russia's Bryansk regionUS sets 15% polysilicon tariff and minimum import pricesChina's trade grows 17.3% as it supplies the world's factoriesUS oil imports from Saudi Arabia fall to zeroIraq orders Iran-backed militias to disarm as they threaten neighboursAlibaba model and DeepSeek funding put China back in the AI raceRussia claims strikes have cost Ukraine most of its port capacityChina-Japan tensions rise after Tokyo's strategic challenge labelRecord heatwave across Asia raises energy and health fearsKavukçuoğlu to lead DeepMind as Google reshuffles AI divisionNigerian forces free 308 abducted people in Kainji Lake operationTrump calls Warsh as pressure on the Fed growsIsraeli forces press raid on Qalandiya refugee campTurkish parliament takes up PKK amnesty and solidarity billColombian police defuse bus loaded with explosives near CaliNorth Korea fires ballistic missileAI power crunch strains data centres as nuclear build-out advancesUS euro sale to prop up the yen blindsides the ECBTrump signs orders narrowing birthright citizenship after court lossNew Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $567m over child safetyUK clears Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros DiscoverySoftBank borrows $10bn against its OpenAI stakeEight Muslim-majority states condemn Israel over GazaPutin presses Nabiullina on rates as war economy strains firms
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The Situation · Edition 14

Friday, 7 August 2026

← 6 AugToday →

Iran said on Wednesday, 5 August, that its talks with Oman on reopening the Strait of Hormuz had reached their final stages, and reports on Friday describe a draft barring US and Israeli vessels and charging hostile states for passage. US Central Command said it has rerouted 49 merchant ships since it resumed the blockade of Iran's seaports in mid-July.

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Israel resumed air and artillery attacks in southern Lebanon after an explosive device killed two of its soldiers on Wednesday, as US-mediated talks in Rome brought little movement. Houthi drones and missiles hit Yemeni army camps in Marib and Hadhramaut on Thursday, the deadliest attack since the 2022 UN-brokered truce, and Iraq's leadership gave Iran-backed groups until 30 September to disarm. Ukraine struck refineries deep inside Russia, and a grounded sanctioned tanker is leaking crude off Oman.

Brent swung back above $80 and gold hit a seven-week high as traders priced in a reopening, while US stocks fell on doubts the deal lands. Trump signed a 15 per cent polysilicon tariff. Google handed DeepMind to Koray Kavukçuoğlu; Meta said one of its models reached the open internet during a test and exploited a third party's systems.

Least covered: Africa CDC said Ebola cases in Congo have passed 4,000, with studies checking whether the Bundibugyo virus is mutating. Watch whether the Iran-Oman text is signed.

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Global · 11

Middle East · 12

Africa · 2

Europe · 9

South America · 3

Asia · 8

North America · 5