- China & Taiwan Update, August 7, 2026 Institute for the Study of War
- Japan outlines its military build-up plan, citing threats from China, Russia and North Korea CNN
- CNA Explains: What’s driving Japan’s urgent defence push? CNA
- Japan Plans to Transform Military Capabilities with Drones, Boost Domestic Defense Industry USNI News
- China complains to Japan over defence white paper, foreign ministry says Reuters
Book hidden in fireplace returned to Australian library 150 years overdue
It is thought an apprentice stonemason who worked on the Houses of Parliament in London borrowed it.
Trump silent as severe water crisis hits tens of thousands of Americans – Newsweek
- Trump silent as severe water crisis hits tens of thousands of Americans Newsweek
- Drought and Aging Pipes Plunge Puerto Rico Into Another Water Crisis The New York Times
- Hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico wake up with no running water as rationing begins: "It's brutal" CBS News
- Puerto Rican cities hit with water rationing measures during record drought Al Jazeera
- Puerto Rico Rations Water Amid Severe Drought WSJ
Glasgow university to review its hiring of plagiarism row professor Jason Arday – BBC
- Glasgow university to review its hiring of plagiarism row professor Jason Arday BBC
- Icarus in the Faculty Lounge The Atlantic
- Opinion | A Lot of the Attacks on Higher Ed Are Unfair. Not This One. The New York Times
- Youngest Black professor at Cambridge resigns as university investigates allegations of plagiarism CNN
- The Jason Arday affair has much to say about the current state of academia | Letters The Guardian
Millions in England face longer waits for mental health care as NHS providers plan cuts
Exclusive: Seven in 10 survey respondents expect services to be reduced or shut, while more than half anticipate job losses
Millions of adults and children in England face being forced to wait longer for mental health care, with more than two-thirds of NHS providers planning to cut services and half expected to axe jobs, the Guardian can reveal.
With mental health services already under extraordinary pressure amid soaring demand for support, experts warned the proposed cuts – drawn up by trusts to plug holes in their finances – would also have “significant” consequences for the wider NHS, the economy and public services.
Continue reading...Inside the results: How redistricting shaped Tennessee’s primary election
Tennessee's party primaries saw incumbent Representative Andy Ogles ousted and set up a heated race for District 9.
US intel assesses Putin could launch attack aimed at testing NATO unity – CNN
- US intel assesses Putin could launch attack aimed at testing NATO unity CNN
- Opinion | Russia keeps testing NATO. The lack of response will embolden Putin. The Washington Post
- U.S. intelligence agencies warn Putin could test NATO by authorizing provocative actions CBS News
- Panicked Putin’s Desperate New Plot Revealed The Daily Beast
- Exclusive | U.S. Intel Finds Putin Could Test NATO’s Resolve With Limited Incursion WSJ
Live updates: Teen gunman dead after killing teachers in Thailand’s worst school shooting in years – CNN
- Live updates: Teen gunman dead after killing teachers in Thailand’s worst school shooting in years CNN
- ‘I’m sorry’: Father of Thailand’s school shooter offers first words SMH.com.au
- Thailand school shooting toll rises to nine after 12-year-old dies, police say The Guardian
- Families retrieve bodies after a 14-year-old killed at least 8 in Thai school shooting NBC News
- Accused Thai school shooter had watched violent content online, police say Reuters
Live updates: Teen gunman dead after killing teachers in Thailand’s worst school shooting in years – CNN
- Live updates: Teen gunman dead after killing teachers in Thailand’s worst school shooting in years CNN
- Boy Kills Grandparents and Then Five Teachers, Thai Authorities Say The New York Times
- Thailand shooting: Seven killed as teen opens fire at home and school near Bangkok BBC
- Teen kills classmates, teachers, and his grandparents in Thai gun rampage, police say Yahoo
- 7 killed and more than 20 injured in Thailand school shooting The Washington Post
French officers halted small boats at sea 10 times since spring
Disclosure challenges Conservative and Reform claims that police are refusing to intervene
The French authorities have halted small boats at sea in the Channel on 10 occasions since the spring, officials said on Friday.
Despite claims from the Conservatives and Reform that the French were refusing to intervene in small boat crossings, maritime prefect officers were using “intervention tactics” to board or control vessels at sea and take asylum seekers back to France.
Continue reading...Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign defence pact
Pakistan says an attack on any of the three will amount to an attack against all, amid conflict in the Middle East.
Businessman was ‘preparing champagne’ to celebrate Caruana Galizia murder, court hears
Taxi driver says he acted as middleman between Yorgen Fenech and three men already convicted of €150,000 contract killing
The businessman accused of paying for hitmen to murder the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was impatient for the killing to take place, and once texted from his boat to say he was “preparing champagne” to celebrate, a jury in Malta has heard.
Yorgen Fenech, the 44-year-old heir to a property empire that includes several Hilton hotels, is on trial in Malta for complicity in the murder of Caruana Galizia. She died in a car bombing in October 2017 after publishing a series of revelations about senior politicians that were so damaging they triggered a snap general election.
Continue reading...New Delhi on red alert as heavy rains pound the city
Heavy rains have pounded New Delhi and its surrounding towns, disrupting traffic and leaving commuters stranded.
What we know so far about the deadly Thailand shooting
At least seven people have died after a teenage boy shot his grandparents before opening fire on a school in Bangkok.
Mediterranean smuggling network ‘dismantled’ in Spain-led raid, 78 arrested
Authorities say they broke up one of the largest criminal networks running migrant smuggling in Western Mediterranean.
EU lays out $18B satellite constellation plan, with Spanish firm winning key role – Breaking Defense
- EU lays out $18B satellite constellation plan, with Spanish firm winning key role Breaking Defense
- IRIS² reinforced and accelerated as implementation advances European Space Agency
- Europe increases size and cost of IRIS² constellation SpaceNews
- IRIS2 Gets Green Light With More Money and More Satellites European Spaceflight
- EU Accelerates Sovereign Satellite Plans Citing Defense Needs Bloomberg.com
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrives for first visit to Russia-friendly Serbia – AP News
- Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrives for first visit to Russia-friendly Serbia AP News
- Zelenskyy visits Moscow-friendly Serbia as Russian attacks on Kyiv region kill 4 AP News
- Leaders of Serbia and Ukraine pledge closer economic ties Reuters
- Zelenskyy Makes Debut Trip to Serbia as Russian Influence Wanes Bloomberg.com
- Zelensky visits Serbia, ally of Russia Le Monde.fr
Cambridge academics reject university’s attempt to end row over Jason Arday
Group calls for ‘thorough and transparent investigation’ of hiring of professor who resigned after his claims came under scrutiny
The University of Cambridge has announced a review into the way it vets and hires senior academic staff in an effort to fend off external and internal criticism of its appointment of Jason Arday as a professor.
But a group of Cambridge academics quickly rejected the university’s response, saying: “We strongly believe that a thorough and transparent investigation into the wider circumstances of this damaging episode is essential.”
Continue reading...Hun Manet is refining Cambodia’s authoritarian model
The PM has made repression less visible and more sophisticated, strengthening the authoritarian system he inherited.
War on Iran: Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan sign defence pact
Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan have signed a trilateral defence pact in Mecca aimed at deterring aggression.