The Middle East’s war clouds thickened this week as the United States and Iran traded fresh blows across the Strait of Hormuz, even as Yemen’s Houthi rebels tightened their grip on the Red Sea coast. According to Al Jazeera, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said its navy destroyed a US unmanned surface vessel in the Strait on Thursday, while two more vessels were reportedly hit off the coast of Oman. The claims have not been independently verified by Washington. The incident is the latest in a months-long exchange that has included US strikes on Iranian oil tankers and Iranian missile fire at American warships, according to Al Jazeera’s rolling coverage of the conflict. Adding to the volatility, Houthi forces said they had seized the strategic Yemeni port city of Mocha, giving them effective control of the country’s entire Red Sea coastline, the outlet reported.
The turmoil formed the backdrop to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s arrival in New Delhi on Friday for the BRICS summit. According to Al Jazeera, his visit is being closely watched for what it signals about Moscow’s alignment with Tehran even as the war in Ukraine grinds on, with Indian officials saying Putin is expected to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on energy and trade.
Closer to home, a succession crisis has engulfed Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom just as it prepares to bury its king. According to the Daily Monitor, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has publicly rejected the selection of Prince Edward Kijanangoma Rukidi as the next Omukama, days after a 21-member royal committee named him successor to the late King Oyo, who died on August 27 after a battle with cancer. The Queen Mother says a will read at the palace on Thursday names a different heir, and has accused the committee of moving prematurely “while my son was still lying in his casket.” With Oyo’s burial set for Saturday and the royal family reportedly confined to the palace under heavy security, Kemigisa has appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to let the family mourn before any succession dispute is resolved, the Monitor reported.
On the economic front, Kenya’s Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o has sounded a fresh alarm over the country’s finances. Per The Standard, Nyakang’o’s 2025/26 financial year report shows public debt has climbed to Sh13.01 trillion, pushing the debt-to-GDP ratio to 68.5 percent, well above the legal ceiling of 55 percent. She warned that rising debt-service costs and refinancing needs are squeezing public finances, and directed the National Treasury to urgently rein in borrowing, according to the report.
Together, the developments underscore a fraught week both abroad and at home, from a Gulf standoff with global oil-market implications, to a royal succession fight in Uganda, to mounting fiscal pressure in Nairobi.