Mali faces unprecedented coordinated militant attacks killing defense minister amid regional instability, while US-Iran tensions persist with failed peace talks and security incidents escalating globally.

Mali's Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in a car bomb attack on his residence as al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM launched coordinated assaults across the country, striking the capital Bamako and four other cities in what militants described as an unprecedented operation.

US-Iran tensions remain in an awkward 'no war, no peace' limbo after Trump called off a trip by negotiators to Pakistan, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departing Islamabad and heading to Russia as both sides maintain hardline positions on nuclear and regional issues.

A shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington saw suspect Cole Tomas Allen, 31, fire at security, with authorities indicating Trump administration officials were likely targets; the incident raised questions about event security protocols and Trump's push for a White House ballroom venue.

Israel and Hezbollah continue trading military strikes in Lebanon with cease-fire agreements on precarious footing, while Israeli President Herzog delayed a Netanyahu pardon decision and instead pursued mediation in the prime minister's corruption case.

Iran's plan to extract $2 million payments from tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz as a 'toll' could have major global implications for oil costs and energy security, amid broader Middle East turmoil affecting California's jet fuel supplies which dropped to three-year lows.

The US Mint has been unknowingly purchasing gold sourced from drug cartels and foreign illegal mining operations, with investigations revealing that cartel gold is being sold internationally as 'American,' highlighting breakdown in precious metals industry safeguards as prices soar.

Ukraine's Chernobyl Exclusion Zone faces new military dangers as Russia's invasion adds another disaster layer to the contaminated nuclear site, with the area now controlled as an army security belt and displaced residents coping with compounded radiation and warfare risks.

Mood in Russia deteriorates as the Ukraine war enters its fifth year with stalled negotiations, deepening sanctions, and Putin's approval ratings falling as citizens express widespread despair about the conflict's trajectory and economic consequences.

Pakistan notified six new land routes for transporting goods to Iran to circumvent the blockade of Hormuz and Iranian ports, as thousands of containers destined for Iran await clearance amid regional shipping disruptions and economic pressures.

Flávio Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, announced his presidential candidacy with a stated mission to free his father, positioning himself as a 'more measured' version of his father to appeal to voters.