US government extensively spied on anti-ICE protesters and leftwing groups, records reveal

• Prof. Michel Chossudovsky and Drago Bosnic allege in a report dated August 13, 2026, that President Trump and the Pentagon are routinely targeting civilians worldwide. • The authors claim this military practice is a continuation of a pattern dating back to World War II and constitutes a crime against humanity.

• The UN Security Council held an open debate on Thursday to address escalating military clashes and deadly attacks in Yemen. • Recent Houthi missile strikes targeting Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping vessels have intensified regional tensions linked to the US-Iran conflict.

• A top adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed in a rare interview that the U.S. military is weaker than previously perceived. • The adviser stated this assessment follows observations of U.S. and Israeli military actions since attacks began in February of this year.

• South Africa has been confirmed as the host country for the 2025 G20 Summit. • This event marks a historic milestone as it will be the first time the summit is held on the African continent.

Stephen Parkinson says court should have been told that sex offender was being investigated for even more serious offencesThe director of the Crown Prosecution Service has apologised and vowed to increase staff numbers after conceding that the court deciding whether to release Simon Levy on bail should have known the serial sex offender was being investigated for rape and murder.Levy, 40, was this week given a rare whole-life sentence for the murders of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins, and the rape of another woman. Continue reading...

Pilot scheme will provide three weeks of training as part of UK government’s latest attempt to address Neets crisisYoung people out of work or at risk of unemployment in the UK are to join “AI boot camps” where they harness the technology to get a foothold in the workplace.The government’s latest attempt to address the crisis in Neets – young people not in work or education – involves turning to a technology that many view as a potential threat to employment. Continue reading...

Leader of Reform UK on course to defeat Count Binface and an assortment of fringe candidates as polls close in Essex Voting has closed in one of the UK’s more unusual and least tense byelections, with Nigel Farage set for a decisive if arguably empty victory against dozens of independent, fringe, extreme or otherwise oddball opponents.The Reform UK leader sought re-election to his Clacton seat in early July in an attempt to regain the political initiative following weeks of scrutiny over gifts he received and other aspects of his financial affairs. Continue reading...

District attorney says Arjun Aravind, 17, used internet and AI to search for fantasy stories regarding killing of his familyA Massachusetts teenager accused of killing his mother and younger brother is being held without bail as authorities investigate a double-murder case that prosecutors say is connected to his use of ChatGPT.Arjun Aravind, 17, appeared Thursday morning for his arraignment in Concord district court, where a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf to murder and several additional charges. Continue reading...

Donald Tusk says it is first time ‘someone on the order of Russia’ has sought to attack US citizen in Nato countryA Russian plan to kill a Ukrainian American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted by Poland before it could be carried out, the Polish prime minister has said.Donald Tusk said it was the first time that “someone on the order of Russia” had sought to attack a US citizen on the territory of another Nato country. Continue reading...

CEO announces measures after reports that system is used to target immigrants or people seeking out-of-state abortionsFor nearly a decade, the company Flock Safety has gradually built out a network of cameras across the US that allows law enforcement to conduct about 20bn license plate scans every month.In that time, the company had largely left the decision to turn on safety measures up to its customers. Many of those organizations did not turn them on. Continue reading...

Parliamentary committee continues investigation into KPMG audit leaks. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.KPMG has reached out to apologise to the man who exposed its audit leaks scandal before an inquiry into its failures today, while Labor MPs want the government to do more to protect whistleblowers. More coming up. Continue reading...