IRAN - Iran has denied Donald Trump's claims that there are ongoing peace talks between Tehran and Washington. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said that there are no ongoing negotiations with the US, but that talks were taking place with Oman on management of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He said: 'We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz.' Last night, Trump claimed to have called off the 'biggest attack since WWII' planned for Iran over the weekend after allies in the region convinced him a nuclear deal was close.

USA - The same pattern keeps repeating over and over again. US military assets are moved into the Middle East and President Trump threatens to attack Iran harder than ever before. At the end of last week, I told my core supporters that everything was ready for a very large wave of airstrikes. But then as we have seen so many times before, Trump decided not to pull the trigger at the last moment and he claimed that Iran had asked to make a deal. And as we have seen so many times before, the Iranians denied asking for any sort of a deal and insisted that they have not agreed to make any of the concessions that Trump is seeking. Since Iran is not willing to give Trump what he wants, it is just a matter of time before this pause in the fighting collapses just like all of the others have. How many times are we going to play this game? And how many times are people going to keep falling for it?

INDIA - The death toll in rain-related incidents rose to 11 by Sunday, and nearly 7,700 people were evacuated to around 275 relief camps across Kerala, a state government minister said. Heavy rains and floods battered parts of southern India over the weekend, killing at least 11 and displacing thousands in the state of Kerala, and setting off a landslide that killed at least three in neighboring Karnataka, authorities and news reports said.

CUBA - The outage follows three nationwide blackouts in July and comes as a US-imposed oil blockade further strains the island's aging energy infrastructure. Cuba's electricity grid collapsed late on Sunday, the state-owned grid operator said, plunging the ‌island of about 10 million people into darkness as blackouts become more frequent. Venezuela had long been Cuba's primary oil supplier, with imports from Mexico also halted amid increased US pressure.

KOREA - A record heatwave is gripping the Korean peninsula, sending temperatures soaring across South Korea and North Korea as authorities expand emergency measures and residents seek relief in cooling shelters, beaches and water parks. Forecasters said on Monday that extreme heat, previously concentrated in South Korea's south-east, was spreading into the Seoul metropolitan area and other western regions. North Korean state media also reported temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the country and a fifth straight tropical night in Pyongyang. South Korea's weather agency warned temperatures could rise further in western regions this week.

EUROPE - Europe has been rocked by the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta on the North African coast being stormed by an estimated 60,000 Moroccan immigrants. That sums up the problem. The EU is a powerful bloc, yet it finds itself at the mercy of Morocco because human rights laws undermine border controls. Without those controls, freedom of movement under Schengen becomes a liability rather than a benefit. Yet instead of leading, the EU merely convenes meetings. The EU’s complacency has seen its share of the global economy shrink and the continent miss out on the frontier of AI. If it fails to secure Europe’s borders, then the whole project may well collapse, as frustrated voters demand the security that European leaders refuse to deliver. Ceuta was a test of the EU’s ability to respond and it failed.

EUROPE - The European Union has told Pedro Sánchez that he must accept Spain being placed under special measures to end diplomatic hostilities within the bloc, triggered by the Ceuta migrant crisis. Sources told The Telegraph that the Spanish prime minister has been asked to share verified figures for the number of migrants returned to Morocco after the initial influx. The demand demonstrates doubt over Madrid’s claim that most of the estimated 60,000 people who rushed into the exclave last week had already crossed back over the border. At least 88 people died, with many drowning or being crushed to death, in what was described as the single largest illegal influx into the EU. On Monday, Miguel Ángel Pérez, the Spanish central government’s delegate in Ceuta, said 2,500 of them were estimated to still be in Ceuta. However, Juan Jesús Vivas, the territory’s top official, put the figure at between 3,000 and 5,000, telling Spanish broadcaster Telecinco that its two migrant reception centres – one for adults and another for minors – had “collapsed”.

UK - July is set to be England’s driest on record, the Met Office has revealed. A total of 5.6mm of rain fell in England during this past month. The previous record was set in 1911, when 13.4mm of rain fell. That was followed by July 1868, with 18.1mm, and 1869, with 20.2mm. Dr Emily Carlisle, a Met Office scientist, said: “Provisional figures suggest this could be one of the driest Julys in nearly two centuries of records, which is particularly notable when coupled with the exceptional heat experienced so far this summer.” Both England and Wales are on course for their driest July since rainfall records began 190 years ago in 1836. The rainfall record comes after drought was declared across more than half of England following a prolonged spell of record-breaking heat.

USA - According to the latest update, approximately 7,500 acres have burned, more than 600 structures have been destroyed, and all three fires are 0% contained. Several fires exploded in size across Spokane County on Saturday afternoon. A combination of three fires has burned about 7,500 acres, and all three are still 0% contained. California Interagency Incident Management Team 7 is assuming command of the Spokane Area Fires, which consist of the Autumn Lane Fire, Old Trails Fire and Fairview Fire. Fire authorities confirmed to KREM 2 that over 600 structures have been destroyed by the fires. There was a mad scramble to evacuate on Saturday evening, and as a result there were huge traffic jams throughout the city. In some cases, those stuck in the traffic jams could literally see giant flames approaching in their rear view mirrors. Can you imagine being in that position? There were many that left with only the clothes on their backs. That is how fast this happened. And when some of them finally return home, they will discover that they have lost everything.

HUNGARY - Hungary's only nuclear power plant will be forced to shut down entirely for the first time due to record low water levels of the River Danube, Prime Minister Péter Magyar has said. The Soviet-era Paks power plant uses the Danube for cooling but the water level is so low that the suction nozzles cannot reach it. Magyar warned Hungary's energy supply could become "critical" from Monday due to the Paks shutdown and the ongoing heatwave, which will see temperatures hover around 37C for a week. Like much of Europe, Hungary has seen very low rainfall and high temperatures for much of the summer. The waters of the Danube have fallen to the lowest levels for 30 years in several countries, including neighbouring Serbia and Romania.