North Sea oil industry urges Burnham to approve new drilling in UK waters

• The Horn of Africa has emerged as a critical geopolitical intersection where African, Middle Eastern, and global interests converge. • Key drivers of this strategic competition include maritime security, international trade, energy infrastructure, and food security.

• The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is urging for increased humanitarian access to Gaza, warning that aid deliveries are being severely restricted. • These challenges are compounded by ongoing violence, critical funding shortages, and rising costs for fuel, fertilizer, and food.

• The author contrasts the "Nuclear Age," where peace was managed through state-led diplomacy and treaties like the Non-Proliferation Treaty, with the emerging "Age of Artificial Intelligence." • Unlike nuclear weapons, which were controlled by governments, advanced AI systems are primarily developed by private companies, universities, and research laboratories.

• The author argues that a new war between the U.S. and Iran would likely result in a stalemate, as neither side can achieve its strategic objectives through military force. • Key geopolitical dynamics remain unchanged: Iran maintains the ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States retains the capacity to impose severe punishments on Iran.

• Iran's lead negotiator has issued a firm warning to Washington regarding the strategic Strait of Hormuz amidst a new wave of strikes destabilizing the Gulf region. • The escalation follows President Trump's declaration that the previous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has officially ended.

• The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) released the Global Assessment Report (GAR) 2025, titled “Resilience Pays: Financing and Investing for our Future.” • The report warns that climate change is causing dangerous natural disruptions affecting billions of people and argues that smarter investments are necessary to break the cycle of disaster, debt, and humanitarian need.

• President Ilham Aliyev announced that Azerbaijan is considering a full withdrawal from the 46-member Council of Europe. • This potential exit follows the 2024 suspension of Azerbaijan's voting rights within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Ofwat investigated supplier over supply interruptions, customer failings and for breaching its licenceSouth East Water will pay £30.5m after a series of supply interruptions, customer failings and for breaching its licence, regulator Ofwat has confirmed.The watchdog said the redress package concludes three investigations into the supplier and includes a previously proposed £22m fine for water supply failures between 2020 and 2023 affecting more than 286,000 people. Continue reading...

Landlord of deconsecrated building sends notice of breach to Divine Playhouse, claiming it ‘insulted and mocked’ beliefs of Christian AustraliansFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA deconsecrated Sydney church newly transformed into an LGBTQ+ venue has had to cancel events and been ordered to stop “engaging in offensive trade” by its landlord after religious groups protested against its opening night.Divine Playhouse opened last Wednesday with the intention of being a safe and inclusive space for artists to work and connect with audiences, its organiser said. Continue reading...

Legal challenges launched over accommodation ‘adequacy’ as UK government closes more asylum hotelsHuda and her two children aged 10 and 12 had been living in two rooms in a London hotel for six months when they were told with just a few days’ notice they would be moved. The 41-year-old engineering graduate from Tunisia fled death threats from extended family and is waiting for an asylum application to be processed.The Home Office had decided that Staycity, the hotel the family was staying in, would be closed as part of a government pledge that asylum seekers would be moved out of hotels and into military barracks or other forms of shared housing. The move followed protests by anti-migrant activists, with many arguing hotels were too luxurious to accommodate asylum seekers.Some names have been changed. Continue reading...

Labor MP also says watering down copyright rules is ‘going against the ethos’ of his partyThe Labor MP Ed Husic says any moves to water down copyright law to benefit AI companies would be “going against the ethos” of the party, urging his colleagues to place stricter rules on the big tech firms or be “doomed to failure”.Ahead of Anthony Albanese’s major speech on artificial intelligence on Wednesday, the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance – the union for journalists, artists and creatives – called on the government to enact tougher new copyright rules to prevent creative works being taken to train AI models. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: A new law criminalising public bodies and officials that lie to the British public is expected to complete it final stages in the Commons. Why did it take so long?Good morning. We think we know this story, the one about the 97 who went to watch a football match on a sunny afternoon. Perhaps you remember, as I do, watching footage of the lethal crush at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium, on the evening news in your childhood living room. Or maybe you read later how South Yorkshire police presented a series of false narratives that blamed Liverpool football club supporters, rather than take responsibility for their own catastrophic mismanagement of the FA Cup semi-final.Today, after a decade of campaigning, a new law criminalising public bodies and officials that lie to the British public, and supporting people fighting these authorities for the truth, is expected to complete it final stages in the Commons, pushed through by Keir Starmer as one of his final acts as prime minister.UK news | British counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe in a shock development that has renewed the debate over the security of politicians. A 28-year-old man from Rotherham is being held in custody on suspicion of her murder.Middle East | The US has launched its third consecutive night of strikes on Iran hours after Donald Trump said Washington would reinstate a maritime blockade on the country and, in an apparently policy reversal, charge ships for safe passage.UK politics | Andy Burnham is to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the backing of 349 Labour MPs, including all eligible members of Keir Starmer’s current cabinet, making it impossible for any rival to secure enough nominations to challenge him.Environment | Most of the UK media stories about the record-breaking heatwave that struck in June failed to mention the climate crisis, analysis has found. Even fewer pieces drew a link between the heatwave and government policies designed to tackle the climate crisis.US news | The US government has already paid back tens of billions of dollars in tariffs it collected before the supreme court ruled them illegal, according to budget figures released on Monday. Continue reading...