- North Korea boosts support for Russia to include drone operators, Ukraine says CNN
- Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 21, 2026 Institute for the Study of War
- North Korea grows stronger as South Korea reckons with fading US support The Conversation
- North Korea's Kim Yo Jong denies Zelenskiy's claim on additional troops deployment Reuters
- Russia Deploys 8,500 North Korean Troops to Kursk, Including 400 Drone Operators UNITED24 Media
Israeli settler attacks shift focus to West Bank areas under direct Palestinian rule
Report says violence is moving from Israeli-controlled areas to those earmarked for a future Palestinian state
Violent Israeli settler attacks in the two areas of the occupied West Bank under direct Palestinian rule have almost doubled since 2025, as settlers pursue a self-proclaimed “great settlement revolution” in the very heart of the territory earmarked for a Palestinian state.
According to a report by the Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din, shared with the Guardian, data shows that almost two-thirds of incidents of settler violence so far in 2026 have taken place in the so-called Areas A and B – placed under Palestinian Authority governance in the 1995 Oslo accords.
Continue reading...Hong Kong’s Tiananmen activists convicted in national security trial – BBC
- Hong Kong's Tiananmen activists convicted in national security trial BBC
- ‘She’s not afraid of anyone’: the prison writings of one of Hong Kong’s last outspoken democracy activists The Guardian
- Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigil fell dark years ago. Now its organizers have been convicted CNN
- Hong Kong Court Convicts Activists Who Organized Tiananmen Vigils WSJ
- Hong Kong hits back at Western ‘slander’ over verdict on Tiananmen vigil leaders South China Morning Post
Hong Kong’s Tiananmen activists guilty in national security trial
Three activists were accused of inciting others to subvert state power under the China-introduced law.
Putin arrests Russians complaining about fuel shortages amid petrol station fights – The Independent
- Putin arrests Russians complaining about fuel shortages amid petrol station fights The Independent
- Frustrated Moscow drivers face long queues to refill as fuel shortages return Reuters
- Russia imports gas as Ukrainian strikes result in shortages NPR
- Ukraine war briefing: Russia running on imported gasoline, government confirms The Guardian
- Russia runs out of petrol at seven in 10 stations as fuel crisis worsens Euronews.com
Imran Khan Is Granted Brief Hospital Visit Before Returning to Prison – The New York Times
- Imran Khan Is Granted Brief Hospital Visit Before Returning to Prison The New York Times
- Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan back in jail after court-ordered hospital visit ends sooner than expected Reuters
- Imran Khan’s family and party say Pakistan violated court order by taking him to government hospital 10TV
- Pakistan’s former leader Imran Khan taken back to prison after hospital check-up CNN
- Jailed ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan allowed brief hospital visit after uproar over health The Guardian
August 20, 2026 – Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson | Substack
- August 20, 2026 Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson | Substack
- Report: Health care premiums doubled for 200,000 Washingtonians after Trump cuts KOMO
- IN THE STATES: Senator Gallego, Reps. Scholten, Pocan, and Advocates Joined Protect Our Care’s “Sick of It” Campaign to Sound the Alarm on Republicans’ Devastating Health Care Cuts — Protect Our Care Protect Our Care
- Blaming the GOP for the end of temporary ACA subsidies is misleading thegazette.com
- What The New York Times Gets Wrong About Obamacare paragoninstitute.org
Mexican fishermen floating in cooler rescued after 5 days stranded at sea – CNN
- Mexican fishermen floating in cooler rescued after 5 days stranded at sea CNN
- Two shipwreck survivors saved by staying afloat for five days thanks to a portable cooler El Mundo America
- Fishermen miraculously found alive in giant cooler after 5 days lost at sea New York Post
- Fishermen found alive floating on cooler 150 miles off Mexico 5 days after going missing CBS News
- Mexican fishermen rescued after five days adrift in cool box at sea Yahoo
Hungary drained its waters for generations. Now drought is exposing the cost – AP News
Sparks fly over Mamdani’s ‘hit list’ against New York’s rich home owners
A list of expensive New York homes has sparked a controversy as Mamdani implements a second home tax.
Israel re-establishes closed West Bank settlement, defying growing international protests
Thirty "pioneer families" have arrived on a wave of nationalism driven by Israel's government, but the rapid change has left nearby Palestinian residents fearful.
Israel re-establishes closed West Bank settlement, defying growing international protests
Thirty "pioneer families" have arrived on a wave of nationalism driven by Israel's government, but the rapid change has left nearby Palestinian residents fearful.
‘Perfect storm’ brews for global food supply this winter as grain prices soar – CNBC
- 'Perfect storm' brews for global food supply this winter as grain prices soar CNBC
- Global wheat buyers brace for supply squeeze amid Black Sea attacks Reuters
- Ukraine's farmers struggle to sell harvest amid war, drought dw.com
- Grain prices surge after Ukraine war chokes off seaborne exports Financial Times
- Unsold Grain Piles Up in Ukraine as Russia Strikes Ports Bloomberg.com
Australian hiker’s body recovered as police probe error reporting she was alive – BBC
- Australian hiker's body recovered as police probe error reporting she was alive BBC
- Missing hiker found dead in Australia as police apologize for ‘miscommunication’ that she was still alive CNN
- Lily Hooper: Missing teen hiker found dead in Australian bush after eight-day search BBC
- Sorrow as community pays tribute to ‘shining light’ Lily Hooper after NSW hiking tragedy The Guardian
- Australian police recover body of missing teenage hiker near Sydney Reuters
Russia’s missile tests around disputed islands anger Japan
Pacific fleet launched missile drills near what Moscow calls the Kuril Islands but Japan regards as its Northern Territories
Japan has criticised missile tests carried out by Russia’s navy around the disputed islands visited by Vladimir Putin last week amid continuing tensions between the two countries.
Russia’s Pacific fleet said on Thursday that it had fired Bastion surface-to-ship missiles from Etorofu, the largest island in the disputed archipelago, simulating an attack on enemy vessels, hitting all of its targets approximately 300km away.
Continue reading...‘Mass mobilization not planned,’ Russian UN envoy claims, stops short of ruling it out following elections – The Kyiv Independent
- 'Mass mobilization not planned,' Russian UN envoy claims, stops short of ruling it out following elections The Kyiv Independent
- Russia’s War Toll Mounts In Ukraine Amid A Possible Mobilization Forbes
- Will President Putin mobilise half a million Russians after September's election? Forces News
- "Nebenzya is lying for a reason": the CCD responded to statements about mobilization in Russia Українські Національні Новини (УНН)
- The National Security and Defense Council stated that covert mobilization in Russia has intensified UA.NEWS
Hong Kong court convicts Tiananmen vigil group leaders of inciting subversion – Reuters
- Hong Kong court convicts Tiananmen vigil group leaders of inciting subversion Reuters
- ‘She’s not afraid of anyone’: the prison writings of one of Hong Kong’s last outspoken democracy activists The Guardian
- Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigil fell dark years ago. Now its organizers have been convicted CNN
- Hong Kong's Tiananmen activists convicted in national security trial BBC
- 2 organizers of Hong Kong's Tiananmen vigils convicted in national security case PBS
Dozens of migrants land on Spanish coast surprising beachgoers
Footage circulating on social media shows dozens of migrants arriving by boat on Spain’s southeastern coast.
Former Liberal MP condemns Coalition for backing gambling reforms that ‘let down’ vulnerable Australians
Jenny Ware, member of inquiry that recommended wagering advertising ban, says ‘public health crisis’ demands stronger response from major parties
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The former Liberal MP Jenny Ware has condemned her one-time Coalition colleagues for backing Labor’s gambling legislation, claiming “vulnerable Australians have been let down”, as the parliament failed to back a full ban on wagering ads.
Ware, a member of the Peta Murphy-led inquiry in 2023 that recommended entirely ending wagering advertising and inducements, called gambling a public health crisis that demanded a much stronger response from both sides of politics.
Continue reading...Hamid Karzai Helped Oust the Taliban. Now He Lives Under Their Rule – Bloomberg.com
- Hamid Karzai Helped Oust the Taliban. Now He Lives Under Their Rule Bloomberg.com
- Afghanistan's Education Ban Robs Girls of Their Future unicef usa
- Online Learning Cannot Replace Classrooms for Afghan Girls, Shabana Basij-Rasikh Says KabulNow
- Former Afghan President won’t send daughter abroad. He’s asking Taliban to reopen schools ThePrint
- Now Is Not The Time To Recognise the Taliban, Says Former Afghan President Afghanistan International