Iran and Oman reach understanding on coordinates of route through Hormuz, Iran ministry says

• Ten European countries have restored border checks, signaling a potential decline in European solidarity and the viability of the Schengen common area. • The tension escalated on August 26, 2026, after Italy imposed restrictions on travelers from Spain, prompting an immediate retaliatory response from Madrid.

• Russia has issued a formal warning to the United Kingdom regarding its ongoing production of drones. • Diplomatic efforts are reportedly making progress concerning the Strait of Hormuz, though the practical impact remains unclear.

• Media narratives and expert analyses are increasingly focusing on a projected 2026 war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. • Current discourse largely portrays Iran as the primary antagonist in the lead-up to this potential conflict.

• President Trump stated that the U.S. is "achieving a very big victory" in the ongoing war with Iran, asserting that military operations will continue for as long as necessary. • As the conflict approaches the six-month mark, Trump confirmed there is currently no specific timetable for resuming peace talks with the Iranian government.

• During a UN Security Council debate on Tuesday, officials warned of a "vicious conflict-hunger cycle" where war drives famine, which then fuels further violence. • The crisis is manifesting globally, with farmers fleeing land in Somalia, drone strikes hitting markets in Sudan, and gang violence isolating communities in Haiti.

At least 160 people have died, while officials believe 340 foreign nationals from India, the US, UK, Australia, Malaysia and Ukraine among those missing. Follow the latest newsFlash floods on Nepal-Tibet border leave scores dead and hundreds missingTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Authorities in Nepal and Tibet have said they fear the death toll from catastrophic flooding could be much higher than 160 people already killed, as search and rescue efforts to locate the hundreds missing continue.A huge wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, triggering the flash flood which washed away houses, roads and border crossings.Rescue teams are rushing on Thursday to find hundreds of people missing after the flood and landslides killed at least 160 people. Many of the missing were foreign tourists, officials said.Nepali police said they had recovered 157 bodies after “devastating floods”, with officers working to move families in flood-risk areas to safety. Chinese state media reported “major casualties” from a mudslide at a Tibet border hub, reporting three dead and another 265 missing. The overall death toll appears likely to rise.Tibet government officials mobilised nearly 800 emergency workers and 150 vehicles as well as sniffer dogs and speed boats to help the rescue efforts, China’s official Xinhua news agency said.At least 403 tourists – 341 of them foreigners – were unaccounted for several hours after the disaster struck on Wednesday morning, according to Nepal’s tourism ministry. The missing foreigners included 142 Indians, 33 from the UK, 47 from the US, 34 from Australia and 24 from Canada as well as others from South Korea, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Portugal and South Africa, the tourism board said. Nine ⁠South Koreans ⁠were missing, the country’s foreign ministry said.At least 28 Nepal police officials were missing, a police spokesperson said.Entire villages and markets were “wiped out”, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said. It was dispatching emergency supplies including blankets, first aid kits, stretchers and body bags.United Nations chief António Guterres said UN ⁠teams ​and ‌partners ‌were ‌mobilising supplies and personnel in Nepal ‌to support affected communities.Surveillance video from the Chinese side of the border showed a raging wall of mud and debris crashing over a building several storeys high, engulfing it as dozens of people flee for their lives below. The surge sweeps away buses and cars.Experts warned that a lingering blockage upstream on the Nepal-China border river could produce a second flood.The cause of the flooding was not immediately clear. Nepalese foreign minister Shishir Khanal said an earthquake likely triggered a landslide, which in turn blocked a river, sending water gushing downstream. Nepal’s disaster authority said satellite data indicated a “snow-rock landslide” on the Nepal-China border may have caused the flood. Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.Chinese leader Xi Jinping said “the most urgent task is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the missing people”, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.The US Geological Survey first reported a magnitude-4.4 earthquake early on Wednesday, about 66km (41 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border. It later updated to call the shaking a 5.2-magnitude landslide. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Arturo Béjar, an ex-Facebook employee and whistleblower, said outcome ‘is not an all clear to say the product is safe’Meta agrees to major changes to Facebook and Instagram in settlementThe star witness in the US government’s landmark trial against Meta believes that a multibillion-dollar settlement reached on Wednesday does not go far enough to stop the social media giant’s harms to young users.“The limitations that are in the agreement are the equivalent of saying: ‘Well you can smoke as many cigarettes as you can in two hours a day,’” said whistleblower and ex-Facebook employee Arturo Béjar. “It doesn’t make the cigarettes any safer.” Continue reading...

Both children were born on same day in November 2025 in situation so rare it had not been contemplated by state surrogacy lawsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Queensland woman gave birth to twin children with separate sets of biological parents last year, in what is believed to be an Australian first situation so rare it had not been contemplated by state surrogacy laws.The woman, anonymised in a court judgment, conceived an unplanned natural pregnancy about the same time as she received an IVF embryo transfer under a surrogacy arrangement with another couple. Continue reading...

Surgeons aided by real-time analysis of camera footage that identified critical anatomy in brain to be avoidedNeurosurgeons in London have performed the world’s first successful AI-assisted operation to remove a brain tumour, saving the sight of a 48-year-old man, health officials have said.The surgery was performed in May at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), part of University College London hospitals NHS foundation trust, but details were kept secret until Thursday while the patient, Rhys Hibbert, recovered. Continue reading...

Democrat Eric Hafner, to be released in 2036, also ran for seat in 2024, securing spot on that general election ballotA man who is serving time in a federal prison in New York advanced on Wednesday from the primary for Alaska’s lone US House seat.Eric Hafner, a registered Democrat, also ran for the seat in 2024 and secured a spot on the general election ballot that November despite a challenge brought by the Alaska Democratic party. Continue reading...

Then House candidate joined Democratic Socialists of America in 2018 but didn’t renew membership after a yearAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez has rejoined the Democratic Socialists of America after not renewing her membership for seven years, amid speculation that she might run for president in 2028.The 36-year-old New York representative and one of the country’s most prominent democratic socialists renewed her membership in the group’s national organization after reports emerged earlier this month that it had lapsed. Ocasio-Cortez initially joined the group in 2018. Continue reading...

DIY system will be stocked by big retailers, starting with Argos, enabling more homes to lower bills by generating own electricityPlug-in solar panels will go on sale in the UK for the first time from Thursday, allowing households unable to use rooftop panels to also generate their own cheap electricity.Households across the country will be able to join the millions across mainland Europe who generate their own renewable electricity using “balcony solar panels”, which will be stocked by some of the UK’s biggest retailers. Continue reading...