Top 15 stories from 91 across 7 days
IMF upgraded its alert: a 30% drop in Hormuz flows would push 2026 global growth negative, the fund now says.
Why it matters: Central banks plotting rate cuts now face a stagflation setup.
Leo XIV linked Trump’s attacks on courts to democratic backsliding, a rare direct papal shot at a U.S.
Tehran’s order stranded 45 crude tankers mid-transit, erasing roughly 21 % of daily seaborne oil supply, Lloyd’s List estimates.
With 141 of 199 seats, Tisza can now rewrite Hungary’s constitution and satisfy Brussels’ rule-of-law demands to unlock €10 bn in frozen funds.
Tehran let tankers through but said the strait will snap shut again unless U.S.
The ask is $1.5 trn—largest in real terms since WWII—yet the Pentagon can’t quantify Iran war costs, giving budget hawks fresh ammunition.
IMF shaved 0.4 pp off 2026 growth; roughly $400 bn in output evaporates, largely via higher shipping and energy financing costs.
Russia's 300-weapon swarm—its biggest strike of 2026—slipped past patched-together Ukrainian defenses, killing 16 and draining Kyiv’s missile stockpile before U.S.
Trump blasted Pope Leo XIV’s Iran comments, framing the pontiff as naïve on Tehran’s clerics and hinting Catholics are being “played.” The spat sidelines a rare Vatican back-channel just when Washington could us
Olly Robbins was fired after leaked emails showed he waved through Lord Mandelson’s appointment without standard security checks, three days before a Commons inquiry hears evidence.
Six impeachment articles accuse Pete Hegseth of escalating Iran strikes without congressional sign-off—Congress’s first move against a defense chief since 1876.
The U.S.
At a Pentagon memorial, SecDef Pete Hegseth quoted the fictional Ezekiel 25:17 from Pulp Fiction, drawing immediate pushback from chaplains and lawmakers.
David Lammy says Starmer would have nixed Mandelson’s ambassadorship had vetting flagged undisclosed lobbying ties, spotlighting gaps in Labour’s due-diligence chain.
Intelligence flagged Mandelson, yet Starmer pressed ahead; Cabinet allies are now quietly counting confidence letters.