Nineteen-year-old British cyclist Finlay Tarling died after a “serious accident” during the eighth stage of the Tour of Portugal, according to the race organisers and his team on Friday.

Finlay TarlingTour of Portugalcyclingaccident

Fighter jets on a NATO air-defence mission shot down a drone after it entered Latvian airspace early Friday, Latvia’s armed forces said. Latvia is a member of both NATO and the European Union.

LatviaNATOdroneair defense

A Ukrainian drone attack started a fire at Russia’s Ust-Luga port in the Leningrad region, though the blaze was later extinguished without casualties. Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 553 Ukrainian drones over 18 regions and Crimea. Latvia’s armed forces said NATO jets shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace, which they attributed to Russian electronic warfare.

Ust-Luga portdrone attackLatviaNATO

Firefighters were battling a blaze on Friday at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga after a drone attack sparked the fire, regional governor Aleksander Drozdenko said. The port is a major energy export hub.

drone attackUst-LugaRussiaenergy exports

Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko said a reported Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Aug. 13 damaged port infrastructure at Ust-Luga and sparked a fire. Officials claimed 51 Ukrainian drones were downed, but the claims could not be immediately verified. Ust-Luga is a major Baltic port and oil-export hub.

UkraineRussiadrone strikeport infrastructure

The Pacific-based USS George Washington has begun sailing toward the Middle East as reports point to mental-health and supply problems aboard the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln.

US Navyaircraft carriersMiddle Eastmental health

President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to let construction of a $400m White House ballroom continue without congressional approval. The administration calls the stop-work order dangerous, while an appeals court had ruled that building must halt pending Congress’s approval.

Donald TrumpWhite HouseSupreme Courtlegal battle

Trump is asking the Supreme Court to allow construction of a White House ballroom to continue, citing national security needs and the building’s architectural importance.

Donald TrumpWhite HouseSupreme Courtballroom

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to permit work on the White House’s $400 million ballroom project to restart while it appeals a lower court order that halted construction.

Donald TrumpWhite HouseSupreme Courtballroom project

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to permit construction of the $400 million White House ballroom to proceed. An appeals court had ruled that the project lacked the approval required from Congress.

Donald TrumpWhite HouseU.S. Supreme Courtlegal dispute

Rights groups say settler and state-backed violence seeks to displace Palestinians and annex land in the occupied West Bank. In Qusra, settlers have besieged three Palestinian households, cutting off water and electricity. Despite a rare government condemnation, analysts and Israeli lawmakers say authorities remain complicit and unable to separate themselves from the violence.

West Banksettler violencePalestiniansIsraeli government

Palestinian Amin Rahal and his three brothers have not gone to work for weeks. Instead, they take turns guarding what remains of their land on a West Bank hill against incursions by nearby settlers.

West BankIsraeli settlementsPalestinians

Settlers have been besieging Palestinian homes in Qusra for nearly a week, increasing pressure on Palestinians. Washington has condemned the siege.

West BankQusrasettlersPalestinians

Activists say Israeli soldiers stopped them from delivering aid to Palestinians who have been besieged by settlers outside their homes for nearly a week in Qusra, an occupied West Bank village. The Sumud Network’s Jonathan Pollak spoke about the incident.

IsraelPalestiniansWest Bankhumanitarian aid

About 15 Palestinians, including two children, have been trapped in three homes in Qusra for nearly a week after settlers blocked roads and access. Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone and stopped Israeli and foreign activists from delivering food and water; electricity and water supplies have also been cut.

Qusraoccupied West Banksettler violencePalestinians

Israeli settlers are conducting a campaign of violence and intimidation in Qusra, an occupied West Bank village, where residents say electricity and water have been cut off in an effort to drive families from their homes. Villagers also report years of attacks, restricted access to farmland and threats against those trying to harvest olives.

West BankQusrasettler violence

Nigel Farage has won re-election to parliament, but far-right Reform UK faces further challenges, including an inquiry into his finances that could again cast doubt over his political future. Jonah Hull explains what may come next for the party.

Nigel FarageReform UKby-electionfinancial inquiry

France’s Constitutional Council has struck down a ban on social media accounts for under-15s, ruling that it disproportionately infringed freedom of expression and communication. President Emmanuel Macron asked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to prepare a revised draft, with the government aiming to implement the reform by early 2027.

Francesocial media banConstitutional CouncilEmmanuel Macron

France’s Constitutional Council upheld the parliament-approved law allowing assisted dying under strict conditions, while rejecting a bill to bar under-15s from social media. The court cited freedom of expression and insufficient safeguards for age verification and privacy. The rulings gave President Emmanuel Macron both a policy victory and a setback.

Franceassisted dyingsocial media ban

France’s Constitutional Council has rejected a bill banning social media access for people under 15, saying it violated freedom of expression. The setback affects President Emmanuel Macron, who backed the measure and asked the prime minister to rewrite it. The Élysée says Macron remains determined to implement the reform before next year’s presidential election.

Francesocial mediafreedom of expressionEmmanuel Macron

France's Constitutional Council has struck down a ban on social media access for children under 15, ruling that it violated freedom of expression. The measure, a flagship policy of President Emmanuel Macron's second term, would have covered platforms including Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

Francesocial media banfreedom of expressionConstitutional Council

France’s top court has blocked a bill that would have banned children under 15 from using social media.

Francesocial mediachild protectioncourts

France's top court blocked a bill that would have barred under-15s from accessing social media, ruling that it infringed freedom of expression. The decision dealt a setback to President Emmanuel Macron, who had asked his government to rewrite the legislation.

Francesocial mediaunder-15sfreedom of expression

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would not adopt Kyiv’s methods but would intensify efforts to destroy everything from the West that sustains Ukraine’s military machine. He added that action should stop only after a long-term, reliable and sustainable settlement is reached.

Russia-Ukraine conflictSergey LavrovRussian diplomacy

Russia’s Defense Ministry says its forces took control of eight communities in the Kharkov and Zaporozhye Regions and the Donetsk People’s Republic from August 8 to 14, including one in the previous 24 hours. It also reported 14 combined precision-guided weapon and attack-drone strikes against Ukrainian military-industrial, logistics, fuel and energy infrastructure, among other targets.

Russia-Ukraine warmilitary operationsRussian Defense Ministry

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the arrest of a woman over vandalism at Washington’s World War II Memorial.

WashingtonWorld War II Memorialvandalism

A woman has been detained and charged with two felony counts over the alleged vandalism of Washington’s World War Two memorial, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said on Friday.

WashingtonWorld War Two memorialvandalismfelony charges

The World War II Memorial on Washington’s National Mall was vandalized. A fountain was filled with bubbles, while red paint was used to write “Clean hands dirty $.”

WashingtonWorld War II Memorialvandalism