The Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention in Dallas is attracting attention not only for its unusual timing but also for its high-dollar donor events. Reported packages include an $88,600 photo with President Donald Trump and a $250,000 roundtable with him as the GOP intensifies fundraising ahead of the November elections. Trump photo fee reaches $88,600 Donors attending the Republ

Chinese President Xi Jinping has used his state visit to Egypt to call for a new Middle East security architecture, urging regional countries to resist external interference and take greater control of their own security decisions. His visit comes as China seeks a larger diplomatic and economic role in a region unsettled by the US-Iran conflict. Xi Jinping calls for new Middle East security order

A Strait of Hormuz tanker attack has left two Filipino seafarers dead aboard the Saudi-operated SIDR, intensifying concerns over maritime security in one of the world’s most important oil routes. Bahri confirmed the deaths as US-Iran tensions again escalated across the Gulf. Strait of Hormuz tanker attack kills two sailors Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company Bahri confirmed that two Fi

The US State Department is considering new passport procedures that could require parents or legal guardians to provide proof of their own citizenship or immigration status when applying for a passport for a child. The possible change is linked to the Trump administration’s efforts to implement new rules surrounding birthright citizenship and prevent what officials describe as misuse of US citizenship laws. The proposal has not yet been finalized, meaning families should continue

Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least 12 people, including an Indian national, as Moscow launched another wave of missiles and drones against Kyiv and several other regions. Residential areas, railway facilities and civilian infrastructure were damaged, renewing calls from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for stronger air-defence support. Kyiv Attack Kills Indian National An Indian citizen was among those killed in the latest attacks around Kyiv. The deceased was identified by Indian community sources as 40-year-old Sudarshan Bhabhilala from Gujarat. He reportedly suffered a severe head injury during the Russian attack. India’s embassy in Kyiv said it was deeply saddened by the death and was assisting the family with the repatriation of his remains. Another Indian national, Ganesh Kalleda from Telangana, was reported injured. The deaths came during a prolonged Russian assault on Kyiv and surrounding areas involving ballistic missiles, drones and other weapons. Ukrainian authorities said several civilian and railway locations were hit. Odesa and Border Infrastructure Hit The attacks extended beyond the capital. Zelenskyy said Russian strikes affected Odesa and surrounding areas, while Kyiv, Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Dnipro regions also faced attacks. Ukraine also reported damage to railway, energy and export infrastructure. Zelenskyy’s office said Russia had intensified attacks since August and was increasingly targeting infrastructure that supports everyday civilian life. Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately attacking civilian targets. Moscow, however, has repeatedly said its strikes are aimed at military and military-linked infrastructure. Ukraine Seeks More Air Defence The scale and frequency of the latest attacks have renewed pressure on Ukraine’s air-defence system. Ukrainian officials say the country needs more Patriot interceptors and other systems capable of stopping ballistic missiles and increasingly fast drones. Recent Russian attacks have combined conventional missiles with large numbers of unmanned aircraft, placing heavy pressure on Ukraine’s existing interceptor stocks. Western air-defence assistance therefore remains one of Kyiv’s most urgent military priorities. Modi Putin Peace Message The renewed violence came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek on August 31. According to India’s Prime Minister’s Office, Modi reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward for resolving conflicts. The two leaders also discussed the Black Sea conflict and its wider impact on maritime trade and Indian seafarers. Modi has continued to position India in favour of a negotiated settlement while maintaining its strategic partnership with Moscow. Indians in Russian Army The Ukraine war has also created a separate concern for New Delhi involving Indians recruited into the Russian armed forces. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said 227 Indian nationals had been recruited into the Russian military. Of them, 139 had been discharged while 51 had died. India remains in talks with Moscow to secure the release and repatriation of those still serving. The latest death of an Indian civilian in Ukraine adds another human dimension to the conflict for India. As Russian missile and drone attacks continue, New Delhi now faces both the task of assisting citizens affected inside Ukraine and pursuing the return of Indians still linked to Russia’s military.

Iran launched missile and drone attacks against US-linked military targets after American forces carried out a new wave of strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities across southern Iran. The Iran retaliation marks the sharpest escalation in weeks and has again placed the Strait of Hormuz and regional US bases at the centre of the conflict. US Iran Strikes US Central Command confirmed that American forces carried out coordinated strikes on September 1 against IRGC military targets. CENTCOM said the operation hit air-defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications facilities. The command said the strikes followed attempted Iranian attacks against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and American service members in the region. The strikes were concentrated around southern Iran and the strategically important Hormuz region. Separate reporting said Iranian areas including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Jask and other coastal locations were among those affected as the conflict returned to a more intense phase. IRGC Response Iranian forces responded with missiles and drones aimed at US assets across the region. Iranian state-linked media described the attacks as retaliation for the latest American operation, while the IRGC promised what it called severe punishment for further strikes. Jordan and Bahrain reported intercepting Iranian missiles and drones, while Iranian sources also claimed strikes against US positions in Iraq. Claims of American casualties made by Tehran had not been independently confirmed by US officials at the time of reporting. The renewed exchanges show that both sides remain willing to use direct military force despite earlier efforts to reduce hostilities. Hormuz Crisis The Strait of Hormuz remains the most sensitive flashpoint. Washington says its latest operation followed Iranian attempts to threaten commercial shipping and deploy mine-laying capabilities near the waterway. CENTCOM has repeatedly described freedom of navigation through the strait as a key US military objective. The escalation immediately affected energy markets. Brent crude rose toward $96 a barrel as traders reacted to the possibility of renewed disruption in a route responsible for a major share of global oil exports. Any sustained attacks on shipping, ports or energy infrastructure could therefore have economic consequences far beyond the Middle East. Trump Warns Iran President Donald Trump defended the latest US strikes and warned Tehran that further retaliation could trigger an even stronger American response. He said the operation was justified by Iranian attempts to place mines in the Strait of Hormuz and previous attacks directed at US forces. Trump’s warning came even as Iranian officials insisted they would continue responding to attacks on their territory. The competing threats have sharply reduced hopes that the current exchange will quickly return to the relative calm seen during parts of August. Regional Escalation Risk The latest fighting follows the August 30 US strike on two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, which American officials said were preparing to deploy sea mines. Iran answered that operation with ballistic missile attacks against US forces in Jordan. With fresh American strikes now followed by a broader Iranian missile and drone response, the conflict appears to be entering another dangerous phase. The immediate question is whether both governments contain the exchanges or allow retaliation to expand across US bases, Iranian military facilities and shipping routes around the Strait of Hormuz.

A California federal court ruled that student visa revocation and deportation provisions cannot be enforced against lawfully present noncitizens solely for First Amendment-protected speech. The ruling granted declaratory relief but stopped short of a permanent injunction. A federal judge in California has ruled that the U.S. government cannot use certain immigration powers to revoke visas or pursue deportation against lawfully present noncitizens when enforcement is

The six-month US-Iran conflict has unexpectedly strengthened the commercial position of the UAE’s EDGE Group, giving domestically developed defence systems real combat exposure. Company executives say the “battle-proven” status of drones, jammers and other equipment is now helping UAE EDGE defence growth and attracting greater international interest. Battle-Proven EDGE Weapons During the conflict, nearly 3,000 missiles and drones reportedly targeted the UAE, putting the country’s air-defence network under sustained pressure. EDGE executives cited in the source material said the fighting provided something the company previously lacked at scale: direct battlefield validation. Khaled Al Zaabi, president of EDGE’s Platforms and Systems cluster, said only a limited number of products could be described as battle-proven before the war. He said that number has now increased significantly, giving the company a stronger selling point when competing for international defence contracts. That matters in an industry where buyers often place a premium on systems that have already operated under real combat conditions rather than laboratory or demonstration environments. UAE Drone Defence The war also highlighted the economics of air defence. The UAE has invested billions of dollars in advanced American systems including Patriot and THAAD, but officials are increasingly focusing on cheaper ways to counter low-cost drones. EDGE executives said locally produced electronic warfare and counter-drone technologies played an important role during the conflict. Company chairman Faisal Al Bannai said locally developed jammers achieved an interception rate of about 85% against incoming drones, according to the source material. The broader challenge is cost. Using an expensive interceptor missile against every low-cost attack drone can become financially unsustainable during prolonged conflicts. EDGE is therefore positioning lower-cost drones, jammers and short-range systems as complementary layers of defence. SkyKnight Air Defence One of EDGE’s important locally developed systems is SkyKnight, a short-range air-defence platform designed to counter rockets, artillery, mortars, drones, cruise missiles and other aerial threats. EDGE says the system can protect infrastructure, military bases, ports and urban areas, with missile interception ranges reaching up to 10 kilometres against several categories of aerial targets. Developing more air-defence capability domestically would also reduce reliance on foreign suppliers while allowing the UAE to respond faster to evolving regional threats. EDGE Global Expansion EDGE, founded in 2019, has expanded rapidly across missiles, drones, armoured vehicles, naval systems and advanced technologies. The source material says international sales accounted for about 70% of the group’s roughly $5 billion in revenue last year. Europe has become a major target for further growth. EDGE officially launched EDGE Europe in June 2026 and established its European headquarters in Paris, alongside plans for engineering and manufacturing operations in France. The move places the Emirati group closer to NATO and European buyers at a time when defence budgets across the continent are rising. Defence Export Ambitions EDGE is also investing in production capacity at home, including facilities for components used in autonomous systems, while expanding partnerships and acquisitions abroad. Its long-term ambition is to become one of the world’s top 10 defence contractors. The US-Iran conflict may have accelerated that strategy by giving its systems battlefield credibility that marketing campaigns cannot easily replicate. The opportunity is significant, but so is the scrutiny. EDGE has faced allegations concerning the possible appearance of UAE-linked equipment in other conflicts, claims the company and UAE authorities have denied. For now, the clearest commercial outcome is that prolonged regional warfare has turned operational experience into a valuable export advantage. If EDGE can convert that battlefield validation into sustained contracts, the conflict may prove to be a major turning point in the UAE’s push to become a globally competitive defence manufacturing hub.

The US-Iran confrontation has entered another tense phase after American forces struck Iranian launchers on Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with claims of attacks on US-linked bases in the region, while diplomatic efforts continued in Bishkek, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Larak Island Strike

US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to reports citing American officials. The US strike on Larak Island marked the first known American attack inside Iran in more than a month and immediately raised fears of renewed escalation around the vital shipping route. Iran Rocket Launchers US officials said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces had been observed preparing rocket systems that could be used to deploy sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. The alleged activity prompted American forces to target two launchers on Larak Island before they could be used. Iranian media also reported an explosion near the island, although initial accounts differed over the scale and method of the attack. Larak sits near Bandar Abbas and close to several islands controlling access to the strait, giving it strategic importance for both Iran and international shipping. Strait of Hormuz Mine Threat The strike came shortly after US Central Command completed an operation aimed at clearing sea mines from international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. American officials said forces remained prepared to protect commercial traffic through the waterway. The strait is one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Any renewed mine activity could threaten tankers, disrupt insurance and shipping schedules, and raise energy-market concerns far beyond the Gulf. President Donald Trump had previously warned that any vessel involved in laying new mines would be targeted. He described the policy as one of “zero tolerance” toward additional mine placement. IRGC Response Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded sharply after the attack. Iranian reports said the strike killed two people and wounded two others, while the IRGC later said Iranian fighters and civilians had been killed or injured. The Guards promised retaliation, saying those responsible for the attack would face punishment. The statement signalled that Tehran does not view the Larak strike as a limited tactical incident, raising concern that the confrontation could trigger another cycle of attacks and counterattacks. Hormuz Strike After Month-Long Pause The attack was described in the source material as the first known US strike inside Iran since late July, when Washington paused an earlier military campaign around the Strait of Hormuz. That pause had reduced direct exchanges, but tensions over mining activity and freedom of navigation remained unresolved. The latest strike therefore carries significance beyond the destruction of two launchers. It shows that Washington is prepared to resume direct military action if it believes Iranian forces are preparing to threaten shipping lanes. Shipping Security in Focus For global markets, the immediate question is whether the incident remains contained. The Strait of Hormuz connects Gulf energy exporters with world markets, and even a limited military confrontation can affect oil prices, tanker movements and freight costs. US forces say they are monitoring the area closely, while Iran has warned of retaliation. Until either side signals restraint, the Larak Island strike is likely to keep military planners, shipping companies and energy traders focused on the risk of renewed disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli security agency Shin Bet has confirmed that a serious Yair Netanyahu threat prompted the urgent extraction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s eldest son from Miami and his return to Israel. The agency confirmed the security threat but did not publicly identify who was behind it. Shin Bet Alert The Shin Bet said on August 29 that authorities had identified a “significant threat??

Austria recorded an estimated 646 heat-related deaths during June and July 2026, the highest figure documented for the two-month period. The Austria heat deaths record comes as extreme temperatures, drought and rising heat-health risks place growing pressure on vulnerable people and public services. June-July Heat Toll Austria's Agency for Health and Food Safety, known as AGES, estimated 646 he

The US government is considering a proposal that could restrict or end work authorization for certain H-4 spouses of H-1B visa holders. No rule has taken effect yet, and current H-4 EAD holders can continue working unless a formal policy change is finalized. Thousands of families living in the United States on H-1B visas could face a major financial and career setback if the federal government moves ahead with a proposal affecting employment rights for certa

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned violence carried out by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian villages of Qusra and Jalud in the occupied West Bank, describing the incidents as criminal acts that violate the law and damage Israel’s international standing. The remarks followed fresh clashes in Qusra, near Nablus, where dozens of Israeli settlers reportedly entered the village on Saturday after several weeks of rising tension in the area. Netanyahu sa

Southwest Airlines flight attendant Jenny Lupton died during a work layover in Waikiki, Hawaii, after an apparent fall from her hotel. Her final message reflected plans for the next day, while police continue investigating the circumstances of her death. Final Message Revealed by Family Lupton, 50, was found dead in Waikiki on August 20 while staying in Hawaii during a Southwest Airlines layover. Her niece, Hannah, said Lupton’s final known text was sent to another flight attendant and asked, “What are we doing tomorrow?” The message has become significant to the family because it appeared to show that she was making plans for the following day. Friends, colleagues and a tattoo artist who interacted with her shortly before her death reportedly described her as happy, sociable and enjoying her time in Hawaii. Preliminary information shared with relatives indicated that she may have fallen from the balcony of her 24th-floor hotel room, but authorities have not confirmed the official cause or manner of death. Remembered as a Loving Mother Lupton’s family described her as a devoted mother to her 15-year-old son and an outgoing person who easily connected with others. Hannah said her aunt treated her career as more than employment because she genuinely enjoyed meeting passengers and creating memorable moments during flights. She was known to talk with travellers, entertain cabins and occasionally encourage passengers to sing together. Away from work, she enjoyed cooking, hosting gatherings, gardening, sports and travelling. She was also actively involved in her son’s football and baseball activities, helping organize team banquets, fundraisers and other community events. Family Seeks Answers About Her Death Relatives have said they do not believe Lupton died by suicide and have asked investigators to examine whether the death was accidental or involved foul play. Her sister, Tresa, questioned the timeline surrounding the incident, noting that Lupton had recently gone dancing with a fellow flight attendant and received a tattoo while in Hawaii. These concerns remain allegations from the family and have not been confirmed by police. The Honolulu medical examiner has not issued a final determination, and officials have warned that establishing the cause and manner of death could take several months. Police Investigation Remains Active The Honolulu Police Department has classified the case as an unattended death investigation. Its Homicide Detail is conducting interviews, collecting and reviewing surveillance footage, and examining physical evidence. Police have stressed that the involvement of homicide detectives does not mean the death has been ruled a homicide. Officials said no conclusions have been reached and asked the public to avoid circulating unverified information while the investigation continues.  Southwest Airlines confirmed that Lupton died during a layover and expressed condolences to her family. Community members, colleagues and friends have provided financial and practical support through fundraising and meal-assistance efforts. Her family hopes to return her remains to Oklahoma and wants her remembered for her warmth, generosity and ability to make other people feel valued.

Infosys Public Services President and CEO Lax Gopisetty remains unreachable after catastrophic flash floods struck Nepal while he was visiting the region in a personal capacity. Infosys is working with relevant agencies and supporting his family as search efforts continue. Infosys Executive Remains Unreachable Infosys confirmed that Lax Gopisetty, who heads its public-sector subsidiary Infosys Public

Google and Marvell Technology have expanded their custom silicon partnership, but the widely cited $120 billion figure needs context. The Google Marvell $120B deal is not a binding purchase commitment. Instead, $120 billion represents the cumulative revenue threshold that would allow nearly all of Google's Marvell stock warrant to vest by 2033. Marvell Warrant Structure Marvell disclosed that i

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is beginning a significant diplomatic stretch with visits to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan ahead of India's BRICS Summit in September. The Modi SCO BRICS diplomacy agenda places security, connectivity, bilateral relations and wider Global South cooperation at the centre of India's engagement. Modi Tashkent Visit Prime Minister Modi will visit Tashkent on August 29 and 3

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have intensified after another commercial tanker was struck while moving through the strategic waterway, as the United States prepares to deploy an additional aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. The latest incident has added to concerns over the safety of commercial shipping between Iran and Oman. The vessel reportedly caught fire after being hit, but the crew was said to be safe. Responsibility for the attack has not been independently

A Capitol guillotine arrest in Washington has drawn attention after US Capitol Police found a full-size guillotine in the bed of a pickup truck parked near the Capitol complex. Officers arrested 35-year-old Philan-Tam-Duy Le of Julian, California, while investigators work to determine why he drove across the country with the device. Capitol guillotine found n