Captain calamity: Pete Hegseth under fire for ‘inept’ leadership of US military

• Technology, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity are expanding diplomacy beyond traditional government negotiations to shape global affairs. • Nations are competing to develop advanced AI capabilities for use in military systems, intelligence gathering, and cyber operations.

Carlos de Almeida Baptista Júnior describes 2022 meeting in new book as ex-leader’s son vies with Lula for presidencyThe far-right populist Jair Bolsonaro was in his final days as Brazil’s president when, six weeks after losing the election and still refusing to recognise the result, he summoned the heads of the armed forces to a meeting.The defence minister, Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, took out a document from a plastic folder and handed copies to the commanders of the navy, army and air force. Continue reading...

Anwar, who lives in Glasgow, says Home Office refused visa application despite Maryam having cancerA man living in the UK has said he believes his sister-in-law who died from cancer in Gaza would still be alive today if the Home Office had agreed to bring her and her family to Britain.Anwar, who lives in Glasgow, fled Gaza in 2020 and was granted refugee status in the UK in 2021. After the destruction of large areas of Gaza by Israeli forces following the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, he applied to bring his brother Hassan, Hassan’s wife, Maryam, their two young children and other family members to the UK in October 2025. He said the Home Office rejected their application. Continue reading...

Farage, who had earlier suspended two close aides, had his keynote speech interrupted multiple times by protesters on FridayMorning, and welcome to our UK politics blog. Reform UK’s annual conference continues in Birmingham today, with speeches from Lee Anderson, Zia Yusuf, Robert Jenrick and others, before Nigel Farage takes to the stage for the closing remarks.The conference has been overshadowed by a scandal involving senior Reform figures caught in an undercover sting discussing potential foreign donations, prompting the suspension of two senior aides and renewed scrutiny of the party’s finances. Continue reading...

Scale of deportations made public for first time amid criticism of hardline approach to UK citizensSweden has confirmed 458 British citizens have been deported or forcibly removed by police since Brexit.It is the first time the scale of the deportations of citizens who failed to secure residency in Sweden post Brexit has been made public and comes amid mounting criticism of a cruel and hardline approach to Britons who had chosen to make the country their home before Brexit. Continue reading...

Traffic on A20 in and out of port grinds to halt as Kent police say they are in attendance and engaging with groupA large group of people dressed in black and wearing balaclavas have blocked the road at the port of Dover in Kent, forcing closures in both directions.Kent police said they were aware of the protest, which was described as a “public order incident” by the Port of Dover. Officers were in attendance and engaging with protesters, they said. Continue reading...

Experts say invasive species are creating ‘pollinator deserts’ and could have serious impact on food securityBritish beekeepers have called for a national awareness campaign about the impact of Asian hornets as they warned the invasive species was creating “pollinator deserts” and threatening food security.Native to south-east Asia, the yellow-legged hornet is thought to have arrived in Europe in 2004 and has continued to spread ever since, its numbers probably boosted by increasingly warm springs and summers. Continue reading...

Irish boxer lauded for her tenacity and inspiration before her last fight in front of 80,000 people at Croke ParkWhen Katie Taylor steps into the ring on Saturday night to defend her titles and once again enthral Ireland, there will be a bittersweet tinge. After a singular career that pioneered women’s boxing, the super-lightweight champion and Olympic gold medallist is bowing out. She is 40 and it is to be her final bout.“The end of an era, isn’t it?” said Trevor McMahon, her brother-in-law and founder of a gym where she trains. “It’ll be an amazing night but it’ll also be a little bit sad. Everything she did, it might not ever be achieved again.” Continue reading...

A total fire ban is in place for greater Sydney with extreme fire danger exacerbated by hot and windy conditionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSummer heat is due to arrive early across much of eastern Australia with potentially record early September temperatures predicted for Brisbane and Sydney, while snow was expected in southern New South Wales.Maximum temperatures in Sydney during the first days of September were on track to match the city’s midsummer average of 26.4C, warmer than any other start to spring since the city’s Observatory Hill station opened in 1858. Continue reading...

Ruling allows defense department to proceed for now in exerting greater editorial control over military news outletA federal judge has declined to stop the Pentagon from firing journalists who say they were illegally punished for speaking out about the need for the Stars and Stripes publication to maintain its editorial independence.The ruling by US district judge Trevor McFadden allows the Pentagon to proceed for now in exerting greater editorial control over the historically independent military news outlet. Continue reading...

Interior department given three months to decide whether wolves can be removed from endangered species listDonald Trump signed an executive order on Friday directing the interior department to consider de-listing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act and to contemplate whether the agency could make it easier to authorize killing them.The order gives interior secretary Doug Burgum three months to determine whether gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves have recovered enough for the federal government to de-list them. Continue reading...