SPAIN - Spain’s political crisis has reached new levels after parliament rejected Pedro Sanchez’s bid to be confirmed as Prime Minister. The Socialist Worker’s Party leader was unable to reach an agreement with the left-wing United We Can party to form a coalition. Spain is the fifth largest economy in the Eurozone and has now increased uncertainty across the continent, as it now faces its second election in four months - and fourth since 2015. Mr Sanchez, 47, and his socialist party had won a snap election in April, but fell short of an absolute majority.

USA - A guided-missile cruiser has sailed through the Taiwan Strait just a day after the Chinese military criticized Washington for “adding complexity to regional security” and warned it to stay clear of the island. The transit of USS Antietam (CG-54) through the narrow waterway “demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Commander Clay Doss, a spokesman for the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, said, stressing that the US will continue to conduct their 'freedom of navigation' voyages, which Beijing has repeatedly condemned. The Chinese military warned the US to stay clear of Taiwan on Wednesday, vowing to use force, if necessary, to prevent any attempts to split the island from the mainland. “The PLA will resolutely defeat anyone attempting to separate Taiwan from China and safeguard national unity at all costs,” the newly released white paper on national defense stressed.

USA - Shock Survey: 12% Of US Corn Farmers Didn’t Get Their Crops Planted, 48% Expect “Below-Average Yields This Harvest”. Crops all over America are failing, and the true extent of this crisis is starting to become clearer. Months of endless rain and nightmarish flooding prevented many farmers in the middle of the country from getting their crops planted on time, and millions of acres didn’t get planted at all. And if all that wasn’t enough, this month record high temperatures have been absolutely brutal for vulnerable young crops across the Midwest. We shall see how the rest of the summer goes, but at this point it appears that yields are going to be way, way below expectations, and that has very serious implications for all of us.

USA - If what some experts are telling us is true, a global food crisis appears to be inevitable. Even during good years we have a really difficult time feeding everyone on the planet, and now a major climate shift appears to be happening. Our sun has become exceedingly quiet, and many experts believe that this is a sign that a solar minimum is now upon us. Of course we have seen solar minimums happen quite regularly in the past, and if this is just a normal solar minimum then conditions should begin to return to normal after a couple of years.

MIDDLE EAST - Hopefully it doesn't lead to a 'let's roll!' moment at the White House, where super-hawk national security adviser John Bolton has no doubt been itching for escalation: moments ago Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister announced military forces will "secure" the Strait of Hormuz. Iran will "not allow disturbance in shipping in this sensitive area" Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying in state media, while leading a delegation to Paris, Reuters reports. However, it's unclear at this point how far Iran is willing to go in this escalating game of chicken with the US and UK - both of which have warships and other military assets in the gulf region.

IRAN - Iran has again rejected the prospect of new negotiations with the White House "under any circumstances," according to an interview with Supreme Leader Ayotallah Ali Khamenei’s Military Adviser Hossein Dehghan, cited in Al Jazeera. The Islamic Republic's top military adviser further warned Iran and its regional allies will target all American bases in the region should the US launch war planes, while reiterating Iran's ability to block the vital Strait of Hormuz to global oil transit. Everyone must be able to freely transit the Persian Gulf waterway or no one at all, Dehghan warned.

USA - Dr Drew Pinsky said Friday that Los Angeles faces an imminent outbreak of bubonic plague because of the growth of the homeless population and the failure of state and local authorities to deal with rodent problems. Dr Drew told Adams that he had predicted the recent typhus outbreak in Los Angeles, which was carried by rats, transferred by fleas to pets, and from pets to humans. Bubonic plague, Dr Drew said, like typhus, is endemic to the region, and can spread to humans from rodents in a similar fashion. Though commonly recognized as the medieval disease responsible for the Black Death in the fourteenth century, which killed one-third of the population of Europe, the last outbreak of bubonic plague in the US was nearly a century ago, from 1924 to 1925 — also in Los Angeles. Only a “heroic effort” by doctors stopped it, Dr Drew recalled, warning that conditions were perfect for another outbreak of the plague in the near future.

MIDDLE EAST - It is funny – for decades we have never had any problems with commercial ships passing through the Persian Gulf, but all of a sudden it has become a major flashpoint. The Iranians are now warning that they plan to “secure” the Strait of Hormuz, and meanwhile a plan for a European-led naval task force to confront the Iranians is rapidly coming together. The seizure of a British tanker a few days ago really rattled British officials, and they are determined to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. Of course the more the Persian Gulf region becomes saturated with military assets, the more likely it is that a “mistake” will happen, and it sure won’t take much of a spark to start World War 3 at this point. Today, close to 20 percent of all the oil produced in the entire world passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and that makes it an exceedingly important waterway.

USA - All that money does not appear to be translating into better results for US students. According to the Washington thinktank the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), the average student in Singapore is 3.5 years ahead of her US counterpart in maths, 1.5 years ahead in reading and 2.5 in science. Children in countries as diverse as Canada, China, Estonia, Germany, Finland, Netherland, New Zealand and Singapore consistently outrank their US counterparts on the basics of education. The average US student is almost a year behind the average OECD student in maths education; the average student in Singapore is 3.5 years ahead of her US counterpart.

UK - Three brothers have received up to £500,000 in legal aid after raping children in Rotherham – while dozens of their victims have yet to receive any compensation. Arshid, Basharat and Bannaras Hussain – known as Mad Ash, Bash and Bono – pleaded poverty despite running a petrol station, takeaways and an egg farm that supplies supermarkets, alongside owning a number of properties and were awarded £370,000 in legal aid for their costs in the 2016 crown court trial. This does not include other magistrates hearings and family court battles which experts say could tot up to £100,000 more. Survivors have called the payout “outrageous” and “immoral”. Some girls were just 11 years old when they were raped, tied up and tortured and passed between abusers. Ringleader Arshid, 42, was jailed for 35 years, Basharat 25 years, and Bannaras was given 19 years.

USA/UK - Medical professionals in the US and UK are sounding the alarm about the growing use of “hormonal and surgical interventions” for children who are confused about their gender identity, saying that more studies are required.

USA - Americans may want to think twice before that next summer swim. Many of the country’s idyllic beaches conceal a filthy secret below the sand and waves: dangerous levels of bacteria that put thousands of bathers at risk every year. In a recently published study conducted by the Environment America Research and Policy Center, researchers found that the water at beaches in 29 coastal and Great Lakes states contained concentrations of bacteria well in excess of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards – including the harmful organisms that inhabit human feces – which they said could sicken millions of beachgoers annually. “It’s hard to believe that 47 years after we passed the Clean Water Act that we are still concerned with poop in the water when people want to go swimming,” John Rumpler, clean water program director for the center, told USA Today.

USA - President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with the ongoing war in Afghanistan at a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan on Monday. “We’ve been there 19 years in Afghanistan. It’s ridiculous,” Trump said. “We’ve been in there not fighting to win. … They’re building gas stations. They’re rebuilding schools. The United States, we shouldn’t be doing that. That’s for them to do.” “If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don’t want to kill ten million people,” Trump said. “If I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth. It would be over in literally ten days.”

EUROPE - Europeans cooled off in public fountains Wednesday as a new heat wave spread across parts of the continent and was already breaking records. Belgium and Germany registered their highest-ever temperatures, while the Netherlands saw its hottest day in 75 years. And the mercury is expected to rise even further. Paris and other parts of France could see temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F) on Thursday along with Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland. The heat is putting pressure on authorities to help protect the elderly and the sick. Air conditioning is not common at homes, offices, schools or hospitals in European cities. The weather is also aggravating droughts since it hasn’t rained much in many parts of Europe this summer. The combination of heat, wind and possible lightning from thunderstorms also increases the risk of wildfires.

UK - The Queen could be forced into the Brexit melee when a new Prime Minister is installed, as those on both sides of the debate turn to the monarch as a final hope. Mr Johnson and his team have caused alarm among some Tories over the potential to prorogue Parliament and force through a no deal Brexit, which has been blocked in a vote of MPs. And it seems he might soon need to turn to the Queen to intervene, breaking a centuries-old tradition of a non-political monarchy.