Morning Edition · Monday, June 22, 2026
Macro
Iran Declares Strait of Hormuz Closed and US-Iran Truce Breached After Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 16 in Lebanon
Tehran says Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon voided the 60-day roadmap and shut the waterway, but US Central Command and Iran's own foreign ministry report shipping still moving, leaving crude only modestly higher.
World
Starmer Resigns, Making Way for Burnham as Britain Faces Its Seventh Leader in a Decade
Keir Starmer stepped down as prime minister under party pressure less than two years into the job, with the pound softer and gilt markets watchful.
Markets
Gold Climbs Toward Recent Highs as Hard-Money Demand Holds
Bullion rose about 1.1 percent while a high-value gold-bar robbery in Hong Kong underscored the metal's elevated price, even as bitcoin softened.
Crypto
Bridge Hack Halts Taiko Network as Bitcoin Trades Near Multi-Month Lows
An attacker drained about 1.7 million dollars from an Ethereum layer-2 bridge, the same flaw behind several major crypto thefts this year, as digital-asset sentiment cooled.
Geopolitics
Ukraine's Long-Range Strikes Trigger Missile Alerts Across Russian Regions
Air-raid warnings spread to at least six regions and casualties were reported in Voronezh as Russia said its defenses downed hundreds of drones overnight.
Geopolitics
Trump-Backed Newcomer Narrowly Wins Colombia, Marking a Sharp Right Turn
Abelardo de la Espriella defeated leftist Iván Cepeda by under one percentage point, polarizing the country and drawing a key Latin American economy closer to Washington.
Macro
China Rejects Trade Criticism as Germany Pushes for Global Talks on the Yuan
Beijing denied seeking a surplus after Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the Chinese currency sharply undervalued and urged coordinated international action.
Geopolitics
Lebanon Truce Mechanism Takes Shape Without Israel, With Iran a Partner
Mediators describe a new committee to prevent military friction in Lebanon that excludes Israel and includes Tehran, which is claiming a role in the country's security.
Macro
Strains Mount in Russia's War Economy as Developer Stock Sinks and Crimea Loses Power
Shares in Russia's largest homebuilder fell about 8 percent and Crimea moved to rolling power blackouts, signs of pressure beneath the war-driven growth model.
World
Congo's Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 1,000 Cases as Counts Diverge
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported 1,003 confirmed cases and 254 deaths, a far higher tally than international agencies had recorded days earlier.
World
South Korea Sentences Ex-Justice Minister to 25 Years Over Martial-Law Bid
A Seoul court handed down a sentence longer than prosecutors sought, deepening accountability for the brief 2024 martial-law episode under former President Yoon.
Markets
Ray-Ban Heir Seeks Multibillion-Euro Buyout of His Own Family
An heir to the eyewear fortune is appealing directly to the family holding company to back his plan to buy out two siblings ahead of a decisive vote.