A US gun company is facing a backlash for producing a pistol that looks like a children’s toy made of Lego. Culper Precision said its customised Glock weapon, named Block19, was developed to “highlight the pure enjoyment of the shooting sports”. But Danish toymaker Lego has written to the company demanding that it stop producing the weapon, which is covered in what looks like Lego bricks. Gun control campaigners described the pistol as irresponsible and dangerous. Shannon Watts, of the Everytown for Gun Safety campaign group, said her organisation had contacted Lego about the customised Block19 last week, and that the Danish company had then sent a “cease and desist” letter to Culper Precision. Ms Watts also criticised the gun company, which is based in Utah, saying there was a risk that children may be drawn to use firearms “even when guns don’t look like toys”.(BBC)…[+]

The Taliban are reported to have raised their flag above a key border post between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and claim it is now under their control. Videos being shared on social media show the white flag fluttering above the Spin Boldak crossing near Kandahar. Afghan officials have denied the post has fallen, although pictures on social media show the militants chatting to Pakistani border guards. The BBC has been told the Taliban took the border crossing with no resistance. In recent weeks, the militants have made rapid advances across the country, seizing a series of border posts from Afghan forces, including crossings with Iran, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It comes as the US withdraws its forces from Afghanistan ahead of an 11 September deadline set by President Joe Biden.(BBC)…[+]

The Taliban have captured a major border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran, according to Afghan officials. Video footage appeared to show Taliban forces taking down the Afghan flag from the roof of the border customs office. The Islam Qala crossing is one of the biggest trade gateways into Iran, generating an estimated $20m (£14m) monthly revenue for the government. The Taliban are rapidly retaking land across Afghanistan as the US-led mission removes the last of its troops. Taliban officials say they have taken control of 85% of territory in Afghanistan – a claim impossible to independently verify and disputed by the government.(BBC)…[+]

A teenage basketball prodigy has become the first African American to win the US Scripps National Spelling Bee. Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from New Orleans, Louisiana, cruised to victory with the word “murraya”, a type of tropical tree. To get to that point she had to spell out “querimonious” and “solidungulate”. Despite practising for up to seven hours a day, she describes spelling as a side hobby – Zaila’s main focus is on becoming a basketball pro. She already holds three world records for dribbling multiple balls at once, and has appeared in an advertisement with the NBA megastar Stephen Curry. Zaila saw off a field of 11 finalists on Thursday to win the title and bagged a first-place prize of $50,000 (£36,000) at the event in Orlando, Florida. In the final round, she beat 12-year-old Chaitra Thummala of Frisco, Texas.(BBC)…[+]

All nine people have died on board an aeroplane carrying skydivers, that crashed in Sweden, police say. The plane was carrying eight skydivers and a pilot when it crashed close to the runway at Orebro airport, about 160km (100 miles) west of Stockholm, on Thursday. The crash is thought to have happened as the plane was taking off. “It’s a very severe accident,” Swedish police said on their website. “Everyone on board the crashed plane has died.” The small propeller plane, a DHC-2 Beaver, had been rented by a local skydiving club for a summer event, local media reported. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven offered his condolences. “It is with great sadness and sorrow that I have received the tragic information about the plane crash in Orebro,” he tweeted. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families and loved ones in this very difficult time.” (BBC)…[+]

Afghan troops have recaptured government buildings in a western city which was attacked by the Taliban, officials say. On Wednesday, the Taliban entered Qala-e-Naw, the first direct assault on a provincial capital since the US began pulling out its last troops. Air strikes were used and special forces deployed to push the fighters back, Reuters news agency said. The Taliban have been making gains as the US and allies pull out. “The enemy suffered heavy casualties and now we are advancing and driving the enemy out,” special forces commander Sayed Nezami said, according to Reuters.(BBC)…[+]

Russia has offered North Korea Covid vaccines once again, amid reports that a harsh lockdown is leading to extreme hunger. Pyongyang has refused vaccines and aid from a number of countries. It has instead sealed borders to try and keep the virus out but that has affected trade with China. It relies on Beijing for food, fertiliser and fuel. Kim Jong-un has acknowledged that the country is facing food shortages, describing the situation as “tense”. He made the comments last month and also told citizens to prepare for the “worst ever outcome” which has invoked comparisons to a deadly famine in the 1990s. International trade sanctions are believed to have further put pressure on food supplies.(BBC)…[+]

EU pressure on Hungary has intensified over a new law banning the depiction or promotion of homosexuality for the under-18s. MEPs are expected to vote shortly for a resolution urging the EU to speed up legal action over Hungary’s law. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the law was “a disgrace” which contradicted “basic EU values”. Hungarian PM Viktor Orban hit back, saying school policy was a matter for Hungary, not “Brussels bureaucrats”. “Whatever they do, we will not allow [LGBT+] activists into our children’s kindergartens and schools,” he said. The EU has the power to reduce budget allocations to a member state seen to have breached the EU’s rule-of-law standards.(BBC)…[+]

The Taliban have entered a key city in western Afghanistan as they continue a rapid advance before Nato troops leave. All government officials in Qala-e-Naw, provincial capital of Badghis province, had been moved to a nearby army base, the local governor told the BBC. He said the militants were moving “towards the centre of the city” and there was heavy fighting with government troops. The Taliban gains come as the US, UK and allies withdraw after 20 years. The vast majority of remaining foreign forces in Afghanistan have left ahead of an 11 September deadline, leaving the Afghan military in sole charge of security. Local sources have told the BBC the Taliban moved on the prison in Qala-e-Naw and freed about 400 inmates, including more than 100 of the group’s fighters.(BBC)…[+]

North America experienced its warmest June on record, according to the EU’s Earth observation programme. That will come as no surprise given the unprecedentedly high temperatures recently recorded during the heatwave that hit Canada and parts of the US. But UK residents may be startled to learn that despite the rain and cloud they experienced, it was the second warmest June on record for Europe. It was also the fourth warmest June ever recorded worldwide. Copernicus, the EU’s Earth observation programme, produces its figures for world temperatures from computer-generated analyses using billions of measurements from satellites, aircraft and weather stations around the world. Climate experts say the findings point to a frightening escalation in temperature extremes. “We are getting used to record high temperatures being recorded somewhere around the world every year now,” says Prof Peter Stott of the UK Met Office.(BBC)…[+]