Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes amid fears of a regional escalation,US Sec. of State Antony Blinken traveled to Egypt to discuss a Gaza cease-fire,as reports emerged that negotiations were on the brink of collapse,which the White House denied,and Israeli forces pushed deeper into central and southern Gaza.Meanwhile, a Greek oil tanker was attacked in the Red Sea,the Philippines and China exchanged blame for a coast guard collision in the South China Sea,and Sudan sent a delegation to Cairo for peace talks.In other news, Ukraine made advances in Kursk,a top EU diplomat called for an end to the limits on Ukraine's long-range weapons use,and the US approved a $125M weapons package for Kyiv.Elsewhere, US Pres. Joe Biden allegedly approved a secret nuclear deterrent strategy,Australia and Indonesia finalized a new defense pact,and a US judge blocked a military ban on HIV-positive recruits.

Venezuela's Supreme Court certified Nicolas Maduro's reelection,Argentina's Pres. Javier Milei detailed plans to veto a pension reform bill,and Vietnamese Pres. To Lam made a state visit to China.Meanwhile, Iran's parliament approved the new president's cabinet,thousands protested in Indonesia over the nation's election rules,India's Narendra Modi visited Ukraine,and Ukraine's parliament approved a ban on Moscow-linked churches.In other news, US intelligence alleged that Iran has ramped up its efforts to influence the presidential election,Washington charged a former democracy activist with spying for China,and former Philippine Mayor Alice Guo was accused of conducting surveillance on behalf of Beijing.

The Democratic National Convention began on Monday,which saw Biden give a farewell speech,Tim Walz formally accept the Democratic vice-presidential nomination,and Kamala Harris officially accept the Democratic presidential ticket.This comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump,as the former president gave his first outdoor speech since the attempt on his lifeand accepted a false AI-generated Taylor Swift endorsement,and a report found the crypto industry has made up most of this year's corporate campaign donations.Meanwhile, Harris' campaign took the fundraising lead in July,Georgia approved a new election certification rule,and Republicans asked SCOTUS to lift the stay on Arizona's proof-of-citizenship voting law.In other news, the House GOP accused Biden of impeachable offenses,Hunter Biden's motion to dismiss his tax evasion case was rejected,and Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty to fraud.

Nicaragua outlawed 1.5K non-governmental organizations,and the Taliban barred a UN rights expert from entering Afghanistan,as it enacted a ban on women showing their faces or having their voices heard in public.Meanwhile, the University of California announced a ban on encampments and face masks,a transgender woman won a case against a female-only app in Australia,and a report found that Black children are four times more likely than the overall child population to be strip-searched in England and Wales.

A knife attack in Germany left three dead,two children were killed in a school van shooting in Pakistan,and at least three people died in a school shooting in Bosnia.In other news, Germany upheld the conviction of a former Nazi secretary.

OpenAI and Condé Nast announced a multi-year content deal,Google and California inked a five-year contract to support local journalism,Tesla recalled 9.1K US Model X SUVs,and a labor dispute in Canada saw a massive railroad freight stoppage.

The US government was found to have overreported yearly job gains by 800K,and the UK announced that household energy prices would rise by 10% in October.

A study found that the human body's aging accelerates significantly at around 44 and 60 years old,and the world's oldest known living person passed away at 117.

British tech magnate Mike Lynch was among six people confirmed deadafter a superyacht sank off Sicily's coast.

A study warned that heat-related deaths in Europe may triple by the end of the century.

India's lunar mission found remnants of a magma ocean on the Moon.

Scientists claimed samples from the Shroud of Turin supported the notion that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was a real historical event..