AUSTRALIA - Japan will conduct tests of hypersonic missiles and other projectiles on Australian soil, the two countries’ defense ministers said yesterday as they deepened military cooperation, including with a codeveloped laser system. Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said alongside his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, in Canberra that the deal would see a “better and enhanced arrangement between Australia and Japan for Japan’s use of our missile ranges over the course of the next decade.” “We have spoken previously about Australia being able to provide strategic depth to Japan across a range of areas, but one of them is the use of our ranges,” Marles said.

CHINA - Russia and China are both opposed to Japan’s accelerating militarization and growing debate over acquiring nuclear weapons, Beijing’s ambassador to Moscow, Zhang Hanhui, has said, warning that Tokyo’s policies could trigger a new arms race. The envoy warned that if Tokyo decides to create its own nuclear weapons, the strategic balance in Northeast Asia will be completely disrupted, and “a nuclear arms race in the region could erupt at any moment”. “If Japan’s right-wing forces continue to play with fire on nuclear policy, the Japanese will ultimately once again find themselves in the dock of history,” Zhang added.

CHINA - Just nine months ago, Antelope Reef was nothing more than a coral sandbar in the South China Sea. Nearly two dozen Chinese dredgers moved in soon after. By March, satellite images showed piers, pontoons, a helipad and a number of buildings, built on sand raised from the seabed and held in place by reinforced sea walls. Now, new images reveal that China has completed the first phase of construction with a runway taking shape, and two concrete plants built to feed Beijing’s insatiable appetite for expansion. It has done so at lightning pace. Beijing says this western outpost of the Paracel Islands archipelago will be used for weather forecasting and scientific research. More likely is that it will become a military base. AMTI reported signs of a new landing strip taking form on the island’s northwestern edge – the only part of the island capable of hosting a 10,000-foot runway. That would be enough to accommodate all of China’s advanced fighter jets, as well as their nuclear-capable H-6 bombers.

UK - Britain is braced for a wet and stormy autumn because of what could be the strongest El Niño in a century. The Met Office said the “unprecedented” oceanic heatwave would lead to storms and rain between October and December. El Niño is a powerful natural climate phenomenon that pushes up global temperatures. The natural warming of sea temperatures is forecast to reach more than 3C in the coming months, making this year’s weather event “the largest since the 19th century”, according to the Met Office. US scientists confirmed in June that El Niño conditions were under way in the tropical Pacific following a sharp rise in sea-surface temperatures. He told The Telegraph: “The weather map in November is looking wet and stormy on average. Mild, wet and stormy – early winter will be when El Niño peaks.” The weather event means 2027 is forecast to be the warmest year on record. “We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event,” Professor Scaife said. “I have never seen an El Niño signal this intense in our forecasts.”

USA - A laboratory analysis published this week tested 113 common personal care and cleaning products for chemicals not listed on their labels, according to the report. About 98% of the products contained undisclosed chemicals, and 85% contained at least one undisclosed chemical with known or suspected health hazards, researchers said. The test batch included sunscreens, baby lotions, shampoos, soaps, and cleaning products. Many of the compounds identified in the new analysis belong to chemical families previously linked to cancer, metabolic disease, and fertility problems, the researchers said.

USA - President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced "the most crushing" economic operation against "maniacs" in Iran, while sternly warning other countries helping Tehran. "No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a Deal than me," Trump began in a lengthy post on Truth Social. "TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it. Therefore, today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY! This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale. Their navy is gone, their air force is destroyed, their military factories are now rubble, their currency is worthless, and their country is hanging by a thread. Today, I am also announcing that ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences. This will be an ECONOMIC D-DAY, and we need all of our Allies to stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat."

IRAN - Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warns Trump’s economic campaign will fail, as IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi threatens a more destructive Iranian response if another war breaks out. Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, says US President Donald Trump's 'economic D-day' on Iran will only bring 'further defeat' to the US in a post to X/Twitter on Thursday. “The so-called ‘Economic D-Day’ is a diversion from America's own crisis: unprecedented debt & surging interest costs,” Araghchi remarked. “Doubling down on failed policies will only bring further defeat - and enmity of Iranians. US economic terrorism threatens global economy and sovereignty worldwide.” He concluded. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Hussein Mohabi said that Iran will use more destructive weapons if a new war breaks out.

USA - The current US national debt is $40.13 Trillion as of August 20, 2026, according to the latest data from the US Treasury Department. This US debt live counter equals approximately $119,790 per US citizen. The debt increases by roughly $1 trillion every 51 days and grows at approximately $19.5 billion per day, making this national debt clock live view a real-time snapshot of America's borrowing. Source: US Treasury Fiscal Data. These five numbers tell the core story of the US fiscal crisis. Your share of the debt — $119,789 — grows every second. The government spends $1.39 for every dollar it collects, adding to the debt daily. And at 141.0% of GDP, the US is deeper in debt relative to its economy than at any point since World War II. Interest is now the fastest-growing line item in the entire federal budget. At $952 billion per year, it exceeds every other spending category except Social Security and Medicare — and it's on track to surpass both within a decade. Every American effectively pays $2,800/year in debt interest on top of their regular taxes. This money funds nothing: no roads, no schools, no defense — just the cost of past borrowing. The debt grows ~$83,000 every second...

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday suspended all trade with Iran, after suffering the latest wanton missile attack from Iranian forces. The Iranian Foreign Ministry scrambled to deny reports of the missile attack that pushed the UAE too far, implying that it could have been a “false flag” operation conducted by enemies of the Islamic Republic. The UAE was attacked repeatedly by Iranian drones and missiles this year and Iran has bombed dozens of ships belonging to Abu Dhabi’s state-owned ADNOC energy company, but the reported launch of two ballistic missiles by Iran on Tuesday was the first act of aggression from Tehran in about three months.

OMAN - Oman has been a long-standing ally to the West and especially the UK. British special forces have retained an enduring relationship with the sultanate ever since they played a pivotal role in putting down the Marxist Dhofar rebellion 60 years ago. Oman remains a friendly Arab nation in a volatile region so it is alarming to hear Donald Trump threatening to “bomb the s---” out of the country for allegedly thwarting an agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It says a great deal about the president’s braggadocio that no-one has taken his threat seriously. He routinely lashes out at perceived enemies without following through on his warnings. But to treat an ally in this way is extraordinary and tells us much about Mr Trump’s frustration over the progress of the Gulf conflict. The so-called 60-day Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the UN expired this week with the two sides no nearer an agreement and with Tehran seemingly holding most of the cards.