10 Things Global News - 1st June 2026
Ceasefire still not agreed as US and Iran continue to shoot at each other, Elections in Colombia and Ethiopia and further Japan/China tensions | Succinct, unbiased global news
Ceasefire Tested By Fresh U.S.-Iran Strikes (Conflict)
Israel Deepens Push Into Southern Lebanon (Conflict)
Washington Softens Tone on Asian Security (Geopolitics)
Ukraine Strikes Deep Into Russian Oil Network (Conflict)
Colombia Runoff Tests Latin America’s Right Turn (South America)
Abiy Heads For New Term Amid Ethiopia Strain (Africa)
Japan Rejects China’s Militarism Charge (Asia)
China Patrols Waters East Of Taiwan in Retaliation (Asia)
Myanmar Blast Kills Dozens Near China Border (Asia)
PSG Celebrations Turn Violent Across France (Europe)
A succinct daily briefing delivered each weekday to help you stay on top of the stories shaping the world.
The United States said it struck Iranian military sites over the weekend after accusing Tehran of shooting down a U.S. MQ-1 drone operating over international waters. U.S. Central Command said fighter aircraft eliminated Iranian air defences, a ground control station and two attack drones that it said posed threats to ships transiting regional waters. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they later targeted a U.S.-used air base in response.
The exchange is the latest since a ceasefire took effect in early April while negotiations on a broader settlement continue. Air defence systems in Kuwait responded to missile and drone threats as the confrontation unfolded. The conflict, launched on February 28, has killed thousands of people and disrupted global energy markets after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump continues to press for the reopening of the waterway and assurances that Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon, while negotiations remain stalled over several unresolved issues.
Sources: Reuters, NBC
Israeli troops have captured Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, marking the country’s deepest incursion there in more than a quarter-century. The strategic mountain fortress near Nabatiyeh was taken after days of air strikes and fighting with Hezbollah militants in nearby villages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the occupation of Beaufort a “dramatic stage” and “dramatic shift” in policy.
The advance came despite a nominal ceasefire in place since April 17 and days before Lebanon and Israel are due to hold direct talks in Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has proposed that Hezbollah halt attacks on Israel while Israel avoids escalating operations in Beirut.
Israel has expanded operations across the Litani River, designated territory up to the Zahrani River a combat zone and ordered residents to leave parts of southern Lebanon. The latest fighting has killed 3,350 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Associated Press
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Asian military leaders that Washington would put its most committed partners at the front of the line for support, while warning that American help would be conditional. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he said President Donald Trump believes in helping countries that help themselves and that the era of subsidising wealthy nations’ defence is over.
The message sought to reassure regional partners that the United States would remain protective, but it also exposed uncertainty over how far Washington will go. Hegseth omitted Taiwan from prepared remarks, despite discussing it repeatedly at last year’s forum.
He said U.S.-China relations are better than they have been in many years, while also warning of alarm over Chinese military activity. The result was a softer tone that left allies seeking clarity on Taiwan, China and U.S. support.
Sources: New York Times, NPR
Ukraine said its drones struck Russian energy targets overnight, including the Saratov oil refinery, the Lazarevo pumping station in Kirov region and a fuel depot in Matveyev Kurgan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Saratov refinery was about 700 kilometres from the front line and called the strike part of Ukraine’s long-range sanctions.
Russia said it had downed 216 drones overnight, while regional officials reported damage in several areas. Kyiv said Lazarevo serves the Surgut-Gorky-Polotsk pipeline, which ships Russian oil from Siberia to Belarus, while the Matveyev Kurgan depot sits near Russian-held Donetsk.
The strikes are part of Ukraine’s expanding campaign against energy infrastructure deep inside Russia. Russia separately accused Ukraine of hitting a garage at the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Kyiv denied. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said radiation levels at the site remained normal.
Sources: Japan Times, Kyiv Independent
Colombia’s presidential election is heading to a June 21 runoff after preliminary results showed far-right outsider Abelardo de la Espriella leading left-wing senator Iván Cepeda. With more than 99 percent of votes counted, De La Espriella had 43.73 percent and Cepeda 40.91 percent, leaving neither above the threshold for a first-round victory.
The result marks a sharp split in Colombian politics. De La Espriella, a lawyer who has never held office, rose late in the campaign by presenting himself as an anti-establishment figure and promising a hard line on crime. Cepeda, an ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, ran on continuity and support for victims of Colombia’s armed conflicts and the poor.
Petro questioned the preliminary count and said he would not accept it until the official vote count was complete. The National Civil Registry said both candidates will proceed to the second round.
Sources: NBC, New York Times
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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected to secure another five-year term as voters cast ballots for the House of Peoples’ Representatives, which elects the premier. More than 50 million people registered to vote, but analysts expect his Prosperity Party to dominate against a fragmented opposition.
The election comes as Ethiopia faces high inflation, a foreign-currency crunch, mounting debt, internal insecurity and strained relations with neighbours. Voting will not take place in parts of Tigray and Amhara because of security concerns, unrest and logistical challenges.
Abiy came to power in 2018 after mass protests and later won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending hostilities with Eritrea. His tenure began with political and economic reforms, but was later marked by civil conflict, insurgencies in Oromiya and Amhara, renewed tensions over Tigray and regional disputes linked to Ethiopia’s push for Red Sea access.
Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters
Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjirō Koizumi rejected China’s accusation of “new militarism” and called for dialogue to ease the most serious row between the countries in more than a decade. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he said Japan’s door was always open to talks with China.
Koizumi argued that China’s military expansion, including its nuclear weapons and strategic bombers, justified Japan’s rising defence spending. He said Japan had neither type of weapon and questioned why it was being labelled militarist. He also said Japan would pursue security co-operation across the Asia-Pacific, including through the Quad and partnerships with Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
The dispute follows comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan and comes as Japan increases defence spending, deploys long-range missiles and debates whether it is moving away from post-war pacifism.
Sources: FT, BBC
China’s coastguard carried out law enforcement patrols in waters east of Taiwan after Japan and the Philippines agreed to begin maritime boundary delimitation talks. Beijing said the negotiations seriously infringed China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, and urged both countries to stop what it called illegal actions.
The talks were announced after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr met in Tokyo. Their joint statement said the two countries would start formal negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf between them.
The dispute adds another layer to tensions involving China, Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China, while Taiwan’s foreign ministry said China had no right to interfere in its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights. Japan and the Philippines have also been deepening maritime and security co-operation.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Times of India
A blast at a building storing explosives for mining killed more than 45 people in northeastern Myanmar on Sunday. The explosion took place around noon in Kaungtup village, in Namhkam township, about three kilometres south of the Chinese border.
Rescue workers said dozens of bodies had been recovered and many more people were injured, while local media reported higher death tolls. More than 100 houses near the blast site were damaged, and images showed smoke, debris and shattered buildings.
The area is controlled by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, which said gelignite had been stored by its economic department for mining and stone quarrying. The group said an investigation into the cause was under way. The blast adds another civilian disaster to a region shaped by conflict since Myanmar’s army seized power in 2021 and large parts of the country became embroiled in fighting.
Sources: Associated Press, BBC
French police detained 780 people after celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory over Arsenal turned violent in Paris and other cities. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 57 officers were injured, mostly lightly, as fires were set, shops were vandalised and a small group tried to storm a Paris police station.
Nuñez said most celebrations in the capital were peaceful, but incidents occurred around the Champs Élysées and near Parc des Princes, where fans had gathered to watch the match. Authorities said 277 people were placed in police custody, including 82 minors, over alleged offences including assaulting police, theft, vandalism and disturbing public order.
A man in his twenties died in a motorbike crash in Paris. Planned celebrations near the Eiffel Tower were expected to proceed, with the team later hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Sources: France 24, The Guardian
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On this day …
On this day in 1980, CNN began broadcasting from Atlanta as the world’s first 24-hour television news network.
The venture was driven by media entrepreneur Ted Turner, who challenged the prevailing belief that television news belonged in fixed daily bulletins. Turner argued that major events should be reported continuously as they unfolded, a concept many critics initially considered impractical.
Over time, CNN’s model transformed journalism, influencing coverage of elections, conflicts, financial markets and breaking news around the world.
The network’s launch marked the beginning of the modern era of continuous news and helped accelerate the pace of the global information cycle.
Has the shift to constant news made societies better informed, or simply more overwhelmed?