The Threat Has Reached Trump’s Family

The U.S. Secret Service has responded after Iranian state television aired an extraordinary video appearing to threaten Barron Trump, taking the increasingly personal confrontation between Tehran and the Trump family into disturbing new territory.

The roughly three-minute broadcast focuses on President Donald Trump’s 20-year-old son, purports to identify places where he could be found and claims his movements are being monitored. It also alleges that a $10 million reward has been offered for killing him, although that claim has not been independently verified.

America Suddenly Reschedules Immigrant-Visa Interviews Worldwide — And There Is No Clear End Date

The Trump administration has temporarily put immigrant-visa interviews on hold across the world as US consular officers undergo new training designed to tighten screening of people seeking permanent residence in America. Applicants who already had interviews arranged are being told their appointments will be rescheduled, immediately throwing another layer of uncertainty over legal immigration into the United States.

The State Department says the global initiative is intended to ensure applicants are assessed more comprehensively and consistently, with particular attention paid to whether they could become dependent on American public benefits. No firm public deadline has been given for completing the training or restoring normal immigrant-visa interviews.

The Warning to Moscow

America’s top spy flew quietly into Moscow this week as US intelligence watched for signs that Vladimir Putin may be preparing another major military escalation.

CIA director John Ratcliffe’s unannounced visit immediately drew comparisons with one of the most consequential intelligence missions of the period before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The purpose of Ratcliffe’s trip has not been publicly disclosed. But the timing is striking: Western intelligence is examining preparations for a possible new Russian mobilisation, while separate US assessments suggest Putin may be increasingly willing to authorise provocative activity against NATO countries below the threshold of conventional war.

Bill Gates Fears AI Could Destroy Jobs and Empower Attackers — Now He Wants Global Rules

Bill Gates spent decades believing technology could solve almost any problem humanity placed in front of it.

Artificial intelligence has pushed him into unfamiliar territory: he now appears increasingly worried that innovation may be moving faster than the institutions capable of controlling its consequences.

The Microsoft co-founder is seeking a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year as he pushes an extraordinary idea into the centre of the global AI race.

Gates believes the United States and China may still be able to cooperate on restricting the most dangerous artificial intelligence capabilities, even while the two countries compete intensely to dominate the technology itself.

Farewell to the Rhinestone Queen Who Changed Country Music Forever

Dolly Parton, one of the most recognisable, successful and widely loved entertainers of the modern era, has died aged 80.

The singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist died peacefully in Nashville on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, bringing an extraordinary seven-decade journey from poverty in the Tennessee mountains to global superstardom to an end.

Her family described a life that had shone brightly enough for the world to see. It is difficult to think of a more appropriate description.

Parton created songs that became part of popular culture, built businesses that transformed the economy of her home region, became a Hollywood star and spent decades quietly turning much of her wealth and influence towards helping children and families.

Trump Turns on Ontario as Tariff War Erupts Across US-Canada Border

Donald Trump has opened an extraordinary new front in his confrontation with Canada, saying the United States is giving “serious consideration” to changing the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”

What might otherwise sound like political theatre has landed in the middle of a rapidly intensifying trade fight between two countries whose economies, industries and border communities have been intertwined for generations.

The remark came as the argument moved far beyond negotiating-room pressure.

Canada has announced new retaliatory tariffs after the United States imposed 50 per cent tariffs on $27.6 billion of Canadian goods, turning an increasingly hostile relationship into a genuine economic confrontation with consequences on both sides of the border.

74 Restricted AI Servers Reached China Before Taiwan Stopped Another 56

Taiwanese prosecutors have charged nine people in an extraordinary case involving high-end artificial intelligence servers allegedly diverted towards China, including a manager at Nvidia and people linked to server manufacturer Super Micro.

The case centres on 130 advanced B300-based servers that prosecutors say were obtained using false information claiming they would remain in Taiwan.

Seventy-four of the machines ultimately reached Chinese customers, according to prosecutors.

Another 56 were prevented from leaving Taiwan after customs officials detected irregularities, turning what might otherwise have remained an invisible supply-chain breach into a major test of the controls designed to keep some of the world's most powerful AI hardware away from China.

Trump Wanted Canada To Fall In Line — Canada Just Did The Opposite

Canada has answered Donald Trump’s latest tariff offensive with one of its clearest acts of economic retaliation yet, imposing new duties on C$27.6 billion of American imports and matching Washington dollar for dollar and rate for rate.

The measures will take effect on September 8 and cover more than 700 products at tariff rates of 15%, 25% and 50%.

The immediate question is therefore no longer whether Canada will retaliate. It has.

The more dangerous question is what Trump does when a government he has spent months pressuring refuses to concede and instead sends the economic pain straight back across the border.

The Strait Trump Says Iran Can No Longer Mine

Donald Trump says the United States Navy has removed or detonated every mine from the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz, declaring one of the most dangerous physical obstacles to Gulf shipping cleared after months of conflict.

He coupled the announcement with an unmistakable warning to Iran: any vessel caught laying new mines will be destroyed.

It is potentially one of the most important breakthroughs in the battle over the world's most critical oil chokepoint. But it does not mean the Hormuz crisis is over.

Commercial traffic remains far below normal levels, ships continue to face attack risks, and a tanker was disabled near Oman after being hit by an unidentified projectile only hours before Trump's declaration.

Why Has America’s CIA Chief Just Flown Into Moscow?

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has reportedly travelled to Moscow for meetings with Russian officials after a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III made an unusual flight into the Russian capital.

The journey turns what initially appeared to be a mysterious military-aircraft movement into something considerably more significant: a direct, high-level channel between Washington and Moscow operating largely outside public view.

What Ratcliffe is discussing remains undisclosed. Neither the identities of the Russian officials involved nor a detailed agenda have been publicly revealed, leaving an extraordinary gap between what can be seen — an American military transport aircraft landing in Moscow — and what is happening behind closed doors.