Russia Strikes Ukraine As Trump Restates Ultimatum, UK to Recognize Palestine by September, Pacific Tsunami Alert After Russia Quake

Andrew Sheves Good morning.

🇺🇦** Russia Strikes Ukraine As Trump Restates Ultimatum**

Russian forces killed 25 people in overnight strikes on Ukraine, including 17 inmates when glide bombs hit Bilenke prison and three people at a Kamianske hospital including a 23-year-old pregnant woman named Diana. The attacks come as Trump toughened his truce ultimatum to Russia, reducing the previous 50-day deadline issued to Putin earlier this month during his UK visit. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner called the prison attack a gross violation of humanitarian law, while five more people were killed in Kharkiv region as villagers gathered for humanitarian aid near a local shop that was destroyed by rocket fire. More - BBC

🇵🇸** UK to Recognize Palestine by September**

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will recognize Palestine by September unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to end its Gaza war, commits to a ceasefire, halts West Bank annexation plans, and supports a two-state solution. The ultimatum follows an emergency cabinet meeting and represents a major shift from previous UK governments that delayed recognition citing the need for “the right time.” Israel criticized the move as a “reward for Hamas” that would undermine diplomacy, while Palestinian Ambassador Husam Zomlot said UK recognition would hold “particular historical and moral weight” in addressing injustices rooted in the colonial-era Balfour Declaration. More - Al Jazeera

⚠️ Pacific Tsunami Alert After Russia Quake

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday morning local time triggered tsunami alerts across the Pacific, with four-foot waves recorded in Hawaii and initial signs detected in California and Indonesia. The strongest global earthquake since 2011 prompted evacuations from Japan to Hawaii, where Governor Josh Green warned waves would “wrap around the islands” and urged immediate coastal evacuation. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba cautioned that “second, third and fourth waves could be much bigger” than the first, while some alerts were later downgraded as the impact proved less severe than initially feared, though authorities remained vigilant. More - Bloomberg

Europe Stability Ratings and News Summary

More Unstable

🇦🇹 Austria, 🇧🇾 Belarus, 🇧🇦 Bosnia And Herzegovina, 🇧🇬 Bulgaria, 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇮🇪 Ireland, 🇲🇰 Macedonia, 🇲🇩 Moldova, 🇲🇪 Montenegro, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇷🇴 Romania, 🇷🇺 Russia, 🇷🇸 Serbia, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇹🇷 Turkey, 🇺🇦 Ukraine, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

More Stable

No countries were more stable over this period

Unchanged

🇦🇱 Albania, 🇦🇩 Andorra, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇨🇾 Cyprus, 🇨🇿 Cz

Carpe tomorrow!