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North Korea has rejected the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty under any circumstances, as Al-Qaeda-linked fighters stormed a high-security Malian prison near Bamako and blockaded the capital's supply routes, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis.

Elsewhere, Poland's security agency warned Russia is shifting toward professional sabotage networks in what it described as an undeclared war against the West.

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Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇰🇵 North Korea rejects nuclear non-proliferation treaty: Pyongyang's UN ambassador declared the country will not be bound by the NPT under any circumstances, dismissing external pressure to alter its status as a nuclear-armed state. The statement came during the ongoing NPT Review Conference, where the U.S. and allied nations criticized North Korea's programme; Pyongyang withdrew from the treaty in 2003 and is believed to hold dozens of warheads.

2️⃣ 🇺🇸🇻🇦 Rubio meets Pope Leo amid sustained tensions: U.S. Secretary of State Rubio is set to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, following Trump's repeated public attacks on the American-born pontiff over his opposition to the Iran war. The visit is being framed as routine diplomacy, though officials described it as an effort to ease tensions, with Cuba and migration among the likely topics discussed.

3️⃣ 🇵🇱 Poland warns Russia shifting to professional sabotage cells: Poland's internal security agency warned that Russia is moving away from ad hoc online recruits toward professional sabotage networks drawn from organized crime and former law enforcement, as part of what it described as an undeclared war against the West. Espionage investigations in just the past two years matched the total number conducted over the previous three decades, with 62 people arrested.

4️⃣ 🇲🇱 JNIM storms Mali prison, blockades Bamako: Al-Qaeda-linked fighters stormed a high-security prison housing 2,500 inmates near Bamako and set fire to food supply trucks, escalating an offensive that has already killed Mali's defence minister and seen armed groups seize the northern city of Kidal. The group has pledged to besiege the capital, with checkpoints blocking supply routes raising fears of a humanitarian crisis, while the junta responded with sweeping arrests of opposition figures and military personnel.

5️⃣ 🇭🇺🇺🇦 Hungary returns $82 million in seized Ukrainian assets: Budapest returned a shipment of Ukrainian cash and gold seized in March, with Zelenskyy describing the move as an important step in bilateral relations following Orbán's landslide electoral defeat last month. Ukrainian officials had accused the original seizure of being a political tool tied to a dispute over Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline.

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Major Story

🇮🇷 Iran War Update

Military

1️⃣ 🇮🇱🇱🇧 Israel strikes Beirut for first time since ceasefire: Israel targeted a senior Hezbollah Radwan Force commander in Beirut's southern suburbs, the first strike on the capital since the April 16 ceasefire, personally approved by Netanyahu. Lebanon's health ministry reported over 120 killed nationwide in the past week, as both sides continue trading attacks despite the agreement.

2️⃣ 🇫🇷 France repositions carrier group toward Hormuz: The Charles de Gaulle strike group moved south of the Suez Canal, bringing French air assets within range of the strait ahead of a potential joint mission with Britain and over 50 nations. French officials cautioned the operation remains conditional on reduced shipping threats, improved insurance conditions, and approval from neighboring countries.

Diplomatic

1️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump offers Iran Hormuz deal or renewed bombing: Oil prices fell and markets rallied after Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz would reopen to all parties if Tehran agreed to a deal, while warning that rejecting it would trigger strikes at a "much higher level."

2️⃣ 🇨🇳🇮🇷 China pushes for Hormuz reopening ahead of Trump-Xi summit: Foreign minister Wang Yi called restoring strait navigation an "urgent priority" in talks with his Iranian counterpart in Beijing, offering Chinese support for de-escalation. The meeting comes ahead of a Trump-Xi summit next week where the Iran war is expected to be a central issue.

3️⃣ 🇮🇷 Iran establishes permanent strait authority after US pause: Following the suspension of "Project Freedom," Iran's IRGC navy said safe transit would be guaranteed under new, unspecified procedures, while separately creating a permanent body to regulate all vessel passage through the waterway. Tehran said it was reviewing a US proposal, though the American naval blockade of Iranian ports remains active as Pakistani-mediated talks continue.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇸🇪 Sweden detains sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker: Sweden detained the Jin Hui, a sanctioned tanker suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet, after it was caught sailing under a Syrian flag in the Baltic Sea with concerns raised over its seaworthiness. The ship's Chinese captain was arrested on suspicion of using false documents, marking the fifth vessel seizure by Sweden's coast guard in recent weeks.

2️⃣ 🇵🇱 Poland receives US troop guarantees amid German withdrawals: Poland's defence minister stated that Warsaw has received guarantees from Washington that U.S. troops will remain in the country, with talks on potentially increasing the roughly 10,000-strong rotational presence already underway. The comments came after Trump announced troop withdrawals from Germany, with Kosiniak-Kamysz insisting the reductions would have no impact on Poland's security.

3️⃣ 🇨🇩 Congo president warns 2028 elections at risk: President Tshisekedi warned that elections cannot proceed unless the conflict in the country's east is resolved, citing the inability to hold votes in the M23-controlled provinces of North and South Kivu. He also indicated openness to pursuing a constitutionally prohibited third term if the public demanded it through a referendum, drawing swift condemnation from opposition figures.

4️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇱 US lawmakers demand transparency on Israel's nuclear arsenal: Thirty Democratic lawmakers wrote to Secretary of State Rubio demanding clarity on Israel's nuclear capabilities, arguing that Washington's longstanding policy of ambiguity makes coherent non-proliferation policy in the Middle East impossible amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel war on Iran. The letter asks specifically about Israel's warheads, enrichment capabilities, and whether the administration has received assurances that nuclear weapons will not be used in the current conflict.

5️⃣ 🇳🇴 Norway opens closest-ever coastal oil blocks amid energy prices surge: Oslo announced 70 new offshore exploration blocks across the Barents, Norwegian, and North Seas, with several located closer to the coast than in any previous licensing round. The move was framed as a response to elevated global energy prices following disruptions to supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran.

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