Destroyed crops, riverbed cyclists and a ‘Rock of Starvation’: how drought has devastated the Danube

• India is evolving its foreign policy from a historical stance of Non-Alignment toward a strategy of "Strategic Autonomy" to better navigate 21st-century geopolitics. • The Indian government is actively lobbying for a permanent seat on an expanded UN Security Council, arguing that the current structure fails to reflect modern global realities.

• A historical analysis highlights mediation as a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy, driven by the need to maintain stability among adversarial neighbors. • Unlike global superpowers, Pakistan's motivation for mediation is rooted in immediate security threats, including refugee influxes, cross-border terrorism, and narcotics smuggling.

Latest reading on Wednesday likely to frame scale of challenge for new PM to ease pressures on households amid Iran war fallout British households are facing a renewed cost of living squeeze, with official figures expected to show this week that soaring energy bills drove up inflation in July to close to 3%.As the Iran war continues to send shock waves through global energy markets, economists predict the surge in UK gas and electricity bills last month will push Britain’s headline inflation rate to 2.9%. Continue reading...

Discussions to focus on Australia’s acquisition of Mogami-class frigates as Japan plays down Albanese’s podcast commentsJapan’s defence minister will visit Canberra this week, the highest level engagement with Australia after controversy over Anthony Albanese’s comments about a gift of melons from prime minister Sanae Takaichi.The defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, will meet his counterpart and deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, on Tuesday, with discussions focused on Australia’s acquisition of Japan’s Mogami-class frigates and enhanced security cooperation. Continue reading...

Searchers dig through collapsed buildings and debris after 7.7 magnitude quake killed at least 47 peopleRescue crews dug through collapsed buildings and landslide debris in eastern Indonesia on Sunday as they searched for bodies and possible survivors a day after a powerful earthquake killed at least 47 people, injured more than 100 and displaced thousands.At least 24 people died in Manggarai regency and 17 in neighbouring East Manggarai, with additional fatalities reported in Sikka, Ngada and Ende regencies, the national disaster management agency said. Rescuers were still searching for people feared buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across six regencies on Flores, a predominantly Catholic island in Muslim-majority Indonesia. Continue reading...

Legislation for plan passed parliament earlier this year and is set to commence in NSW from November. Follow live updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHanson wants to slash international student numbersOne Nation leader Pauline Hanson says she wants dramatic cuts to the number of international students allowed to come into the country.People are using it to come to the country. Then after they get in the country, they’re only here for a few months. Then they change the courses.Then they apply for residence here in Australia. So they’re using [it] as a back door to get into the country. Continue reading...

Police say Larry Montes struck a woman and a security guard after he disrupted Shabbat servicesA New York City man is facing hate crime charges after police say he assaulted a woman and a security team member while disrupting Shabbat services at Central Synagogue in Manhattan – all in plain view of a live stream.The New York police department identified the suspect in the case as Larry Montes, 46, who was arrested after the episode at the synagogue. Montes was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime, along with other alleged violations, police said. Continue reading...

‘There’s male, there’s female, and then there’s mental illness,’ Tyron Whitten says on YouTube showGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation senator Tyron Whitten has claimed parents supporting their children who identify as transgender are engaging in “child abuse”, telling a fringe YouTube show: “there’s male, there’s female, and then there’s mental illness”.Guardian Australia has unearthed several incendiary comments from Whitten and fellow One Nation senators Pauline Hanson and her longtime lieutenant Malcolm Roberts, about transgender Australians. Continue reading...

Death toll now stands at 68, with 18 children being among the killed after ferry capsized on Lake KaribaTwenty-two more bodies have been recovered after a boat accident in Zimbabwe, taking the death toll to 68, police said on Saturday.The ferry capsized on Tuesday on Lake Kariba, on the border with Zambia. An investigation has suggested it was overloaded when it went over during heavy winds. Continue reading...

Fans line streets, singing Total Eclipse of the Heart ahead of Welsh singer’s Swansea funeralThousands of Bonnie Tyler fans lined the streets of her home town in south Wales to pay respects to the singer as her coffin was brought back to her former home.The singer, whose real name was Gaynor Sullivan, died unexpectedly on 8 July in Portugal at the age of 75. Continue reading...

Border security tightened after social media posts call for another mass crossing into Spain’s north African territoryMoroccan police have arrested 111 people as they tried to enter Spain’s north African territory of Ceuta, amid ⁠tightened security on both sides after social media posts ​called for another mass crossing.The attempted crossing on Saturday came two weeks after more than 72,000 migrants surged into Ceuta, causing tensions within the EU and prompting anti-immigration rhetoric among far-right parties worldwide. At least 96 people died trying to ⁠reach European soil. Continue reading...