A volatile security picture dominates world headlines today. In the Gulf, the UAE says its air defences intercepted drones and missiles, warning residents to avoid debris, in an incident that came just hours after the United States reported foiling attacks on Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz — a sign that the Iran ceasefire remains fragile and the region’s vital shipping lanes exposed. In East Asia, North Korea is again raising the temperature, announcing plans for new long-range artillery aimed at the Seoul area by 2026 and the imminent commissioning of its first naval destroyer, underscoring a harder military posture as Pyongyang distances itself further from any unification agenda. Elsewhere, a grim criminal case is unfolding in Brockville, Ontario, where a 17-year-old faces three first-degree murder charges after a woman and her two young daughters were found dead inside a home.