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Russia has launched mass strikes on Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv while simultaneously ratcheting up pressure on Armenia ahead of its June elections, recalling its ambassador and imposing sweeping trade bans.

Elsewhere, Hezbollah agreed to halt attacks on Israel under a US ceasefire proposal, and Norway is weighing EU membership amid growing NATO divisions and US tariff pressures.

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Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇦🇲 Armenia defies Russia's referendum ultimatum: Moscow escalated pressure on Yerevan ahead of its June 7 elections by recalling its ambassador and imposing sweeping trade bans, after PM Pashinyan rejected demands to immediately hold a referendum on leaving the Russian-led EAEU. The EU accused Russia of attempting to manipulate the vote outcome.

2️⃣ 🇱🇧 Hezbollah accepts US ceasefire proposal with Israel: Lebanon confirmed Hezbollah agreed to halt attacks on Israel in exchange for an end to Israeli strikes on Beirut, after Iran warned further escalation threatened the broader US-Iran ceasefire. Clashes continued after the announcement, with Netanyahu warning strikes would resume if Hezbollah kept targeting Israeli civilians.

3️⃣ 🇩🇰 Denmark forms government after 69-day deadlock: Mette Frederiksen secured a third term as PM, forming a centre-left minority coalition after her Social Democrats recorded their worst electoral result since 1903. The new government faces immediate pressure over Trump's push to acquire Greenland alongside domestic cost-of-living concerns.

4️⃣ 🇭🇺 Magyar moves to purge Orban-era president: Hungarian PM Peter Magyar announced constitutional amendments to remove President Tamas Sulyok after he refused to resign, describing him as a puppet of former PM Viktor Orban. Magyar said the process would take roughly a month and extend to other Orban-era appointees.

5️⃣ 🇹🇷🇦🇿 Turkey and Azerbaijan plan electricity corridor to Europe: Ankara and Baku announced plans for a power transmission corridor linking Azerbaijan to southeast Europe, modeled on the existing TANAP gas pipeline, with potential extensions through Georgia and Bulgaria.

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Major Story

🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran suspends US talks, threatens Bab el-Mandeb blockade

Iran has halted talks with mediators aimed at ending hostilities with the US, after Israel's continued military operations in Lebanon and Gaza violated conditions Tehran had set for any ceasefire.

Tasnim, a news agency close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that Iran and its allies have resolved to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and activate other fronts, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea. 

Brent crude jumped 6.7 percent to $97.28 per barrel on Monday following the announcement. 

This comes after US Central Command launched fresh strikes on Iran over the weekend, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US forces inside Kuwait, further straining a fragile ceasefire struck in April.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇷🇴 NATO warns of low-altitude defence gaps after Romanian drone strike: Former NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoană warned the alliance needs far stronger capabilities to counter low-altitude drone threats, after a Russian explosive-carrying drone struck a Galați apartment building last week. Romania expelled the Russian consul and closed the Constanța consulate in response, while Kremlin officials implied further drone incursions into European airspace were likely.

2️⃣ 🇺🇦 Russia launches mass strike on Ukrainian cities: Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv were hit in a large-scale Russian assault that killed at least five people and injured dozens. Zelenskyy had warned the previous night of an imminent major strike, days after Russia threatened systematic attacks on Kyiv's military and decision-making infrastructure.

3️⃣ 🇷🇺 Russia bans jet fuel exports amid refinery damage: Moscow introduced its first-ever jet fuel export ban, running through end of November, after Ukrainian strikes knocked out roughly a quarter of the country's refining capacity and pushed processing volumes to their lowest point since 2009. The government cited domestic market stability, though the transport minister denied a shortage existed, attributing the ban instead to the interests of Russian airlines.

4️⃣ 🇳🇴 Norway weighs EU membership amid global instability: Oslo is reconsidering joining the EU, with its foreign minister pointing to US tariff wars and growing NATO divisions as factors shifting the calculus. Norwegians have twice rejected membership, in 1972 and 1994, though the country participates in the single market without a seat at the negotiating table.

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