Experts sound alarm as North America’s bees start swarm season unusually early

• Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) convened for a summit in Bishkek, where they condemned sanctions and attacks targeting Iran. • The group asserted their "inalienable right" to develop, produce, and utilize atomic energy for peaceful purposes, arguing that restrictive measures are contrary to international law.

• A recent disaster in Nepal has highlighted the practical advantages of maintaining strong diplomatic and strategic ties between Nepal, India, and China. • The event underscores how regional cooperation can provide critical support and resources during humanitarian crises, transcending political tensions.

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Bishkek, calling for global institutions to be reformed to reflect modern geopolitical realities. • Guterres urged for stronger multilateralism and specifically demanded that the ceasefire in Gaza be respected to protect civilians.

• A series of global meetings and diplomatic shifts have highlighted a growing fracture in international geopolitics. • The instability is primarily attributed to unpredictability in U.S. foreign policy and leadership.

• The Iranian regime is attempting to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz by projecting a perceived threat to passing vessels. • US officials reported to Axios on August 19 that CENTCOM campaigns have successfully degraded Iran's maritime surveillance, limiting their monitoring capabilities to a few radars and Fast Attack Craft (FAC).

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged member states at the SCO summit to combat state-backed terrorism and eliminate "double standards" in global security. • The summit resulted in the approval of regulations for the SCO Universal Centre for Countering Security and a 2026-2030 action plan for developing regional ports and logistics centers.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif gathered for a group photo at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. • During the event, PM Modi was observed briefly exchanging words with President Xi Jinping, marking a notable interaction between the two leaders.

UK borrowing costs driven up, adding to challenges facing John Healey as he prepares for first budgetBusiness live – latest updatesThe global government bond sell-off resumed on Wednesday, driving up the UK’s borrowing costs and exacerbating the challenges facing John Healey as he prepares his first budget.The yield – effectively the interest rate – on 10-year UK government bonds, or gilts, jumped to just below 5.3% in early trading: its highest level since mid-2008. Continue reading...

Book recreates recipes from period following end of Spanish civil war when people faced food shortagesFew dishes are simpler to prepare than Spain’s signature dish of tortilla de patatas, which – aside from disputes about onions – requires nothing more than two basic ingredients and a pinch of salt. But where to begin if you have neither eggs nor potatoes?That is the question the chef and food writer Berta Álvarez Acal sets out to answer in Recetas de Guerra (Wartime Recipes), a compilation of recipes covering the years of hunger after the end of the Spanish civil war in 1939. Continue reading...

Budget carrier says airlines could go bust as it cuts passenger targets to reduce exposure to ‘unhedged winter oil’Business live – latest updatesRyanair has warned that air fares in Europe will jump next year if the oil price remains high and that some airlines could go bust.The Irish budget carrier has cut its passenger target for the year to 31 March, down from 216 million customers to 214 million, to help reduce its exposure to “unhedged winter oil” during the unprofitable off season, with jet fuel currently trading at $140 (£104) a barrel. Continue reading...

London mayor convicted under ‘conveyor-belt justice’ system where magistrates can decide outcomes in secondsUK politics live – latest updatesThe London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has been convicted and fined for not taxing a 24-year-old car in a controversial fast-track court system.He was found guilty last month under a system that critics have described as “conveyor-belt justice”, with magistrates deciding on hundreds of daily cases and sometimes spending less than a minute on them. Continue reading...

PMQs comes as Resolution Foundation says it is not ‘realistic’ to think defence spending can increase without tax risesGood morning. Andy Burnham will face PMQs for the first time as PM today but he already has a fairly good idea of the questions he might get from Kemi Badenoch because she rehearsed them all yesterday. Here is an excerpt from the press release the Conservatives put out yesterday summarising those questions – and their take on how Burnham responded.Kemi Badenoch asked if Burnham would:-Set out a plan to get defence spending to 3% of GDP; Continue reading...