Alarmed by the alarm: people react to ‘severe alert’ on phones with message on UK wildfires

• Five years after the Taliban seized power in 2021, Afghanistan is facing a systemic collapse characterized by extreme poverty and a failing healthcare system. • The regime has effectively erased women from public life, while desperate families are increasingly forced to marry off their daughters due to economic hardship.

• Five years after the chaotic US withdrawal, Afghanistan remains gripped by one of the world's most severe humanitarian and human rights emergencies. • The situation has worsened following the US president's decision in early 2025 to terminate nearly all USAID humanitarian and development contracts.

• Former President Donald Trump announced on August 14, 2026, that he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory "pretty soon." • This statement comes amid escalating tensions and ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

• Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a landmark mutual defense pact. • Geopolitical Futures experts George Friedman and Kamran Bokhari analyze the agreement as a potential "Islamic NATO" that alters the regional balance of power.

• Pakistan has historically utilized mediation as a core pillar of its foreign policy to manage conflicts between neighboring adversaries. • Unlike global superpowers driven by ideology, Pakistan's mediation efforts are motivated by the direct security threats posed by regional instability.

• Human rights campaigners are expressing growing concern that increasing global diplomatic ties with the Taliban are undermining pressure for human rights improvements in Afghanistan. • Fereshta Abbasi of Human Rights Watch highlighted the tension between the necessity of engagement for aid agencies to mitigate the humanitarian crisis and the ambiguity of the long-term goals of these contacts.

1.6m dozen eggs from Texas recalled amid one of the largest recorded foodborne illness outbreaks in US historyA massive egg recall affecting nearly 1.6m dozen eggs has been elevated to the US Food and Drug Administration’s highest-risk warning as officials investigate a salmonella outbreak that has sickened nearly 100 people.The FDA on 12 August reclassified the recall of nearly 1.6m dozen white and brown cage-free eggs over concerns they may be contaminated with salmonella. Continue reading...

Exclusive: More than 100 homes on King Charles and Prince William’s inherited estates have EPC ratings of F or G• ‘It’s archaic’: the struggle to heat poorly insulated homes let by royal estatesMore than 100 homes on the inherited royal estates of King Charles and Prince William fail to meet the legal minimum energy standards for landlords, the Guardian can reveal.An analysis of a large sample of domestic lets on the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall and the Sandringham estate found that one in five have Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings of F or G. Continue reading...

Former VP sent fundraising appeal for Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign – with half of donations going to Harris’s organizationAlaska US Senate candidate Mary Peltola has rejected the support of Kamala Harris, her fellow Democrat, after the 2024 presidential candidate sent out a seemingly unsolicited fundraising appeal on Peltola’s behalf.Harris, who lost Alaska – typically a Republican-voting state – by 13 points during her unsuccessful White House run, on Wednesday sent an email from her political organization to supporters of Peltola, a former US House member. Continue reading...

Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis faces trial on Monday over rap star’s death that marked notorious chapter in hip-hop’s historyIn September 1996, rap star Tupac Shakur was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas strip, succumbing days later to his injuries. His killing, which remained unsolved for decades, gave rise to fervent conspiracy theories and conjecture.Thirty years later, one man is facing trial for the ambush: Duane “Keffe D” Davis. Continue reading...

Proud Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung nation recognised posthumously with the lifetime achievement awardGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne of Australia’s greatest cultural ambassadors has been recognised posthumously for dedicating her life to sharing, preserving and promoting First Nations culture through language, dance and ceremony.Proud Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung nation Rhoda Roberts died in March aged 66. On Saturday night in Alice Springs, she was posthumously awarded the lifetime achievement award at the Naidoc awards. Continue reading...