In the Middle East

Iran says it controls and manages the Strait of Hormuz, directly rejecting President Trump’s claim that the United States has total control of the strategic shipping route. Iranian officials also said they intend to keep the war going until Trump leaves office.

Separately, an official said intelligence that an Iranian cell had entered Turkey with a shoulder-fired missile led Trump to leave Ankara aboard a separate Air Force jet.

In Ukraine

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission says at least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine in July, the highest monthly civilian death toll it has recorded since May 2022.

In Europe

Britain is expected to endure its fifth heatwave of the summer, while France has issued orange heat alerts across 80 departments. Repeated extreme temperatures are increasing pressure on public services and resources across both countries.

In the United States

Federal debt is nearing $40 trillion, with the Congressional Budget Office projecting a $1.887 trillion deficit this year and more than $2 trillion next year. Interest payments alone are expected to reach $1.1 trillion this year, while spending cuts have largely vanished from the election debate.

Trump’s executive order on vaccine scheduling does not alter current CDC recommendations. It seeks to restore changes previously made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and later blocked by a federal judge. Health experts warn the move could erode confidence in vaccines and complicate decisions for families and pediatricians.

In Colombia

The death toll from the earthquake in Pereira has risen to 265, with nearly 500 people still missing. Rescue teams continue searching collapsed buildings as the first 72 hours, usually the most critical period for finding survivors, closes.

In Britain

David Taylor, a former Labour adviser and the husband of Labour MP Joani Reid, remains on bail after his March arrest on suspicion of spying for China. Taylor denies the allegation. Counter-terrorism police are investigating his past access to Labour’s Rose Network, a donor group whose events can bring members into contact with senior party figures. Reid denies wrongdoing and has had the Labour whip restored.

In Lebanon

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says Israeli strikes that destroyed villages in the south violated international law. He rejected Israel’s assertion that the sites were military targets.

In Palestinian territories

In Gaza, some women are accepting faster divorces that require them to give up legal rights, rather than face lengthy court battles for a fuller settlement. The choice is between leaving a marriage sooner and preserving rights that may take much longer to enforce.

In the West Bank, a Palestinian family says its home was demolished despite a court order, leaving them sleeping outside in extreme heat.

In Chicago

A Chicago police sergeant has been stripped of his powers after video showed him confronting a group of teenagers and allegedly making physical contact with a 13-year-old girl who was recording the encounter.

In public health

The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak declared on May 15 has killed more than 2,000 people and infected thousands. Its chief warns it could become the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, putting pressure on governments and health agencies to expand containment, treatment, and vaccination efforts.

In the Strait of Hormuz

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains far below its prewar level despite President Trump’s claim that the United States has total control of the waterway. Tracking data showed just 14 vessels crossing on Tuesday, compared with more than 130 a day before the war, as Iranian attacks and insurance concerns keep commercial operators away.

In regional security

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged Latin American militaries to join U.S. operations against drug cartels. He proposed a coalition built around the line, “We do bad things to bad people,” a remarkably blunt mission statement for multilateral military policy.

In cyber security

Thousands of North Korean operatives have reportedly used stolen or false identities to obtain remote jobs at U.S. companies, sending hundreds of millions of dollars back to Pyongyang. Separately, a ransomware attack at a Canadian hospital has reportedly affected building controls, including doors and HVAC systems. Administrators using Rsync should update to version 3.5, which fixes 33 security vulnerabilities.

In Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s new land policy is reopening disputes over farms seized during the land reform program that began after 2000. The change brings unresolved ownership claims back into national policy, with consequences for former owners, current occupants, and agricultural investment.

In the Red Sea

An attack on the Tanzania-flagged Tihamah near Yemen’s Bab el-Mandeb Strait reportedly killed four crew members and two Yemeni rescue workers. Yemen’s internationally recognized government blamed the Houthis, while Houthi media said the ship was carrying Saudi military equipment. The route is strategically important to Saudi Arabia as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, and the attack adds to the danger for commercial shipping in the region.

At the White House

U.S. intelligence officials reportedly had low confidence in Israeli-provided information alleging an Iranian assassination threat against President Trump. The warning nevertheless led to a secret travel change, with Trump leaving Turkey aboard an alternate military aircraft.

Separately, media organizations are suing Trump over a reported system that charges as much as $100,000 a month for exclusive access to presidential social-media posts. The suit alleges the arrangement improperly turns official presidential communications into a paid product.

Army helicopter crash in Texas

Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed when an AH-64 Apache helicopter from Fort Hood crashed in a field near Salado, Texas. The crash started a large grass fire, prompting evacuations and road closures. The Army has not released the soldiers’ names, and the cause remains under investigation.

Lawsuit against Rep. Max Miller

The ex-wife of Ohio Republican Representative Max Miller has filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Miller and his attorney, alleging they recklessly posted a private image of their two-year-old daughter online. The allegations have not been resolved in court.

ICE scrutiny in Virginia

An ICE officer drew a gun during a confrontation with a woman in a Falls Church, Virginia, parking lot. ICE said the woman tried to strike officers with her car, while video posted online shows masked officers surrounding her vehicle. The episode has drawn renewed scrutiny of ICE operations and the use of force during immigration enforcement encounters.

In Iran

More than 25 countries, including Britain, France and Canada, have condemned Iran’s execution of anti-government protesters. Their joint statement accused Tehran of using the death penalty to crush dissent and called for the executions to stop.

In Colombia

Rescue teams are still searching for survivors after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake. In Pereira, crews tunneled through rubble and pulled a 32-year-old woman out alive.

In European security

Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia could seize European vessels if European countries confiscate Russian ships. The threat came as the Royal Navy increased monitoring of Russian activity, adding to a dispute already built around maritime retaliation.

In Brazil

Brazil has ordered Discord to suspend livestreaming after regulators said the platform failed to protect minors from material involving violence, self-harm and suicide. The action follows the death of a teenager.

At the White House

The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel says executive privilege can cover communications with private advisers when they concern official presidential decisions and involve the president or direct aides. Courts have traditionally treated the privilege as narrower, so the opinion is likely to face legal scrutiny if the White House relies on it.

In Britain

After a government emergency meeting on heatwaves and drought, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham urged people to avoid disposable barbecues as wildfire risks rise. England and Wales have already recorded more than 1,000 wildfires this year, matching last year’s total as hot, dry conditions make fires harder to contain.

U.S. energy security

American commercial reactors loaded 40.9 million pounds of uranium in 2025, down 15 percent from the year before. The more consequential figure is where it came from: foreign mines supplied 93 percent of deliveries, led by Canada and Kazakhstan. Utilities expect to need 360 million pounds over the next decade, and 186 million pounds of that demand is not yet covered by long-term contracts.

U.S. health policy

The head of the World Health Organization says recent U.S. changes to childhood vaccine policy conflict with decades of evidence on when children are most vulnerable to disease, when vaccination is most protective, and how many doses are needed.

U.S. economy

Annual U.S. inflation accelerated again in July after easing in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, adding fresh pressure on households and policymakers watching for signs that price growth is settling down.

International justice

Four human rights groups have sued the Trump administration in New York over its sanctions campaign against the International Criminal Court. The groups argue that sanctions targeting ICC judges, prosecutors, and others unlawfully obstruct their work on international criminal justice.

Black Sea shipping

Attacks linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine are raising risks across the Black Sea, a vital route for Ukrainian grain exports and global food supplies. Strikes have hit ships and port infrastructure at opposite ends of the sea, threatening a trade corridor whose disruption reaches well beyond the combatants.

In U.S. primaries

MyPillow founder Mike Lindell is refusing to concede Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary after Decision Desk HQ projected state House Speaker Lisa DeMuth the winner by about 11 points, a margin of more than 45,000 votes. In Connecticut, longtime Representative John Larson lost his Democratic primary, becoming the seventh sitting House Democrat defeated this cycle, an unusually high number of incumbent losses.

In London

Simon Levy has received a whole-life prison sentence for the murders of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins, and for raping another woman. The court heard that Levy had a pattern of sexual assaults on London’s transport network before the killings. Police, British Transport Police and prosecutors have acknowledged failures that left him free as his offending escalated. Misconduct notices have been issued to two Metropolitan Police officers.

In public health

A long-term study of 260,000 people finds that waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio may predict cardiovascular risk more reliably than BMI alone. Excess abdominal fat was linked to higher risks of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and death, including among people whose BMI fell within the normal range. Researchers say routine heart-risk checks should measure waist size, rather than rely on BMI alone.

In jobs

Global youth unemployment rose in 2025 as weaker growth and geopolitical tensions slowed entry-level hiring, according to data cited by the UN’s International Labour Organization. The agency says young workers are increasingly concerned that AI could further narrow the path into employment, as employers cut back on junior roles.

In UK asylum policy

The British government says it has closed 13 more hotels used to house asylum seekers, bringing this year’s total to 44 and reducing the number still in use to fewer than 160. Two military bases now house roughly 1,500 people, while officials consider three additional sites and other accommodation options.

In the Black Sea

Overnight attacks hit port cities in Russia and Ukraine, killing three people. In Novorossiysk, Russian officials said a child was killed and dozens of buildings were damaged.

In the Middle East

A Syrian court sentenced former security official Atef Najib to death for premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity. Najib was a central figure in the early crackdown on protests in Daraa.

Near Jericho, Israeli settlers demolished homes in a Palestinian village, displacing families and prompting accusations of Israeli government complicity. In Gaza, families of autistic children say sustained bombing has destroyed routines, intensified sensory distress and further cut access to support.

Across Europe

France has placed 78 departments under an orange heatwave alert as drought brings tighter water restrictions. In the UK, Andy Burnham is due to chair an emergency Cobra meeting as extreme heat, drought conditions and wildfires strain emergency services, with temperatures forecast to reach 38C.

In Colombia

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake partially collapsed Cali's Hospital Universitario del Valle. Patients were evacuated while rescue teams searched the damaged building amid fears that hundreds could be trapped.

Presidential security

President Trump says the Secret Service requested a switch from Air Force One to another military aircraft after last month's NATO summit, citing a possible threat. Reports say Air Force One, carrying staff and reporters, flew as a decoy while Trump took a smaller government plane. The White House has not confirmed the operational details.

In Colombia

The death toll from Colombia's magnitude-7.4 earthquake has risen to 188 as search-and-rescue operations enter a second day. Crews are still working through affected areas, and the toll could change as they reach more sites.

In Zimbabwe

At least 15 people have died and 27 remain missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba. Authorities are continuing the search for survivors.

Water restrictions in southern England

Southern Water has asked ministers for a drought order covering parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. If approved, it would restrict car washing, pool filling, garden watering, and other non-essential water use. The company says limits on water drawn from the River Test could affect supplies for more than 150,000 people.

In the Middle East

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed unless the United States meets Tehran's conditions, extending a standoff over one of the world's most important shipping routes.

In Syria, residents of Idlib celebrated after a court sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death. Assad was ousted from power, and the ruling marks a major legal development after his government.

In U.S. politics

President Trump declined to rule out declaring a national-security emergency that could put the federal government in control of November’s midterm elections. Asked about the idea, he said stranger things have happened. Congress, state election officials, and the courts would have consequential views on any attempt to federalize an election.

In Russia

Russia has released former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who had been detained since 2022. His family says he was left in life-threatening condition after harsh and abusive treatment in custody. Details of his release and current medical condition were not provided.

In China and Japan

Japan has warned businesses operating in China after several Japanese nationals were detained amid Beijing’s tighter controls on rare-earth exports. Authorities have not provided details, but the cases add pressure to an already fraught commercial relationship over strategically important minerals.

In U.S. health care

A March of Dimes report says 5.8 million women live in U.S. counties without full maternity-care access. The organization says one in three counties is a maternity-care desert, with no hospital or birth center offering obstetric services and no obstetric providers.

In the UK

The UK has set a summer record for days above 30 degrees Celsius, with another rise in temperatures expected. The prolonged heat adds pressure on health services, infrastructure, and households poorly equipped for sustained high temperatures.