Naming Mandelson as ambassador before vetting was mistake, minister says

• 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, 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.

• 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.

• Geopolitical shocks and global conflicts are severely undermining Africa's climate goals by triggering widespread economic and environmental disruption. • These distant crises drive up inflation and increase the cost of energy, diverting critical funding away from vital climate resilience projects.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocated for diplomacy over conflict in West Asia, emphasizing that terrorism remains a critical global challenge. • Modi urged a shift away from "action-reaction" strategies, calling for a more comprehensive approach to dismantle the global terror ecosystem.

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) concluded its summit with a strategic goal to position itself as a global powerhouse challenging Western dominance. • Representing nearly half of the world's population, the group aims to foster a multipolar future, though the summit highlighted significant internal disagreements and divergent national interests.

• CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Russia in late August 2026 aboard an Air Force C-17 “Globemaster III” heavy-lift transport plane. • During the visit, Ratcliffe reportedly met with Russian intelligence counterparts, though the specific nature and objectives of the meeting were not immediately disclosed.

Resolution Foundation argues that UK’s internationally low ‘tax wedge’ must rise to pay for defence ambitionsThe chancellor, John Healey, must be prepared to raise taxes for middle earners if he wants to fund significantly higher defence spending, the Resolution Foundation thinktank has said.Healey resigned from Keir Starmer’s government in June, protesting against what he argued was the then prime minister’s failure to adequately fund defence. Continue reading...

Markwayne Mullin says officers could be deployed ‘if there is a threat to that polling place or we’re serving a warrant’US homeland security secretary Markwayne Mullin on Tuesday said that federal immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) officers could be deployed to polling sites across the country.Speaking to reporters in New York, Mullin said: “ICE isn’t there to patrol the polling places. We’re there to enforce specific threats.” Continue reading...

The sudden departure of Daniel Driscoll comes after Pentagon chief removed senior officers and blocked promotions, prompting warnings of a leadership crisisA senior Senate Democrat accused Pentagon secretary Pete Hegseth of having “hollowed out” the Army’s senior ranks after its top civilian leader resigned after months of internal clashes with Hegseth.No official reason was given for army secretary Daniel Driscoll’s departure after 18 months on the job, while thousands of US soldiers are deployed in the Middle East. In a statement on Monday night, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Driscoll had been “highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda”, citing his work on “readiness and lethality” and his role in Russia-Ukraine negotiations. Continue reading...

Proposal is how state department could enforce Trump’s executive order targeting what it calls ‘birth tourism’The US state department has proposed requiring parents applying for passports for their children to provide proof of their own citizenship or immigration status as part of Donald Trump’s ⁠latest effort to limit birthright citizenship.The ⁠draft guidance, reviewed by ​Reuters, is the first detailed look at how the state department could enforce Trump’s 6 August executive order targeting what it calls “birth tourism” and broadening historical exceptions to birthright citizenship. Continue reading...