BULGARIA - The Bulgarian parliament has approved an amendment to the national Education Act that would ban the promotion of “non-traditional” sexual relations or orientations, as well as gender changes, in schools or kindergartens. The move, which was supported by most of the legislators in the nation’s parliament, has incited the wrath of LGBT advocacy groups in Bulgaria and the EU, which are demanding that Brussels “take action” against Sofia. The bill passed on Wednesday in two readings following four hours of heated debates, according to the local media. In the second and final reading, 135 members of parliament supported the legislation while 57 voted against it and eight abstained.

GERMANY - Rheinmetall, Germany’s leading arms manufacturer, has announced that it almost doubled its operating profit in the first half of 2024, and now has a record backlog of orders worth more than $50 billion. The company said the Ukraine conflict had “significantly improved business performance.” In a statement on Thursday, the Dusseldorf-based firm said sales in the first half of this year had increased by a third to €3.8 billion ($4.14 billion), while operating profit increased by 91% to €404 million ($440 million). The company’s order book is now worth a record €48.6 billion ($53 billion), the statement boasted. Before the conflict in Ukraine began, sales of parts for the civilian automotive industry accounted for more than a third of Rheinmetall’s business. However, the company’s civilian sales have fallen, while demand for its military products – including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and air-defense systems – have exploded.

JAPAN - Japan has been rocked by a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake, with residents sharing terrifying footage of the chaos it caused. The quake hit on Wednesday, August 7, at 4.42pm local time near Miyazaki city. The United States Geological Survey reports the tremors were felt by approximately 11.2 million people in Japan. A subsequent aftershock measuring 4.8 magnitude also hit about an hour later. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa announced the establishment of a crisis management team in response to recent events at a press briefing. He declared, "We will continue to grasp the extent of damage and closely coordinate with local governments," emphasising the government's commitment to disaster response.

FRANCE - The 2024 Paris Olympics continues to spark controversy for its treatment of the Christian world. After a brazen and insulting opening ceremony mocking Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” with drag queens and unashamed nudity, French authorities are now taking it upon themselves to arrest anyone who dares protest this display. The Christian Post reports six Christians were arrested in Paris on Monday for riding around the city in a bus displaying a message openly against the ceremonies.

UK - Sky News reports that a woman has been arrested by Cheshire Police for posting “inaccurate information on social media” about the attacker who stabbed three girls to death in Southport last week. The 55-year-old woman was arrested near the northern town of Chester on “suspicion of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred and false communications.” Chief Superintendent Allison Ross gave a statement explaining how the post is alleged to have “fueled” the protests and riots in the UK over the last week, which she asserts started as a result of “malicious and inaccurate communications online.”

USA - President Joe Biden perhaps experienced a Freudian slip when questioned about whether he thought there would be a peaceful transfer to the next administration. “Are you confident that there will be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025?” CBS News correspondent Robert Costa asked. “If Trump wins, no I’m not confident at all,” Biden answered before correcting himself, “I mean if Trump loses I’m not confident at all. He means what he says. We don’t take him seriously. He means it. All this stuff about if we lose, there’ll be a bloodbath,” the president continued. At a rally in March, Trump said there would be an economic “bloodbath” in the US auto manufacturing industry if Biden won.

IRAQ - Organizers have planned protests in at least seven provinces on Thursday throughout Iraq in response to the introduction of amendments to a core family legal framework that could legalize child marriages, deprive widows of their inheritance, and facilitate sex slavery. The Iraqi Parliament began to debate amendments to the Personal Status Law on Sunday that would, critics say, effectively dissolve the country’s universal standards to protect women and girls on matters such as consent to marriage, alimony, and custody of children by allowing men to opt out, choosing traditional Shiite or Sunni Islamic mandates, instead.

SWITZERLAND - Just in time for the election! World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced an “emergency” meeting of international experts on Wednesday. The meeting aims to address growing concerns over the monkeypox virus and determine whether the outbreak warrants the highest level of international health alert. Tedros stated that the WHO emergency committee would convene “as soon as possible” to determine whether the outbreak qualifies as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Such a designation would empower him to initiate emergency responses under the International Health Regulations.

USA - A Florida woman was arrested on animal cruelty charges and other counts after allegedly killing another woman’s pet spider by drowning it in a fizzy drink. Ilena Rasmussen, 43, faces counts of animal cruelty and petty theft after ending the life of a jumping spider in a situation that resulted in her being charged on July 29. According to The Miami Herald, Rasmussen’s roommate was the first to notice something wrong, and potentially criminal, had occurred. On July 15, the roommate arrived home to find her pet spider and its enclosure missing entirely. She texted Rasmussen, who gave the roommate some shocking news. “The defendant texted the victim admitting to drowning the jumping spider in ginger ale,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an affidavit, according to the Herald. Because the drowning was allegedly intentional, Rasmussen was hit with the animal cruelty charge. The creepy crawly’s missing enclosure was answered with a petty theft charge.

MIDDLE EAST - Israel is gearing up to launch a decisive strike against its long-time adversary Iran, with expectations of an imminent attack, according to a Middle East expert. Tel Aviv is set to "cut the head off the snake" of Tehran and its extensive network of proxies, Dr Anahita Motazed Rad warned, as they prepare for a coordinated strike that could trigger an all-out war. The Middle East expert explained the likelihood of a retaliatory attack from Iran in response to recent high-profile assassinations allegedly carried out by Israel. These included the killings of two senior Hamas leaders and a Hezbollah commander.

USA - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced Monday night the US was deploying additional fighters, carrier strike groups, ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the region, as Israel awaits retaliation from Iran for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. 'These posture adjustments add to the broad range of capabilities the US military maintains in the region, including the USS Wasp amphibious ready group/Marine expeditionary unit operating in the eastern Mediterranean,' a DOD spokesperson said. Meanwhile, in Washington, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris held an all-hands meeting in the situation room to discuss a response to the attack on Ain al-Assad base. The base in the west of the country was targeted by two Soviet-made Katyusha rockets amid soaring tensions in the Middle East - with Iran threatening to strike Israel as early as Monday night.

USA - California reported its fifth earthquake in just 48 hours, sparking concerns about what could have caused the spate of quakes. The 3.3 magnitude tremor struck 32 miles southeast of Coachella at around 1:39 am PST on Sunday. All five earthquakes have stemmed from Salton City in California which unleashed a swarm of quakes around a 3.0 magnitude that reached El Centro, the largest city in the Imperial Valley, located 42 miles away. The region sits on the southern end of the San Andreas Fault which poses the largest seismic hazard in the state.

USA - The data shows a notable increase in arrivals of illegal newcomers since Biden took office in January 2021. The level of unlawful newcomers has continued to rise under the Democrats, peaking at 400,000 in December 2023. In fact, the end of last year saw six continuous months of illegal aliens outnumbering American births in terms of new residents. Other users highlighted the fact that not all illegal immigrants are accounted for under government data – meaning the numbers are even more bleak than they appear.

UK - Australia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Indonesia, the UAE and India have all advised their citizens to stay away amid riots. Several countries, including Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia, have issued safety warnings to their citizens about travelling to the UK in light of widespread anti-immigration protests across the country. Multiple demonstrations turned violent across Britain over the weekend, as anti-immigration protesters clashed with police following the murder of three children by a teenager of African descent last week. According to media reports, at least five countries have now issued travel warnings to their citizens.

UK - After a 17-year-old of Rwandan migrant heritage. No, sorry. A Welshman born in Cardiff launched a savage knife attack that left three girls dead in Southport. Absolute unbridled chaos unfolded across England. Towns and cities across the nation, angry anti-mass migration demonstrators fought running battles with police, set fire to buildings, and engaged in violent confrontations with left-wing and Muslim counter-demonstrators. In Stoke, mobs of diverse chaps rampaged through the streets looking for revenge. Similar scenes in Bolton where armed gangs chanted Allah-Akbar before targeting lone individuals.