2026/08/09 Daily Edition

About 8 per cent of homeowners at the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong have yet to accept the government’s buy-back offer, which is set to expire at the end of this month. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Sunday that 91.9 per cent of owners had submitted acceptance letters, while 65.7 per cent of owners had already signed sale and purchase agreements with the government. Speaking to the media after a town hall meeting to gather views on the city’s first five-year plan and annual...

A hiker died on a country trail in Tai Po on Sunday afternoon as Hong Kong endured its hottest temperatures since records began 142 years ago. Police said they received a report at 2.17pm that a man, 64, had been discovered unconscious on the Plover Cove Reservoir Country Trail by other hikers. Firefighters and rescue teams assembled at the reservoir dam before heading up the mountain, with the Government Flying Service also dispatched. The Filipino man, a Hong Kong identity card holder, was...

Iran's security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr on Saturday (August 8) laid out a list of demands for reopening the strait, including an end to the ‘war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq’

Yemeni army warns Houthis after attacks heighten escalation risk

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced protests by locals who raised slogans against her and attacked the vehicle in which she was travelling

TPCC president B. Mahesh Kumar urged Congress workers to draw inspiration from the historic Quit India Movement and renew their commitment to protecting the Constitution, democracy, secularism and social justice

According to the Ministry of Transport, this third donation includes five modular Bailey bridges valued at over $5 million, following two previous consignments supplied by India

HR&CE Minister Ramesh inaugurates the renovated gopuram and reopens the passage for public entry. In August 2023, a portion of ‘kodungai’ (sunshade) on the temple tower’s western side collapsed leading to the passage’s closure.

Church Hill theatre, Edinburgh At the Edinburgh international festival, Olivier Rannou’s lone cowboy encounters desert dangers in a mix of clowning, mime and visual trickery The lone ranger at the centre of Olivier Rannou’s family-friendly western initially appears as stranded and desolate as one of Samuel Beckett’s anti-heroes. Parched and prone across a table, with a knotted handkerchief on his head, he is marooned in a desert landscape with a water bottle full of sand, a desperate thirst and a scattering of human skeletal remains. He retains an edge of existential angst, struggling to survive in extremis, but also becomes more clown-like by turns. Rannou shows us, through movement, expression and sound, that this cowboy is a wanted man, on the run, wrestling with the dangers of his barren, unpeopled surroundings...

Israeli settlers and the military are continuing a campaign to displace Palestinians in the West Bank, residents say.

The two North African nations become the first teams from the continent to qualify for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

PM expected to announce policies to tackle cost of living and indicate intent to help improve country’s high streets Andy Burnham is to undertake a national tour this coming week as he aims to improve the government’s connection with the British public during his premiership. The prime minister is expected to announce a set of policies that will help people financially as many struggle with the cost of living, as well as indicate his intent to improve high streets across the country...

On August Kranti Din, we honour the countless freedom fighters whose courage and determination during the Quit India Movement strengthened India's march towards independence, said Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis

The event featuring discussions on the book, organised by the JNUSU on the occasion of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, was scheduled to take place at the School of Social Sciences-I (SSS-I) auditorium at 3 p.m. on Monday (August 10).

While the JD(S) is leading the foot march protest, the BJP is all set to debate the township project during the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Karnataka Assembly

The Iranian president calls for an end to deadlock with the US, declaring it the right moment for a lasting agreement.

The three accused had arrived in Mudarangadi about two months ago while A1 Raju’s bank account was credited ₹2 lakh in stages

The complex comprises 15 courts that handle civil and criminal cases

The court has directed the Chief Secretary to coordinate with all the departments concerned to ensure effective and time-bound implementation of the measures

A few builders have switched to 11-floor apartment complexes enthused by buoyancy in demand for customer-driven modern residential experience and soaring land prices in some urban pockets

The FSSAI announced on Sunday (August 2, 2026) it had prohibited sales of Diageo’s Royal Challenge Whisky made in the State of Madhya Pradesh and some ‌whisky and rum brands made in some Indian States by Diageo and India’s ‌Inbrew

I call upon the Gen Z to be aware of the external forces and invisible enemies that operate from foreign soil and attempt to mislead our youths through social media, said Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi

Coastal Police officials said that the Navy will first focus on the search for Gautam Krishna, who went missing after a fishing boat capsized off the Neendakara coast

Dr. Anbumani also linked the decline in funding to falling enrolment in government schools.

The protest comes against the backdrop of a mounting toll among Indian seafarers since the outbreak of hostilities involving Iran, Israel and the United States on February 28, 2026

The EU says the tit-for-tat border restrictions between Spain and Italy are temporary and will have no lasting impact on the Schengen zone. Spain began checking travellers from Italy in retaliation for similar controls imposed by Rome after a surge of migrants into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta. Madrid says most of those migrants were swiftly returned and has accused Italy of allowing “persistent irregular migration”. Charlotte Lam has more.

The EU says the tit-for-tat border restrictions between Spain and Italy are temporary and will have no lasting impact on the Schengen zone. Spain began checking travellers from Italy in retaliation for similar controls imposed by Rome after a surge of migrants into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta. Madrid says most of those migrants were swiftly returned and has accused Italy of allowing “persistent irregular migration”. France24 correspondent Sarah Morris tells us the latest from Spain.

FIFA is defending its president, Gianni Infantino, against media allegations that an alleged lover received a six-figure severance payment. The football governing body has strongly criticised what it calls a concerted and ongoing effort to “undermine” FIFA and its president. Infantino is also facing mounting pressure over his role in a proposal to open up the World Cup to private investors. Camille Corcoran has the latest.

Hundreds of volunteers gathered at Spain’s Fuente de Piedra lake on Saturday for the annual flamingo-ringing initiative. Since the lake became a nature reserve in 1984, more than 200,000 flamingo chicks have hatched there. Each year, environmental authorities and volunteers tag the birds to track their movements across nature reserves in Europe and North Africa. This year, 600 chicks were ringed.

The Irish Prison Service bought a bulletproof and bomb-proof van to transport the 49-year-old to court after his extradition from Dubai.

In Nigeria, people rescued this week after being held captive by jihadists are speaking out about their ordeal. On Thursday, security forces freed 308 people who had been abducted six months ago in two separate locations in the country’s northwest. The government described it as the largest single-day rescue operation in the country’s history.

Canada’s British Columbia has declared a state of emergency as a fast-moving wildfire forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate overnight. Officials say strong winds helped the flames spread rapidly, with significant challenges still remaining to bring the blaze under control. Simon Moritz has the latest.

Ukraine says it did not target Bulgaria after a drone crashed near a gas pipeline in the country on Saturday. Bulgarian authorities said the drone appeared to be a type used by Ukraine’s military. It came down in a field near the Romanian border, not far from the Black Sea, where Russian and Ukrainian forces have been engaged in an intensifying drone war. Nicholas Rushworth has more.

Gabon’s capital, Libreville, has been facing severe water shortages for several months, driven by low rainfall, ageing infrastructure and rising demand from a growing population. The government declared a state of emergency earlier this month and called in military engineers for help. But a water distribution plan for affected neighbourhoods has failed to ease the crisis, after private water distributors took advantage of the scheme. France 24 reports from Libreville. Indira Ayuk, Ismaël Obiang Nze and Giresse Ngaana report.

Tiruchi MP Durai Vaiko urges Civil Aviation Minister to execute the project expeditiously and also appeals for exempting two land parcels from acquisition in view of strong opposition from the residents

A fire has broken out at a flat in a Hong Kong housing estate, resulting in at least 12 people feeling unwell from the effects of smoke and residents fleeing to the rooftop for safety. The blaze erupted at Begonia Mansion in Taikoo Shing’s Harbour View Gardens on Sunday afternoon, with smoke pouring from a flat. Police received multiple emergency calls at 2.50pm, with some reporting that the fire might have started from a malfunctioning air conditioner. Firefighters deployed a jet and a...

Breakthroughs in cheap Chinese open-weight artificial intelligence models have spooked US investors, but analysts argue plummeting model costs will benefit the AI industry in the long run by supercharging global demand for AI systems. Companies across the AI industry have slashed prices in recent weeks, with large-language model (LLM) inference prices per million tokens falling from above US$2 at the start of June to just US$1.2 this week, according to research firm Silicon Data’s LLM Token...

CEG Alumni Association says it is awaiting a response from authorities on their conservation plans; says the structures were replicas of the central dome and a symbolic gateway to one of India’s premier engineering institutions

The questioning of Sumit Roy assumes significance as he was closely linked to Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee as his personal assistant; 16 FIRs have been filed against Mr. Banerjee since the regime change in West Bengal

PM Modi and V-P Vance reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in emerging technologies and critical minerals

Globally only three commercial companies have successfully developed high thrust FFSC engines, which are SpaceX and Stoke Space, both from the United States of America, and Land Space from China

SFCTSA says the Syndicate standing committee decision will lead to the termination of services of more than 400 staff, including in teaching and non-teaching sections

RJD claims that the takeover of major private hospitals by multinational companies with no connection to healthcare could push up treatment costs beyond the reach of ordinary people

The deceased have been identified as Mithilesh and Arun Kumar, the conductor and driver of the bus, respectively; one injured in critical condition.

Two KSRTC staffers were killed and around 25 passengers injured in the Bidadi bus accident, days after a woman was killed in a KSRTC accident on the Nelliyampathy ghat road

Meanwhile, Iran has made new demands about the restart of negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Pentagon is pressing the U.S. defense industry to accelerate production of weapons.

For about one-and-a-half decades, parishioners who have received basic training in health screening have served as an important link between vulnerable families and professional health care across all 13 wards of the panchayat

The Congress leader alleged that while families spend millions of rupees on education, the system just issues certificates without providing employment

The fresh move raises concern among local residents about the continued frequent closure of Pandeshwar and Hoige Bazar level crossing gates

In a social media post, the Deputy Chief Minister said this year’s theme honoured indigenous midwives, and cited Adavi Thalli Baata and improved connectivity to remote habitations among the government’s measures for tribal welfare

Revenue officials said that under the Indian Treasure Trove Act 1878, anything found below one feet depth belongs to the government

Tamil Nadu government has appointed former Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court, D. Krishnakumar, as the Chairman of the reconstituted State Law Commission.

Drawn by a warming climate, Canada’s furry national symbol is colonizing new territory, evading Inuit hunters and reshaping the world they find.

Summerhall, Edinburgh Sohrab Haghverdi takes pleasure at winding up the audience in a subversively funny ‘anti-comedy’ of autobiographical insight and political provocation Sohrab Haghverdi says he wants to be liked. I’m not so sure. Would a needy actor be willing to try the audience’s patience by coughing and coughing, then coughing some more? Would they push their way through a hole in a Persian rug, while shouting about snakes and balancing empty suitcases on their head? Or wander off stage at random? No – this is a man who takes pleasure in winding us up. Whether it is collecting his own bodily fluids or launching into a splenetic rant in favour of Trump’s bombing of Iran, he has no interest in giving us an easy ride. This is punk theatre: irritating and brash...

Team manager has ‘no idea’ why they disappeared, after reports one of Commonwealth Games athletes said they intended to claim asylum Years of arduous preparation and training had come to fruition and the pressure was finally lifted. After competing for their country in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, athletes from Uganda were afforded a couple of days’ sightseeing time before catching their plane home on Tuesday. But when the flight took off, there were four empty seats...

Finance sector will gain from the tech but it will need substantial investment and create risks, says rating agency The rating agency Moody’s has said the race to adopt AI is putting big banks at the mercy of a small group of Silicon Valley firms, leaving them vulnerable to widespread outages and price gouging by profit-hungry tech bosses. The financial sector’s efforts to integrate AI into day-to-day operations will eventually cut costs and increase revenues across the City and Wall Street, Moody’s said...

It would be the International Criminal Court’s alleged supporters who refuse to take action to defend it.

Israel and the United States aren’t just targeting the Lebanese militant group’s weapons. They’re going after its money.

The anniversary coincided with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government revising the country’s defence policy to further bolster the military’s offensive capability

Monsters of God is a jaw-dropping new series from the makers of the hit Netflix pandemic smash, exploring the murky world of exotic reptile smuggling In 1993, a sci-fi blockbuster about an animal theme park that resurrected the dinosaurs sparked more than a flurry of interest in those long-extinct beasts. It left audiences jonesing for the next best thing: a close encounter with a bearded dragon or a ball python. Jeremy McBride, the Emmy-winning film-maker was one of them. “I wanted a pet iguana,” he said. In the wake of the Spielberg classic, reptiles have become fixtures of the modern imagination, adorning zoo exhibits, living room terrariums and every corner of pop culture while underpinning a multibillion-dollar pet trade. But just as in Jurassic Park, the urgent danger isn’t the prehistoric creatures with the teeth and venom. It’s the people willing to steal, smuggle and kill for them. People like the Pablo Escobar of animal trafficking. “Our next documentary is going to be called Who Backstabbed Who,” jokes Eric Goode, an Emmy-nominated director. “You never know when that knife is going to go in your back because everyone’s trying to make a deal with the feds, with another reptile dealer. Even the good guys were supposedly doing bad things. It’s messy.”..