Morning Headlines

US forces struck roughly 90 Iranian military targets along the Strait of Hormuz coastline on Thursday night — a follow-up to 80-plus strikes the night before — while Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, effectively collapsing a fragile ceasefire and raising fears of broader regional war.

At least 600 people have now died in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak — the fastest-climbing death toll at any comparable point in outbreak history — with 1,759 confirmed cases now spreading beyond the initial northeastern zone into previously unaffected provinces and Uganda's capital Kampala; no approved vaccine exists for this Bundibugyo strain.

Crude oil prices spiked to their highest level since spring as US-Iran fighting disrupted Strait of Hormuz shipping, while the 10-year US Treasury yield climbed to its highest since May; traders now price in roughly a 70% probability of a Federal Reserve rate hike at the September meeting — up from 58% the day before — as energy-driven inflation fears mount.

Les Bleus convincingly defeated Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup — hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico — to advance to the last four, drawing enormous global viewership and setting up what is expected to be a blockbuster semifinal matchup.

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has emerged as the clear frontrunner to take over as leader of the UK Labour Party and succeed Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, marking a significant generational shift in British politics that could reshape the government's domestic and foreign policy priorities.