Aug. 25, 2026 - Daily News Digest
On this day: in 1894, Kitasato Shibasaburō discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet.
QOTD: “We’re making virtually no use of armored vehicles,” Oleksandr Syrskyi, who until last month was Ukraine’s top general, said recently. “This raises the question: How can we neutralize this advantage enjoyed by drones and give our armor a new lease on life?”
US/MENA/IRAN - US prepares to send diplomats back to Middle East embassies after Iran war evacuations, NYT reports
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-prepares-send-diplomats-back-middle-east-embassies-after-iran-war-evacuations-2026-08-25/
The U.S. State Department is preparing to return diplomats to embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated before and during the war with Iran, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing an internal State Department document.
The return of Foreign Service officers and the scaling back of emergency measures at U.S. missions in the region could begin as early as this week, the report said.
Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report. The U.S. Department of State could not immediately be reached for comment outside regular business hours.
Embassies slated to restore higher staffing levels include those in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait, according to the report.
In a statement quoted by the New York Times, the State Department said it "continuously reviews the security posture at our diplomatic missions around the world."
"Based on our latest assessment, we are adjusting our staffing posture at certain posts in the Middle East to ensure we can continue advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives while protecting the safety and security of our personnel," it added.
UK/UKRAINE/MIL/TECH - The UK will help Ukraine make long-range missiles by sharing classified tech information
https://apnews.com/article/uk-ukraine-missiles-scalp-defense-classified-range-52630a94448a2d2aa830a733ae899c33
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday that the U.K. will help Ukraine make its own long-range missiles by sharing classified technical information for British components.
Burnham, who was in Kyiv alongside other international leaders for Ukraine’s Independence Day, said defense firm MBDA will release details on U.K.-made parts for the SCALP missile to Ukraine to help the country assemble the weapons.
However, experts say that won’t result in operational missiles soon — or address Ukraine’s most pressing needs in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Here’s what to know about the missiles and how significant the announcement is for Ukraine:
What the SCALP missile is
The SCALP missile is the French-produced version of the U.K.'s Storm Shadow, an air-launched, high-precision missile with a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles). Both use shared French and British technology.
Measuring 5.1 meters (16.7 feet,) the missile is hard to detect and is designed to hit fixed or stationary targets such as hardened bunkers and key infrastructure, according to MBDA. The defense firm says the missile uses an advanced navigation system and is exceptionally accurate.
Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles are in service with the British, French and Italian air forces, as well as other export countries. They have been used in conflicts in Iraq, Libya and Syria.
GERMANY/SEC - Germany to say who's behind attempted airport drone attack soon, says Merz
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/german-investigators-find-third-drone-explosives-after-failed-airport-attack-2026-08-25/
The German government will soon announce who is responsible for an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport earlier this month, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a coalition summit, Merz said his government was "working closely with the security authorities on this, and we will set this out and comment on it shortly."
Security sources cited by local media suspect the involvement of Russian intelligence in the attempted attack, but Berlin has not made any direct accusations.
On August 4, an explosives-laden drone was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft used for military supplies. Investigators suspect a second drone collided with a DHL cargo plane soon after the airport's temporary shutdown.
The airport is a cargo and military logistics hub used by NATO and Ukraine's Antonov Airlines for military supplies.
German investigators discovered a third drone and suspected explosives linked to the attempted attack 10 days later, broadcasters NDR and WDR and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said on Tuesday.
The drone was found to the west of the airport, where investigators also discovered about 50 grams (1.8 oz) of a substance they suspected to be the military explosive hexogen, the media reports said.
RUSSIA/MIL/ECON - Putin allows government takeover of firms vulnerable to drone attacks
https://www.politico.eu/article/vladimir-putin-takeover-firms-drone-attacks/
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given his government powers to temporarily manage critical infrastructure facilities if their owners fail to protect them against security threats.
A decree published Monday gives Russia’s Federal Agency for State Property Management extensive powers to seize industrial sites if their owners have failed to take protective measures against uncrewed aerial vehicles, among other risks.
It will operate seized businesses as the owner and Putin can designate any other entity as the temporary manager, according to the decree.
Since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has stepped up efforts to bring privately owned assets — including industrial and defense-related companies — under state control. Around 805 companies were transferred to the state between 2022 and 2026, according to Vadim Yakovenko, head of the Federal Agency for State Property Management.
“We are not talking about nationalization,” Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said in a press conference Tuesday, according to the state-owned news agency TASS. He blamed business owners for approaching threats “with varying degrees of responsibility.” In some cases, “ensuring the security of facilities and employees, unfortunately, is not a priority for them,” Manturov added.
UKRAINE/RUSSIA/MIL/ENERGY - Ukraine Attacks Oil Refinery, Gas Plant in Southern Russia
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-25/drone-strike-sparks-fire-at-oil-refinery-in-southern-russia
Ukraine said it attacked an oil refinery and a gas-processing plant in Russia overnight, as Kyiv intensifies its campaign against the country’s energy infrastructure.
Ukraine’s summer campaign against Russian refineries has pushed the country’s daily oil-processing rates to multiyear lows and strained fuel supplies, with several regions facing shortages and rationing. To support the domestic market, the government in Moscow introduced a temporary ban on most exports of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel.
Ukrainian forces on Tuesday attacked the Afipsky oil-processing facility in Russia’s Krasnodar region, close to the border with Ukraine, and the Astrakhan gas-processing plant near the Caspian Sea coast, the General Staff in Kyiv said in a Telegram statement.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Krasnodar region governor Veniamin Kondratiev said in a Telegram statement that the Afipsky refinery had caught fire after an aerial attack. The attack also damaged a local train station and at least 10 residential buildings in the Afipsky settlement, he said.
CHINA/VIETNAM/WEATHER - Typhoon Narra wreaks havoc in China, Vietnam as rains lead to floods
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/china-evacuates-tens-thousands-rain-typhoon-narra-lashes-southwest-2026-08-24/
Floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Narra battered northern Vietnam and China's southern region of Guangxi, as accompanying heavy rains damaged infrastructure and crops.
Rising floodwaters prompted China to relocate about 54,000 people, including 8,087 moved to emergency shelters, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Days of heavy rain in northern Vietnam brought by Narra killed one and displaced more than 4,300 households.
Narra lingered over the Beibu Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Tonkin, but weather officials said it would not make landfall, and instead bring downpours in the north.
Vietnam's mountainous provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang received between 236 mm (9 inches) and 300 mm (12 inches) of rain in the 24 hours to Monday morning, triggering floods and landslides.
Floods also affected Vietnam's Quang Ninh, home to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay, inundating parts of the city and disrupting tourism, fishing and transport.
The typhoon disrupted daily school and office activities, and snapped power links to nearly 55,000 families, authorities said, while destroying more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of rice and other crops.
In China, the waters of 15 rivers rose beyond warning levels at monitoring stations. Brown floodwaters engulfed parts of Chongzuo city in CCTV video, submerging roads and clusters of low-rise structures.
Chinese rescuers in rubber boots waded through knee-deep water, with some using boats to evacuate stranded residents.
Torrential rain is forecast for Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan and Fujian in downpours expected to last through Wednesday, CCTV said.
HAITI/SEC - Haiti gang raid leaves 47 dead, as residents demand stronger protections
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/gang-attack-near-haitis-capital-leaves-30-dead-2026-08-24/
At least 47 people were killed and 22 more injured in an overnight gang raid on a neighborhood overlooking Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.N. said on Monday, prompting anger over the lack of protection from repeated deadly attacks.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti said estimates could still change.
The hillside community of Kenscoff, in a strategic position overlooking routes into the capital, has suffered a dozen attacks by armed gangs since last year, forcing thousands to flee their homes.
Powerful gangs under a broad alliance have for years cemented their influence over Haiti's capital and expanded to nearby regions, despite attempts by foreign nations to reinforce the country's outgunned police.
Haitian rights group RNDDH estimated 30 to 40 people were killed and 15 to 20 wounded in the raid, which began around 10:30 p.m. local time, but said it was difficult to assess a complete tally.
Even as Haiti's government decried a "heinous attack" and promised to reinforce security, residents demanded the local police chief step down, saying officers failed to protect people killed just minutes from the police station.
YEMEN/KSA/ENERGY/SEC - Yemen’s Houthis report attack on Saudi oil tanker in Red Sea
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/24/yemens-houthis-report-attack-on-saudi-ship
The Houthis have claimed an attack on a Saudi oil tanker off the port city of Yanbu in the Red Sea.
The Yemeni armed group issued a statement on Monday detailing its strike on the “Amzan”, the latest targeting of Saudi assets by the Houthis in support of Iran, and heightening fears that the US-Israel war on Iran could escalate across the region.
A Houthi military spokesperson said the vessel belonging to Saudi national shipping company Bahri “was targeted off the coast of Yanbu in Saudi Arabia with a ballistic missile”.
Bahri later released a statement confirming that the “Amzan” was involved in a maritime incident in the Red Sea, adding it was in contact with the vessel and was closely coordinating with the relevant authorities. It said all crew members were safe and no injuries had been reported.
“The safety of our people, the protection of the maritime environment, and the safe management of the vessel remain our highest priorities,” the statement said.
Saudi officials were yet to confirm the incident. An Al Jazeera request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment received no response.
In recent weeks, the Houthis killed seven people in a Yemeni port and targeted an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. They also killed at least six people and wounded 10 others in a double-tap strike on a cargo vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
GIFT LINK: What Happened to the Coveted Western Tanks Sent to Ukraine?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/world/europe/ukraine-russia-tanks.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8FA.eEhw.K_tCQvfaTl3Z&smid=url-share
The screens covering a command post wall served up live video feeds from bomber drones, a ground drone trundling down a mud path and surveillance drones scoping out a burning house — a catalog of modern warfare.
One thing missing from the picture were the tanks that gave the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade’s battalion its name.
Once Ukraine’s most sought-after Western weapons, tanks now mostly sit idle, hidden in forests and collecting cobwebs. The $10 million machines, procured with great fanfare, proved no match for cheap drones that now dominate the battlefield. Yet Ukraine still maintains them and trains soldiers to use them, while trying to imagine new ways to deploy them.