Thirty years after Tupac Shakur’s killing can a murder trial offer justice?

• Five years after the chaotic US withdrawal, Afghanistan remains gripped by one of the world's most severe humanitarian and human rights emergencies. • The situation has worsened following the US president's decision in early 2025 to terminate nearly all USAID humanitarian and development contracts.

• Five years after the Taliban seized power in 2021, Afghanistan is facing a systemic collapse characterized by extreme poverty and a failing healthcare system. • The regime has effectively erased women from public life, while desperate families are increasingly forced to marry off their daughters due to economic hardship.

• Former President Donald Trump announced on August 14, 2026, that he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory "pretty soon." • This statement comes amid escalating tensions and ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

• Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a landmark mutual defense pact. • Geopolitical Futures experts George Friedman and Kamran Bokhari analyze the agreement as a potential "Islamic NATO" that alters the regional balance of power.

• Pakistan has historically utilized mediation as a core pillar of its foreign policy to manage conflicts between neighboring adversaries. • Unlike global superpowers driven by ideology, Pakistan's mediation efforts are motivated by the direct security threats posed by regional instability.

• Human rights campaigners are expressing growing concern that increasing global diplomatic ties with the Taliban are undermining pressure for human rights improvements in Afghanistan. • Fereshta Abbasi of Human Rights Watch highlighted the tension between the necessity of engagement for aid agencies to mitigate the humanitarian crisis and the ambiguity of the long-term goals of these contacts.

Former VP sent fundraising appeal for Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign – with half of donations going to Harris’s organizationAlaska US Senate candidate Mary Peltola has rejected the support of Kamala Harris, her fellow Democrat, after the 2024 presidential candidate sent out a seemingly unsolicited fundraising appeal on Peltola’s behalf.Harris, who lost Alaska – typically a Republican-voting state – by 13 points during her unsuccessful White House run, on Wednesday sent an email from her political organization to supporters of Peltola, a former US House member. Continue reading...

Proud Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung nation recognised posthumously with the lifetime achievement awardGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne of Australia’s greatest cultural ambassadors has been recognised posthumously for dedicating her life to sharing, preserving and promoting First Nations culture through language, dance and ceremony.Proud Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung nation Rhoda Roberts died in March aged 66. On Saturday night in Alice Springs, she was posthumously awarded the lifetime achievement award at the Naidoc awards. Continue reading...

Tyler Muehl, 18, could face a year in prison for kicking marine animal four times on La Jolla coastAn 18-year-old California man has admitted he kicked a sea lion in a video that went viral recently – while referring to himself by the name of an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitor – and has pleaded guilty to a federal crime.Tyler Muehl, of San Diego’s La Jolla neighborhood, faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine after acknowledging in court on Thursday that he violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act’s prohibition on harassment of wildlife, federal prosecutors said in a statement. Continue reading...

School said shooting involved ‘multiple suspects’ as campus was locked down and police responded to scene Multiple people were injured in a shooting at Virginia State University, police said on Saturday morning, with several suspects still at large.The campus, about 20 miles (32km) south of Richmond, was on lockdown when police released initial details about the shooting. Continue reading...

British Museum’s £33 tickets sold out in a day but some slots have been reserved for guests at five-star One AldwychThose hoping to snare a glimpse of the Bayeux tapestry when it comes to the British Museum this September faced nine-hour online queues, with the £33 tickets sold out within a day.But the monied guests of a five-star hotel in Covent Garden have not had to go to such arduous lengths to get a view of the nearly 1,000-year-old depiction of William the Conqueror’s victory over King Harold II of England at Hastings in 1066. Continue reading...