First thing: Blinken arrives in Israel for last-minute Gaza ceasefire talks | US news

Good morning.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel for final negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza amid fears that the war could quickly spread if Iran and Hezbollah retaliate against Israel.

Israeli and Hamas officials suggested that a breakthrough in the talks may not be as close as international mediators – the US, Qatar and Egypt – had indicated last week when they announced that a “bridge proposal” had been agreed. The talks are expected to resume in Cairo on Wednesday or Thursday, with the US eager to say a deal has been reached as Washington looks toward elections in November.

But both sides have blamed each other for delaying a deal. Hamas has repeatedly demanded that all Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza to end the war, while Israel has been unwilling to agree to more than a temporary pause in the fighting.

Biden may give swan song at Democratic convention amid Gaza protests

Joe Biden will address the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday night, possibly his last time in the spotlight as the US president faces protests over the war in Gaza.

Tens of thousands of protesters are expected in Chicago to demand that the US end military aid to Israel over the war in Gaza, where the Health Ministry says the death toll last week exceeded 40,000. Sunday’s protests also focused on LGBTQ+ and abortion rights.

In his speech, Biden is expected to return to well-trodden ground: the importance of defending democracy against Donald Trump, while presenting Kamala Harris as the ideal presidential candidate. The event will celebrate his half-century-long career in politics as a senator, vice president and president.

Kursk raid aimed at creating buffer zone to protect Ukraine, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the aim of his army’s military incursion into the Russian region of Kursk is to create a buffer zone to prevent attacks from Moscow across the border.

The first time Kiev has explicitly outlined the purpose of the military operation, Zelensky said in his late-night speech on Sunday: “Our primary task now in defensive operations is to destroy as much of Russia’s war potential as possible and to carry out maximum counteroffensive actions. This includes creating a buffer zone on the territory of the aggressor – our operation in the Kursk region.”

According to Oleksii Drozdenko, the head of the military administration in the Ukrainian city of Sumy, Ukrainian troops captured more than 150 Russian prisoners of war during the invasion of Kursk, which began on August 6.

In other news…

• Chinese and Philippine vessels collided on Monday during a confrontation near a disputed sandbank in the South China Sea. the two countries said, blaming each other.

• An epidemic of violence in the Caribbean is being fueled by criminal gangs, arms trafficking and a deteriorating social structures, according to a joint statement by leaders in the region.

• Seven people, including Americans and other foreigners, are missing after a yacht sinks off the coast of Italy with 22 people on board.

• Black children in England and Wales are four times more likely to be strip-searched by police than with white children, according to the latest official figures.

Stat of the Day: Wealth Tax on Super-Rich Could Raise $2 Trillion worldwide, campaigners say

Governments around the world could raise more than $2 trillion by copying Spain’s wealth tax on the super-rich, campaign group Tax Justice Network has said. The group argues that a global tax should be levied on the top 0.5% of richest households at a rate of between 1.7% and 3.5% to help pay for the climate transition.

Don’t Miss This: Can We Learn to Travel Without Angering the Locals?

Overtourism – with its housing squeeze, distorted local character and environmental implications – has been in the spotlight of late, with protests in several European locations. What can travellers who want to see the world do to make their holidays more ethical? It starts by visiting fewer places and spending more time there, argues Paige McClanahan, author of The New Tourist.

Climate Check: Drought destroys Sicily’s agricultural heritage

As much as 70% of Sicily is at risk of desertification due to the climate crisis, according to Italy’s National Research Council. While tourists continue to flock to Sicily, boosting income but also demand for water, drought is driving young Sicilian farmers away from the largest island in the Mediterranean, which recorded a record high of 120F (48.8C) in 2021 – the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe.

Last thing: Chatbot interrupts Google executive during Australian Senate hearing on AI

Google CEO Lucinda Longcroft was delivering her opening statement on the introduction of artificial intelligence at an Australian Senate committee hearing when she was rudely interrupted … by an AI chatbot. The intervention prompted a senator to ask Longcroft if AI was helping the CEO answer questions, which she denied. Watch, and shudder, here.

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