10 Things Global News - 28th August 2025
The news from around the world
Massive Kyiv Strikes Kill Four, Including Two Children
Putin and Kim to Join Xi in Beijing
UN Security Council Warns of Gaza Famine
EU Wildfire Season Reaches Record Levels
Kremlin Rejects NATO Troops in Ukraine Plan
CDC Director Fired Amid Vaccine Policy Clash
Denmark Summons US Envoy Over Greenland Allegations
UN Security Council Divided Over Lebanon Mission
IAEA Says Iran Cooperation Still Limited
US Tariffs Deepen Rift With India Over Russian Oil
Russian missile and drone strikes hit Kyiv overnight, killing four people, including two children, and injuring at least 24. Local officials reported a five-storey residential building in the Darnytskyi district collapsed after a direct hit, while fires broke out in other residential areas. More than 20 districts were struck, with one kindergarten damaged.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the assault as a “massive attack,” urging residents to remain in shelters. Witnesses described people crowding into subway stations, some with sleeping bags and pets, as explosions illuminated the night sky. Rescue teams worked through the rubble in multiple districts to locate survivors.
The strikes followed Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that left more than 100,000 homes without power across several regions. Officials said gas transport and power facilities in Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, and Donetsk were also hit. Ukrainian leaders accused Moscow of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure ahead of winter, while diplomatic efforts to broker peace have shown little progress.
Sources:BBC, The Guardian, Straits Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will join Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on 3 September for a Victory Day military parade marking the end of World War Two. The event, one of China’s largest in years, will feature tens of thousands of troops and advanced weaponry, including missile defence systems and hypersonic weapons.
China’s foreign ministry confirmed that 26 foreign heads of state and government are expected, though no Western leaders will attend apart from Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico. Attendees include leaders from Belarus, Iran, Indonesia, Serbia, and South Korea’s National Assembly speaker.
For Putin, who last visited China in 2024, the appearance underscores his strategic partnership with Beijing amid sanctions and conflict in Ukraine. For Kim, it marks his first trip to China since 2019 and his first overseas visit since talks with Putin in 2023. Their joint presence with Xi highlights growing coordination among the three leaders in defiance of Western pressure.
Sources: Bloomberg, The Guardian
All UN Security Council members except the United States declared the famine in Gaza a “man-made crisis,” calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the lifting of restrictions on aid. Fourteen members backed the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) findings that 514,000 people are already experiencing famine, with numbers expected to rise above 640,000 by the end of September. Israel rejected the assessment as flawed and biased, urging the UN to retract it.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
UN officials said famine has been confirmed in Gaza City and is spreading south, warning that 132,000 children under five face acute malnutrition. Ten more deaths from hunger were reported this week, bringing the total to 313, including 119 children. Aid leaders described clinics filled with silent, emaciated children and accused the warring parties of using starvation as a weapon. The US questioned the IPC’s credibility but acknowledged the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza.
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera
Europe is experiencing its worst wildfire season since records began, with more than one million hectares burned across the European Union this year. Spain and Portugal have been hit hardest, with nearly 1% of the Iberian Peninsula scorched. In Spain alone, more than 400,000 hectares have burned, over six times the national average for this period, while Portugal has recorded nearly five times its usual level.
Scientists link the worsening season directly to climate change, noting that higher temperatures and drier conditions are increasing the frequency and severity of fires. Fires in Spain this year released 17.68 million tonnes of carbon dioxide—more than Croatia’s annual emissions in 2023.
Researchers warn that these extremes are already stretching firefighting resources. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated 17 times this season, with deployments across multiple countries. Experts caution that without reduced fossil fuel use, extreme fire conditions could become the norm.
Sources:Euronews, BBC
Russia has rejected European proposals to station NATO forces in Ukraine as part of post-war security guarantees, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warning that any such deployment would be unacceptable. He said NATO expansion into Ukraine was among the root causes of the conflict. While opposing European ideas, Peskov praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace efforts, calling the recent Alaska summit “substantive and useful.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his push for strong, multilateral guarantees comparable to NATO’s Article 5, saying his team is preparing detailed proposals and urging international partners to apply more pressure on Russia. Trump has indicated the U.S. will not send troops but may provide air support or intelligence in a broader framework.
This pushback on the provision of European troops in Ukraine to give weight to proposed security guarantees comes amid on ongoing drone offensive by Russian forces.
Sources: Al Jazeera, The Independent
The White House has dismissed Susan Monarez, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after less than a month in the role. Monarez, a career scientist confirmed by the Senate in July, resisted pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to support changes limiting coronavirus vaccine approvals and to dismiss senior staff.
Her lawyers said Monarez “refused to rubber-stamp unscientific directives,” accusing Kennedy of “weaponizing public health for political gain.” They insist she never resigned and remains legally in the post. The White House countered that she “is not aligned with the President’s agenda” and confirmed her termination.
The firing triggered the resignation of at least three senior CDC officials, who said policies under Kennedy threaten public health and undermine science. Since taking office, Kennedy has overhauled vaccine policy, narrowing access to COVID-19 shots and cutting immunisation programs, moves criticised by experts as dangerous to national health.
Sources: Washington Post, Le Monde
Denmark has summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen following reports that three Americans with ties to Donald Trump attempted to conduct influence operations in Greenland. Danish officials said the alleged activity included attempts to infiltrate Greenlandic society and compile lists of pro-Trump citizens.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the actions “totally unacceptable” and said it would be made clear to Washington that any interference in Greenland’s affairs is contrary to international rules. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she took the claims “very seriously,” warning that the U.S. had not clearly denied the reports.
The State Department said the U.S. government does not direct the actions of private citizens and confirmed that chargé d’affaires Mark Stroh met with Danish officials. Trump has previously suggested acquiring Greenland, fueling tensions. Danish intelligence services have warned of foreign influence campaigns targeting relations between Denmark and the territory.
Sources: ABC News, The Guardian
The UN Security Council is negotiating the renewal of the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which expires on 31 August. The 10,800-strong mission has patrolled southern Lebanon since 1978 as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon, but its continuation faces opposition from Israel and the U.S., who want it to end.
Source: UNIFIL/Pasqual Gorliz
France has drafted a compromise that would extend the mission for one final time until December 2026, followed by a full withdrawal within a year. The resolution also calls on Israel to leave positions north of the Blue Line, while Lebanon’s army takes sole responsibility for security.
Lebanese leaders have urged UNIFIL to remain, warning that an abrupt exit could destabilize the fragile border. UN officials have stressed that the Lebanese armed forces lack the capacity to secure the south alone, and that ending the mandate could create a dangerous vacuum.
Sources: RFI, UN News
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that inspectors have returned to Iran for the first time since June’s Israel-US strikes on its nuclear facilities, though access remains partial. Director General Rafael Grossi said cooperation was still “a work in progress,” noting that inspectors had entered the Bushehr power plant to oversee refueling but had not been allowed to other bombed sites.
Grossi described the return as important but stressed that significant questions remain. He met this week with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and European officials, who have warned they are prepared to trigger UN “snapback” sanctions if Iran fails to meet conditions by 31 August. These include resuming talks with Washington, granting inspectors full access, and accounting for over 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.
In Tehran, Iranian lawmakers protested the inspectors’ return, calling it a breach of a July law restricting cooperation. Officials fear sanctions could be reimposed within weeks if progress stalls.
Sources: Euronews, The Guardian
The United States has imposed sweeping 50% tariffs on Indian goods, escalating tensions over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil and weapons. The penalties, among the highest globally, include a 25% surcharge tied directly to transactions with Moscow. President Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro fueled the clash further, calling the Ukraine conflict “Modi’s war” and accusing India of siding with “authoritarians.”
India has rejected Washington’s pressure, vowing to secure the best energy deals to protect its 1.4 billion citizens. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has responded by pledging significant tax cuts and urging citizens to support domestic industry under a “Made in India” push. Economists say the reforms, including an overhaul of the goods and services tax, could soften the tariff impact and boost consumption.
Still, exports risk major disruption, with analysts warning the dispute could undermine growth and strain relations between two key strategic partners.
Sources: Times of India, BBC
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