US Strike Sinks Venezuelan Drug Vessel
France Issues Arrest Warrant for Assad
Afghanistan Quakes Kill 1,400+, Aid Urgently Needed
Trump Signals National Guard Move To Chicago
Judge Rules Trump’s LA Troop Deployment Illegal
Xi Flaunts Military Power With Putin, Kim
Trump Targets Xi Over Putin, Kim Meeting
Bolsonaro Faces Trial Over Coup Plot Allegations
Indonesian Diplomat Killed in Lima Shooting
Judge Spares Google Breakup, Imposes Curbs
President Donald Trump announced that US forces carried out a strike on a speedboat in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. He said the vessel, described as a “go-fast” boat, was intercepted in international waters and believed to be transporting drugs bound for the United States. Trump released aerial footage showing the boat bursting into flames and warned traffickers to “beware.”
Source: Marco Rubio - X
The Pentagon confirmed the “precision strike,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio also highlighted the action on X. The administration has intensified efforts against Venezuela’s government, recently offering a $50m reward for information leading to President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest on drug-trafficking charges. Maduro has rejected US actions, calling the military buildup in the region the greatest threat to Latin America in a century. It remains unclear what drugs the vessel was carrying.
Sources: BBC, Axios
French judges have issued arrest warrants for Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad and six senior officials over the 2012 shelling of Homs that killed two journalists. The attack on a makeshift media center killed American reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Rémi Ochlik, and wounded three others. French investigators concluded the bombing was a deliberate effort to target foreign journalists and restrict coverage of the conflict, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The warrants, issued on August 22 and revealed this week, allow for trial in absentia under French law. Assad fled to Russia with his family in late 2024, and the whereabouts of the other accused are unknown.
Rights groups say the decision is a landmark step for accountability. Colvin, renowned for frontline reporting and her distinctive eye patch, became one of the most prominent international journalists killed during Syria’s war.
Sources: France 24, New York Times
A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake flattened villages in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province, killing more than 1,400 people and injuring over 3,000. Rescue teams faced rough terrain, landslide risks and bad weather as they searched for survivors among mud-and-stone homes built into steep valleys. Authorities warned the toll would rise once teams reached isolated areas still cut off from roads and mobile networks.
On Tuesday, a second quake struck the region, heightening fears of further damage. Taliban officials appealed for international assistance as helicopters ferried the wounded and military teams fanned out across affected districts. Immediate needs include emergency shelter, medical supplies, drinking water and food.
The United Nations released $5 million from its emergency fund, matched by $5 million from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, while other donors announced support and supplies. The disaster compounds Afghanistan’s economic crisis and strained health services after years of reduced aid.
Sources: The Guardian, Associated Press
President Donald Trump said he plans to send National Guard troops to Chicago, declaring “we’re going in” without specifying timing, force size or whether federal agents would also be used. He suggested Baltimore could also draw a federal response. The president argued he has an obligation to act and said he hopes Illinois’ governor requests assistance but added he would proceed regardless.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker rejected the plan as “unhinged,” said he will not request troops, and warned he is prepared to fight deployments in court. He and Chicago’s mayor have raised concerns over federal militarization and anticipate a surge of federal agents.
Recent holiday-weekend violence left at least 58 people shot, eight fatally, even as city data show declines in shootings and homicides compared with last year. Prior federal actions have included Guard and agent deployments in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
Sources: CBS News, ABC News
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration broke the Posse Comitatus Act when it mobilized 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June and used them for police functions such as perimeters, traffic blockades and crowd control. The 52-page decision bars the Pentagon from directing troops in California to execute domestic law, including arrests and riot control, absent congressional authorisation.
California filed for a preliminary injunction to remove roughly 300 Guard members who remain in Los Angeles after a federal extension through November. The White House criticized the ruling, while California’s governor and Los Angeles’ mayor praised it.
The court also stayed enforcement until September 12 to allow an appeal, and clarified that troops may continue protecting federal property if consistent with the law. The judgment comes as the administration signals potential deployments to other cities.
Sources: NBC News, Politico
China staged a massive military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, showcasing fighter jets, missiles, drones and tight formations of troops. President Xi Jinping, wearing a Mao-style suit, presided over the event from Tiananmen Gate alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, among 26 world leaders present.
Xi’s speech stressed China’s resolve never to be “bullied again,” linking wartime sacrifice to present-day tensions. He said humanity faces a choice between “peace or war, dialogue or confrontation,” while pledging to safeguard national sovereignty.
The event, attended largely by non-Western leaders, symbolised China’s growing partnerships and defiance of U.S. pressure. Xi framed the parade as proof of China’s rise and the Communist Party’s role in national rejuvenation.
Sources: Al Jazeera, New York Times
US President Donald Trump accused China’s Xi Jinping of conspiring with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un as they gathered in Beijing. The charge came in a Truth Social post timed with China’s Victory Day parade, where Xi hosted 26 heads of state.
“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America,” Trump wrote. He also invoked America’s sacrifices in World War II, noting the “massive amount of support and blood” the US gave China, and said he hoped those contributions would be honored.
Asked whether he saw China and its partners forming a coalition against the US, Trump replied: “No. Not at all. China needs us.” He added that he maintains a good relationship with Xi, but warned that using military force against the US “would be the worst thing they could ever do.”
Sources: BBC, Sydney Morning Herald
The trial of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro opened Tuesday at the Supreme Court in Brasília, marking the first time such a senior political figure has faced charges of attempting to topple Brazil’s democracy. Bolsonaro and seven co-defendants, including high-ranking military officials, are accused of orchestrating a coup after his 2022 election defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Prosecutors say the plan included a draft decree granting Bolsonaro emergency powers to overturn results and even an assassination plot against Lula and other leaders. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing, calling the case political persecution.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, presiding over the trial, said attempts by “another foreign state” to interfere — a reference to Trump administration sanctions and tariffs — would not sway the court. Convictions require a simple majority of the five-judge panel, and sentences could reach 40 years. The hearings are expected to run over 10 days.
Sources: Washington Post, The Guardian
Peruvian authorities are investigating the shooting of Indonesian diplomat Zetro Leonardo Purba, 40, as a contract killing amid a surge in violent crime. Purba, a junior officer at the Indonesian Embassy in Lima, was attacked Monday night while returning home by bicycle. Surveillance footage shows a helmeted gunman firing twice at him before delivering a third shot as he lay on the ground. The assailant fled on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.
Purba was taken to hospital but later died. Officials confirmed nothing was stolen, and Interior Minister Carlos Malaver said the attack was “a qualified homicide in the form of a contract killing.”
Indonesia’s foreign minister demanded a thorough and transparent investigation, while Peru pledged to provide maximum protection for diplomatic staff. The killing comes as Peru faces a rise in homicides and extortion, with over 6,000 killings reported between January and mid-August, the highest figure since 2017.
Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera
A federal judge rejected a bid to break up Google’s search empire, declining to force divestitures of Chrome and Android while ordering narrower remedies. The ruling requires Google to share some search data with rivals and bars exclusive distribution contracts. The court also said Google can continue paying partners for default placement for now, a key win for Apple, and directed both sides to return by September 10 with a remedy plan consistent with the decision.
Additional measures include stopping Google from requiring device makers to take all its apps to access the Play Store. Google said it is reviewing the decision and raised privacy concerns about data sharing. The Justice Department called the outcome accountability but is weighing options. Alphabet shares jumped in after-hours trading, while Apple gained as the default-payment practice remains. The case follows an earlier finding that Google illegally monopolised online search and search advertising.