Global Express | August 29, 2026 Russia, China, Iran leaders to attend SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan

1. Russia, China and Iran's leaders to attend SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan

Source: CP24

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for a two-day summit, which will also be attended by the leaders of Iran and India.

Around a dozen heads of state will gather in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to mark 25 years of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The group brings together Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four Central Asian countries and Belarus.

The summit comes four-and-a-half years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine and six months into the US-Iran war. Putin is also expected to hold separate bilateral talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Xi Jinping, according to Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov.

Source

2. Iran vows to resist US sanctions as war passes six-month mark

Source: CBS News

As the US-Iran war passed its six-month mark on Friday, Iran's government on Saturday vowed to resist what it called "unjust sanctions" and "conspiracies" while keeping the door open to diplomacy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US government of misleading its own people through the media and manipulating energy markets, appearing to reference Trump's claims about escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz this week.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian admitted that US sanctions are hurting the economy, saying "we are in a war situation, and we must accept these wartime conditions."

Source

3. Gunfire, blasts heard in Niger capital Niamey

Source: Al Jazeera

Sustained gunfire and explosions were heard overnight into Saturday in Niger's capital Niamey, including at the main airport housing the military air base and in the Plateau district where the presidential palace sits.

Niger's defence ministry said a group of soldiers had mutinied against officers at a key military base and fired on "sensitive sites," with security forces progressively retaking control of the targeted areas, though mutineers were still reported present at the airport.

It marks the third time the city has experienced major unrest this year. Niger has been ruled by the military since a July 2023 coup.

Source

4. Ukrainian forces strike Russian warehouses in Rostov region

Source: The Kyiv Independent

Ukrainian forces struck a warehouse belonging to Russian e-commerce giant Ozon overnight on August 29, triggering a "small fire" that was quickly extinguished at a logistics facility in Rostov-on-Don.

Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar said the region came under "massive" attack, with seven people injured — including two adults and two children hospitalised — and two apartment buildings damaged by falling drone debris.

Ukraine regularly strikes military and logistics infrastructure deep inside Russia and the occupied territories to weaken Moscow's ability to keep waging its war.

Source

5. Businesses get tariff refunds, consumers left waiting

Source: NPR

The US government is refunding many of the tariffs it collected, but most of the money is flowing to businesses and importers rather than the consumers who paid higher prices.

After the Supreme Court ruled many of Trump's tariffs illegal in February, Washington began returning more than $160 billion — to the importers that directly paid the fees, typically American companies.

Experts call it "a giant transfer from consumers to corporations." UPS, FedEx and DHL have pledged to pass refunds to customers, but Home Depot said its roughly $730 million in refunds would instead cover higher fuel costs.

Source

6. Corn and wheat prices hit highest in over three years

Source: CNBC

Corn and wheat prices have surged to their highest levels in more than three years, though the forces driving the rallies for the two crops differ notably.

Wheat futures settled 3.1% higher at 784 cents a bushel on Friday, the highest since February 2023, driven by escalating Russia-Ukraine tensions in the Black Sea — together the two countries account for more than a quarter of global wheat exports.

Corn's rally is largely driven by US supply concerns, with the USDA cutting its yield forecast, while extreme heat and drought in Europe have also reduced corn production.

Source

7. Nepal flood death toll climbs to 626

Source: NBC News

The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and mudslides in Nepal rose to at least 626 on Saturday, with more than 2,400 people still missing, including about 90 Americans.

The disaster began Wednesday when a massive chunk of ice and rock dozens of times larger than the Empire State Building broke off a mountaintop, triggering flooding so violent that seismic monitors initially registered it as a magnitude-4.4 earthquake.

China has separately reported seven deaths and 554 people missing in its Tibet region. Rescue helicopters resumed operations in Nuwakot district on Saturday, and the World Bank, India, China and the US have pledged $229 million in support.

Source

8. WHO: DR Congo Ebola still a public health emergency

Source: UN News

The World Health Organization said Friday that the DR Congo Ebola outbreak still meets the criteria of a public health emergency of international concern, though not a pandemic.

As of August 18, the DRC had reported about 5,000 cases, with modelling suggesting the true number of infections could be three to four times higher. The committee warned the outbreak could surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic of 28,600 cases and 11,300 deaths if the trend is not reversed.

The committee called for stronger surveillance, case isolation, contact tracing and infection control, with communities at the centre of the response.

Source

9. eVTOL flying vehicle completes maiden flight in Hong Kong

Source: National Business Daily

An eVTOL vertical take-off and landing aircraft completed a test flight in Hong Kong, part of the Hong Kong government's low-altitude economy "regulatory sandbox X" pilot programme for non-traditional aircraft.

The aircraft ascended smoothly, hovered in the air and then descended slowly before landing safely, with the entire take-off and landing sequence smooth and steady.

The developer said the flagship passenger model targets urban traffic congestion and long commutes, and will be used for passenger transport in the future.

Source

10. Japan's Takaichi government faces media criticism

Source: China News Service

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government is facing growing criticism over its US diplomacy and economic policy, particularly its response after International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane was sanctioned by the United States.

Japanese outlet PRESIDENT Online ran an article criticising Takaichi for initially saying only that the move was "very regrettable" after the Trump administration put Akane on its sanctions list, calling the response too weak.

On economic policy, Japan's Mainichi Shimbun questioned the government's large-scale public-private investment plan in an editorial, arguing that its economic strategy is detached from people's livelihoods.

Source