Ground

Fact-finding mission says military strikes on school and sports facility in ⁠February constitute war ⁠crimesA UN fact-finding mission on Iran has said there are reasonable grounds to believe the US was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in ⁠February, and that these constituted war ⁠crimes.It also found Iranian ​authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. Continue reading...

• Iowa Republicans in battleground House races voted to halt the war with Iran to address political pressure before the midterm elections. • The decision follows a period of soaring fuel prices and widespread public unpopularity regarding the conflict. • This shift indicates that Republicans are prioritizing voter concerns over military engagement to maintain or gain control of Congress.

• Global trade routes and infrastructure are transforming into geopolitical battlegrounds as logistics and chokepoints redefine the risks of globalization. • The shift means that political agreements between states no longer guarantee the physical security of infrastructure located thousands of kilometers away. • Logistics is moving from a neutral support system to a primary tool of geopolitics, increasing the cost and risk for global trade markets.

• India will compete in several lesser-known sports, including Sepak Takraw, at the 2026 Asian Games. • India has previously won two bronze medals in Sepak Takraw, including a men's Team Regu medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang games. • These competitions provide Indian athletes the opportunity to expand the country's medal count beyond traditional dominant sports like cricket and hockey.

Noah, who is autistic, non-verbal and has partial hearing loss, was last seen at 3pm on TuesdayPolice searching for a three-year-old boy who went missing from a playground on the Suffolk-Essex border have found a body.Noah Woods was last seen at 3pm on Tuesday in Merriam Close in Brantham, near Manningtree, before becoming separated from a relative. Continue reading...

• The Atlantic Council released its latest Atlas report analyzing the relationship between political freedom and economic prosperity across ten countries. • The report utilizes a thirty-year dataset covering political, economic, and legal developments to evaluate global trends. • The findings indicate that countries that democratize continue to experience greater economic growth and prosperity over time despite a global decline in democratic governance.

More than 100 people reported to have joined search for Noah, who is autistic, non-verbal and has partial hearing lossPolice are urging people to check their gardens and sheds for a three-year-old boy who went missing on Tuesday during a visit to a playground near the Suffolk-Essex border.The boy, named Noah, was last seen at 3pm in Merriam Close in Brantham, near Manningtree, before being separated from a relative. Officers from Suffolk constabulary said Noah was reported to have run down an alleyway near the playground towards a housing estate. Continue reading...

• Sweden's extreme right lost voter support in a recent weekend election for the first time in over 15 years. • Party leader Jimmie Akesson stated on election night that the party lost several percentage points compared to its results from four years ago. • This decline marks a shift for the party, which has now ceded its position as the second-largest political force in the Nordic country.

• Developing nations and emerging economies met for their annual BRICS summit in India to find common ground. • The alliance was established in 2009 to serve as a geopolitical counterpoint to Western influence. • Member countries are using the summit to coordinate strategies to counter the worldview of Donald Trump.

• Two Singapore-based AI start-ups are demonstrating how smaller firms can commercialize artificial intelligence advances to compete with Big Tech. • These companies are focusing on turning technical AI breakthroughs into viable commercial business models. • This shift indicates that the AI market is expanding beyond large corporations, creating new opportunities for niche entrepreneurs and smaller investors.

Hundreds of staff may have worked without legally required face-fitted masks over 20 yearsHundreds of London Underground workers could have been exposed to asbestos for almost 20 years without protection required under safety regulations, according to documents seen by the Guardian.Under 2002 rules on controlling asbestos and other hazardous materials, employers are required to take a series of precautions, including ensuring exposed workers are given individually fitted face masks to prevent inhalation of toxic dust. Continue reading...

• NASA’s Curiosity rover photographed a valley called Valle Grande in June 2026, discovering a vast field of honeycomb-like ground fractures. • The rover captured images of small polygonal fractures that measure between 4 and 8 centimeters across. • Researchers are analyzing the chemistry and imagery of these textures to determine the geological processes that formed them.

Houthi rebel offensive against government forces on west coast leads to some of deadliest clashes in yearsClashes between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebel movement killed more than 60 people, including civilians, as the Houthis pushed forward with a military offensive on Yemen’s western coast.Twenty-six government troops and 31 Houthi fighters were killed during several hours of fighting in the country’s south-west on Saturday, medical and military sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP). A missile strike also killed six civilians and injured seven others travelling by bus in the city of Taiz. Continue reading...

• European stock markets rose on Thursday as crude oil prices retreated and bond market pressures stabilized. • Key market movements included a 10% jump for Soitec and a 3.6% increase for Sofina following positive net asset value growth for H1 2026. • Investment firm Elliott took a stake in Deutsche Telekom and urged the company to abandon any potential merger plans with its U.S. subsidiary, T-Mobile US.

Mitchell Berman is among Democrats the party hopes can flip a Republican-leaning district in November’s midtermsDemocrats are targeting vulnerable seats this midterm election with working-class candidates they hope will resonate with voters exhausted by the economy.Some candidates are new to politics, and many have backgrounds as union members and leaders, which the party hopes will give them an edge over Republican incumbents as people have grown weary of Washington and the higher cost of living. Continue reading...

Famous for the 1963 exposé in which she worked as a Playboy Bunny, her books and journalism took on many varieties of discriminationGloria Steinem, the American feminist and journalist whose activism helped push through greater rights for women around the world has died, aged 92.Steinem “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her”, a statement shared to her Instagram page said. Continue reading...

Hundreds of unseen images of the star feature at the Venice film festival, alongside virtual worlds exploring wildfires, wolves and the birth of starsDavid Bowie shares the bill with starmen, firefighters and Walt Disney wolves at the 10th anniversary edition of Venice Immersive, the film festival’s pioneering showcase for new forms of storytelling. David Bowie: Unseen Unheard – a 3D documentary featuring hundreds of previously unseen images – is among 69 XR (extended reality) pieces playing at the event’s regular base on Lazzaretto Vecchio, a repurposed small island off the Venice Lido.Venice Immersive’s 10th birthday marks a milestone for an event which aims to provide a bridge between emergent technology and traditional narrative cinema. But the programme’s organisers are at pains to emphasise the ongoing scope of a project that has in recent years prompted similar sections at the Cannes, Geneva and Toronto film festivals. “This is not a retrospective,” declares the official festival blurb that welcomes guests to the island. It almost sounds like a warning. Continue reading...

• On August 31, 2026, the FDA granted expedited approval to daraxonrasib (marketed as Rasonque), a first-of-its-kind daily oral medication. • The drug is specifically indicated for adults suffering from advanced metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. • This approval is significant as it provides a novel, non-invasive treatment option for a highly aggressive form of cancer with limited therapeutic alternatives.

• The EUR/USD currency pair rose to approximately 1.1590 during early European trading on Monday, maintaining a bullish trend above the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA). • Potential gains may be capped as traders increase bets on a U.S. interest rate hike following hawkish comments from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh. • Market focus remains on the Eurozone's Trade Balance and economic data from Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, which collectively represent 75% of the region's economy.

• The Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) are coordinating a joint strategy to challenge the ruling power in the upcoming 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. • The alliance aims to combine Rahul Gandhi’s renewed public engagement and political makeover with Akhilesh Yadav’s established organizational machinery on the ground. • This partnership is critical as it tests whether the synergy between Gandhi’s direct outreach and SP's local infrastructure can effectively rebuild the opposition's influence in the state.

• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted expedited approval to daraxonrasib, a first-of-a-kind oral medication designed to treat the most common form of pancreatic cancer. • Developed by Revolution Medicines, the drug functions as a Ras multiselective inhibitor, targeting specific genetic drivers of the disease. • This approval is significant because it provides patients with a more effective treatment option for one of the deadliest types of cancer, which often has limited therapeutic alternatives.

FDA officials approve first-of-a-kind pill called daraxonrasib to fight one of the deadliest types of cancerThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a groundbreaking new drug for the most common form of pancreatic cancer, offering US patients a more effective treatment against one of the deadliest types of the disease.FDA officials gave expedited approval to the first-of-a-kind pill, called daraxonrasib, that blocks a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases. It’s an approach that has eluded drugmakers for decades. Continue reading...

President’s speech, declassification of documents and heightened claims of noncitizen voting have experts concernedA series of moves by Donald Trump’s administration to sow doubt in the integrity of US elections have intensified concern among voting experts – and sparked hope among election deniers – that it could declare a national emergency.The White House and US federal agencies have released a string of documents this summer – including disputed analyses of alleged voting by noncitzens and historical intelligence memos – stoking expectations that the US president could move to exert greater control over November’s US midterm elections. Continue reading...

• The EU has introduced an Action Plan on Cybersecurity and AI to establish a framework for integrating AI-powered approaches into IT security. • The plan emphasizes that organizations must first ensure their basic security foundations are robust before implementing these advanced AI tools. • Key challenges include significant financial risks associated with Large Language Models (LLMs) that lack transparency or audit trails for their decision-making processes.

• The EU is implementing new "watermarking" rules to make artificially edited content and AI-generated selfies easier for users to identify. • Marianne Gros reports that the current EU framework for preventing "greenwashing" remains limited in its ability to stop companies from making false environmental claims. • Aitor Hernández-Morales notes that a series of overlapping crises are hitting Europe simultaneously, coinciding with a period when top officials were seeking respite.

Prime minister and opposition leader meet in Canberra to advance agreement on gambling advertising Anthony Albanese has bowed to pressure and will limit gambling inducements as part of a deal between Labor and Angus Taylor, even as some Liberals warn it might not do enough to help vulnerable people.The prime minister and the opposition leader met in Canberra on Monday to negotiate the deal, a week after sensational revelations about illegal drugs, sex workers and alcohol being provided to high-spending gamblers. Continue reading...

The US president’s profound ignorance of his enemy has led to an impotent cycle of empty threats, analysts sayBeing the subject of mockery may be the most intense of all Donald Trump’s known aversions.Yet more than five months after embarking on a war of choice against Iran, the US president risks attracting ridicule as he struggles to secure a military victory – while repeatedly threatening devastating bombardment against the Tehran regime, only to back down on the pretext of renewed negotiations. Continue reading...

• Scientists using the US National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope have discovered Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI), which manifests as tiny whirling vortices on the Sun's surface. • These swirling patterns, resembling small whirlpools, were captured in never-before-seen images, marking a major breakthrough in solar physics. • The discovery is significant because it may fundamentally change the scientific understanding of the physical mechanisms that drive explosive solar activity and other solar phenomena.