The world, briefly

US envoy Jared Kushner met Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt to revive the stalled Gaza peace plan.

The Hamas delegation arrived in Egypt on the evening of 15 August, meeting Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad and then Kushner, who had earlier seen President al-Sisi; sources cited by the press said Egyptian, Turkish and Qatari mediators were present, along with Board of Peace head Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair. Israeli media sources said the talks covered Hamas disarmament, dismantling of military infrastructure, an Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction. Hamas endorsed the plan two weeks ago and Israel rejected it; eight Muslim countries accuse Israel of obstructing the process, while Israeli strikes continue.

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in an interview that "30 to 40" people should be killed in Gaza every night.

Ben-Gvir, a far-right figure, was speaking to a former hostage and argued that targeted killings should not be limited to those posing an immediate threat; he also called for full occupation of the Strip, expulsion of its population and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements there. Similar statements by him and other Israeli officials have previously been widely condemned and submitted to the UN's world court as evidence of genocidal intent; Israel denies committing genocide in Gaza. Israeli elections are set for 27 October.

Five Arab countries together with Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia condemned in a joint statement Israel's rejection of continuing with the US road map for Gaza.

Signatories reportedly include Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; the governments accuse Israel of undermining efforts toward a lasting peace. The road map, accepted by Hamas in late July, is meant to launch the second stage of the US president's plan and provides for the movement's disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territory. Israel's position is disputed by the parties involved and is not clarified in the available material.

Campaigning has opened for Brazil's October 4 presidential election: President Lula seeks a fourth term while the right fields Flavio Bolsonaro in place of his father.

Flavio Bolsonaro replaces his father, who according to the sources is imprisoned. The two frontrunners are reported to be close in the polls; voters cite crime and corruption among their concerns, while the campaign is intertwined with the international picture and relations with the Trump administration.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday renewed his appeal to stop repeated violence against the Palestinian population of the occupied West Bank, urging the international community to act.

The appeal, delivered from Castel Gandolfo and reported by Vatican News, comes as sources report a surge in settler attacks and a siege of the village of Qusra. The Pope urged steps toward a two-state solution.

Iran's parliament on Sunday approved the general principles of a bill that would criminalise interviews and other communications with media deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic.

The text, as reported by Iranian media, would cover in particular US and Israeli outlets and those financed by either country. It must still be reviewed by the Guardian Council before becoming law.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday proposed talks with North Korea to replace the armistice with a peace regime; Pyongyang has not yet responded.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Lee said the talks could also address North Korea's nuclear programme, while Pyongyang deepens ties with Moscow and asserts its status as an "irreversible" nuclear state. The North has so far not responded to Seoul's overtures.

On Korean Liberation Day, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin exchanged messages reaffirming the deepening of relations between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Kim spoke of a "history of common struggle for justice" and traditions of friendship, voicing confidence in the future of bilateral ties. The two countries have grown closer since North Korea began sending troops and weapons in support of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Trump said on Aug. 14 that he would hit Iran hard economically, after Treasury Secretary Bessent announced measures "never seen" before, possibly as soon as next week.

Options outlined in press analyses range from measures on oil exports to steps against Chinese banks and a land blockade along Iran's borders. It has not been disclosed which tools the US administration has actually chosen, nor the precise date of any announcement.

According to the Financial Times, the Trump administration is considering new sanctions against the Brazilian judge who convicted Bolsonaro, in a fresh test of bilateral ties.

The report, picked up by Reuters and ANSA, comes as Brazil's October presidential campaign opens and Lula launches his re-election bid. No formal decision or the scope of the measures under consideration has been disclosed.

Russian missiles and drones hit Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions overnight, while Russia reports a record wave of Ukrainian drones over Moscow and the rest of the country.

Figures diverge: some sources report one person killed in Ukraine, others at least three dead and seven wounded, while Kyiv mayor Klitschko cited three injured in the capital; two industrial facilities were hit and large fires broke out, including in the central Pechersk district. Moscow mayor Sobyanin said more than 600 Ukrainian drones were aimed at the capital and its region, with over 200 shot down; Moscow claims 822 were destroyed across Russia, which would be the highest number this year. The figures come from each side's authorities and are not independently verified.

Iranian army commander Amir Hatami announced a $30,000 reward for anyone who kills or captures a US soldier, doubled if carried out by a woman.

Hatami, quoted by the Irna agency at a Press Day ceremony, said the move followed a large number of requests to take part in "financial jihad"; one source puts the sum at more than $38,000, others at $30,000. No details were given on where or when such actions were expected, and according to France 24 there have been no known US ground deployments in Iran during the war apart from a rescue mission. Hatami also warned that Tehran would bar the United States from the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman.

Iran says three of its pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24s were downed and is demanding their release; Qatar categorically denies it.

According to General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of Iran's armed forces, quoted by the Fars agency, the three pilots ejected from two Su-24 bombers downed early in the Middle East war. Doha rejected the account as misleading, saying it recovered only one pilot's remains and had invited Tehran to review the search operations. The two versions remain irreconcilable and there is no independent confirmation.

Lebanese authorities say at least eleven people were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, the deadliest since the June truce.

Lebanon's state news agency reported that one strike hit a home on the edge of the village of Ansar and that paramedics were still searching the rubble; one source says three minors were among the dead. The Israeli military says it struck "Hezbollah terror infrastructure" in response to earlier action against its soldiers, while Beirut called the attack a "massacre". On 26 June Israel and the Lebanese government announced a "framework agreement" for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament.

South Korea's military fired warning shots last week after several North Korean soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line and then returned.

The episode, reported Sunday by a source cited by Korean media, took place in the eastern section of the inter-Korean border. According to the Yonhap agency it is the first North Korean violation of the line recorded this year; the soldiers returned to their positions after the warnings.

Renewed hostilities between the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government are fuelling fears of a return to full-scale conflict after years of relative calm.

Yemen's civil war killed tens of thousands, uprooted millions and pushed the country to the brink of famine before a 2022 truce restored relative calm. According to accounts gathered by media, many residents now fear a new escalation.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella asked the United States on Saturday to temporarily suspend tariffs on Colombian goods to help cope with the earthquake emergency.

US tariffs on Colombian products rose from 10% to 12.5% in late July. The president said a suspension would give exporters relief as the country deals with the economic consequences of Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake. No response from Washington has been reported so far.

A Chinese container vessel has set sail for Europe along the Arctic route, part of a new weekly service that halves shipping times.

The route is navigable only during the part of the year when the ice has melted enough. Environmental groups warn that increased traffic could speed up the melting of polar ice.

A Polish tourist bus veered off the M3 motorway in eastern Hungary and overturned, killing twelve people and injuring at least ten.

The bus carried 57 Polish tourists and two drivers and was returning to Poland from the Marian shrine at Medjugorje in Bosnia. The driver was detained and, according to police quoted by media, had fallen asleep at the wheel. The crash occurred on the motorway linking Budapest with Nyíregyháza; the toll was confirmed by Prime Minister Péter Magyar and officials.

The death toll from Tuesday's ferry capsizing on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe has risen to between 68 and 72, including 18 children, police said.

Sources differ on the total: some report 22 bodies recovered on Saturday for a toll of 68, others 25 or 26 bodies for a total of 72. The vessel was authorised to carry 90 people but officials said it held 114 adults, five crew members and an unspecified number of children; it overturned in strong waves. Most passengers were villagers and fish traders from around the lake, on the border with Zambia; the search continues.

On the evening of 15 August, intruders entered the halls of Messina's MuMe museum and took four works attributed to Antonello da Messina.

According to accounts, the thieves entered around 7.30 p.m., while the city was taken up with the Vara festivities, and bypassed alarms and protection systems; one outlet reports that alarms and cameras were working. Three of the five surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych and the double-sided panel were taken. The museum's director described them as two of the artist's most important works; Sicilian regional president Schifani called the theft an "outrage" and announced an internal inspection as well.

Iran on Sunday executed Shahram Sadeghi, convicted of deliberately driving his car into police officers during January protests in the city of Karaj.

The execution was reported by Iranian judicial and semi-official media, Mizan and Tasnim. The judiciary accused the man of security offences; the January 8 incident reportedly wounded seven people. It is a further execution linked to the nationwide protests.

A soldier of Spain's Military Emergencies Unit died and three others were injured when a fire truck overturned during operations at the Las Penas de Riglos fire, in Huesca province.

The accident happened on the road between Bernues and the Atares area, according to Spanish outlets' accounts. No further details were released on the injured men's condition or on the cause of the rollover.

Moroccan police detained 111 people who tried on Saturday to enter Spain's enclave of Ceuta, amid tightened security on both sides of the border.

The detentions took place in and around the northern city of Fnideq, after social media posts called for a second mass crossing. Authorities on both sides had stepped up controls after some 72,000 people, according to the sources, entered the enclave from Morocco about two weeks earlier.

Hundreds of migrants who recently entered Spain's enclave of Ceuta protested on Sunday on an urban beach, demanding asylum and opposing return to Morocco.

Participants held signs reading "asylum" and "we are human too"; according to one source some chanted slogans in favour of Spain. The protest follows the entry, about two weeks earlier, of more than 72,000 people into the North African territory, which has around 80,000 inhabitants.

A 55.6-metre statue of the Virgin Mary, believed to be Europe's tallest, has been unveiled in a small Polish village.

The concrete monument is taller than Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer and has a viewing point in the crown. Hundreds attended the ceremony, which featured a Mass, traditional music and helicopters scattering rose petals, among them Lech Walesa.

Liechtenstein has changed its succession rules to allow women to ascend the throne, with the announcement made on the country's national day.

The central European principality has around 44,000 inhabitants and was one of the last European monarchies not to apply gender equality in dynastic succession.

A magnitude 7.7 quake off the northern coast of Flores island has killed between 47 and 53 people according to Indonesian authorities, with around 5,000 evacuated.

The toll is still rising and sources give different figures, between 47 and 53 deaths; deputy health minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus reported 36 seriously and 77 slightly injured in East Nusa Tenggara province alone, with more than a hundred homes damaged on Flores. Aftershocks, landslides and blocked roads are hampering rescue work; first aid supplies are reaching the displaced and searches for survivors in the rubble continue.

Belgium is trying to contain the largest wildfire in its modern history, burning in a hard-to-reach nature reserve near the German border.

The fire, which broke out two days earlier, doubled in size over the previous 24 hours; more than 250 firefighters and emergency personnel have been mobilised. On Sunday military helicopters and water-bombing aircraft joined the effort, alongside local farmers' tractors hauling water, with support from crews from Germany and Luxembourg.

Hurricane Lala passed off the southern tip of Hawaii's Big Island without making landfall and weakened to a tropical storm, leaving flooded roads and more than 130,000 homes without power.

The US National Hurricane Center had put maximum sustained winds at 75 mph (120 km/h), Category 1; one source reports gusts up to 80 mph (130 km/h). Forecasts mentioned up to 25 inches (63 cm) of rain on the Big Island, with a risk of flooding and mudslides that persists as the system weakens.

Two people died and hundreds were evacuated, some by sea, after two fires broke out almost simultaneously on the island of Salamina near Athens.

Greek firefighters deployed about 200 personnel to stop the two fronts from converging up a mountain; one blaze is reported under control. Nine people were treated for burns after the flames swept quickly through two busy beaches.

Five days after the earthquake in western Colombia, hopes of finding survivors are fading as more bodies are recovered from collapsed buildings.

Official figures cited by the sources diverge: around 290 dead, some 140 missing and nearly 4,000 injured, while the national disaster management unit said on 15 August that more than 300 people were still unaccounted for. A woman pulled alive from the rubble later died. Search operations continue.

Days of storms and record flooding in Indiana have killed at least six people according to some sources, seven according to others, including a four-year-old boy.

State authorities say the victims include a four-year-old boy, two men and three women, all recorded since the storms began on 11 August, with a spokesperson for the state homeland security department cited as the source. The White River peaked in Indianapolis and rains were expected to ease.

Heavy rains have caused three deaths, floods and landslides in Venezuela, with damage in Caracas and four other states.

Among the victims, Latin American outlets report, are two teenage girls swept away by a current in the Libertador municipality. Several streams overflowed onto central roads in Caracas, where people affected by the earthquake are also present; an alert status was declared for civil protection and firefighters.

In France's Landes, the fire that broke out on Thursday at Luglon has become "less intense" and about fifty of the 650 evacuees will be able to return home this evening.

The blaze burned about 1,700 hectares of pine forest and forced the evacuation of 650 residents in the villages of Luglon and Garein, with no casualties or property damage according to French sources. The prefect announced the first returns, but the fire is not yet considered contained.

A sudden downpour over Piazza del Campo made the tuff track unusable and pushed Siena's Palio back a day, to Monday 17 August.

The roughly half-hour rain led to the green flag being displayed at the Palazzo Pubblico windows, signalling cancellation of the race set for Sunday at sunset. According to the sources, bad weather is also forecast for Monday.

Cristiano Ronaldo said the coming year will probably be the last of his playing career, giving his clearest indication yet about retirement.

The 41-year-old Portugal captain is contracted to Al Nassr until June 2027 and said he wants to leave a "spectacular" legacy, adding that he has begun planning life after football, including more time with family. One source identifies the 2026-27 season as the final one.

Cameroon beat Malawi 3-0 in the Rabat final to claim their first Women's Africa Cup of Nations title.

According to Al Jazeera Arabic, Cameroon, Malawi, Morocco and Algeria qualified for the 2027 World Cup through the tournament.

Former US baseball pitcher Tommy John, the first to return to play after the elbow operation that bears his name, has died at 83.

John won 288 games over a 26-season major league career. The surgery, undergone in 1974 after he tore an elbow ligament, allowed him to play for another 14 years; before that, such an injury ended careers.

Lens beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 on Sunday at the Bollaert-Delelis stadium, winning the French Super Cup for the first time.

The hosts played with ten men for much of the match. PSG, winners of the previous four editions, thus lose the trophy that opens the French football season.

Spanish midfielder Rodri is leaving Manchester City for Barcelona, according to Spanish and Latin American outlets reporting the deal as done.

Reported figures differ: one source cites 70 million euros and another 75 million, with a four-season contract through 2030 after some ten days of negotiations. So far the story comes only from centre-right outlets, and no official club confirmation appears in the available material.

Germany's Frederik Ruppert won gold in the 3000m steeplechase at the European athletics championships in Birmingham, having started as favourite.

Teammate Karl Bebendorf also reached the podium thanks to a strong final sprint. Germany took further medals, including silver in the mixed relay and a placing for javelin thrower Julia Ulbricht.

Real Madrid beat Schalke 3-0 in their final preseason friendly, with Kylian Mbappe returning to the pitch.

It was the sixth friendly of the preseason before the start of La Liga; Spanish sources report debuts for Konate, Cucurella and Diomande. Schalke have just been promoted to the Bundesliga; Madrid's league opener is against Espanyol.

A Spanish F-18 on NATO air policing duty shot down overnight a drone that entered Romanian airspace from Moldova, near the Ukrainian border.

Romania's defence ministry puts the interception at 4:01 (given as 5:01 local time by another source) and reports possible debris falling in an uninhabited area of the Galati region. NATO military headquarters spokesman Colonel Martin O'Donnell said the aircraft "appears to be Russian" and that the circumstances are still being established. According to one source it is the fourth such device over Romanian territory since late July.

The USS George Washington is leaving the Pacific, leaving Asia without a deployed US carrier as Washington's focus shifts to Iran and the Western Hemisphere.

According to the sources, the ship is expected to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East. The long-deployed Abraham Lincoln has reported supply problems and concerns over crew mental health.

Jason Arday, 41, a former University of Cambridge professor, was found dead on Friday at an address in south London; his family is calling for an inquiry.

Police say he was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. Arday became Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023; in early August he resigned from the university and from Jesus College after both opened investigations into plagiarism allegations. His family speaks of a harassment campaign and the Good Law Project is calling for an inquiry.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will chair an interministerial crisis unit by video link on Monday after the intrusion into the French tax administration's systems.

The tax administration acknowledged the breach on Friday. Sources give slightly different victim counts: around 700,000 individuals and professionals, or 678,000 people and businesses, with tax and personal data put up for sale online. Those affected are due to be notified starting the next day.