How California is preparing to fight Trump’s criticisms of the midterm vote
Trump has accused the left-leaning state of 'cheating'. But election officials say they are using public outreach to combat such misinformation.
· Adam Shanks
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Newest first · UTC+11:00Pakistan's Maryam Nawaz Sharif recognised for tech-driven environmental efforts | The National
The chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has been recognised by the Nobel Sustainability Trust for efforts to use technology to tackle climate change, reduce air pollution, restore forests and conserve wildlife.
· The National
California Senate Passes Bill To Fine Influencers Over Undisclosed Paid Political Posts
Authored by Savannah Hulsey Pointer via The Epoch Times,
· Tyler Durden
Israel's Smotrich sets out plan to 'Judaise' Arab population centres
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday laid out his party's plan to dramatically increase the number of Jews living in two areas of the country with large Arab-Israeli populations, ahead of Israeli elections in October.
· Middleeasteye
Ex-ICE agent charged over shooting is freed by Texas authorities
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer charged with shooting a Venezuelan man and allegedly lying about it during an immigration raid in Minneapolis was released from a Texas jail a day after a federal judge refused to order his return to the US state of Minnesota.
· Al Jazeera Staff
Otzma Yehudit publishes children's book about Ben-Gvir's actions as Nat. Sec. minister
The far Right Otzma Yehudit party is launching a children’s book at its conference on September 1, marking the start of the next school year.
· CORINNE BAUM
Qatar’s foreign minister visits Tehran as efforts to ease Iran-U.S. crisis continue
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Tehran on Thursday for talks aimed at easing tensions between Iran and the United States.
· AfricaNews
Budget deficit widens, disbursements tagged
THE government’s budget deficit widened in July as spending again outpaced revenues, Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) data showed on Thursday.
· Niña Myka Pauline Arceo
Tulfo backs Asean extradition treaty to deny criminals haven
SEN. Erwin Tulfo has urged the Senate to concur in the Asean Treaty on Extradition, saying the landmark agreement would strengthen regional cooperation against criminals and transnational crime while ensuring that extradition proceedings remain anchored on due process and human rights.
· Javier Joe Ismael
Security strategies for 2026 BARMM polls finalized in high-level meeting
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Top election officials, Cabinet secretaries, and heads of the country’s security forces held a high-level meeting on Wednesday to finalize security and operational strategies for the 2026 BARMM Parliamentary Elections on Sept. 14.
· Nonoy Lacson
Kuwait, Pakistan sign joint defence deal
Kuwait and Pakistan have signed a joint defence and military cooperation agreement during the Kuwaiti defence minister's visit to Islamabad on Thursday.
· Middleeasteye
Only two blocs: The election math Netanyahu doesn’t want Israelis to see - opinion
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc will probably not reach 61 seats. Yet Likud figures are already reportedly exploring what happens next: A unity government in which Netanyahu – who else? – remains would insist on him serving as prime minister first, followed by Gadi Eisenkot in a rotation.
· DAN PERRY
Poland rules out hosting nuclear weapons despite Russian threat
BRUSSELS — Poland "does not want" allied nuclear weapons stationed on its territory, the country's Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski said Thursday, despite growing worries of a Russian incursion into NATO territory.
· Victor Jack
Qatari and Iranian officials meet in Tehran to discuss de-escalation of regional tensions
The Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met on Thursday with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran to discuss regional developments and the need to de-escalate tensions.
· Middleeasteye
Senegal ruling party Pastef presses government over 2027 local elections
Senegal is heading toward a crucial political test, with local elections expected in January 2027.
· AfricaNews
Malacanang: Gov't has 'no major issues' with Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Malacanang on Thursday said it has "no major issues" with Facebook as it cooperates with the government in taking down perceived harmful online contents, including fake news, in its platform when asked to do so.
· Bernadette E. Tamayo
Burnham’s expected UK ban on Israeli settlement goods draws broad support
London, United Kingdom – UK Prime Minister and Labour leader Andy Burnham is expected to soon approve a ban on goods linked to Israeli settlements after the Israeli government issued tenders to build more than 1,200 units for a settlement in the occupied West Bank called E1.
· Laura O'Connor
Backing Off French Issue Could Restart U.S. Trade Talks, Canadian Official Says
Canada’s minister responsible for trade with the United States said on Thursday that a pledge from a Trump administration official to not challenge Canadian laws around French language and Canadian culture could provide an opening to renew negotiations.
· Ian Austen
Texas’ limits on certain drag shows ruled unconstitutional again
Texas once again cannot enforce its restrictions on some public drag shows after a federal judge on Tuesday declared a 2023 law unconstitutional for the second time.
· Ayden Runnels The Texas Tribune
Nuevo presidente de la Fed tendrá oportunidad de delinear su visión en discurso este viernes
El presidente de la Reserva Federal Kevin Warsh en la sede de esa institución, el 29 de julio del 2026. (AP foto/Mark Schiefelbein)
· Christopher Rugaber
Opposition urges African Union to intervene in Zambia's disputed election
Opposition leaders in Zambia have urged the African Union to intervene in the country’s post-election crisis.
· AfricaNews
One Nation’s immigration policy is clear as mud – but that ambiguity could be a secret weapon for Pauline Hanson
The party’s key figures are either unable or unwilling to neatly articulate their migration targets, contradicting one another – and themselves
· Sarah Basford Canales
Israel elections: Netanyahu needs a war to win - opinion
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a serious problem. Israel is approaching an election in which voters will be asked to judge not only the country’s longest-serving prime minister but the man who was prime minister on October 7.
· GERSHON BASKIN
Unlike needy Keir, trash-talking Andy speaks a language Trump understands | John Crace
Burnham has nothing to hide as he prepares to meet president he once called poisonous. It may actually win him more respect
· Johncrace
Aston Villa in turmoil after big-name departures as Arsenal arrives in Premier League
Aston Villa’s head coach Unai Emery stands during the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Wednesday, Aug.12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
· Steve Douglas
WATCH: Sandstorm sweeps Manila Bay area
A localized sandstorm or heavy dust cloud sweeps across Diokno Boulevard from the nearby Manila Bay reclamation area, affecting visibility near the Senate building, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), and the Mall of Asia complex, on Aug. 26, 2026.
· The Manila Times
Malaysia to start voluntary repatriation of Myanmar nationals
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia will repatriate 1,476 Myanmar nationals next month in the first phase of a voluntary program, the Home Ministry said on Thursday, as the government moves to address the country’s long-running refugee and undocumented migrant issue.
Moroccan minister questions Spanish sovereignty over enclave of Ceuta
A Moroccan minister has questioned Spain's sovereignty over the enclave of Ceuta during an official ceremony marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
· Middleeasteye
BOJ board member Tamura to attend Jackson Hole instead of Ueda
Naoki Tamura, a former Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. executive, is known as one of the more hawkish members of the BOJ's policy board. (Photo by Yuna Osawa)
· Staff Writer
Fed's Hammack says 'now is the time to act' on raising interest rates
Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack on Thursday repeated her call for higher interest rates, saying recent inflation data show the central bank is still too far from its goal.
· Jeff Cox
Democrats Challenge Trump's Mail-In Voting Order Despite Recent SCOTUS Ruling
Twenty-three Democratic attorneys general and the District of Columbia filed suit against the U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday, challenging a rule that limits who can receive an absentee ballot in the mail.
· Tyler Durden
Tanzania’s political crisis deepens after VP resignation
Tanzania’s governing party expelled the vice president who resigned this week, in an act of retaliation that will further test the credentials of the East African nation as a place of relative peace and stability.
· AfricaNews
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout audiobook review – brilliant portrait of an existential crisis
A teacher’s private anxieties are subtly combined with political events in this Booker-listed tale set in coastal Massachusetts
· Fiona Sturges
Everyone hates datacentres. Do we really need them? - video
AI companies have promised us world-shifting technology. But there’s a cost: loud, unsightly datacentres that drain environmental resources. As the government pushes their rapid growth, can local communities do anything to push back? Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s global technology reporter Aisha Down abo…
Panic in Kyiv and prize sheep: photos of the day – Thursday
View image in fullscreenReading, EnglandA group of young people arrive for the town’s music festivalPhotograph: Geoffrey Swaine/ShutterstockShareView image in fullscreenWest Bay, EnglandCompetitors show off their sheep at the Melplash Agricultural Society showPhotograph: Finnbarr Webster/Getty ImagesShareView image …
· Matt Fidler
Kidnappers in Nigeria collect more than $5 million in ransoms, analysts say
People protest demanding government to rescue the school children that were recently kidnapped in various part of the country, on the street of Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)
· Dyepkazah Shibayan
Pasig, Unilab Foundation partnership to strengthen primary care
MANILA, Philippines — The Pasig City Government has teamed up with Unilab Foundation Inc. to strengthen primary health care, improve local health financing and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation processes, and expand mental health support for students and communities.
· Red Mendoza
PM, Defense Minister deny any instruction exists to reopen Erez Border Crossing into Gaza Strip
There is "no instruction" to open the Erez Border Crossing for the transfer of goods into the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said in a joint statement released on Thursday afternoon.
· JAMES GENN
Parties warned vs unlawful campaign activities ahead of BARMM polls
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday warned regional parliamentary political parties against unlawful campaign activities for the first Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections.
· Holly Bacay
India’s missile tech transfer to firms signals defence self-reliance on track
Despite the forthcoming transfer from a state agency, Indian firms are still years away from being able to make advanced missiles
· Junaid Kathju
India’s missile tech transfer to firms signals defence self-reliance on track
Despite the forthcoming transfer from a state agency, Indian firms are still years away from being able to make advanced missiles
· Junaid Kathju
El-Sayed win puts Democrats and pro-Israel voters at a crossroads - opinion
If you believe that Donald Trump is the most dangerous and destructive US president in recent times, if not ever, and that the threats he poses to American democracy, the rule of law, and world peace must be thwarted, is it is essential that Democrats gain control of the House and Senate on November 6.
· DOUGLAS BLOOMFIELD
Foreign troops' withdrawal from Iraq 'accelerating' as deadline approaches | The National
The departure of foreign coalition troops from Iraq is picking up pace as the September 30 deadline for their withdrawal approaches, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
· Mina Aldroubi
Imagine A 'Whites Only' Hike Through The Countryside...
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News,
· Tyler Durden
Voluntary assisted dying legal nation-wide after laws pass NT parliament
By Joseph Hathaway-Wilson
· Joseph Hathaway Wilson
Why Turkey is showing restraint over Israeli strikes on Syria
Turkey is likely to maintain its restraint in responding to Israeli attacks on Syria until after Israel’s general election in October, as Ankara does not want to throw a lifeline to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s struggling election campaign.
· Middleeasteye
ICE officer charged in Minneapolis shooting is released from Texas jail
Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty holds up a document containing charges against ICE agent Christian Castro during a news conference at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, on Monday, May 18, 2026. (Renée Jones Schneider/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP,File)
· Valerie Gonzalez
Bond market revolt signals fading confidence in US economic leadership
From surging debt to trade wars with Canada, self-harm has been the main consequence of Trump’s reckless policy decisions
· Nicholas Spiro
Bond market revolt signals fading confidence in US economic leadership
From surging debt to trade wars with Canada, self-harm has been the main consequence of Trump’s reckless policy decisions
· Nicholas Spiro
Iran will defeat enemy in ‘full-scale economic war’, Ghalibaf says
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has described the pressure facing the country as “a full-scale economic war”.
· Middleeasteye