Daily Digest — 28 May 2026

Middle Eastern tensions escalated sharply as the US carried out new strikes in Iran while Kuwait activated air defenses against missile and drone threats. The military action sent shockwaves through financial markets, with Bitcoin plunging below \(73,000 and nearly \)1 billion in crypto liquidations as risk assets sold off. Oil surged 3.3% to $91.65 amid supply concerns, while safe-haven gold declined 1.5% as investors moved to cash.

Political turmoil gripped the UK as Labour’s chair gave Nigel Farage 24 hours to report alleged Russian phone hacking to police, threatening to do it herself in the “public and national interest.” Meanwhile, vetting officials warned against granting security clearance to Peter Mandelson due to ties with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel, plus a £1 million loan. The healthcare crisis deepened as resident doctors announced a four-day strike in June, marking their 16th walkout.

Technology faced new scrutiny as a Google engineer was charged with insider trading for making $1.2 million on Polymarket bets using internal company information. The case highlights growing concerns about prediction markets and insider access to data that could influence betting outcomes.

African migration continued making headlines as Ghana welcomed home 300 citizens evacuated from South Africa following anti-immigrant tensions, while Canada, the Bahamas and the US imposed travel bans on countries affected by a rare Ebola outbreak strain.