Briefing

US President Donald Trump announced that attorney Will Scharf will become assistant to the president and White House Counsel on September 1, replacing David Warrington. Trump praised Scharf’s work as White House staff secretary and noted that Scharf had previously represented him in court.

Donald TrumpWhite Houseappointment

TTASS★★★☆☆2026-08-09 22:40Original

NSW Deputy Premier Prue Car has asked the state education standards authority to urgently review AI’s effect on student learning and consider banning unsupervised take-home assessments. She warned that using AI to bypass learning could undermine education and HSC integrity; interim changes may begin in term four.

Australiaartificial intelligenceeducationassessments

TThe Guardian★★★☆☆2026-08-09 21:28Original

Health officials in Louisiana are urging people visiting beaches to take precautions as infections from a flesh-eating bacterium found in coastal waters surge during the summer.

Louisianabeach safetybacterial infections

CCNN★★★☆☆2026-08-09 20:30Original

Russian Foreign Ministry official Yury Pilipson said the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina had outlived its purpose and should be shut down as an instrument of “Western neocolonial oversight.” He also condemned Western efforts to prolong its presence through maneuvers bypassing the UN Security Council.

RussiaBosnia and HerzegovinaOffice of the High Representative

TTASS★★★☆☆2026-08-09 17:22Original

US President Donald Trump says Washington will keep intensifying economic pressure on Iran while engaging in only “semi-negotiations.” The US Navy is maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports and turning back ships headed to or from Iran. Tehran has set conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including the withdrawal of US forces from the region.

US-Iran relationsStrait of Hormuznaval blockadeDonald Trump

AAl Jazeera English★★★★★2026-08-09 23:57

Taiwan conducts military exercises and air-raid drills in Kaohsiung as tensions with China escalate, Fox News reports.

TaiwanChinamilitary exercisesair-raid drills

FFox News★★★★☆2026-08-09 23:00

Fox News reports that Iran-backed Houthi forces struck Saudi oil refineries. The report also covers US-Iran negotiations, a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the war’s economic impact.

HouthisSaudi ArabiaStrait of Hormuzoil

FFox News★★★★☆2026-08-09 22:00

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers could be sent to Russia, pointing to expanding military cooperation between the two countries. He gave no details about his sources, but warned Pyongyang could gain battlefield experience and military technology by supporting Russia.

North KoreaRussiaUkrainemilitary cooperation

FFrance 24★★★★☆2026-08-09 14:58Original

Russia and Syria have agreed to transfer commercial sections previously held by Russia at the port of Tartus, including berth No. 4 and nearby warehouses and structures, Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs said. Damascus and Moscow have also signed a memorandum on reorganizing Russian military bases in Syria as joint troop-training centers.

RussiaSyriaTartus portmilitary bases

TTASS★★★★☆2026-08-09 14:53Original

California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to rally for Democratic candidates in the midterm races as speculation about 2028 grows. California voter Samantha Ettus also discusses concerns about antisemitism after Abdul El-Sayed’s Democratic Senate primary victory.

Gavin NewsomCaliforniaMichiganmidterm elections

FFox News★★★☆☆2026-08-09 15:30

The killing of Lyhanna, a young French girl, by a known sex offender triggered widespread outrage and led the justice minister to seek a review of police procedures. A leaked letter from Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin to the interior minister now sets out serious failures in the handling of child sexual abuse cases.

Francechild abusepolice procedures

FFrance 24 English★★★☆☆2026-08-09 11:34

FIFA warns of what it calls a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine President Gianni Infantino, insisting that any challenge to his leadership must follow its statutes and democratic procedures. The statement follows Infantino’s denial that UEFA paid his alleged former lover, allegations FIFA has called unfounded, amid a wider dispute over his leadership.

FIFAGianni InfantinoUEFAfootball governance

AAl Jazeera★★★☆☆2026-08-09 10:30Original

Children in Gaza continue to suffer the effects of the 2025 famine as a severe food emergency raises fears of another one. Many families eat only once a day, while community-kitchen meals of rice and other basics do not provide infants with the nutrients and protein needed for healthy growth.

Gazafaminechild nutrition

AAl Jazeera★★★★☆2026-08-09 14:47Original

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a Russian attack damaged the port of Odesa and wounded eight people.

UkraineOdesaRussian attack

RReuters★★★☆☆2026-08-09 13:10Original

US President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders targeting birthright citizenship, weeks after the Supreme Court rejected his broader effort to restrict it. The administration is now focusing on so-called “birth tourism” and other categories of foreign nationals.

Donald Trumpbirthright citizenshipexecutive orders

AAl Jazeera★★★☆☆2026-08-09 14:20Original

Demi Vollering won stage 8 of the women’s Tour de France and claimed the yellow jersey just before the race finish. The Dutch rider opened a gap on her rival Kasia Niewiadoma.

Women’s Tour de FranceDemi Volleringcycling

FFrance 24★★★☆☆2026-08-09 08:23Original

Palestinians near Bethlehem describe daily attacks by Israeli settlers as violence increases across the West Bank. With elections approaching, Al Jazeera reports that Israel’s right-wing government has an incentive to keep settlers satisfied because their votes are crucial to its re-election.

West BankIsraeli settlersPalestiniansviolence

AAl Jazeera★★★★☆2026-08-09 01:43Original

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on Russia and Ukraine on Aug. 8 to establish a moratorium on attacks against vessels in the Black Sea. He said commercial ships were being attacked indiscriminately and that Turkey had passed along a Ukrainian proposal to Moscow. Recent strikes have affected foreign-flagged ships, including Turkish vessels, while previous ceasefire efforts failed.

Black SeaRussia-Ukraine warTurkeyvessel attacks

TThe Kyiv Independent★★★★☆2026-08-09 01:05Original

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is continuing its rapid advance ahead of November’s midterm elections, in what some view as a historic surge. Zohran Mamdani’s New York mayoral victory helped propel the movement, and a key swing state could possibly elect the first socialist governor in U.S. history. DSA members run as Democratic candidates because the two major parties dominate American elections.

U.S. politicsmidterm electionsdemocratic socialismDSA

TToyo Keizai★★★☆☆2026-08-09 07:00Original

Germany’s trade deficit with China widened in the first half of 2026, preliminary data from state-run agency Germany Trade & Invest showed. China remained Germany’s biggest trading partner despite relying less on European industry.

GermanyChinatrade deficitEuropean industry

RReuters★★★☆☆2026-08-09 06:45Original

The EU’s new Entry/Exit System requires biometric border checks for millions of travelers. Experts warn that its rollout could lengthen waits, disrupt airport operations and cause passengers to miss connections.

EUEntry/Exit Systembiometric checksairport delays

DDW News★★★★☆2026-08-09 00:00

Official data showed on Sunday that China’s producer prices rose for a fifth consecutive month in July, but at a slower-than-expected pace. Consumer-price inflation also cooled as global energy prices retreated despite tensions between the United States and Iran.

China economyproducer pricesinflation

RReuters★★★☆☆2026-08-09 01:50Original

The fast-moving Bald Range wildfire has driven more than 20,000 people from parts of British Columbia’s Okanagan region. The blaze covers about 9,500 hectares and threatens homes and farms as firefighters tackle fires across the province.

wildfireCanadaevacuations

AAl Jazeera★★★☆☆2026-08-09 06:10Original

Yury Pilipson, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second European Department, said Romania is already providing Ukraine with direct military and logistical support. He said Moldova’s Giurgiulesti port, whose operating company was bought by Romania, has become a transit hub for cargo bound for Ukraine, including supplies for its armed forces.

RomaniaUkrainemilitary supportGiurgiulesti port

TTASS★★★☆☆2026-08-09 04:33Original

US Vice President JD Vance says Washington will keep pressuring Iran while testing Tehran’s readiness for a long-term agreement. An Al Jazeera panel examines escalating US-Iran tensions and diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

US-Iran tensionsStrait of Hormuzdiplomacy

AAl Jazeera English★★★★☆2026-08-09 00:08

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has set conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States seeks commitments from Iran to stop attacks on ships in the waterway.

Iran warStrait of HormuzUnited StatesIranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

AAl Jazeera★★★★☆2026-08-09 00:00Original