The Brief

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have seized the island of Perim (Mayun) and stretches of Yemen's Red Sea coast near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, tightening their grip on a chokepoint used by tankers carrying Saudi oil exports. Iranian officials have hailed the advance as a 'divine triumph,' though they have not said whether they plan to close the strait.

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline after a drone attack it says was launched from Iraq. Iraq's prime minister dismissed a military commander and closed three border crossings with Iran while investigating, though an umbrella group of Iran-backed Iraqi militias denied involvement. Bahrain said it will not attend a meeting on Hormuz security proposed by Iran, which called the gathering a sign of 'good intentions' toward its neighbors. Saudi officials also said a Houthi projectile wounded two people and damaged a mosque in the kingdom's Jazan region; the Houthis said the strike targeted a Saudi military base in Sharurah.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other BRICS leaders for a summit dominated by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with global tariff disputes. Modi called for empowerment of the Global South and an overhaul of global governance.

A joint declaration from the summit urged 'restraint' in the Middle East, condemned unilateral sanctions, and expressed 'firm opposition' to the forced displacement of Palestinians by Israel. On the sidelines, Iran's president met Abu Dhabi's crown prince — the two countries' highest-level talks since the Iran war began.

Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck several industrial facilities across Ukraine, including cargo vessels and steel plants, in strikes across 10 regions that killed three people.

A senior UN official told the BBC that Ukraine faces its toughest winter since the invasion began, warning of a race against time to secure access to power and water.

The death toll from a fire aboard a passenger ferry off the western Philippines has risen to 76, with more still missing, the country's coast guard says. Access to the burnt-out boat has been slowed by toxic fumes and lingering heat.

The coast guard said 41 of the additional bodies were recovered from the M/V June Aster, with 13 people still listed as missing.

Sweden votes Sunday in an election that could see the Sweden Democrats, a party with roots in the far-right movement, enter government for the first time, as voters weigh migration, crime and the economy.

A fire at a nursing home in Chile's Araucanía region killed 16 elderly residents, with ten others evacuated from the facility.

The home had faced fines and enforcement proceedings over regulatory violations dating back to 2019.