A devastating magnitude-6 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has caused widespread destruction and resulted in over 800 fatalities, with rescue efforts severely hampered by remote, mountainous terrain and landslides.

• Watch: Buildings destroyed and rescue efforts under way after deadly Afghanistan earthquake — BBC World -
• Afghans spend night in open after earthquake kills more than 800 — BBC World -
• Searching the Rubble After Afghanistan’s Deadly Earthquake — New York Times World -

• Afghanistan Earthquake Leaves More Than 800 Dead — New York Times World -
• An Earthquake Killed Hundreds in Afghanistan — New York Times World -
• 'Covered in dust and too shocked to speak': Afghan villagers reel at scale of quake's devastation — BBC World -
• What to Know About the Earthquake in Afghanistan — New York Times World -
• ‘There is death in every home’, families say, after at least 800 killed in Afghanistan earthquake – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Afghanistan earthquake: What we know - and what we don't — BBC World -
• ‘The walls collapsed around me’: Afghans describe quake devastation — The Guardian -
• BBC reports from scene as Afghanistan earthquake rescue mission gets under way — BBC World -
• Magnitude 6 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan leaves at least 800 dead | First Thing — The Guardian -
• At least 800 dead after magnitude-6 earthquake hits eastern Afghanistan — The Guardian -

Key global leaders including Xi, Putin, and Modi convene at a summit to signal unity against US global leadership, while Russia faces accusations of GPS jamming targeting EU officials, and tensions remain high in the Middle East with new US visa suspensions for Palestinians and scholars declaring Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide.

• Putin Finds a Growing Embrace on the Global Stage — New York Times World -
• Israel’s Push for a Permanent Gaza Deal May Mean a Longer War, Experts Say — New York Times World -
• Kyiv Links Moscow to Killing of Former Ukrainian Parliament Speaker — New York Times World -

• EU chief von der Leyen's plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming — BBC World -
• India's Modi has 'insightful' talks in Putin's limo — BBC World -
• Israel committing genocide in Gaza, world's leading experts say — BBC World -
• Watch: BBC analyses the warmth and hand-holding at Xi, Modi and Putin's summit — BBC World -
• Leaked ‘Gaza Riviera’ plan dismissed as ‘insane’ attempt to cover ethnic cleansing — The Guardian -
• Guyana blames Venezuela for attack on election officials ahead of vote — BBC World -
• ‘Coalition of willing’ to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine in meeting on Thursday – as it happened — The Guardian -
• US suspends most visas for Palestinian passport-holders, reports say — BBC World -
• US suspends most visas for Palestinian passport-holders, reports say — BBC World -
• North Korea's Kim crosses border into China in armoured train — BBC World -
• Xi, Putin and Modi Try to Signal Unity at China Summit — New York Times World -
• Russia Suspected of Jamming GPS for E.U. Leader’s Plane, Officials Say — New York Times World -
• Iran accuses Europe of stepping aside and letting Trump dictate nuclear deal terms — The Guardian -
• Russia suspected of jamming GPS on plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen — The Guardian -
• Israel committing genocide in Gaza, world’s top scholars on the crime say — The Guardian -
• Putin says he reached 'understandings' with Trump over end of Ukraine war — BBC World -
• Putin says he reached 'understandings' with Trump over end of Ukraine war — BBC World -
• Xi Jinping criticises ‘bullying behaviour’ and Putin blames west for Ukraine war at Shanghai summit — The Guardian -
• China Shows Off Its Power — New York Times World -
• U.S. Suspends Visas for Palestinian Passport Holders, Officials Say — New York Times World -

The UK government faces scrutiny over FoI charges, controversial refugee family reunion suspensions, and a Downing Street reshuffle by Prime Minister Starmer, as questions arise regarding Angela Rayner's property and Kemi Badenoch's university claims.

• Reshuffle gymnastics prepare Starmer to walk tricky budget tightrope — The Guardian -
• Angela Rayner’s Hove flat: five questions for the deputy PM — The Guardian -
• Home secretary suspends refugee family reunion applications until new, tighter rules are put in place – as it happened — The Guardian -

• Yvette Cooper accused of pushing children towards people smugglers by halting refugee scheme — The Guardian -
• Badenoch urged to ‘come clean’ after doubt cast on Stanford University claim — The Guardian -
• Former Tory MP David Warburton found dead at west London flat — The Guardian -
• Starmer’s back-to-school headaches – podcast — The Guardian -
• Downing Street shake-up: who’s in and who’s out at No 10 — The Guardian -
• Starmer cannot have armoured electric Range Rover ‘because of bomb risk’ — The Guardian -
• Keir Starmer shakes up No 10 operation with mini-reshuffle — The Guardian -
• Royal Mail second-class delivery cuts will take ‘many months’ to roll out — The Guardian -
• Ministers urged to put brakes on offices in England being turned into homes — The Guardian -
• GPS pay-as-you-go rail tickets to be trialled in England for first time — The Guardian -
• Monday briefing: ​As parliament returns, can Labour claw back the narrative from Reform? — The Guardian -
• English councils pay private landlords millions in incentives to house homeless families — The Guardian -
• NHS corridor care now year-round crisis in England, experts say — The Guardian -

Australia grapples with anti-immigration rallies attended by neo-Nazis, debates over social media age verification, aged care funding shortages, and a Tesla recall alongside concerns about forced labor goods and cultural artefact repatriation.

• Australia politics live: Tim Wilson calls government’s move to charge for FoI requests a ‘truth tax’ — The Guardian -
• How neo-Nazis used the shield of ‘ordinary mums and dads’ anti-immigration rallies to sell white supremacy — The Guardian -
• Victorian Liberal members to push for regulated cannabis market at state council — The Guardian -

• Labor under pressure to release immediate in-home aged care funding as opposition and crossbench senators unite — The Guardian -
• Not just under-16s: all Australian social media users will need to prove their age – and it could be complicated — The Guardian -
• Bristol returns cultural artefacts taken from Larrakia people in Australia — The Guardian -
• Anti-Immigrant Protests Attended by Neo-Nazis in Australia Worry Leaders — New York Times World -
• Two skydivers snagged on newly added plane step before falling to their deaths, NSW court hears — The Guardian -
• ‘Nothing secret’ about the $400m Nauru deportation plan, says Anthony Albanese — The Guardian -
• PM says neo-Nazi giving speech from Victoria’s parliament steps ‘isn’t the Australian way’ – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Elon Musk shares post on X with incorrect attendance figures for Australia’s anti-immigration protests — The Guardian -
• Queensland showdown looms over pill-testing clinic’s plan to reopen with private funds — The Guardian -
• Winter weather analysis: BoM data shows Sydney had one of its wettest winters on record, while Melbourne’s was drier than average — The Guardian -
• Fugitive wanted over Australia police killings being helped, police say — BBC World -
• Fugitive wanted over Australia police killings being helped, police say — BBC World -
• Sydney Marathon by the numbers – including a runner who wore 53 underpants weighing 5kg — The Guardian -
• ‘Come forward’: police say people ‘know the whereabouts’ of alleged Porepunkah killer Dezi Freeman — The Guardian -
• Man arrested after allegedly ramming car through front gates of Russian consulate in Sydney — The Guardian -
• Enforcing Australia's social media ban on kids is possible but contains risks, report says — BBC World -
• Enforcing Australia's social media ban on kids is possible but contains risks, report says — BBC World -
• Enforcing Australia's social media ban on kids is possible but contains risks, report says — BBC World -
• Australia could be a ‘dumping ground’ for goods made for us with forced labour, anti-slavery tsar warns — The Guardian -
• Thousands of Tesla SUVs recalled in Australia over software fault that ‘can increase risk of injury’ — The Guardian -
• Man arrested after crashing car into Russian consulate in Australia — BBC World -
• Neo-Nazis attack Indigenous protest site after anti-immigration rally in Melbourne as officer allegedly assaulted in Sydney — The Guardian -
• Everyone in Canberra agrees action is needed on AI. But what to do and how? And at what cost? — The Guardian -

US headlines feature Labor Day rallies protesting Trump policies, Trump's decision to award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, concerns over RFK Jr.'s health leadership, and tragic incidents of gun violence alongside ongoing immigration crackdowns.

• Hundreds of ‘Workers Over Billionaires’ Labor Day rallies take place across US — The Guardian -
• Trump says he will award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom — The Guardian -
• Rudy Giuliani to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom, Trump says — BBC World -

• Former CDC leaders slam RFK Jr for endangering Americans’ health — The Guardian -
• Sheriffs seek to identify man found dead ‘in pool of blood’ at Burning Man festival — The Guardian -
• Guatemala says it is willing to receive hundreds of deported children from US — The Guardian -
• Levi’s says anti-Americanism linked to Trump policies could dent UK sales — The Guardian -
• Boy, 11, shot dead after playing doorbell-ringing prank in Houston, police say — The Guardian -
• Doctors find bullet fragment in neck of 10-year-old Minnesota school shooting survivor — The Guardian -
• Florida State linebacker Ethan Pritchard in intensive care after being shot — The Guardian -
• Judge Halts U.S. Effort to Deport Guatemalan Children as Planes Sit on Tarmac — New York Times World -
• Trump Administration Deports Jamaican Man to African Prison Years After U.S. Sentence — New York Times World -
• Trump’s war on Fed is ‘serious danger’ to world economy, says ECB head — The Guardian -
• Man found dead at Burning Man festival — BBC World -
• Man found dead at Burning Man festival — BBC World -
• Donald Trump says he is not a dictator. Isn’t he? — The Guardian -
• Judge blocks Trump administration move to deport Guatemalan children — BBC World -

Reports reveal Wales faces extensive toxic waste contamination, the UK experienced its hottest summer on record, and Spain unveils a new climate action plan after deadly wildfires, while Canada studies past blazes and Mexico celebrates a jaguar conservation success.

• At least 45,000 sites in Wales could be contaminated with toxic waste, study says — The Guardian -
• Summer 2025 was hottest on record in UK, says Met Office — The Guardian -
• Exxon and California Spar in Dueling Lawsuits Over Plastics — New York Times World -

• Climate change kills, Spanish PM tells deniers at launch of plan to tackle crisis — The Guardian -
• ‘We’re winning a battle’: Mexico’s jaguar numbers up 30% in conservation drive — The Guardian -
• Weather tracker: deep trough over Europe brings severe storms — The Guardian -
• Punjab Floods Devastate Pakistan’s Breadbasket — New York Times World -
• In the Remains of Canada’s Jasper Wildfire, Clues to Tame Future Blazes — New York Times World -
• Amy, Bram and Chandra: north Atlantic winter storm names announced — The Guardian -

Global crime news includes Mexican cartels adopting military-grade weapons, a Nigerian woman burned to death for blasphemy, and a UK playground death investigation, alongside concerns about child gambling and spy cameras.

• Children as young as 11 tempted to try betting after being ‘flooded’ by celebrity endorsement — The Guardian -
• Teenager arrested after 12-year-old boy died in playground fall in Cheshire — The Guardian -
• California’s High Potency Cannabis is Fueling a ‘Cali Weed’ Trend in the UK — New York Times World -

• With Drones and I.E.D.s, Mexico’s Cartels Adopt Arms of Modern War — New York Times World -
• Mob burns Nigerian woman to death for alleged blasphemy — BBC World -
• Mob burns Nigerian woman to death for alleged blasphemy — BBC World -
• Mexico’s Cartels Are Using Military Weapons — New York Times World -
• California’s High Potency Cannabis is Fueling a ‘Cali Weed’ Trend in the UK — New York Times World -
• Spy cameras: are you being watched? – podcast — The Guardian -

Nestle has fired its CEO over an undisclosed romantic relationship, while Thames Water faces uncertainty as the UK chancellor seeks a market-based solution, and Royal Mail prepares to cut second-class deliveries after returning to profit.

• Nestle fires boss after romantic relationship with employee — BBC World -
• Nestlé sacks CEO over ‘undisclosed romantic relationship’ — The Guardian -
• Reeves says Thames Water should find ‘market-based solution’ — The Guardian -

• UK house prices in surprise fall amid high mortgage costs — The Guardian -
• India Was the Economic Alternative to China. Trump Ended That. — New York Times World -

Protests globally include Palestine Action activists charged in the UK, police investigating an officer punching an Irish activist in Berlin, and the ending of a South Korea doctors' strike against government proposals.

• South Korea Doctors’ Strike Begins to Wind Down — New York Times World -
• Czech opposition leader hit in head with crutch during rally — BBC World -
• Woman, 81, among latest people charged over Palestine Action protests — The Guardian -

• Berlin police investigate after officer punches Irish activist at protest — The Guardian -
• UN chief demands release of 11 staff arrested in Yemen — BBC World -
• UN chief demands release of 11 staff arrested in Yemen — BBC World -
• Indonesia protests: president scraps lawmakers’ perks in bid to calm tensions — The Guardian -
• Behind Thai Premier’s Dismissal, Unraveling of an Uneasy Alliance — New York Times World -

Public attention turns to rising news avoidance due to anxiety, a CEO apologizing for snatching a boy's hat at the US Open, and the passing of boxing champion Joe Bugner, alongside an artist finding inspiration in ancient motifs.

• Joe Bugner, 75, British Boxing Champ Who Slugged It Out With Ali, Dies — New York Times World -
• CEO who snatched boy's hat at US Open says he made 'huge mistake' — BBC World -
• Stroke centres in England given AI tool that will help 50% of patients recover — The Guardian -

• Why the Graffiti Artist Fonki Finds Inspiration in Angkorian Sculpture — New York Times World -
• Weinstein accuser Kaja Sokola: ‘It is very important for people to speak out’ — The Guardian -
• Why more and more people are tuning the news out: ‘Now I don’t have that anxiety’ — The Guardian -
• Magda Szubanski thanks young fan who dressed as Sharon Strzelecki for Book Week for cheering her up amid chemo — The Guardian -