USA - Moments before the crack of a gunshot changed everything, thousands of students had gathered under clear blue skies at an idyllic Utah college to hear from a man considered a rock star in conservative campus politics. As the 31-year-old Charlie Kirk sat under a tent, debating political opponents taking their turn at a microphone, many gathered on the lawns cheered – and some protested. Seconds later, they were all running in terror. The activist was struck in the neck by a bullet, mortally wounded. The episode playing out as cameras rolled, some showing the murder in bloody detail. The images will be hard to forget - particularly for the many young conservatives for whom Kirk held celebrity status. The leader of their movement, regardless of the ultimate motive behind his killing, will now be viewed as a martyr for the cause. Kirk's killing is both another episode of shocking gun violence in America – and the latest in an ever-lengthening line of recent political violence.

USA - For decades, artificial sweeteners have been marketed as a guilt-free alternative to sugar - helping people manage weight, control blood sugar, and avoid cavities without sacrificing sweetness. But mounting research suggests these chemical substitutes may come with a hidden cost: accelerated brain ageing and cognitive decline. A new study published in Neurology has linked six widely used artificial sweeteners - aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame potassium, erythritol, xylitol, and sorbitol - to troubling declines in memory, language, and thinking skills. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that these sugar substitutes, found in everything from diet sodas to sugar-free candies, may be silently harming brain health.

UK - One by one our energy giants are turning their backs on green power – leaving Ed Miliband swinging in the wind. Miliband constantly insists we should be proud of ‘leading the world on climate change policy’. But instead of being an example to other nations, we will be a warning. American economist Noah Smith, a passionate supporter of renewable energy, wrote: "To see how a mismanaged and misguided push for green energy can hurt a country’s economy, you have to look no further than the UK…" Lloyd’s of London, our great insurance market, said insurers who operate at Lloyd’s will no longer have to hit targets requiring them gradually to stop underwriting fossil fuel projects. This year BP's new chief, Murray Auchincloss, bluntly announced: ‘We have completely decapitalised renewables.’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Monday announced that his Ineos Energy company had ‘stopped investing in Britain’...The trouble is, Miliband is also ensuring that the UK has the last government in the world to see what way the wind is blowing on energy production. The West’s rush to net zero, as some of us have long predicted, is being abandoned because the claims it would benefit the consumer have been exposed as fantasy.

QATAR - Qatar has threatened retaliation after Israel's strike on Doha Tuesday which killed five top Hamas officials. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in a fresh speech condemned the attack as "state terrorism" on the Gulf country's capital and warned that payback is coming. He said Qatar reserves the right to retaliate, saying, "We've reached a decisive moment; There should be retaliation from the whole region." The Qatari leader continued of the Israeli prime minister, "He just violates all those international laws" - he said through the translator from the Arabic. But for all the tough talk, the reality remains that Qatar has long been host to major US military and naval bases, especially Al-Udeid Air Base - the largest US installation in the Middle East, and is the operational regional HQ for US Central Command (CENTCOM).

USA - When US Navy Seals flew deep into Pakistan to eliminate Osama bin Laden in 2011, the world cheered and President Obama was rightly lauded for defending America, after the worst terror attack on US soil. Few, if any, stopped to ask whether Pakistan had consented, or the strike violated its sovereignty. Yet when Israel takes out Hamas leaders in Doha, who were responsible for orchestrating the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, those same Western voices rush to castigate Jerusalem. The hypocrisy is absolutely astounding. What was deemed legitimate self-defence by the West for the United States, is suddenly branded “reckless” or “unlawful” when it is the Jewish state. Just as the attack that took out Bin Laden was just, necessary and entirely lawful under international law, so too was the Israeli strike against Hamas leaders in Qatar. First, it needs to be underscored that the Hamas terrorists that were targeted, were not “political leaders”. They were terror masterminds, involved in the planning, execution and direction of every facet of the war that Hamas launched on October 7, including the ongoing captivity of hostages.

EUROPE - Poland has blasted Vladimir Putin's 'act of aggression' amid fears he is testing the West's defences and escalating the war in Ukraine, as Poland was forced to shoot down drones in Russia's largest escalation of the war yet. More than eight million Poles were ordered to hide in their homes as the drones flew overhead, with debris from one shot-down device crashing into a house. Kyiv raised concerns about Russia's motives after Poland scrambled aircraft alongside allies to shoot down 'hostile objects' violating its airspace. 'Russian drones flying into Poland during the massive attack on Ukraine show that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's sense of impunity keeps growing because he was not properly punished for his previous crimes,' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on X. 'Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West,' Sybiga said. 'The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets.'

POLAND - Warsaw wants consultations with bloc members after an alleged violation of its airspace by drones it identified as Russian. Poland has formally invoked Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty following what it described as “an act of aggression” by Russia. The article provides for consultations in case one of the bloc’s members believes its security is threatened. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said he made the request after informing lawmakers on the alleged airspace violations. Russia has yet to comment on the accusations. According to Tusk, the Polish military detected 19 separate violations of its airspace over seven hours, with at least three and possibly four drones downed.

ISRAEL - The Jewish state’s airstrikes on Doha failed to hit the targeted leaders of the Palestinian militant group. Israel is determined to kill Hamas leaders wherever they reside and will continue its efforts until they are all dead, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told Fox News on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Israeli airstrikes hit a residential building in Doha, Qatar, targeting senior figures of Hamas’ political wing. The group said its officials survived, while the attack has been criticized by the White House and condemned by Qatar. “If we didn’t get them this time, we’ll get them the next time,” Leiter said.

NEPAL - Nepal's Prime Minister has resigned and fled after protesters burned down his house and chased his finance minister through the streets before attacking him, following public fury over a social media ban. Young Nepalis are leading angry protests across the country, with violence spreading in the capital and other cities. After enraged crowds torched KP Sharma Oli's home, a new video footage has shown how Bishnu Prasad Paudel was pursued and set upon by a mob through the streets of Kathmandu. In the shocking clip, Paudel, 65, is seen sprinting down a road as dozens run after him. A protester coming from the other side leaps and kicks him, sending him crashing against a red wall. The government official quickly gets up, stumbles, but starts running again before the video ends. Paudel, who doubles as the deputy prime minister of the country, has faced intense criticism since he began running Nepal's economic affairs last year.

VATICAN - Pope Leo Urges Bishops to Celebrate Pride Mass. For the first time in history, a rainbow pride cross was officially processed into the heart of the Vatican after hundreds of LGBTQ Catholics attended mass in St Peter’s Basilica, with the blessing of Pope Leo, who personally encouraged the vice president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Francesco Savino, to celebrate with them. More than 1,400 LGBTQ Catholics and their families have descended on the Vatican over the last week, making a pilgrimage for the 2025 Jubilee, a major Roman Catholic event celebrated every 25 years. Speaking to those gathered crowd at St Peters, Bishop Savino said of the Jubilee event and those in attendance: “It was the year when land was returned to those from whom it had been taken. The Jubilee was the remission of debts and the liberation of slaves and prisoners. The Jubilee was the time to free the oppressed and restore dignity to those who had been denied it. Brothers and sisters, I say this with emotion. It is time to restore dignity to everyone, especially those who have been denied it.”

USA - On a sunny day in Grapevine, Texas, three drones are buzzing around the head of a test dummy balanced on a pedestal. It's part of a demonstration outside the National School Safety Conference. "We use drones to stop school shootings," says Justin Marston, the CEO of Campus Guardian Angel, the company selling the drones. In the event of a shooting, remote pilots fly the drones, housed at the school, at the shooter. They shoot pepper balls and run the drones into the shooter to debilitate them. The technology is one example on a long list of products schools can buy to deter a shooter. There have been more than 400 school shootings since Columbine in 1999, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. The latest was last month, when a former student opened fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. Two students were killed and at least 18 other people were wounded. In the wake of those shootings, an industry has emerged to try to protect schools — and business is booming. According to the market research firm Omdia, the school security industry is now worth as much as $4 billion, and it's projected to keep growing.

UK - Home Office figures show that accommodating asylum seekers is costing taxpayers nearly £6 million a day. The UK Defense Ministry plans to house illegal migrants in military barracks after widespread protests over the government’s use of taxpayer-funded hotels. Demonstrations broke out across Britain after a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in July by a migrant housed in a hotel in the town of Epping. As of July, 45,000 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels at a cost of nearly £6 million ($8.1 million) per day – an expense that has fueled public anger amid Britain’s worsening financial crisis.

ISRAEL - Furious Doha condemns 'cowardly strike' as Middle East powder keg threatens to explode. Israel carried out unprecedented strikes on Qatar targeting Hamas' senior leadership in a move that threatens to further destabilise the Middle East. Huge billows of smoke could be seen rising above the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday while videos showed people running for cover during Israeli airstrikes. The IDF said that it and the Israel Security Agency, Shin Bet, had 'conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership' of Hamas, while Doha condemned the 'cowardly' attack, described as a 'flagrant violation to all international law'.

FRANCE - Fresh instability in one of Europe’s most powerful capitals has implications far beyond French borders. Emmanuel Macron has returned from his summer holiday to face arguably the gravest political crisis of his presidency. On Monday, he lost his sixth prime minister when François Bayrou was dumped from office by MPs in a no confidence vote. Now, with debt spreads widening, unions threatening mass strikes, and a viral protest movement vowing to “shut down France”, Mr Macron appears cornered.

FRANCE - France’s economic crisis is a lesson to Britain that countries must learn to live within their means. Charles de Gaulle once asked how anyone could govern a country with so many varieties of cheese. Emmanuel Macron is the latest French president to be faced with a seemingly intractable political and economic crisis after another government was ejected from office following a no confidence vote in the National Assembly. Francois Bayrou, the fourth prime minister in just 20 months, became the latest to depart having failed to get sufficient support to push a budget through parliament. His measures involved efficiency savings of £38 billion, scrapping two public holidays and freezing spending. It was, Mr Bayrou said, a matter of “national survival,” because spiralling debt had left France on the verge of bankruptcy. A similar message was delivered by his predecessor Michel Barnier before he was ousted from office last year after just three months in the post.