Iran live: Trump military chief seeks ‘off-ramp’ from conflict – The Independent

  1. Iran live: Trump military chief seeks ‘off-ramp’ from conflict  The Independent
  2. Saudi Arabia turns to Muslim military heavyweights in landmark defense pact as Iran war closes in  CNN
  3. How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact acts as ‘insurance’ over US disengagement  South China Morning Post
  4. Turkiye says Mecca defence pact not aimed at Iran  Al Jazeera
  5. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed a key defense agreement  AP News
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Ukraine war latest: Zelensky warns North Korea could send 50,000 troops to Russia – The Independent

  1. Ukraine war latest: Zelensky warns North Korea could send 50,000 troops to Russia  The Independent
  2. Explainer: What we know about North Korean forces joining Russia's war against Ukraine  Reuters
  3. Russia plans to station further 30,000-50,000 North Koreans on its territory – Zelenskyy  Українська правда
  4. Russia wants 30,000 more North Korean soldiers to fight Ukraine. Is the West at risk?  The Independent
  5. Putin Plans Covert Mobilization and North Korean Troops, Zelensky Says  Kyiv Post
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The Wild History of the Russian Online Retail Giant Being Bombarded by Ukraine – WSJ

  1. The Wild History of the Russian Online Retail Giant Being Bombarded by Ukraine  WSJ
  2. As Ukraine Strikes Wildberries, Russia’s Richest Businesswoman Faces Her Biggest Test Yet  The New York Times
  3. Ukrainian attacks on Wildberries strike at heart of Russia Inc  Reuters
  4. Ukraine war briefing: Wildberries warehouse struck by Kyiv’s drones more than 2,000km from Russian border  The Guardian
  5. Satellite Images Show Ukrainian Strikes on Russia's Wildberries Hubs  businessinsider.com
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Putin’s Henchmen Caught Desperately Scheming to Prop Him Up – The Daily Beast

  1. Putin’s Henchmen Caught Desperately Scheming to Prop Him Up  The Daily Beast
  2. Putin Looks to FSB Hardliners to Keep Wartime Elite in Line  Bloomberg.com
  3. Telegram case signals tougher Kremlin crackdown under the FSB: Report  Crypto Briefing
  4. Bloomberg: Putin has ordered the FSB to investigate anyone without any accountability. This is what the Russian elite fears  Бабель
  5. Russian elite fears FSB, which is increasingly out of control  Цензор.НЕТ
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Kash Patel Gets a Warning From Moscow About His Russia Visit – The Daily Beast

  1. Kash Patel Gets a Warning From Moscow About His Russia Visit  The Daily Beast
  2. EXCLUSIVE: Under Patel, FBI forges unprecedented law enforcement ties with China, Russia  Reuters
  3. Kash Patel plans Russia trip in October; Kremlin-friendly newspaper warns he better not come empty-handed if he has a favor to ask  The Times of India
  4. USA-JUSTICE/FBI-CHINA  The Bismarck Tribune
  5. REPORT: The FBI Has Been Working Behind-The-Scenes With Russia For 15 Months  weaponizedspaces.substack.com
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Bulgaria, Germany drone incidents raise security fears amid Ukraine war – Al Jazeera

  1. Bulgaria, Germany drone incidents raise security fears amid Ukraine war  Al Jazeera
  2. A drone likely from Ukraine explodes in Bulgaria near a gas pipeline  AP News
  3. Bulgaria says drone explodes in its airspace, no damage  Reuters
  4. Bulgaria Says Drone Crashes Near Romanian Border, Gas Pipeline  Bloomberg.com
  5. Ukraine denies targeting Bulgaria after drone explodes near gas pipeline  CBS News
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DPD temporary workers may have missed out on sick pay and pensions, internal documents show

Missing payments suggest employment laws may have been breached by recruitment agencies used by courier company

Low-paid temporary workers at one of the UK’s top courier businesses have missed out on entitlements to sick pay and pension contributions, internal documents suggest.

The payments – typically included in the “charge rate” that large brands pay recruitment companies to supply them with temporary workers – are missing from internal spreadsheets calculating the cost of employing thousands of transient staff working at DPD.

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Sydney gardener fined almost $200,000 for removing 287 trees to improve harbourside mansion’s water views

Local council described incident as ‘worst act of environmental vandalism in Lane Cove history’

It began with a gardener being hired to trim grass at a harbourside mansion in Sydney – and escalated to payments being left in a shoe for the unlawful felling of hundreds of native trees in protected bushland.

Now a court has fined Yi Wang $187,500 for his role in organising and carrying out the destruction of 287 trees from council-owned foreshore bushland at Woodford Bay in Longueville in late 2023.

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Labor open to ‘sensible amendments’ on gambling reforms, minister says – as it happened

This blog is now closed

Coalition demands NDIS changes focus on fraud, corruption

Liberal frontbencher Tim Wilson also called on the government to focus more on fraud and corruption issues in the NDIS, as the Coalition and Labor negotiate on changes to the disability scheme.

We have people who are awarding either packages to people when they shouldn’t be used, we’re having people taking advantage of the system and we know this is being exposed.

And so as a consequence we’ve seen this massive growth continue to go on and we need to make sure that that’s the focus, not the targeting of the clients. You know, if you go out to voters in Australia, there are a lot of people who are on disability support packages who are very nervous about their future and it’s because of how this government has looked at reforms and they feel like they’re being targeted, not the fraudsters.

We’re not wowsers, we do believe in protecting children, particularly from harm.

Under the government’s proposed bill, it doesn’t limit the capacity to advertise to children and that’s something that I’m concerned about, making sure that we’ve got the measures that are consistent, appropriate, and also reflecting the changing nature of technology

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How a Drone ‘Hellscape’ Might Stop a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan – The New York Times

  1. How a Drone ‘Hellscape’ Might Stop a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan  The New York Times
  2. Test Marks Big Step in Taiwan’s Bid To Challenge Beijing as World’s Leading Drone-Maker  nysun.com
  3. Koo calls for Legislature to back Cabinet's unmanned systems bill  Focus Taiwan
  4. Taiwan's Sea Drone Order May Signal Shift in Maritime Defense Strategy - Subscription Growth Report  dars.gov.et
  5. Taiwan advances efforts to become global drone hub with non-China supply chain edge  digitimes
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Labor open to ‘sensible amendments’ to gambling laws after inquiry hears alcohol and cocaine offered to punters

Sources say Albanese government willing to tighten rules on betting inducements but less likely to budge on TV and online advertisements

The Albanese government is prepared to tighten rules on gambling inducements, but is less likely to budge on advertising rules, as negotiations continue on wagering legislation, which so far has lacked the support needed to pass parliament.

Federal Labor is open to considering amendments to its legislation from the Coalition when MPs return to Canberra this week, sources say.

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Iran issues tough demands to reopen strait of Hormuz as deal still out of reach – The Guardian

  1. Iran issues tough demands to reopen strait of Hormuz as deal still out of reach  The Guardian
  2. Iran makes dramatic new demands around Strait of Hormuz  Politico
  3. Talks with US won't happen while interim deal is breached, Iranian minister says  Reuters
  4. Live updates: US-Iran war news: Iran insists on US concessions before opening Strait of Hormuz  CNN
  5. Iran Issues List of Demands, Dampening Hopes of Reopening Strait of Hormuz  The New York Times
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‘Not enough air traffic controllers’: safety concerns at Sydney airport after Jetstar and Qatar planes involved in near-miss

Planes narrowly avoid collision on tarmac with Jetstar A320 forced to ‘brake firmly’ as Qatar Boeing 777 towed into its path

Two planes have narrowly avoided a collision on the tarmac of Australia’s busiest airport as it struggles with staff shortages.

The Jetstar and Qatar Airways planes almost collided at Sydney airport at 7am on Sunday.

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Thailand school shooting toll rises to nine after 12-year-old dies, police say

Teenage girl treated in hospital after Friday’s school shooting has died, police say

The death toll from a school shooting in Thailand rose to nine on Saturday, after police said a 12-year-old girl caught up in Friday’s incident had died.

Police at the Plai Bang Police Station in Nonthaburi Province said the girl, who had been treated at hospital with critical wounds, had died, a day after a 14-year-old boy allegedly shot his grandparents and then killed more people at his school before turning the gun on ⁠himself.

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Fires seen in Russia’s Belgorod amid reported Ukrainian drone attack – The Kyiv Independent

  1. Fires seen in Russia's Belgorod amid reported Ukrainian drone attack  The Kyiv Independent
  2. Russia’s Belgorod comes under drone attack as explosions and fires reported  Українська правда
  3. ‘A playground, a beach, a home’: UNICEF demands end to child deaths in Russia-Ukraine war  UN News
  4. 3 Killed in Ukrainian Drone Attack on Belgorod, Russia Says  The Moscow Times
  5. 13 people injured in Belgorod drone attack  Breakingthenews.net
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Yemen’s Houthis say they attacked Saudi Aramco Jazan refinery, fire extinguished – Reuters

  1. Yemen's Houthis say they attacked Saudi Aramco Jazan refinery, fire extinguished  Reuters
  2. Yemen's Houthis claim attack on Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia, and other Middle East news  NPR
  3. Oil Ships Signal Egypt and Suez to Mask Saudi Red Sea Loadings  Bloomberg.com
  4. Saudi Arabia says fire extinguished at Aramco facility in Jizan  Al Jazeera
  5. Houthis Threaten to Expand Red Sea Attacks, and Claim Strikes on Saudi Tankers  The New York Times
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British Columbia wildfire forces more than 20,000 to flee, destroys homes – Al Jazeera

  1. British Columbia wildfire forces more than 20,000 to flee, destroys homes  Al Jazeera
  2. ‘Explosive’ wildfire forces 20,000 people to flee as British Columbia declares state of emergency  The Guardian
  3. A fast-moving wildfire forces more than 20,000 people to evacuate in western Canada  CNN
  4. State of emergency declared as fast-moving Canada wildfire doubles in size  BBC
  5. Wildfires force 20,000 to flee as British Columbia declares state of emergency  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
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Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 8, 2026 – Institute for the Study of War

  1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 8, 2026  Institute for the Study of War
  2. 'Winter is coming': Ukraine fears its toughest test since Russia's full-scale invasion  CNBC
  3. Wes Streeting: Allies must step up to help Ukraine weather winter  The Times
  4. Ukraine energy chief says infrastructure attacks will shape war’s outcome  politico.eu
  5. Kyiv may come under new ballistic attack overnight  Breakingthenews.net
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