EUROPE - Angela Merkel has been warned European Union allies could turn their back on Berlin if Germany refuses to give up plans for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project with Russia. Angela Merkel has been threatened with crippling US sanctions for the island of Rügen unless Germany agrees to shelve the Nord Stream 2 pipeline over concerns of growing Russian influence on the country.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates and Israel have agreed to establish full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state. The announcement makes the UAE the first Gulf Arab state to do so and only the third Arab nation to have active diplomatic ties to Israel. Trump tweeted a statement from the countries acknowledging the deal. He then told reporters in the Oval Office that it was “a truly historic moment.” “Now that the ice has been broken I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates,” he said. The recognition grants a rare diplomatic win to Trump ahead of the November election as his efforts to see an end to the war in Afghanistan have yet to come to fruition while efforts to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians have made no headway. Israel and the UAE also have been among Trump’s closest foreign allies. For Israel, the announcement comes after years of boasting by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his government enjoys closer ties to Arab nations than publicly acknowledged.

TAIWAN - Attempts to meddle with Taiwan, which Beijing considers its territory, may cost the US dearly, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. He advised its health chief to focus on the Covid-19 crisis at home instead of making foreign trips. US Health Secretary Alex Azar landed in Taiwan on Sunday for a three-day trip, becoming the highest-ranking American official to visit the self-governed island, which has shown no desire in four decades to reunite with mainland China. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has condemned the visit and warned Washington against making advances towards Taiwan. On issues involving China’s core interests … the US must not harbor illusions. Those who play with fire will get burned.

USA - Gabe Rice began sheltering in his suburban Phoenix home with his wife and three youngest children in March. They worked remotely, learned remotely and put social events on hold to hunker down alongside much of the country. It was challenging and frustrating, but, Rice initially assumed, temporary. It seemed like a plausible plan to help the nation get the pandemic under control within a couple of months. But Arizona's economic reopening in May, urged by Republican Governor Doug Ducey, was soon followed by a spike in coronavirus infections in June, which became a terrible surge in hospitalizations and deaths by July. Then came August, and the devastating realization for many Americans that the pandemic, which has killed at least 159,000 people across the country and sickened more than five million, is far from over.

EUROPE - Germany has recorded its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases in more than three months as European countries struggle to curb a surge in infections. More than 1,200 cases were reported in Germany in the past 24 hours. Officials said the rise was due, in part, to people returning from holidays. Meanwhile, France had 2,524 new cases in 24 hours, the highest daily rise since its lockdown was lifted in May. This year's Paris marathon has been cancelled as France battles a spike in coronavirus cases, organisers said on Wednesday.

UK - Thunderstorms and heavy rain have battered southern Britain today, forcing parts of the M25 and M23 to close for safety reasons. Drivers were left stranded in deep water that had collected between Junction 7 and 8 on London's ring road, with hundreds of vehicles coming to a standstill in the clockwise direction because there is no safe way through. The source of what is amounting to huge delays has been described by commuters as flash flooding caused by 'biblical rain and hail'.

UK - Affinity Water, which services a population of around 3.6 million across the south of England, did issue a warning to customers earlier this week. The company provides on average 950 million litres of water per day in parts of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, the London Boroughs of Harrow and Hillingdon and parts of the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing and Enfield. In a statement posted on their website, Affinity Water told people to use less water. The hot weather may leave other water companies in a similar situation, so people should stay up to date with their providers' website to tell when one might come to their area.

USA - You know it's hot when Death Valley, California, breaks high temperature records. A long-duration, dangerous heat event is setting up for parts of the West that will begin Friday and last into next week. More than 34 million people are under excessive heat watches and warnings across California and the Southwest. Most of the heat alerts go into effect on Friday and will stay in effect through early next week.

USA - While the mainstream media focuses on the upcoming election, COVID-19 and the endless protests going on in our major cities, another great tragedy is unfolding all across the middle of the country. A nightmarish drought, horrific flooding along the Mississippi River and a giant “derecho” that just hit the farm belt have combined to make this one of the toughest years for farmers ever. And this comes at a particularly bad time, because the stress that the COVID-19 pandemic has put on food distribution systems has already created periodic shortages of certain items around the nation. We definitely could have used an uneventful growing season this year, and unfortunately we didn’t get it.

MIDDLE EAST - When Netanyahu and Gantz talk about Iran, they dwell on the Iranian-Syrian axis and insist that the international community, especially the United States, should escalate the sanctions against the Islamic Republic. But this policy to which they and the entire Israeli defense establishment have been adhering becomes ever less relevant as indications mount that China is stepping up its involvement in Iran and Saudi Arabia. China’s ability and willingness to engage in strategic cooperation with two enemies, at the same time, is the behavior of a superpower.

SPAIN - Normally a tourist destination for northern Europeans to enjoy a sun holiday at this time of year, southern Spain was reduced to an almost apocalyptic wasteland after a phenomenal and ferocious storm struck almost without warning. Tuesday’s storm was so intense it shattered windows, felled large tree branches, and created flash flooding all within a matter of minutes, with reports of waterspouts adding further to the almost biblical nature of the storm. Localized flash flooding led to widespread power outages affecting more than 7,000 people overnight, amid a deafening roar as massive hailstones laid waste to trees, cars, windows and anything else unfortunate to be left out in the open.

YEMEN - Yemen's Houthi rebels said Sunday that floods have swept through rebel-held parts of the country since mid-July amid heavy seasonal rains, leaving more than 130 dead and damaging more than 260 homes. The Houthi-run Health Ministry said at least 124 others were injured by the flooding in parts of northern Yemen controlled by the rebels, including the capital Sanaa and its historic Old City, which is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. More than 160,000 people were forced to leave their homes amid heavy flooding and rainfall in the provinces of Hajjah and Hodeida, according to security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. The devastating floods in the Arab world’s poorest country have exacerbated a cholera outbreak, with 127,900 suspected cases across eight provinces since January, the World Health Organization said in July. The Red Cross also warned the floods have accelerated the spread of dengue fever and malaria, as mosquitoes carrying the diseases breed in puddles.

INDIA - At least 43 people, including three children, have died with dozens more feared buried after torrential rains triggered a landslide in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. The landslide swept into a settlement housing workers on a tea plantation in Idukki district late Thursday, when most residents were sleeping. Dozens of houses were destroyed and 11 injured people were taken to local hospitals. The death toll steadily rose as search and rescue workers spent the weekend digging through thick mud and debris, with efforts hampered further by heavy rain. At least 25 people remain missing…

INDONESIA - Indonesia's Mount Sinabung spewed a gigantic ash column three miles into the air during its latest eruption in Sumatra. The National Volcanology Agency first reported the 2,475-metre high volcano shot up volcanic ash earlier this weekend, according to reports on Xinhua news agency. Now the volcano has spewed again at 10.16 am local time. Earthquakes Time tweeted: "The explosion of #Sinabung reached a height of approximately 5 km above the top, it is accompanied by a pyroclastic flow that developed on one of its flanks.” Mount Sinabung is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Bill McGuire, Professor of Geophysical & Climate Hazards at UCL, warned the Ring of Fire is so unpredictable, there is no way to predict when it will strike.

GERMANY - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has warned the United States not to interfere with the completion of the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, stressing that Europe has the right to choose its own energy sources. “Sanctions between partners are definitely the wrong way to go,” Maas said during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, adding that any attempt to prevent the pipeline from completion would be a violation of his country’s sovereignty. “Ultimately, it remains our sovereign decision where we get our energy from. No country has the right to dictate Europe's energy policy with threats. That won't be successful.” On Monday, Maas said he expressed his “displeasure” to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after US lawmakers threatened “crushing legal and economic sanctions” against a German firm involved in the energy initiative.