Hamas calls for Trump’s Board of Peace to ‘compel’ Israel over Gaza peace plan – Middle East crisis live

• The week ending August 16 saw a widening gap between international diplomatic efforts and the worsening realities of conflict and humanitarian strain across Africa. • Sudan, Somalia, and South Sudan faced escalating pressures, with Somalia specifically grappling with a deepening food crisis and Sudan dealing with a widening war.

• A dubious post on X (formerly Twitter) sparked a chain of misinformation that falsely suggested Iran's leadership had declared the country a nuclear power. • The false claim originated in India before ricocheting to Washington, influencing perceptions of Iran's strategic capabilities despite a lack of evidence.

• President Donald Trump announced the launch of "major combat operations" against Iran on February 28, involving massive joint strikes conducted by the U.S. and Israel. • In a related diplomatic effort, Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to the President, is traveling to Egypt and Israel this week.

The leftwing commentator has been invited to appear on the Planet America program in Australia on Monday nightThe ABC is set to air the return of its Planet America program on Monday night as the US midterm elections gain steam, with a new episode featuring the leftwing commentator Hasan Piker.Host John Barron said the episode will focus on the “rise of Democratic socialists and the populist left”, with Piker speaking about “what it’s like in the eye of a political storm”. But the appearance quickly sparked the ire of conservatives in Australia. Continue reading...

Wildfire thought to be largest in Belgium’s history creeps closer to German border prompting evacuationsBelgium’s King Philippe will visit the area affected by what is believed to be the largest wildfire in the country’s history this morning, after a weekend of intense firefighting in the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve.The fire has been raging since Friday afternoon, burning more than 3,000 hectares of land, provisional figures show. Continue reading...

Salaries will rise 28.3% to 32.4% over four years, an outcome partly shaped by a rank-and-file rebellion within the Australian Education UnionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria’s school teachers are set to become the highest paid in the country, after accepting the state government’s latest pay and conditions offer after a year-long bargaining process.Australian Education Union (AEU) members voted 79% in favour of the offer on Monday, which will deliver total pay rises of between 28.3% and 32.4% over four years, plus a $2,000 bonus at the start of the agreement. The union also confirmed a planned strike will not go ahead on Wednesday. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: The Spanish prime minister has remade himself as Europe’s leading leftwing standard-bearer. Could his success offer the UK’s PM a route forward?Good morning. To international onlookers, Pedro Sànchez appears to have achieved the impossible. Where other European leftist and left-ish premiers have flopped and flailed, the Spanish PM has endured.Since June 2018, Sánchez has ruled from Madrid, implementing a raft of progressive policies. More recently, he has emerged as a leading, and often lone, left-wing European voice on the global stage, striking a defiant tone on everything from the Trump administration’s war in Iran (“the smokescreen of war to hide their failure”) to Israel’s actions in Gaza (“exterminating a defenceless people”). The fact that the international press has nicknamed him El Guapo (the handsome one) can’t hurt.UK economy | The UK should expect to see a new cost of living crisis, with official figures released this week by the ONS expected to show how soaring energy bills drove up inflation close to 3% in July.Ceuta | Moroccan police arrested 111 people this weekend, who were trying to enter Spain’s north African territory of Ceuta, amid tightened security on both sides after social media posts called for another mass crossing.Jason Arday | The University of Cambridge has defended its mental health support for the academic Jason Arday.UK politics | Andy Burnham is being urged to protect 4 million gig economy workers, who thinktanks warn miss out on key statutory rights including: parental leave, redundancy pay and protection against unfair dismissal.Indonesia | Rescue crews dug through collapsed buildings and landslide debris in eastern Indonesia on Sunday, searching for bodies after a powerful earthquake killed at least 51 people, and injured more than 100.Sànchez understands that anchoring his party to the left … is where he can govern.Monday | Nominations close for candidates seeking to replace Anas Sarwar as Scottish Labour leader.Tuesday | Opening arguments expected to begin in a lawsuit brought by multiple US states against Meta about social media addiction.Thursday | Students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will receive their GCSE results. Continue reading...

The new measure falls short of calls for gambling ads to move to an opt-in model, or for an outright banFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Labor government has pledged a new single-service opt-out register for gambling ads - an idea similar to the Do Not Call register for spam calls - as part of amendments to its wagering ad bill, as well as restrictions on inducements and limiting commissions for agents.Communications minister Anika Wells has also confirmed gambling companies will face a new levy to pay for the register, a beefed-up measure to curb wagering ads, after concerns were raised through a Senate inquiry that Australians would struggle to find or complete individual opt-out options on each online service. Continue reading...

Parents of Michaela Hall, whose partner killed her after he left prison in 2021, say Probation Service cannot cope with mass releaseMore women will die if ministers include domestic abusers in the early prison release scheme, the parents of a woman murdered by her partner shortly after he was freed have warned.Michaela Hall, a 49-year-old charity worker, was killed in her home in Cornwall, by Lee Kendall in 2021 two weeks after he was released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for assaulting her. Continue reading...

Research from King’s College London finds that Reform voters’ perceptions were furthest from the truthThe public overestimate how many minority ethnic people are killers, as well as how many foreign national offenders there are, a new study has found.The research from King’s College London tested knowledge and perceptions of crime at a time when radical right parties are trying to link offending to ethnicity and nationality to gain votes. Continue reading...

Panettiere’s death was announced by her father, who called her ‘an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her’Hayden Panettiere, the actor known for her roles in television shows such as Heroes and Nashville, has died aged 36.Panettiere’s death was confirmed in a statement from her representative to the Guardian on Sunday night, after it was first reported on US network ABC News. No cause of death was given. Continue reading...