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Middle East Crisis  Strait of Hormuz
Sources: Iran has attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has fired at least two missiles at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. This is reported by two American officials to Axios.

The British maritime surveillance UKMTO also stated that a tanker caught fire after being hit by "an unknown projectile", writes Reuters. The ship was then near Lima in Oman.

The ship is said to have been damaged, but it is not said to have resulted in any environmental impact. No one is said to have been injured according to UKMTO, writes AP.

Peace talks between the US and Iran appear to have been paused in connection with the funeral of the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Political situation in the UK
Nigel Farage promises to make announcement about his future

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says he will make a statement about his “future in public life” at 15.00 on Tuesday, Swedish time.

Farage is in a storm after reports that he accepted gifts and donations without properly reporting them. This concerns in particular a donation of the equivalent of 65 million kronor from a crypto billionaire.

The right-wing populist party has topped almost all national opinion polls in the past year, challenging the century-old dominance of Labour and the Tory party.

Farage has previously been riding a wave of almost constant success, but in recent weeks he has seemed irritated and uneasy, according to Reuters.

Political situation in Cuba
Cuba residents: “Honestly, we can’t take it anymore”

Meyboll Font, 51, who lives in Havana, says that the power outages in Cuba are a torment. With the new major power outage that hit the country on Monday, she has difficulty knowing when she will have electricity next time, she tells The Guardian. Normally, she has three to four hours of electricity a day.

Another resident in Cuba testifies to the difficulties of running her tourism business because there is a lack of both wifi and electricity. Many are also exhausted and have difficulty sleeping and working in the heat.

“Look at my face, it says it all. We just have to smile and endure, but it’s not easy,” Ariel Sotelo, 57, told Reuters.

Omar Ortega, 60, who also lives in the capital, is worried about the heat and mosquitoes.

“Honestly, we can’t take it anymore,” he says. 

Syria's new regime
Explosions near Macron's hotel in Damascus

Two explosions have occurred in the Syrian capital Damascus and 18 people have been injured, writes Reuters.

French President Emmanuel Macron is currently visiting Damascus and the explosions are said to have occurred near his hotel, a security source said.

Macron's visit is the first by a Western European head of state or government since Ahmed al-Sharaa took office as leader of Syria in 2024.

According to a statement from the Élysée Palace, Macron was on his way to a meeting with al-Sharaa when the explosions occurred and he is said to have not heard them.

According to the plan, Macron is to leave Syria on Tuesday.

Death toll rises after Venezuela quake

More than 3,500 people have been confirmed dead in Venezuela's two earthquakes and nearly 17,000 are injured, according to Venezuelan authorities.

On Monday, the official statistics on the number of deaths in Venezuela's earthquakes almost two weeks ago were written up to 3,535 dead. The number of injured is stated to be 16,740 and more than 17,000 people have been registered as homeless in the country as the devastation is large-scale.

The magnitude of the first earthquake was measured at 7.2 and the second at 7.5.

The quakes were the most powerful to hit Venezuela in over a century and occurred within a minute near Morón on the coast.