World

▪️ Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez delivered a firm rebuttal to US President Donald Trump's threat to cut off all trade with Spain, reiterating his government's opposition to war and what he termed the "breakdown of international law." In a 10-minute televised address, Sánchez reflected on the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the Iraq War over two decades ago, stating that Spain's position could be summarized as "no to war." This response comes amid escalating tensions over Spain's refusal to permit US strikes on Iran from jointly operated bases at Morón and Rota.

▪️ US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the US administration is likely to implement a global import tariff of 15% this week. This announcement follows conflicting statements from President Donald Trump, who had claimed on social media that the rate would be 15%, but in practice, a 10% tariff was imposed at the time, leading to widespread global confusion and calls for clarity from businesses and world leaders.

▪️ An appeal court in Athens has upheld the 2020 convictions of 42 defendants associated with the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. Founder Nikos Mihaloliakos and six other senior party officials were found guilty of 'belonging to and running a criminal organisation' under the guise of a political party. The defendants face sentences of up to 15 years in prison, though only two of the 42 involved in the appeal were present in court to hear the verdict.

▪️ The Israeli military has issued sweeping orders for civilians living across a large swathe of southern Lebanon to leave their homes immediately and move north of the Litani River, citing intended military action against Hezbollah. The directive came as hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed group continued to escalate. Hours after the instruction was issued, the military announced it had begun "a wave of strikes" in the south.

▪️ The US military command has confirmed the identities of four of the six service members killed in the conflict with Iran. The soldiers died when an "unmanned aircraft system" evaded air defenses to strike a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on Sunday. US Central Command initially reported three deaths, but officials confirmed on Monday that the toll had doubled after one person succumbed to injuries and two more bodies were found in the rubble.