WORLD IN BRIEF: Trump targets lower diesel prices with Russian supplies, Ethiopia opens $50m gold refinery and other stories

Zelensky accuses Russia of violating energy ceasefire hours after Trump announcement

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has accused Russia of striking six Ukrainian energy facilities hours after US President Donald Trump announced an immediate ceasefire covering energy infrastructure.

Zelensky said Russian attacks hit gas facilities and other energy infrastructure, while Ukraine’s state grid operator, Ukrenergo, reported power cuts in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia due to damage to electricity equipment. The city of Izyum also experienced blackouts after a strike damaged power grids.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine did not deserve the respite a ceasefire would bring. Zelensky described the attacks as evidence that Moscow was unwilling to accept an energy truce, while Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a drone had struck a 25 storey residential building in the capital.

The reported strikes cast doubt on the prospects for a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure, which both countries rely on to sustain civilian services and military operations. The ceasefire announcement came as high fuel prices put pressure on the US administration ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Saudi Arabia vows serious response to Houthi airport attacks

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister has promised a serious response to a series of Houthi attacks on the kingdom’s airports and energy facilities, as the conflict linked to Yemen’s civil war intensifies.

Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman said the attacks were serious and required an equally serious response. On Sunday, a Pakistani national was killed in an attack on a terminal at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, a day after a separate strike killed 13 people and forced another terminal to close.

The Houthis claimed responsibility, describing their attacks as retaliation for Saudi military action in areas of Yemen under their control. The Houthi run health ministry also reported that a child was killed and six people injured in a Saudi airstrike on a home in Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia is providing air support to Yemeni government forces fighting the Houthis along the Red Sea coast and elsewhere. The attacks have heightened security concerns around the kingdom’s aviation and energy infrastructure, with Riyadh’s airport reportedly targeted four times in a week.

Pupil arrested after shooting two teachers at French school

A 14 year old pupil has been arrested after a shooting at a middle school in Aubagne, southern France, left a head teacher and another teacher injured.

The pupil reportedly entered Lakanal middle school with a shotgun concealed in a guitar case before opening fire. The head teacher, 53, was shot in the leg and lower back, while a 37 year old teacher was wounded in the thigh. Neither injury was reported to be life threatening.

Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the suspect fired additional shots on the school’s second floor, including into an occupied classroom, hitting a chalkboard. No pupils were injured, although students were left shaken. A member of staff restrained the teenager before police took him into custody.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into attempted murder. French media reported that the suspect’s father was also taken into custody after weapons were found during a search of the family home. Authorities said the incident was not believed to be connected to ongoing protests over school conditions.

Trump seeks lower US diesel prices through Russian supply deal

Donald Trump, the US President has announced plans to bring Russian diesel into the US market as his administration seeks to reduce fuel costs ahead of the November midterm elections.

Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel, equivalent to about 2.25 million barrels, followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes thereafter. The initial shipment would amount to less than a day’s supply for the US transport sector, which consumes about 2.94 million barrels daily.

The US has lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports, but it remains unclear which tankers could transport the fuel given restrictions on shipping and the condition of Russian refineries. Ukrainian drone attacks have damaged Russian refining facilities, while Moscow has imposed export restrictions to protect domestic supplies.

The deal comes as high diesel prices weigh on US truckers and farmers and raise concerns about the cost of living. Although US diesel prices fell 0.5 percent on Monday following Trump’s announcements, the proposed shipments remain small relative to national demand.

Indian opposition marches to Supreme Court over alleged voter roll fraud

Thousands of opposition supporters marched in New Delhi to demand the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner over allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.

The demonstration, known as the March for Democracy, followed weeks of protests against the removal of tens of millions of names from voter lists. Security forces deployed across the capital, with roads barricaded and thousands of demonstrators detained during the preceding weekend.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, submitted a petition challenging the electoral roll revision and shared a letter to Chief Justice Surya Kant outlining concerns about Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition alleges that the process could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected the allegations. The Supreme Court indicated that the matter was already before it and therefore sub judice, limiting what the chief justice could say publicly about the dispute.

AFRICA

South Africa’s deputy police chief resigns while facing criminal charges

Shadrack Sibiya, South Africa’s deputy police chief, has resigned three weeks after being charged with sexual offences, human trafficking and other alleged crimes.

A lawyer representing Lieutenant General Sibiya submitted his resignation during a disciplinary hearing on Monday, according to police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe. His departure was classified as a dishonourable discharge because he resigned while disciplinary proceedings were ongoing.

Sibiya, 59, denies allegations that he sexually groomed a 16 year old girl and raped an 18 year old woman. He acknowledges having sex with the adult complainant but says it was consensual. He also denies allegations linking him to organised crime figures and interference in investigations into political killings.

The allegations emerged amid the Madlanga Commission’s inquiry into police corruption and alleged collusion with criminals. Sibiya had previously been suspended over claims that he interfered with investigations and received gifts from an alleged criminal kingpin in exchange for a police contract.

Ethiopia opens $50m gold refinery to boost regional processing

Ethiopia has launched its first gold refinery in a $50 million joint venture intended to expand domestic processing and attract gold from neighbouring countries, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said.

The facility will provide services including melting, testing, refining, casting and gold bar production. Abiy said it would allow regional mining companies to process and certify their gold in Ethiopia rather than sending it outside Africa for refining.

State owned Ethiopian Investment Holdings holds a majority stake in the refinery, according to the prime minister. Gold is one of Ethiopia’s main sources of foreign exchange, generating $5.6 billion in export earnings last year, according to government data.

The government hopes the refinery will help Ethiopia capture more value from gold production and establish itself as a regional processing hub. Local refining could also reduce reliance on overseas facilities and support the development of the country’s mining industry.

Kabila launches new political military coalition in eastern Congo

Joseph Kabila, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s former president, has launched a new political military coalition involving leaders of the AFC M23 insurgency, taking a more direct role in the conflict in the country’s east.

The Front pour la Refondation de la Nation, or FRN, will be led by Kabila, with rebel figures Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa, Freddy Kaniki and Sultani Makenga serving as deputies. The group’s formation was announced by Kabila adviser Claude Ibalanky.

Congolese authorities have accused Kabila of supporting AFC M23, which captured extensive territory in eastern Congo during an offensive last year. Kabila had previously denied involvement, although his visit to rebel held Goma in 2025 and the involvement of former allies in the insurgency fuelled suspicions of closer ties.

In a speech on Friday, Kabila accused the government of corruption, poor governance and military failures in the east, while criticising its minerals agreement with the United States. The United Nations and Western governments accuse Rwanda of backing M23 and exercising command over the rebels, allegations Kigali denies.

Sudan miners’ deaths prompt scrutiny after Egypt announces anti mining campaign

At least 72 artisanal miners were killed in an airstrike in northern Sudan near the Egyptian border, according to rights monitor Emergency Lawyers, as the war in Sudan continues to disrupt livelihoods and intensify fighting.

Emergency Lawyers blamed the Egyptian air force for Saturday’s strike, but the allegation could not be independently verified. Egypt’s military said on Monday that it was carrying out a campaign against illegal gold mining in southern Egypt, following warnings to what it called criminal elements, but did not refer to the deaths in Sudan.

The military said the campaign, launched in June, was intended to strengthen state authority within Egyptian territory and protect national resources. Egypt’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the alleged strike.

Northern Sudan has seen an influx of artisanal miners as the conflict disrupts other sources of income and gold becomes a key source of cash for both sides. The incident follows other mass casualty attacks in Sudan, including a drone strike on a displacement camp in Blue Nile state that reportedly killed 31 people.

Libya seizes $934,000 worth of hashish near Tobruk

Authorities in eastern Libya have seized about 400 kilogrammes of hashish worth an estimated 6 million dinars, or $934,000, and arrested suspects near the coastal city of Tobruk.

Ahmed al Mismari, an information officer with the anti drugs agency, said the seizure took place on Saturday at a house in an agricultural area southeast of the city. Preliminary investigations indicated that the shipment had been smuggled across the Egyptian border and was intended for distribution in Libya.

The agency released photographs showing packages of hashish wrapped in gold and black patterned material, marked with symbols including a horse and the year 2026. Officials did not confirm the number of people detained.

Libya has become an important transit route for illicit drugs as criminal networks exploit years of instability following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi. The seizure highlights continued efforts by authorities in the east to disrupt cross border smuggling networks.