Fewer Channel migrant boats this summer, but each one is more crowded
About 6,949 people crossed the English Channel from France to England in small boats between June and August, the lowest summer total since 2020, according to the Daily Mail.
Archive 2026
World ✳
Iran oil crisis pushes up borrowing costs worldwide
Fighting in the Middle East has kept oil above $90 a barrel after the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil tankers, was shut down.
World ✳
Russia strikes Kyiv for sixth night in a row, NATO jets scramble
Russia bombed the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, for a sixth night in a row, killing at least nine people.
World ✳
Oil prices pass $90 a barrel as key Gulf shipping route stays shut
Oil prices rose above $90 a barrel after the Strait of Hormuz, the main route ships use to carry oil out of the Gulf, stayed closed during the Iran conflict.
World ✳
Russia sanctions bill stalls in Senate as US tells Moscow pressure stays until war ends
A Senate bill for new sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine is losing momentum, as Republican leaders fill the pre-election calendar with other business and a top Democrat voices doubts about it.
World ✳
Nepal-China border floods kill more than 950, rescuers dig for trapped hydropower workers
Floods on the border between Nepal and China have killed more than 950 people, up from about 900 a day earlier, France24 reports.
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Daily recap — Aug 31, 2026: US ramps up Iran sanctions and claims a major oil-terminal strike
The US Treasury says it will now sanction an Iran-linked bank every week, and President Trump claims a strike destroyed Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal, which normally handles about 90 percent of the country's oil exports — but no one has independently confirmed the claim, and Iranian state media hasn't reported it either.
Analysis ✳
NATO tracks a summer of drone incidents and cyberattacks, avoids calling it an attack
Researchers, an Italian outlet and Lithuania documented a summer of drone incursions, weapons caches and border crossings on EU soil, plus online attacks on NATO countries run like a competitive game among pro-Russian hackers.
Hungary gets full EU recovery payout while Romania loses part of its own
The EU gives countries recovery money from its post-pandemic fund only after they finish specific reforms.
World ✳
Taiwan says China's military moves near island are less predictable
Taiwan's defense ministry says China has stepped up 'unpredictable' military activity in the air and sea around Taiwan, but gave no numbers on flights, ships or incursions.
EU orders ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox to follow its strictest online rules
The European Union has told OpenAI's ChatGPT, along with Reddit and Roblox, that they must follow the toughest rules in its Digital Services Act, a law that regulates large online platforms.
Germany ✳
AfD set for record win in German state vote as Merz's own party avoids him
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz is campaigning ahead of Sunday's election in the eastern state of Sachsen-Anhalt, where his Christian Democrats (CDU) fear losing to the far-right AfD party for the first time.