Quick Hits

• The US launched its first strikes on Iran in a month, hitting sites on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz; Al Jazeera describes Iran's subsequent attacks on Jordan and the UAE as retaliation for the targeting of two Iranian launchers (Al Jazeera).
• Nepal's flash flood death toll reached 903, with rescuers racing to reach workers trapped in hydropower project tunnels while survivors in Nuwakot district dig through mud for belongings (Al Jazeera).
• Xi, Putin and Modi are set to meet at a two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit promoting what Al Jazeera describes as a vision of a multipolar world and expanded trade ties "amid Trump's unilateralism" (Al Jazeera).
• A failed mutiny in Niger's capital, Niamey, exposed tensions within the military and put Russia's expanding Africa Corps role in the Sahel to the test (Al Jazeera).
• Novak Djokovic's pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam ended in a tearful, injury-marred five-set first-round US Open loss to unseeded Argentine Mariano Navone; Venus Williams, 46, also exited, falling to wildcard Sofia Kenin, though she is set to play doubles with Serena (Al Jazeera).

Top Stories

• US–Iran escalation: Al Jazeera reports the US struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, its first attacks on Iran in a month, and that Iran retaliated by targeting bases in Jordan and the UAE. The exchange marks a significant widening of regional escalation.
• SCO summit: Xi, Modi and Putin convene at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Al Jazeera notes the organization is not officially anti-West but that Russian and Chinese leaders have used it to amplify their worldview. Ahead of the gathering, Kazakhstan's President Tokayev appointed longtime adviser Erlan Karin — a top aide since 2019 — as vice president (Al Jazeera).
• Nepal floods: Officials say the death toll has reached 903, with rescue efforts focused on hydropower tunnel workers in the flood-stricken region; residents of Nuwakot are returning to search wrecked homes (Al Jazeera).
• Niger mutiny: A failed uprising in Niamey exposed rifts in Niger's military and highlighted the Africa Corps' role in suppressing unrest — a test, Al Jazeera reports, of Russia's expanding footprint in the Sahel.

Left Perspective

• ICE shooting decision: Federal authorities will not charge ICE agent Christian Castro in the shooting and wounding of a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration's wintertime immigration operation in Minneapolis (MPR News).
• Immigrant communities: In Long Prairie, Minnesota — a town of just under 4,000 that residents describe as bound together by its diversity — community members are helping Haitian and Latino immigrants navigate recent changes in immigration policy (MPR News).
• Environmental coverage: Thousands of fish have died in Mille Lacs Lake in recent weeks as temperatures climb, leaving property owners cleaning shorelines; MPR notes some fish die-offs are common, though the scale here is large. Separately, researchers studying wolves in far northern Minnesota found they eat far more than white-tailed deer — hunting beaver and catching fish — with their varied diet playing a role in helping blueberries grow and spread (MPR News).
• Lighter local items: Garden crews are working to keep the Minnesota State Fair grounds blooming, and the White Sox edged the Twins 3-2, with Andrew Benintendi accounting for all three Chicago hits, including a deciding sixth-inning home run (MPR News).

No right-leaning outlets were included in today's supplied article set.

International View

• West Bank: Two Palestinians were reported dead as Israeli forces raided Nablus, with footage showing military vehicles deployed across the occupied West Bank city (Al Jazeera).
• Syria–Israel: An Al Jazeera analysis examines whether Syria's diplomatic approach toward Israel can last, noting Israel has attacked Syria and occupied its south since the ouster of the al-Assad regime.
• Germany–Ukraine: Analysts cited by Al Jazeera say the 2022 Nord Stream bombings are straining Berlin–Kyiv ties and have exposed the risks of relying on Russian gas.
• Spain: Prime Minister Sánchez said Russia and Israel spread disinformation during the Ceuta crisis, citing EU research (Al Jazeera).
• Tunisia: Near 50C temperatures are driving record electricity demand, with power cuts disrupting water supplies and straining health services (Al Jazeera).
• Iraq: A fire broke out after unidentified explosions at the Al-Dora oil refinery/power station site south of Baghdad (Al Jazeera).

Underreported

• Coral reefs: A new report warns global coral reef coverage risks irreversible decline; reefs constitute just 1 percent of ocean coverage but host a quarter of all marine life (Al Jazeera).
• Nepal's next steps: An Al Jazeera opinion piece argues the country urgently needs early warning systems, monitoring, and safe shelters following the flash flood disaster.
• Literary archive: Palestinian writer and lawyer Raja Shehadeh, 75, is having his daily diaries archived in Edinburgh — an endeavor he describes as "an act of resistance" (Al Jazeera).
• Football governance: Former UEFA chief Michel Platini says FIFA president Gianni Infantino "must go," accusing him in a scathing interview of always loving "money and power" (Al Jazeera).
• NYC color: Hundreds gathered for a Zohran Mamdani lookalike contest in New York, with nine contestants vying for votes (Al Jazeera).

Sources

• Al Jazeera: Iran attacks Jordan, UAE after US bombs Larak Island; Nepal races to rescue trapped workers (toll 903); Xi, Modi and Putin set for SCO summit; Niger mutiny tests Russia's Sahel role; Tunisia swelters amid power cuts; Israeli raid on Nablus; Nord Stream analysis; Syria–Israel diplomacy; Sánchez on Ceuta disinformation; Baghdad refinery fire; Djokovic and Venus Williams US Open exits; SCO agenda explainer; Kazakhstan VP appointment; coral reef report; Shehadeh archive; Platini on Infantino; Mamdani lookalike contest; Nepal flood opinion. (aljazeera.com)
• MPR News: Feds decline to charge ICE agent in Minneapolis shooting; Long Prairie immigrant support; Mille Lacs fish die-off; wolves and blueberries research; State Fair gardens; White Sox–Twins. (mprnews.org)