In late July, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the West Bank settler and far-right extremist minister of security in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, joined a group of more than 2,000 Jewish extremists to storm al-Aqsa mosque compound, Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The far-right group has been doing this for years. Ben-Gvir has made a series of visits to the site over the last three years, eroding norms and inflaming tensions. Jordanian officials have recently warned that it could be at risk of an “imminent” Israeli takeover.

With national elections scheduled in October, and many eyes still firmly on Gaza (this weekend, Netanyahu rejected a US-backed 15-point plan for peace), the Israeli government appears to be racing to expand Israeli settlements and accelerate ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem before its mandate expires. Because nothing says 'election season' like a bit of ethnic cleansing and a holy-site standoff, right?

Elsewhere, in news that will surprise no one, Sadiq Khan has called on the UK government to commit to revamped climate action and reduce reliance on oil and gas, as the UK endures a summer of drought, wildfires, and heatwaves. It's almost as if the climate crisis is happening or something.

Over in the US, the Senate voted to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, giving Donald Trump his one-time personal attorney control of the nation's law enforcement. Because who better to enforce the law than the lawyer for a guy with 91 felony counts? Iran, meanwhile, has issued tough new demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach on Saturday. Because nothing says 'good faith negotiations' like adding new conditions.

In the Russia-Ukraine saga, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia. On Saturday, Turkey called for a “moratorium” on attacks in the Black Sea after a series of strikes on civilian ships. Because nothing says 'peace process' like 'stop shooting at grain ships, please.'

The alleged leader of the Kinahan organised crime group was extradited from Dubai on Sunday, met by a huge security operation in Dublin, ending a global game of cat and mouse with European, US, and Gulf authorities. Next up: a partial solar eclipse visible across the whole of the UK on Wednesday, with the south-west of England getting the best views. Parts of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain will experience a total eclipse. Because even the sun can't escape the drama.

On Thursday, Clacton-on-sea residents will vote in the byelection Nigel Farage triggered last month, with the Reform leader taking on 33 mostly novelty candidates. Results are expected early Friday. Also on Thursday, the Office for National Statistics will publish UK GDP figures for the second quarter of 2026. Because numbers never lie, but politicians do.