'Digging with a needle': Generals stall peace as Sudan's el-Obeid burns As drone attacks rain down on el-Obeid and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) tighten their months-long siege, the capital of North Kordofan has emerged as the latest flashpoint in Sudan's grinding war of attrition. Despite mounting international alarm and renewed US diplomatic pressure aimed at securing a nationwide truce, Sudan's warring generals remain deeply entrenched. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF appear locked in a pursuit of outright military victory, largely sustained by a continuous flow of foreign weapons. Through the lens of the escalating crisis in el-Obeid, a grim reality is unfolding: Civilian suffering is increasingly weaponised amid polarised domestic narratives, while geopolitical manoeuvring repeatedly stalls any viable path to peace. El-Obeid holds immense strategic value.

Could Israel sabotage the deal? Iran has launched attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait after the United States struck five Iranian targets, escalating tensions and threatening the fragile ceasefire agreed by the two sides earlier this month. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed the attacks on Sunday, saying it launched ballistic missiles and drones at the US Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait and the US Fifth Naval Fleet at Port Salman in Bahrain. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its navy and air force "conducted strikes tonight on 10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz", saying the attacks were a response to an Iranian drone attack on the Kiku oil tanker. It said the Panama-flagged vessel was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil when it was attacked as it transited near the strait early on Saturday.

Could Israel sabotage the deal? The United States has bombed Iran for a second straight day, striking Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh and Qeshm Island after a drone attack on a commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, while Kuwait said its air defences were responding to "hostile missile and drone threats", raising heightened tensions across the region. Meanwhile, Israel carried out new attacks on southern Lebanon, killing at least one person, just a day after reaching a framework agreement with the Lebanese government aimed at ending the fighting. Tehran-based political analyst Abas Aslani said Iran views the waterway as a deterrent against future US attacks.

Could Israel sabotage the deal? The US has bombed Iran for a second day, hitting the city of Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh and Qeshm Island, following a drone attack on a commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz . Air raid sirens blare in Bahrain as Kuwait's military says its air defences are responding to "hostile missile and drone threats".

The US has conducted new strikes on Iran, following a drone attack on a Panama-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. US Central Command (Centcom) said it hit multiple targets across Iran in direct response to continued aggression against commercial shipping, including military equipment, communication systems, air defense sites and drone storage facilities. Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit MT Kiku, a Panama-flagged tanker, it said in a statement. Commercial vessels are continuing to operate in the Strait of Hormuz, Centcom said. Iran is yet to comment on the latest strikes. The latest strikes come less than a day after the US launched retaliatory strikes on Iran that it said were in response to a drone attack on Singapore-flagged cargo ship, MV Ever Lovely, on 25 June.

Gulf Cooperation Council nations condemn Iran's drone strikes on Bahrain, calling the attack "treacherous" and vowing to stand united against future aggression in the region.

Follow this section to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. Follow this tag to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW?

Is the war entering a new phase? Russian overnight attacks have killed two people and wounded more than 20 across Ukraine, while Kyiv's attacks on Russian territory and occupied areas have killed one and wounded 10, according to local officials. Drone and bomb attacks hit multiple Ukrainian regions overnight into Saturday, killing one person in Sumy and one in Dnipropetrovsk, while nine people, including two children, were injured in attacks on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia. In Sumy district in the north, a man of 66 was killed in a Russian drone attack on a house, regional military Governor Oleh Hryhorov said, while a second statement referenced "a massive attack" elsewhere in the same region bordering Russia, which injured 10. Attacks on the southeastern town of Zaporizhzhia injured nine, including two children, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. "The enemy attack caused extensive destruction to the city's civilian infrastructure," the service said.

A screengrab from video of the drone and AI assisted search and rescue at Dead Horse Gap in Kosciuszko national park. A screengrab from video of the drone and AI assisted search and rescue at Dead Horse Gap in Kosciuszko national park. Two hikers who veered off a walking track in Kosciuszko national park have been found within five hours using a drone powered by artificial intelligence, a first-of-its-kind mission, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has said. The two men, aged in their 20s, were reported missing at 7pm on Tuesday evening after they failed to return to a rendezvous point on time. FRNSW's remote air piloted system was put into the air, and was able to use thermal imaging to find the hikers who had been walking the Dead Horse Gap track, about 35km south-west of Jindabyne.

Could Israel sabotage the deal? The United States has carried out strikes on Iran in what it says is a response to an Iranian drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it targeted locations in the region where US forces are deployed in retaliation for the Trump administration's latest attack.