President Trump's diplomatic efforts with Russia and Ukraine, imposition of global tariffs, domestic policy threats like federalizing D.C., and ongoing political tensions such as the Texas Democrats' protest are shaping the national and international agenda, while economic impacts and legal investigations continue.

• With Sanctions Looming, Trump’s Envoy to Russia Meets With Putin — New York Times World -
• Trump Tells European Leaders He Intends to Meet With Putin and Zelensky — New York Times World -
• Texas Democrats who left state in protest can ‘stay out long enough to stop this deal’, Beto O’Rourke says – live updates — The Guardian -

• India Digs In After Trump Doubles Tariffs — New York Times World -
• Trump threatens 50% tariffs on India for buying Russian oil — BBC World -
• Trump hails ‘great progress’ after Witkoff meets Putin for talks on Ukraine — The Guardian -
• Trump to announce Apple’s plan to invest $100bn in US manufacturing — The Guardian -
• Trump says 'great progress' made on Ukraine at US-Russia talks as ceasefire deadline looms — BBC World -
• Donald Trump says ‘everyone agrees this war must come to a close’ after Witkoff meets Putin – as it happened — The Guardian -
• JD Vance to meet with top Trump officials to plot Epstein strategy – report — The Guardian -
• How Trump's secondary tariffs on Russia could hit the global economy — BBC World -
• Bomb scare rattles Democrats who fled Texas amid showdown with governor — The Guardian -
• Apple to invest $100bn after pressure from Trump — BBC World -
• Trump threatens to ‘federalize’ DC after attack on Doge staffer — The Guardian -
• Shares in European drug companies hit four-month low as Trump tariffs loom — The Guardian -
• Trump ally Marsha Blackburn launches bid for governor of Tennessee — The Guardian -
• Trump-Modi ties hit rock bottom with new tariffs on India over Russian oil — BBC World -
• World awaits Trump’s next move as Russia ceasefire deadline approaches — The Guardian -
• FBI report disproves Trump’s claim of a Biden-era out-of-control crime wave — The Guardian -
• Honda quarterly profits drop by half as carmaker feels effects of Trump tariffs — The Guardian -
• Sales of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drugs including Ozempic slow sharply — The Guardian -
• Russian attacks on Ukraine double since Trump inauguration — BBC World -
• Texas governor seeks court order to fire top Democrat who fled in row over voting map — BBC World -
• Clintons subpoenaed to testify in congressional Epstein investigation — BBC World -
• Trump threatens fleeing Texas Democrats with FBI as Greg Abbott calls for ‘consequences’ – live updates — The Guardian -
• US immigration to hold 1,000 detainees in Indiana after deal with prison system — The Guardian -

The Gaza conflict's escalation with potential Israeli military expansion and humanitarian aid crises, Hezbollah's rejection of arms restrictions, and Syria's uneasy truce highlight the region's instability, alongside international reactions to the crisis and surveillance concerns.

• 'A grave sin': Hezbollah dismisses Lebanon's move to restrict arms — BBC World -
• Despite Opposition, Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet to Discuss Gaza Military Push — New York Times World -
• After Weeks of Sectarian Clashes in Syria, an Uneasy Truce Takes Hold — New York Times World -

• A Weakened Hezbollah Resists Pressure to Give Up Its Weapons — New York Times World -
• British Opera Company Cancels ‘Tosca’ Collaboration in Israel After Criticism — New York Times World -
• Family of Palestinian American who died after Israeli settler attack calls for US intervention — The Guardian -
• Leading global scholars sign letter urging UK to end Palestine Action ban — The Guardian -
• Israel issues forced displacement orders amid fears of full occupation in Gaza — The Guardian -
• Twenty killed as aid truck overturns in Gaza, civil defence agency says – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Gaza from the sky – a landscape of rubble, dust and graves | First Thing — The Guardian -
• ‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians — The Guardian -
• On Gaza, Germany’s Government Faces Pressure From All Sides — New York Times World -
• UN official says Israel expanding Gaza operations would risk 'catastrophic consequences' — BBC World -
• Wednesday Briefing: Netanyahu’s Next Steps in Gaza — New York Times World -

The devastating reach of wildfires across the US and France, the earlier onset of California's fire season, warnings about chemical pollution's broad threat, and the severe coral decline of the Great Barrier Reef underscore the urgent global environmental challenges, alongside water resource management issues.

• Depression, suicides, overdoses: broad impacts of US wildfires revealed in study — The Guardian -
• California Wildfire Season Starting Earlier Because of Climate Change, Study Finds — New York Times World -
• France wildfire is 'catastrophe on an unprecedented scale', says PM — BBC World -

• Wildfire In Wet Washington State Is Changing Under Climate Change — New York Times World -
• ‘Unprecedented’ wildfire burns area size of Paris in southern France — The Guardian -
• Deadly wildfire spreads in southern France — BBC World -
• Southern Water applies for permission to draw water from rare chalk stream — The Guardian -
• Chemical pollution a threat comparable to climate change, scientists warn — The Guardian -
• Great Barrier Reef suffers worst coral decline on record — BBC World -
• California wildfire scorches 83,000 acres and threatens hundreds of structures — The Guardian -

Controversial decisions regarding mRNA vaccine funding by the US government, disturbing reports of human rights abuses in immigration detention centers, and ongoing legal battles over abortion access in Tennessee are central to discussions on public well-being and social justice, further complicated by debates on gender definitions.

• US destruction of contraceptives denies 1.4m African women and girls lifesaving care, NGO says — The Guardian -
• ‘Horrific’: report reveals abuse of pregnant women and children at US Ice facilities — The Guardian -
• Tennessee demands abortion data from hospitals in ban exceptions case — The Guardian -

• Despite RFK’s funding block, mRNA vaccines are too impressive to ignore — The Guardian -
• Could RFK Jr's move to pull mRNA vaccine funding be a huge miscalculation? — BBC World -
• ‘A death sentence’: a young mother grappling with addiction dies in a drug-plagued US prison — The Guardian -
• RFK Jr’s health department to halt $500m in mRNA vaccine research — The Guardian -
• Meaning of ‘woman’ goes beyond dictionary definition, court hears as Giggle for Girls appeal concludes — The Guardian -

A series of impactful events include an emergency landing at Birmingham airport, tragic helicopter crashes in Ghana, a shooting on a Georgia military base, challenging flood rescues in the Indian Himalayas, and the safe recovery of a missing journalist in Norway, alongside unusual occurrences like a bear chasing a mascot and a US hunter killed by a buffalo.

• Thousands stranded after emergency landing closes Birmingham airport runway — The Guardian -
• Shooter in custody after five soldiers shot on Georgia military base, army says — The Guardian -
• Rains and Broken Roads Complicate Flood Rescue in Indian Himalayas — New York Times World -

• Helicopter Crash Kills Ghana Defense and Environment Ministers — New York Times World -
• Journalist missing in Norway survived six nights in wilderness with leg injury — The Guardian -
• Speeding driver clocked doing 199mph on German autobahn — The Guardian -
• Bear chases hockey mascot during photoshoot — BBC World -
• US hunter reportedly killed by buffalo during expedition in South Africa — The Guardian -
• Amazon customer says delivery driver she found masturbating in her bedroom returned to her home — The Guardian -
• US research station staff evacuated from Antarctica in high-risk operation — The Guardian -
• Oceangate's Titan whistleblower: 'People were sold a lie' — BBC World -

Key developments include a UK solicitor facing a tribunal over cryptocurrency-linked threat allegations, calls for clarity on police release of suspects' information, Italy's approval of the monumental bridge linking Sicily to the mainland, and domestic crime reports like the jailing of a dog walker's killer, alongside political debates on tax rises and cultural controversies.

• Solicitor at UK libel firm facing tribunal over threat allegations tied to fake cryptocurrency — The Guardian -
• Italy Approves Project to Link Sicily to the Mainland by Bridge — New York Times World -
• Calls for clarity over whether UK police can release suspects’ ethnicity and immigration status — The Guardian -

• Man who killed dog walker in ‘brutal attack’ in Suffolk jailed for life — The Guardian -
• Starmer declines to rule out election pledge-breaking tax rises in budget after claim Treasury must fill £40bn deficit – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Labour accused of using Jimmy Savile’s name to ‘bait’ Nigel Farage — The Guardian -
• Keir Starmer downplays warnings that taxes will have to be raised in autumn — The Guardian -
• Prince Harry Cleared of Bullying Accusations at Charity He Co-founded — New York Times World -
• Inclusion of butter in UK recipe for cacio e pepe draws outrage from Italian media — The Guardian -
• Dismay as north of England universities miss out on share of £54m talent fund — The Guardian -
• Police hit back at Reform claim of cover-up over rape case suspects’ immigration status — The Guardian -
• Lisa Nandy says she won’t watch latest MasterChef after presenter controversy — The Guardian -

China's contentious "super-embassy" designs in London, Russia's legal battle over its Australian embassy lease, and Poland's new president delivering a combative inaugural address reflect ongoing diplomatic tensions and shifts in global alliances and national policies.

• Ministers ask China to explain redacted designs for London ‘super-embassy’ — The Guardian -
• Polish president attacks rivals’ ‘propaganda and lies’ as he is sworn in — The Guardian -
• Statue of French General Accused of Torture Divides His Hometown — New York Times World -

• Russia takes fight over cancellation of embassy near Parliament House to Australia’s high court — The Guardian -

Honda's profit decline and Novo Nordisk's sales slowdown illustrate the impact of Trump's tariffs and market competition, while Claire's second bankruptcy filing and a sharp drop in UK construction activity indicate broader economic challenges, alongside advertising scrutiny on heat pumps and electric vehicle range discrepancies.

• Claire’s files for US bankruptcy for second time in seven years — The Guardian -
• Some electric cars fall short of claimed range by up to 23%, Australian motoring group finds — The Guardian -
• UK construction activity in July falls at steepest rate since Covid — The Guardian -

• Miner Glencore decides against moving stock market listing from London to US — The Guardian -
• Two ‘misleading’ heat pump adverts banned by UK watchdog — The Guardian -

Reports span confronting 'honor killings' in Pakistan and abuses in Australian wildlife tourism, to archeological discoveries in Pompeii and the birth of rare Barbary lion cubs, reflecting diverse global human rights, legal, and cultural narratives.

• People reoccupied Pompeii after Vesuvius eruption, archaeologists find — The Guardian -
• Brazil judge eases Jair Bolsonaro house arrest to allow family visits — The Guardian -
• Outrage as Spanish town bans Muslim religious festivals from public spaces — The Guardian -

• Nigeria seizes 1,600 birds in 'largest' wildlife-trafficking bust — BBC World -
• For Some Wounded in Ukraine War, Surgery Helps Rebuild a Sense of Self — New York Times World -
• Four rare Barbary lion cubs born at Czech zoo — The Guardian -
• War Shattered His Face. Technology Helped Reconstruct It. — New York Times World -
• Man Who Lit Cigarette From Eternal Flame in Paris Is Arrested — New York Times World -
• Ghanaian star Shatta Wale's luxury car surrendered over alleged link to US crime — BBC World -
• New Orleans ex-detective convicted of child sexual abuse crimes back in jail — The Guardian -
• Arts and media groups demand Labor take a stand against ‘rampant theft’ of Australian content to train AI — The Guardian -
• Reality TV star Matt Wright tried to cover up previous rule-breaking after Outback Wrangler helicopter crash, court told — The Guardian -
• Australia’s potential surrender of creative content to tech giants for free is shocking. Labor must decide where it stands | Josh Taylor — The Guardian -
• Gary Lineker expected to host new Saturday night gameshow on ITV — The Guardian -
• Engineer who helped build Melbourne’s public housing towers condemns plan to demolish ‘icons’ — The Guardian -
• Australia’s incoming passenger card bound for the bin as Sydney airport trials digital declarations — The Guardian -
• Mark Latham escapes NSW censure motion for now – but faces privileges committee — The Guardian -
• Video Forces Pakistan to Confront ‘Honor Killings’ and Gender Violence — New York Times World -
• Jeremy Rockliff reappointed as Tasmanian premier as Labor signals another no-confidence motion — The Guardian -
• Thousands of Queensland teachers have gone on strike with 600,000 school students affected. What happens next? — The Guardian -
• Tasmanian trainer fined $2,000 for animal cruelty after repeatedly whipping racehorse — The Guardian -
• Clintons subpoenaed to testify in congressional Epstein investigation — BBC World -
• Razia Jan, 81, Who Built an Enduring Girls’ School in Afghanistan, Dies — New York Times World -
• Stella Rimington, First Woman to Lead U.K.’s MI5, Dies at 90 — New York Times World -

The 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing served as a somber reminder of nuclear weapons' 'inhumane' consequences, with calls for disarmament made against a backdrop of evolving Japanese sentiment on pacifism.

• Even Hiroshima’s Pacifist Cause Is Losing Believers — New York Times World -
• Hiroshima: Ceremony marks 80th anniversary of atomic bombing — BBC World -
• ASIC close to approving rival exchange for ASX – as it happened — The Guardian -

• How the Nuclear Attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Changed Japan — New York Times World -
• Hiroshima anniversary: mayor says Ukraine and Middle East crises show world ignoring nuclear ‘tragedies’ — The Guardian -