Trump claims, without proof, Iranians welcome US strikes on infrastructure

• Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) convened for a summit in Bishkek, where they condemned sanctions and attacks targeting Iran. • The group asserted their "inalienable right" to develop, produce, and utilize atomic energy for peaceful purposes, arguing that restrictive measures are contrary to international law.

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Bishkek, calling for global institutions to be reformed to reflect modern geopolitical realities. • Guterres urged for stronger multilateralism and specifically demanded that the ceasefire in Gaza be respected to protect civilians.

• A recent disaster in Nepal has highlighted the practical advantages of maintaining strong diplomatic and strategic ties between Nepal, India, and China. • The event underscores how regional cooperation can provide critical support and resources during humanitarian crises, transcending political tensions.

• 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 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.

• 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.

London mayor convicted under ‘conveyor-belt justice’ system where magistrates can decide outcomes in secondsUK politics live – latest updatesThe London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has been convicted and fined for not taxing a 24-year-old car in a controversial fast-track court system.He was found guilty last month under a system that critics have described as “conveyor-belt justice”, with magistrates deciding on hundreds of daily cases and sometimes spending less than a minute on them. Continue reading...

PMQs comes as Resolution Foundation says it is not ‘realistic’ to think defence spending can increase without tax risesGood morning. Andy Burnham will face PMQs for the first time as PM today but he already has a fairly good idea of the questions he might get from Kemi Badenoch because she rehearsed them all yesterday. Here is an excerpt from the press release the Conservatives put out yesterday summarising those questions – and their take on how Burnham responded.Kemi Badenoch asked if Burnham would:-Set out a plan to get defence spending to 3% of GDP; Continue reading...

Ian Tyler, who was already in role on interim basis, selected and pledges to ‘lead the board’s evolution’BP has appointed a new chair after a months-long search following the controversial ousting of Albert Manifold, seeking to draw a line under the boardroom turmoil at the oil and gas company.Ian Tyler, who has served as the interim chair and sat on the BP board as a non-executive director since April 2025, is assuming the role on a permanent basis immediately. Continue reading...

Consumer watchdog Which? set up and accepted payment for fake listing for ‘1 bed apartment in heart of London’Successive politicians have clawed their way past colleagues over the years to call the residence home. Yet in an offer that probably seemed too good to be true, the property site Booking.com has been accused of “systemic security failures” after it was able to set up and accept payment for a fake listing for 10 Downing Street.A property listed as a “1 bedroom apartment in the heart of London” – with the exact address and a picture of the prime minister’s home – was listed on 18 June by researchers from the consumer watchdog Which?. Continue reading...

Foreign policy chief says drone attack last month ‘had all the hallmarks of state sponsored terrorism’ as she prepares to lead talks todaySeparately, German police are also investigating another attempt to disrupt the country’s energy grid, this time at a electricity substation in Bergheim in the west of the country.A local police spokesperson said they are “not assuming a technical failure but a deliberate act,” without revealing more details. The region’s power supply was not affected. Continue reading...