Russia’s Largest Air Assault Hits Kyiv
Houthis Strike Israeli Airport With Drone
Red Sea Cable Cuts Slow Internet Across Region
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Resigns
Hundreds of Korean Workers Freed After U.S. Raid
Trump Warns Hamas to Accept Gaza Deal
Iran Ties Monitoring to Sanctions Relief
New Zealand Fugitive Father Killed; Children Found Safe
Carlo Acutis Becomes First Millennial Saint
Mushroom Murderer Gets 33-Year Minimum Term
Russia launched its largest air attack on Ukraine since the start of the war, striking Kyiv early Sunday with more than 800 drones and over a dozen missiles. The assault set the Cabinet of Ministers headquarters ablaze for the first time and killed at least five people, including an infant, while injuring more than 40. Residential buildings across the capital were also hit, leaving families trapped under rubble.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes as a deliberate attempt to prolong the conflict, urging Washington to impose stronger sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump, under pressure after peace talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska failed to deliver a ceasefire, said he was ready to act. His aides signaled that further sanctions could follow, though no timetable was given.
The unprecedented scale of the attack highlighted Ukraine’s strained air defenses and drew renewed appeals from Kyiv for weapons and international support.
Sources: Washington Post, Time
A drone launched from Yemen’s Houthi movement struck Ramon Airport in southern Israel on Sunday, injuring two people and halting operations for several hours. Israeli emergency services said a 63-year-old man suffered shrapnel wounds and a 52-year-old woman was hurt in a fall, while others were treated for panic attacks.
The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying the strike was part of an escalation in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Their spokesman declared Israeli airports unsafe and vowed continued attacks. Israel confirmed two other drones from Yemen were intercepted before crossing into its territory.
The Israeli military later admitted its detection systems had spotted the incoming drone but failed to classify it as hostile, prompting an internal investigation. The incident came days after Israeli strikes killed senior Houthi leaders, including their prime minister, and follows earlier attacks on Israeli airports since the Gaza war began in 2023.
Sources: Al Jazeera, New York Times
Internet connectivity across parts of Asia and the Middle East slowed after subsea cables in the Red Sea were cut, according to network monitors. NetBlocks reported degraded service in multiple countries, including India and Pakistan, and disruptions on Du and Etisalat networks in the United Arab Emirates.
Failures were identified near Jeddah on systems including the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 and India–Middle East–Western Europe cables. Pakistan’s telecom operator acknowledged the cuts.
Microsoft said users could face higher latency as traffic that previously transited the Middle East is rerouted onto alternative paths. The company said services not traversing the region are unaffected and that connectivity continues, with slower response times for some routes.
Undersea cables form a core backbone of global internet traffic. Repairs can take weeks as specialized ships locate and fix damaged segments, leaving networks to rely on redundancy in the interim.
Sources: Reuters, CNBC
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation Sunday, less than a year after taking office, following historic election defeats that cost his party its majority in both houses of parliament. The move came one day before the ruling Liberal Democratic Party was set to consider a leadership vote that could have forced him out.
Ishiba, 68, said he delayed stepping down until securing a deal with the United States to lower tariffs on Japanese cars and other exports. He described the agreement as a national priority and said it was essential to conclude negotiations before resigning.
His short tenure highlighted instability within Japan’s government as the country faces inflation, a cost-of-living crisis, and rising regional tensions. The LDP will now select a new leader, who will become prime minister through a parliamentary vote. Ishiba pledged to remain in office until a successor is chosen.
Sources: Associated Press, BBC
More than 300 South Korean workers detained during a raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant construction site in Georgia are set to return home on a chartered flight this week. U.S. federal and immigration agents detained 475 people in total on Thursday, in what officials described as the largest single-site enforcement operation in Department of Homeland Security history.
The newly built HL-GA battery plant at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan Co
Source: Justin Taylor/The Current
South Korea’s presidential office confirmed that negotiations for the release had been concluded and only administrative steps remain before repatriation. Seoul has pushed for voluntary returns rather than deportations, which could carry re-entry bans.
President Donald Trump defended the raid, saying the workers were in the U.S. illegally but stressing that relations with South Korea remain strong. He urged foreign companies to respect U.S. immigration laws while welcoming investment and expertise. The raid came less than two weeks after Trump met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Washington.
Sources: JoongAn Daily, NBC News
US President Donald Trump has said a breakthrough on Gaza may be near, issuing what he called a “last warning” to Hamas. He told reporters his administration had put forward a proposal to end the war and secure the release of Israeli captives. Trump claimed Israel had accepted the terms, while Hamas confirmed receiving “ideas” from Washington and expressed readiness to enter talks.
Hamas said it was prepared to negotiate prisoner exchanges in return for an end to the war, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and governance by independent Palestinians. Israeli media reported that Trump’s proposal involved releasing all hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners and halting Israel’s offensive in Gaza City.
The announcement came as Israel intensified airstrikes, destroying residential towers and killing dozens. Palestinian officials said the conflict has left more than 64,000 dead since October 2023, while Israel continues its campaign to capture Gaza City.
Sources: Al Jazeera, France 24
Iran’s foreign minister, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, says Tehran is ready for a “real and lasting” agreement that includes strict monitoring and limits on domestic uranium enrichment in exchange for lifting sanctions. He urged European governments to change course and not proceed with a UN sanctions snapback at month’s end, arguing it would isolate Europe and leave Washington in the lead. Araghchi said recent talks made progress on terms for UN inspectors’ return to bombed nuclear sites.
His comments come as Britain, France and Germany have already triggered the snapback mechanism while keeping a 30-day window for diplomacy. Inside Iran, a bill under discussion would require exiting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if UN sanctions are restored, cutting off inspector access.
Araghchi met the EU foreign policy chief in Doha, and warned that missing the chance to defer snapback could have far-reaching consequences for the region and beyond.
Sources: The Guardian, Times of Israel
New Zealand police shot dead Tom Phillips after an alleged pre-dawn burglary in Piopio, ending a four-year manhunt. Police say spikes stopped his quad bike before an officer was shot multiple times at close range with a high-powered rifle; a second officer returned fire and Phillips died at the scene. One child with him was taken into custody.
Police initially launched a large search for the other two children in rugged bush amid freezing overnight temperatures, deploying specialist teams, helicopters and road cordons. Later, police said the children who were later found at a nearby campsite, were uninjured, and were taken for medical checks.
Images from the scene showed a bullet-riddled police car, a loaded quad bike and a rifle nearby. Authorities said the injured officer’s wounds were survivable and further surgeries were expected. An Independent Police Conduct Authority investigation will follow, while local leaders expressed relief for the children and concern for the wounded officer.
Sources: Sydney Morning Herald, NZ Herald
Carlo Acutis, a London-born Italian teenager who died of leukemia in 2006, has been canonised by Pope Leo, becoming the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint. Tens of thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square for the open-air Mass, with tapestries of Acutis displayed on the basilica and merchandise featuring his image sold widely.
Known as “God’s influencer,” Acutis used his coding skills to build websites documenting miracles and spreading Catholic teaching. His devotion stood out in a family that was not especially religious, with friends recalling his discipline in technology use and his acts of charity in Milan.
Source RTE
The Vatican attributed two miracles to Acutis: the recovery of a Brazilian boy with a rare disease and the healing of a student in Florence with brain bleeding. His canonisation, fast-tracked after Pope Francis’s death, reflects the Church’s effort to inspire young Catholics worldwide.
Sources: BBC, The Guardian
Erin Patterson, known as the Mushroom Murderer, was sentenced on Monday to a non-parole period of 33 years for murdering three of her estranged husband’s elderly relatives with a Beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms, and for the attempted murder of a fourth. The Supreme Court of Victoria judge, Christopher Beale, cited substantial planning and a lack of remorse, noting the “devastating impact” on the Patterson and Wilkinson families.
Patterson, 50, has been held in protective isolation for 15 months; Beale said there is a substantial chance she will remain in solitary confinement for years. Including time already served, she will be about 82 when eligible for release. The court allowed live TV coverage of the sentencing remarks for the first time in its history, reflecting intense public interest.
Patterson has 28 days to appeal. Her 33-year non-parole period is the longest ever for a woman convicted of murder in Victoria; Australia has no death penalty.