USA - The US does not have enough missiles to return to an all-out war with Iran, an American official has warned. Donald Trump is reportedly looking at planning for a “wider war” against Tehran with the American military sending more warplanes to the Middle East. However, a US official familiar with administration discussions said the operation would be limited by dwindling stockpiles of air defence and long-range munitions. “We do not have enough to safely sustain operations, and I don’t think the White House is aware of that,” the official told The Washington Post. The warning comes as the US launched a ninth consecutive night of attacks on the country, edging closer to all-out conflict in the region.

IRAN - Iran’s regime is rapidly increasing its attacks on the Kingdom of Jordan. On Sunday, the Iranians targeted the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba. Iran also killed US soldiers in Jordan. These attacks appear to be more deadly and more extreme than Iran’s attacks in the past. It is not that this is the first time that Iran has attacked Jordan, but that Iran appears to be trying to terrorize the kingdom as well as the US forces that are there. This is how the Iranian regime operates; it is how Iran seeks to terrorize the Middle East. Iran is sending a message: every time it is attacked, it will not only strike back at one or two places, but the United States and friendly partner countries in the region will have to prepare for attacks across these thousands of miles of front line. It is likely this reasoning that informs the Iranian leadership’s thinking regarding the strikes on the Kingdom of Jordan.

USA - President Trump’s administration has warned Andy Burnham that Britain must move beyond “rhetoric” and make “sustained investment” in defence rather than focusing on “other spending priorities”. Writing in The Times, Warren Stephens, the US ambassador to the UK, said the government must not be “held up” by “backloading” additional investment in defence for a later date. The US has been pressing Britain and other NATO allies to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP. However, the government has committed itself only to a £15 billion increase, which will mean it hits 2.7 per cent of GDP by 2030.

IRAN - The selection of targets by the US signals a transition from a conventional military campaign to a broader strategic effort aimed at disrupting Iran’s ability to function. The objective is no longer limited to degrading Iran’s military capabilities; it now appears increasingly focused on eroding the regime’s capacity to govern, sustain logistics, and finance its war effort. The selection of targets – including bridges, ports, electrical infrastructure, and transportation networks – signals a transition from a conventional military campaign to a broader strategic effort aimed at disrupting the state’s ability to function. From an intelligence perspective, the evolving target set indicates that Washington has redefined the regime’s center of gravity. Missile bases and IRGC command facilities remain important, but they are no longer the sole priority. Oil export infrastructure, transportation corridors, southern ports, and the national energy network have become critical components of the campaign.

GERMANY - Berlin police told Dr Zitelmann he had been accused of violating a post-Second World War law that bans the display of Nazi symbols, slogans and imagery – and could now face three years in prison if found guilty. The 69-year-old found out the offending social media post was a meme about Adolf Hitler. But it was one in which he criticised the Nazi dictator and compared his invasion of Czechoslovakia to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “It was crystal clear the post was negative... I was saying that Putin is so bad he is like Hitler,” he explains from his study in Berlin, surrounded by hundreds of books about the rise of fascism, including his own doctoral thesis. “The comparison only works if you think Hitler was evil.” He lets out an ironic chuckle at the absurdity of it all: after decades of excoriating the Nazis in his books, a mere click of a mouse led to accusations of him being one. The furore bears some similarities to the free speech debate in Britain, where citizens have had a knock on the door from police over opinions posted online. Alternative for Germany (AfD), the Right-wing populist party topping the polls, has seized on the free speech row as a sign, in its eyes, that the country faces its biggest crackdown on free speech since the rise of the Nazis.

FRANCE - France is facing a shortage of onions and other vegetables after heatwaves decimated crops across the country. Shoppers have been warned to expect a drop in the amount of fresh produce in the coming weeks, after a “catastrophic year”. Some of the hardest-hit crops include onions, shallots, carrots, leeks, fennel, radishes, garlic, blueberries and strawberries, according to Vegetables of France, a trade group that represents producers across the country. Heatwave temperatures combined with hot, dry winds suck moisture out of crops faster than roots can draw it from the soil, causing them to die. Cyril Pogu, the co-chairman of Vegetables of France, said: “When a field goes up in smoke in three hours, it’s the work of an entire growing season that vanishes, and the farm’s long-term viability is immediately called into question.” “Short-term ‘shortages’ are expected in stores, as imports are not able to make up for the shortfalls,” the group said. “A new business paradigm is taking shape: that of scarcity.”

UK - An exceptionally hot, dry summer has turned the country into a ‘tinderbox’ as fire crews tackle dozens of incidents a day. Britain is in the midst of a “firewave” with more than 250 wildfires and grassfires breaking out in just two weeks because of tinder-dry conditions. Councils have called for a ban on disposable barbecues and fire chiefs have asked the public to avoid dropping cigarette butts or glass bottles as crews tackle dozens of incidents a day across the country. Homes have been evacuated in the Cairngorms, large towns and cities have been cloaked in smoke and farmers have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds to crop fires as exceptionally hot, dry weather turns the country into a “tinderbox”.

UK - Anti-transgender views have been classed as “misinformation” in a government-commissioned report. The study urges the Government to use psychology to prevent the spread of narratives it views as potentially “misleading”. The tactics are recommended for use in schools and public communications to stop “false” ideas taking hold in society. The 136-page report, by a group of seven academics and commissioned by the Government Office for Science, categorises “anti-LGBTQ+ narratives” as a type of “false and misleading information” seen in the UK. But the Conservatives, urging Andy Burnham to condemn the document, have likened its proposals to the activities of the Thought Police in George Orwell’s 1984, and called it an “outrageous attack on our rights”. The Government insisted on Sunday that the report was “independent” and did not represent official policy. “It is, and always will be, an absolute priority for the Government to protect our democratic processes, including freedom of expression.”

UK - Scientists have provided an update on the Super El Niño – and say the terrifying climate pattern is 'evolving'. New measurements show that El Niño conditions are strengthening across the tropical Pacific, with sea surface temperatures (SST) showing a steady upward trend. From April to June, the sea surface in this region was around 0.98°C above average, according to scientists from Columbia University. By June, this had increased to 1.55°C above average. And on 15 July, it climbed even further, with SST reaching 2.1°C above average. 'Together, these Pacific Ocean SST observations indicate that El Niño conditions continue to intensify, suggesting the event is evolving toward a very strong El Niño,' the researchers explained. Worryingly, the experts say that the worst is yet to come. So, what does this mean for us? According to the World Meteorological Organisation, we can expect above-normal temperatures in 'nearly all parts of the globe' this summer. The strongest heat signals are forecast across southern and western North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, North Africa, and much of Asia.

SICILY - The island is currently battling 40 separate blazes, including a massive fire that tore through the commune of Bivona, threatening homes and a marble processing plant in the Contrada Savarini area. Elsewhere in the Agrigento province, wildfires erupted in Favara, Sciacca, Cammarata and near the Lake Arancio in Sambuca di Sicilia, as firefighters, forest rangers and civil defence officials battled the flames. Three Canadair helicopters and dozens of firefighting teams were deployed to protect homes in Castronovo di Sicilia of the Palermo province, where the flames spread into the town. Experts have warned that parts of southern Europe could exceed 50C this summer as millions of British holidaymakers prepare for their getaways.