La Liga officials are set to carry out a pitch inspection at Celta Vigo’s Estadio de Balaidos following a suspected fungus outbreak.
Celta are due to host Osasuna on Sunday night in their opening match of the 2026-27 season, kicking off at 20:30 BST.
Following reports in Spain of the outbreak, sources close to La Liga have told BBC Sport that the league are due to visit the 24,870-capacity stadium in Vigo in the next 24 hours to assess if the match can be played as scheduled.
The pitch is said to have been hit by a fungus infection that has damaged the playing surface, with Celta Vigo believed to have requested that the match is postponed.
Meanwhile, opponents Osasuna are said to be open to playing the fixture as scheduled.
Spain’s national team played a friendly against Iraq at the Esadio de Balaidos in June ahead of their successful 2026 World Cup-winning campaign over the summer.
The stadium has been undergoing renovation works for more than a decade, with it planned to be among the 11 Spanish stadia used to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Morocco.
Once renovation works are completed, the arena is set to increase its capacity to between 40,000 and 44,000.
Celta originally had the option to postpone the match due to striker Borja Iglesias reaching the World Cup final with Spain, but opted not too.
Three La Liga matches that were due to be played on the opening weekend, Valencia v Real Betis, Real Madrid v Real Sociedad and Barcelona v Athletic Club, have all been rescheduled for later in the month due to clubs having players involved in the World Cup final.
In 2021, when HBO Max’s “Hacks” first introduced us to fading Vegas comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), we briefly met Vance’s hyper-devoted young talent manager Jimmy LuSaque Jr. (Paul W. Downs) and Kayla Schaeffer (Megan Stalter), the braying, inept assistant foisted upon him. Over the years this turbulent pairing found its groove, opening their own agency while Kayla discovered boundaries (sort of). By “Hacks’” fifth and final season, which concluded this spring, a growing Jimmy-Kayla fan base was clamoring for a spinoff. “We’re not doing it, but I wish,” says Stalter as she sits beside Downs during a video call from Hudson Yards in Midtown Manhattan. “I think it would work.”
These days, Stalter, who is nominated for supporting actress in a comedy, is making her Broadway debut as the campily reimagined Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!” Meanwhile, Downs, who is also co-creator, co-showrunner, writer and director on “Hacks,” is nominated for supporting actor, writing and comedy series (as executive producer). Is there a dream of a future project in which he wears just one hat? “I love doing all the jobs,” says Downs, who started out as a writer-performer. “But I’d love to do a superhero so that I could just work on my nutrition, my fitness and my lines.”
Paul, one early Megan sighting was her stand-up act at Echo Park’s Little Joy. What about her made you think you’d found your Kayla?
Downs: She’s so singular and funny. It’s like stream of consciousness and yet also material. We’d written the part before we’d seen Meg, but [after seeing] her in person, I came back to my co-creator, Jen Statsky, and I said, “It’s hers to lose.” There’s something about her that’s fearless, uninhibited.
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Meg, correct me if I’m wrong, but your first “Hacks” audition involved a dark, blurry self-tape.
Stalter: It wasn’t that well shot. My brother was filming, and he does a good job, but his apartment in New York was really slanted and there’s lots of dogs running around. I was in a weird outfit. And that’s where I did my self-tape.
Was submitting a bad self-tape part of a strategy to land the role?
Stalter: I didn’t know [the tape] was bad until years later when I watched it. [Laughs] I was a really experienced performer — I’d done stand-up and improv for nine, eight years. But I wasn’t experienced with auditioning. This part was the first thing I ever read where I was like, “I can see myself in this.” I really, really wanted it. I really tried hard to prepare for the audition.
When did it become clear that a Kayla/Jimmy scene has its own oscillating frequency?
Downs: Even before we started, there was just inherent chemistry. I think we just really tickled each other. But, not, I mean, physically.
Stalter and Downs with Earl Brown, right, in “Hacks.”
When Jimmy is passionately advocating for something and Kayla is in the same frame, she’s often gesticulating, scrunching up her face or emitting noises like “pffffft.” But it never comes off as scene-stealing. How? Why?
Stalter: I can’t help but do it. Kayla’s so expressive. Even if I’m not talking, my face is doing a lot. Kayla can’t hide her feelings.
Downs: To know when not to derail something is a very hard thing to do. But Meg is a true comedian in that she understands not only how to improvise within the lane of the scene, but also the give and take.
Stalter: You’re going to make me cry.
Downs: She gets the comedy, the music of it. It’s like Mozart.
Stalter: [sob-choked voice] Stop. I’m not Mozart. You’re Mozart. And if I’m Mozart, then you’re Beethoven. And I don’t know why I’m crying.
Megan Stalter.(David Urbanke / For The Times)
In comedies, personal reps are always outrageous hustlers. Why take on the challenge of finding laughs in a manager who instead is sensitive, kindhearted?
Downs: We wanted to subvert what you’ve seen on TV before in terms of a manager. There’s also so many big personalities on the show. You need a counterbalance to that. One of the reasons we started to lean more and more into Jimmy working hard, being earnest, doing the right thing, is because he was in some moments the voice of the audience, the person that was grounded [amid] the chaos around him.
Was there a specific moment when it dawned on the “Hacks” team that Jimmy and Kayla deserved more airtime?
Downs: It was certainly something we felt. There was so much feedback. At a certain point, we were seeing people online saying, “Where are Jimmy and Kayla in this episode?” “Hacks” is about duos, but it was this particular duo that people really responded to. And then executives started to come and visit on days we were shooting. There were those kinds of little signals that happened.
True or false? When Meg graduated to series regular in Season 3, Paul insisted she be paid the same amount of money as him.
Stalter: [Surprised] Who told you that? Who told you that? [leans over and puts her head on Downs’shoulder] That’s so nice. Thank you!
Downs: I’ve never said this before, but it was important to me that Meg and I had parity. So I said, “I don’t want to be paid more than her.” You can’t have Jimmy without Kayla. Or you can. But it won’t be as funny.
Stalter: Well, the first season I was paying to be on the show. [Laughs]
Downs: Yeah, we charged. So I felt bad.
Paul W. Downs.(David Urbanke / For The Times)
Who came up with the idea of using your red carpet appearances to send up celebrity culture? The costumes alone!
Downs: I’ll speak for myself, but [near the end of our final season] I started to get scared about not performing with Meg. And it was thrilling and exciting. It’s like doing improv and sketch when you first started. It’s so fun.
A highlight: Striking poses in orange leather ensembles identical to the matching attire worn by Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at the “Marty Supreme” premiere.
Stalter: It’s my favorite idea, but it wasn’t mine.
Downs: [“Hacks” producer] Genevieve Aniello said, “You guys should do something ‘Marty Supreme.’ Look at these outfits.’” And Meg was bold enough to be like, “We should do it at the Critics Choice Awards.” And I was like, “That’s in six days. That’s insane.” And Meg was like, “We’re going to get it done.”
Was there any blowback?
Stalter: We were at the SAG Awards and we walked past Timothée and I said, [singsongy voice] “Hey, it’s us…” And he goes, “Oh, should we get a picture?” He was so nice. But I then realized that he thought we came up for a picture.
Downs: But we weren’t, we were just walking to our seats. [Laughs] That night his publicist came over and showed us her phone. She’d sent him a photograph of us and he’d written back “incredible.”
Stalter: It was in lowercase.
Downs: It wasn’t screaming “INCREDIBLE,” just “incredible.” I said, “Oh good, he’s not upset.” And she was like, “No, he loves it.”
Aug. 12 (UPI) — President Donald Trump confirmed he was smuggled off Air Force One and secretly boarded onto a different aircraft before departing the NATO Summit in Turkey for a flight to a British air base in July, amid a possible threat on his life.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday night, Trump said the decision to make the switch in Ankara was made by the “Secret Service and the military.”
“I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane. I just have to do what they say,” he said.
NBC News said it had confirmation of reports that after apparently boarding Air Force One as normal, Trump was moved, secreted in a catering truck, to an unmarked VIP transport aircraft for the first leg of the July 8 flight back to the United States, via RAF Mildenhall.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained on board and the press corps accompanying Trump and most White House staffers flew the leg on Air Force One unaware that Trump was not present, but Trump dismissed questions over whether leaving them aboard the decoy aircraft may have placed them in harm’s way.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk. I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for,” said Trump, without saying why that might be the case.
Trump said he didn’t delve too much into the threat but he said he was “not surprised” he had been targeted, saying it was an occupational hazard for any president who was getting results.
“Any consequential president has a lot of threats,” he said.
NBC said it had been told by a U.S. official the switch was due to credible intelligence of an Iranian threat to kill Trump, possibly using a shoulder-fired missile launcher to attack Air Force One as it departed Ankara.
Other reports said U.S. intelligence had information of a person with a shoulder-fired missile launcher seen near where the summit was being held.
“As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats,” the White House said in a statement to ABC News.
Trump said at the time he would take the original Air Force One and not the new one provided by Qatar because he was sending it to Mildenhall for U.S. service members to tour.
However, the sequence of events was that Trump boarded Air Force One in view of the cameras in Ankara, clandestinely switched to the C-32 carrying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for the flight to Britain. Once on the ground at Mildenhall, the maneuver was reversed and Trump emerged from Air Force One as if he’d been aboard the whole time.
Administration officials, even Hegseth, reportedly were unaware of the ruse until afterward.
Trump subsequently switched onto the new Qatari-gifted “Air Force One” for the rest of the flight back to Washington.
President Donald Trump hosts Olympic and Paralympic medal-winning athletes during a reception for Team USA in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. The reception honored the team’s medal achievements during this year’s Winter Games, where American athletes earned 57 total medals, including 25 gold. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
Three-quarters of the world has abolished the death penalty in law or in practice, according to Amnesty International.
Published On 12 Aug 202612 Aug 2026
Lebanon has become the first country in the Middle East to abolish the death penalty.
On Tuesday, a majority of the 128-member parliament voted in favour of scrapping capital punishment. Death sentences will be replaced with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour.
Lebanon has observed an unofficial moratorium on executions since January 2004, but its courts have continued to issue dozens of death sentences.
At the end of 2025, 85 people were facing death sentences, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Justice’s Directorate of Prisons.
Which countries still have the death penalty?
According to the latest Amnesty International report on death sentences and executions, as of December, close to three-quarters of the world’s countries had abolished the death penalty in law or practice, meaning they have not carried out executions for the past 10 years.
Some countries have abolished the death penalty for “ordinary crimes” only, which refers to exceptional crimes such as those committed under military law or those committed in exceptional circumstances
Overall, this includes:
Abolition for all crimes: 113 countries
Abolition for ordinary crimes only: nine countries
Abolition in practice: 23 countries
Retention: 54 countries
The map below highlights where each country stands on capital punishment:
Amnesty International’s monitoring of worldwide use of the death penalty recorded 2,707 executions in 2025, up 78 percent from 1,518 in 2024. Amnesty attributed that spike primarily to executions in Iran, which more than doubled from 972 in 2024 to at least 2,159 in 2025.
Amnesty’s figures exclude what it says are thousands of executions that have been carried out in China. Executions were carried out in 17 countries, consistent with the historical lows seen since 2018.
Emmerdale spoilers have dropped the biggest hint yet about how Dawn Taylor leaves the ITV soap after eight years, with actress Olivia Bromley said to be axed from the show
11:16, 12 Aug 2026Updated 11:16, 12 Aug 2026
Emmerdale’s Billy and Dawn’s escape bid thwarted
How Dawn is leaving Emmerdale may have been exposed in new spoilers.
If this is her exit storyline, she might not be leaving alone. At least one character could exit the soap with her, with another three characters also tipped to depart the village.
It was reported earlier this year that Dawn was leaving the show after eight years, with actress Olivia Bromley axed. The soap and actress Olivia have not commented on whether the exit is happening, but reports suggest she will leave soon.
Now, new spoilers have confirmed an exit plan that would see Dawn leave the village for good. With pregnant Dawn believing her fiancé Joe Tate attacked and nearly killed her ex Billy Fletcher, she makes a huge decision.
Despite a wedding on the way for her and Joe, Dawn decides she can’t be with him if he’s attacked Billy. Of course she has no idea that Joe is innocent, and did not attack Billy, having been set up.
That said, she and Billy decide to leave together with the kids, Lucas, Clemmie and Evan. They plot to escape with the help of Billy’s boss, and Joe’s nemesis, Caleb Miligan.
With the offer of passports and money to start their new live away from Joe and the village, Dawn and Billy are adamant they need to go. So this spoiler appears to confirm an exit for them – but does it happen?
There’s no news on an exit for Billy or any of the children just yet. So is this something that the soap are trying to keep under wraps, and can we expect five exits if this plan goes ahead?
It certainly teases Dawn’s exit, as she’s literally deciding to leave the village for good. If Caleb sticks to his word and helps them, amid her wedding to Joe, it could see her exit the show with Billy, and the kids, and therefore pave the way for actress Olivia’s departure.
Of course there’s every chance the plan might not go ahead or might be rumbled. A recent promo teased the wedding episodes, with Dawn, Billy and Joe featuring in an eerie clip.
Dawn is sat at a mirror, with the reflection showing Joe and Billy either side of her. One by one both men, and then Dawn, disappear with a chilling noise heard each time.
When the promo video ends, Dawn appears to be crying with the mirror fractured. Not only that, but fans noticed Dawn wearing a black veil, leaving them wondering if a death will air.
If European states seize vessels with Russian cargo, Moscow will respond in kind ‘wherever necessary’, says Putin.
Published On 12 Aug 202612 Aug 2026
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has threatened to seize European vessels if European states follow through on plans to seize more commercial ships with Russian cargo.
Putin delivered the warning on Wednesday while on board a Russian cruiser off the Pacific island of Sakhalin, where Russia’s navy was conducting a drill. He said Russia would be ready to carry out its own seizures “wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate,” according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
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The statement comes after several European countries intercepted ships suspected of being part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet”, carrying Russian oil in contravention of European sanctions.
New sanctions passed last month permit European Union members to sell the oil or any other cargo seized from the ships.
Putin appeared to reference the sanctions, saying some countries are trying to “restrict the movement of vessels belonging to our economic operators” and recently “came up with the idea of possibly seizing our ships and selling off property stolen from us”.
“If these plans are put into practice, we will have to respond in kind,” Putin said in comments carried by Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency, calling the moves “piracy and robbery”.
He said “relevant instructions” had already been delivered to Russia’s Ministry of Defence and Pacific Fleet, the naval fleet responsible for Russia’s maritime military interests in the Pacific.
NATO ‘making inroads in Asia Pacific’
Putin also accused the NATO military alliance of making inroads into the Asia Pacific region and heightening tension in the Arctic. “NATO is making inroads into the region, new military-political blocs are being formed, and new weapons systems that pose a threat to Russia are being deployed or are slated for deployment,” the Russian leader said.
Russia’s naval exercises in the West Pacific come a week before joint US-South Korean war games, designed to simulate a possible invasion from North Korea.
Tensions are high in the region amid accusations from Kyiv and Seoul that Pyongyang and Moscow are further intensifying their military cooperation.
On Tuesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using North Korean missiles in a deadly air raid across Ukraine. A day earlier, he had warned that Moscow was receiving more ballistic projectiles and troops from its ally Pyongyang, a development he said posed dangers not only for Ukraine but for countries in East Asia.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has already sent thousands of troops and plentiful supplies of weapons to support Putin’s four-year invasion.
The popular TV personality has been appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this week, alongside various stars. Kerry arrived in the studio to discuss various topical news stories with hosts Kate Garraway, Richard Madeley and Ranvir Singh.
Kerry returned to screens on Wednesday (August 12), where she was joined by Richard, Ranvir and Nigel Havers. The group reflected on several of the day’s biggest stories, including the solar eclipse, Taron Egerton’s estrangement from his dad, and Coleen Nolan’s new boyfriend.
At the end of the segment, Richard said: “Nice chatting with you, but we’ve got to move on. Thank you very much indeed.”
Kerry enthusiastically replied: “Thank you!” Richard then asked if they’d be back tomorrow, before Kerry confirmed: “No. This is my last day today,” as she hugged Nigel.
Fans will likely be devastated to learn that Kerry won’t be returning to the sofa, after many expressed their delight at seeing her on the programme.
A viewer previously wrote on Instagram: “Loved you both on GMB you [have] been a daily tonic.”
Another added: “Love watching you on GMB,” while a third said: “Oh I love you, you crack me up x your cheeky love and your love of life x b***** amazing.”
A fourth viewer echoed the sentiment, saying: “You were absolutely fantastic sweetheart. Just real and saying it like it is…… and, you looked beautiful, too!” Someone else commented: “Great to see you on this morning Kerry. Lovely outfit. You brighten the show up, you’re so funny and great personality. Love all your work babe keep shining.”
Ahead of her final GMB appearance, Kerry took to her Instagram Stories to thank the team for making her feel so welcome.
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“Good morning everybody. It’s eclipse day and it’s also my last day this week on Good Morning Britain,” she began.
“I just want to say I’ve had a fabulous time. Half the time I don’t know what I’m talking about and I’m winging it, but it’s been great. And I hope that I’ve made lots of people smile and I’ve brought a little bit of joy and silliness to people’s lives via the TV.
“So, today’s my last day, it’s been amazing, I’ve really enjoyed it. A big shout out to everyone at Good Morning Britain. The make-up artists, hair stylists, the runners, the producers, everyone! You’ve all been great, I’ve really enjoyed it.
“And today, I’m on with our Nigel, and I can’t bloomin wait! It’s because I’ve missed him, he makes me chuckle. So, make sure you’re all tuning in to Good Morning Britain today, around about 9ish. And it’s an eclipse day, it’s going to be a very full on, full day. Have a wonderful and blessed day!”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am
Former France and Manchester United star Paul Pogba suffers latest injury setback, sparking rumours about his future with Monaco.
Published On 12 Aug 202612 Aug 2026
Paul Pogba’s future with Monaco could be in doubt after he suffered another injury setback.
The former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder suffered a new injury to his left thigh on Tuesday during the first day of Monaco’s training camp in England.
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The 2018 French World Cup winner suffered the injury as the Ligue 1 club trained at the English national football centre at St George’s Park after beating Liverpool in a friendly on Sunday.
The 33-year-old midfielder was only returning to group training after a long spell of right-knee problems.
Pogba has played only one half of football for Monaco in this preseason.
According to several sources close to the matter, the new injury shows Pogba is some way off the level of fitness required to begin the French league season.
There has been widespread speculation that Monaco have begun talks with Pogba’s representatives about buying the player out of the remainder of his contract, which is set to expire at the end of the new season.
Paul Pogba was part of the France team that won the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018 [Darren Staples/AFP]
After serving 18 months of a four-year ban for doping, Pogba played just six Ligue 1 matches for Monaco last season, totalling 115 minutes on the pitch.
Pogba started his career with United in the English Premier League before the manager at the time, Sir Alex Ferguson, released the midfielder on a free transfer in 2012 after a dispute with the player’s agent.
Juventus stepped in for the then 19-year-old, and he won four consecutive Serie A titles with them and reached the Champions League final before re-joining United in 2016 for a world record transfer fee at the time of $120.2m.
He returned to Juventus on another free transfer in 2022 before his release in 2024, during his ban. Monaco stepped in to hand the Seine-et-Marne-born player his first taste of senior football in his home country in 2025.
Pogba’s last appearance for France came in 2022, in a 5-0 victory over South Africa in an international friendly. It was the last of his 91 caps, during which he scored 11 goals for the team.
His World Cup-winning moment came with France when they defeated Croatia 4-2 in the final of the Russia 2018 tournament, with Pogba scoring his side’s third goal.
Rescuers have saved more than 100 passengers and crew from a ferry that caught fire in Indonesia. One person was reported dead in the fire on the ferry’s route between the popular tourist islands of Bali and Lombok.
Strictly Come Dancing have announced Gavin and Stacey star Melanie Walters as the fifteenth star for this year’s series, completing the line-up
10:14, 12 Aug 2026Updated 10:14, 12 Aug 2026
Strictly Come Dancing have announced a Gavin and Stacey star for the series(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron)
Strictly Come Dancing have announced Gavin and Stacey star Melanie Walters as the final celebrity for this year’s series.
The BBC show is back this September with 15 more celebrities taking to the dancefloor. Gavin and Stacey actress Melanie is the fifteenth and final name to be confirmed for the Latin and ballroom competition.
Speaking about joining the show, she said: “Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room.
“This year I am completely thrilled and happy to swap my fairy wand for sequinned dance shoes. I just hope I don’t follow Cinderella and leave one on the Ballroom stairs. I cannot wait to take part in this absolutely iconic show, it’s so exciting. See you in September!”
Melanie completes this year’s celebrity lineup alongside Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker, and John Nellis in the 2026 Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
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Elena Rybakina stages a huge comeback to beat Naomi Osaka and will now play Coco Gauff for a place in the final.
Published On 12 Aug 202612 Aug 2026
Second-seeded Elena Rybakina fought back from a set and a break down to prevail 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in her Canadian Open quarterfinal against Naomi Osaka in Toronto on Tuesday.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon and 2026 Australian Open champion, will meet fourth-seeded Coco Gauff for a place in the final after the American’s opponent, Belinda Bencic, withdrew due to a hip injury.
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In the first tour-level meeting between Osaka and Rybakina, the Japanese player looked to be cruising to victory after breaking in the opening game and holding that advantage to pocket the first set.
The four-time Grand Slam champion then surged to a 4-2 lead in the second set, but Rybakina rallied and came out on top in a tiebreaker to force the decider.
In the third set, the Kazakh successfully defended four break points before breaking Osaka’s serve in back-to-back games to seize control and seal victory in two hours and 33 minutes.
“This first game of the match was really tough because it cost me the set,” Rybakina said. “In the second I was just trying to stay closer to the score, even if I’m losing.
“It’s rare when you don’t play some players for so many years you’re on tour. She’s a great champion. She’s a fighter. I knew it would be a tough match.”
Naomi Osaka, left, congratulates Elena Rybakina after their quarterfinal match at Sobeys Stadium, Toronto, Canada on August 11, 2026 [John E Sokolowski/Imagn Images via Reuters]
Earlier on Tuesday, Gauff advanced without striking a ball after Bencic withdrew from their quarterfinal, giving the American more time to fine-tune her game before the US Open.
The 2023 US Open champion is into the 16th WTA 1000 semifinal of her career as the 22-year-old chases her first title of the year.
Gauff finished runner-up in Miami and Rome before her Wimbledon campaign ended in a tight semifinal defeat. She has introduced new tactical elements to her game and has looked strong in Toronto, where she has not dropped a set.
The only previous meeting between Gauff and Rybakina was also in Toronto, where the American won in three sets in 2022.
Iran is set to join the New Development Bank (NDB), the development lender established by the BRICS group, Iranian central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said on Wednesday, as Tehran seeks to deepen financial ties with emerging economies amid sweeping international sanctions.
Hemmati made the remarks ahead of a BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors meeting hosted by India, which holds the group’s rotating chairmanship this year.
Iran joined BRICS in 2024 as part of the bloc’s expansion and has since expressed interest in becoming a member and shareholder of the NDB. The bank was established in 2015 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects.
“The most important result of cooperation among BRICS member countries is the establishment of the New Development Bank, and our country will soon become a member of this bank,” Hemmati said, according to Iranian state media.
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Iran Seeks Alternative Financial Channels
Membership of the NDB would give Iran another avenue for economic cooperation outside traditional Western dominated financial institutions, although the extent of any benefit would depend on the bank’s ability to operate with a heavily sanctioned Iranian economy.
Iran remains under extensive U.S. and international sanctions and has yet to reach a peace agreement to end its current conflict with the United States and Israel. These pressures have increased Tehran’s incentive to strengthen economic relationships with non-Western powers and reduce its exposure to dollar based financial systems.
The NDB has expanded beyond its original five members to include countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, increasing its role as a financial institution connecting emerging economies.
BRICS Pushes for Local Currency Trade
Hemmati also said Iran supported greater use of national currencies in trade among BRICS members.
BRICS countries have increasingly promoted mechanisms intended to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar, including greater use of national currencies for bilateral trade and financial transactions.
Iran is also seeking bilateral and trilateral monetary cooperation with other BRICS members, Hemmati said.
A Strategic Financial Move for Tehran
Iran’s expected entry into the NDB is significant not simply as a development financing decision but as part of Tehran’s broader effort to build an alternative economic network amid Western sanctions.
For Iran, deeper integration with BRICS could provide additional channels for investment, infrastructure cooperation and financial transactions while strengthening economic ties with major emerging powers such as China, India and Russia. However, membership alone will not remove the restrictions created by U.S. sanctions or guarantee access to international capital.
The move also reflects the broader evolution of BRICS from an economic grouping into a platform through which its members can challenge aspects of the Western dominated financial order. Iran’s participation strengthens that trend, particularly as the group promotes greater use of local currencies and seeks to diversify international financial relationships.
For Tehran, therefore, joining the NDB would represent both an economic opportunity and a geopolitical signal: Iran is seeking to reduce its vulnerability to Western financial pressure by embedding itself more deeply within emerging non-Western economic institutions.
A 90s Baywatch bombshell has signed up to OnlyFans and will post sexy content including feet pics.
Erika Eleniak, 56, famously wore the iconic red swimsuit as Shauni McClain in the hit beach drama, alongside Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff.
Baywatch’sErika Eleniak is launching an OnlyFans careerCredit: GettyErika played Shauni McClain in the early 90sCredit: Rex
Three decades on and with a Baywatch reboot in the works, former Playboy girl Erika is set to coin it in from a new generation of fans and is charging $10 (£7.40)-a-month to subscribe to her channel.
She announced the move on Instagram, telling her followers: “At 56, I’m embracing exactly who I am today. From Baywatch to Playboy and beyond.
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Thank you!
“You’ve been with me through so many chapters of my life and career. Now I’m opening up a brand-new one.
“This is about having fun, being unfiltered, sharing exclusive photos and videos, and most importantly, connecting directly with you. If you’ve ever wanted to talk to me personally, now you can.”
She has promised fans lots of pics of her sandy feetCredit: AlamyErika is reprising her role as Shauni in the Baywatch rebootCredit: Alamy
Speaking in more detail about her decision to TMZ, Erika said joining OnlyFans felt like a “full circle” moment and gave her control over her image.
She said: “Fans are getting my real life, my personal photos and videos, plenty of beach days and, yes, the feet everyone keeps asking about.
“I’ve been Erika from Baywatch for decades, but OnlyFans gets a side of me people haven’t seen.
“It’s personal, playful and unfiltered – and if you came for the bare feet in the sand, I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
Erika, who is now heavily tattooed, announced she was returning to acting earlier this year and teased new projects.
One of which is a return to Baywatch, with her character Shauni now working as a councilwoman in Santa Monica and involved in helping Hobie Buchannon put on the first Beach Games.
The Games will pit the Baywatch lifeguards against members of the Coast Guard in a series of competitions.
Hobie, who is the son of David Hasselhoff’s character Mitch Buchannon and now played by Stephen Amell, is returning as a regular on the new version of the show.
Aug. 12 (UPI) — Lightning struck a northern Ohio state prison, injuring at least 16 people, who were transported to the hospital, officials said Tuesday night.
The lightning struck the Grafton Correctional Institution, located about 30 miles southwest of Cleveland, Tuesday night, as inmates were returning from their evening meal, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said in a statement.
Of the 16 people transported to an outside hospital, one was airlifted, it said.
The conditions of those injured were not immediately clear, though the department said, “there have been no reported deaths at this time.”
The incident comes as larges portions of Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia were under flood watches amid thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, according to the National Weather Service.
Ohio correctional authorities said they are continuing to assess and monitor the situation.
The Grafton Correctional Institution opened in 1988 on 1,396 acres, according to its website.
UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast the UK’s power infrastructure had undergone decades of “woeful underinvestment”.
He said he understood the objections of those living nearby, but added the pylons were “crucial” to ensure the National Grid maintained future resilience.
“I totally accept that people might not like that, but it is critical national infrastructure and it has to be built somewhere,” he said.
“Building any kind of infrastructure in these communities does cause disruption. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t build any kind of infrastructure and I’m afraid in this country, for too long, we have taken that view, and the result is that we have been held back by not having the infrastructure the country needs.”
Shanks added: “Either we go through decades of not upgrading the grid and take the risk that the grid will actually fail, but we also lose the opportunity of cheaper bills, homegrown power connecting.
“We’re not prepared to take that risk.”
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says Britain’s electricity grid was largely designed for an era when power came from coal and gas-fired power stations, and now needs major upgrades to cope with growing amounts of renewable energy.
Ministers say the lack of capacity means some wind farms are sometimes paid to switch off because there is not enough network infrastructure available to carry the electricity to homes and businesses that need it.
Greg Jackson, chief executive of the UK’s biggest domestic energy supplier, Octopus Energy, said the electricity system is inefficient, brittle and expensive.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the discount scheme was a “positive first step”, adding that last year the UK spent more than £1bn paying wind farms to turn off on windy days.
“We should just be giving that electricity more cheaply to the people and businesses who live in the areas where we’re generating it,” he said.
“By doing that, you’d be able to stop wasting that money and instead put the electricity to use cutting bills for those people. But crucially cutting bills for everybody else as well because it’s less wasteful.”
“Bachelorette” alum Joe Amabile is home following brain surgery.
“They got it all!” wrote Amabile, who uploaded an Instagram carousel with pictures of himself post-surgery on Aug. 6.
His wife Serena Pitt — whom he met in 2021 while filming Season 7 of “Bachelor in Paradise” — also updated fans on his recovery, uploading an Instagram carousel with pictures from NYU Langone Health, where the surgery took place.
“A few peaceful moments from the hospital,” Pitt wrote in the caption. “Joe is home recovering and we’re so grateful to have been in such good hands.”
In July, Amabile revealed on Instagram that MRI testing found a “blueberry-sized” brain tumor, which would need to be removed for further examination.
The couple would elaborate further on the health issue on their July 16 podcast “Not Married to This With Serena & Joe,” saying that they both underwent a preventative whole-body MRI scan with Prenuvo (the same private diagnostic company that showed “Extra” and “E!” host Maria Menounos had a full mass on her pancreas, which was later confirmed to be a cancerous Stage 2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor).
Pitt’s scan revealed two small, innocuous nodules. Amabile’s results indicated that he had a lesion in his brain the size of a marble, prompting him to get an additional MRI with and without contrast.
“We got the good news that it wasn’t enhancing and we got the concerning news that it still was something. It wasn’t nothing,” Pitt said on the podcast.
“There’s no other way around it. There’s something there and you don’t want anything in your brain,” added Amabile.
Before surgery, Amabile shared that he would undergo a craniotomy, a surgery in which a neurosurgeon temporarily removes a piece of the skull to reach the brain and remove the tumor. According to the medical professionals he consulted, the likelihood that the low-grade glioma would turn into something aggressive was high and he was encouraged to treat the lesion while in its early stages.
“We will actually have so much more information once the tumor is removed and they test it and then we can actually create a plan of next steps,” Pitt said on the podcast.
Amabile first came into the spotlight in 2018 after appearing on Season 14 of “The Bachelorette,” featuring Becca Kufrin. While he was eliminated on the first night, he was a beloved participant for his charming, down-to-earth personality as a grocery store owner from Chicago, earning him the nickname “Grocery Store Joe.”
Later that same year, Amabile would participate in Season 5 of “Bachelor in Paradise” and compete in Season 27 of “Dancing With the Stars,” making it to the semifinal round. In 2021, he returned for Season 7 of “Bachelor in Paradise,” proposing to Pitt in the finale.
Now it seems that Amabile is bringing people along on his healing journey, having documented his anxieties before surgery.
“This is my journey, I’m telling it. This is what it is. You can take what you want away from it,” Amabile said on the podcast.
Ukrainian president also says Russia will use its parliamentary election next month as a pretext to declare a new mobilisation.
Published On 12 Aug 202612 Aug 2026
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Kyiv has handed the United States new proposals aimed at ending the four-and-a-half-year war with Russia.
The announcement on Tuesday came amid suggestions by both Ukraine and Russia that US negotiators would soon pay a visit to their two countries.
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“We have conveyed our proposals to the American side,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
He said the US could help strengthen Ukraine’s defences, particularly its air defences, while increasing pressure on Moscow so that Russia prepares “for an end to the war rather than prolonging it”.
The Ukrainian leader offered no details on the proposals.
Talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, have largely stalled since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran.
US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were last in Moscow in January and have not yet visited Kyiv.
Ukraine has repeatedly called for a ceasefire after years of fighting. Russia says it wants a settlement, but any solution must involve Ukraine fully ceding four regions Moscow claims as well as resolving the conflict’s “root causes”.
In his address, Zelenskyy also accused Russia of preparing to use its parliamentary elections next month as a pretext for another large-scale military mobilisation.
“They are preparing for mobilisation in the autumn, immediately after the imitation of parliamentary elections,” Zelenskyy said, as part of a plan to “create the appearance that Russians supposedly support the war”.
Following the “pseudo-election”, Russian President Vladimir Putin “plans an additional rapid mobilisation of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year, plus another similar number next year”, he added.
Officials in Moscow, however, have previously denied that another mobilisation is necessary.
Separately on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced that Russia has released former US Marine Robert Gilman after four years in detention.
Trump said Putin agreed to free the 32-year-old “on a humanitarian basis” and that Washington released no prisoners in return.
Gilman was expected to arrive at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, DC, on Tuesday night.
Former US Marine Robert Gilman was serving a prison sentence for assaulting a Russian police officer in 2022 [File: Vladimir Lavrov/Reuters]
The US had been pressing Moscow to release Gilman so he could receive medical treatment. US officials said he would be evaluated by doctors during the flight before being transferred to a rehabilitation centre in San Antonio, Texas.
Gilman was detained in Russia in January 2022 after an alleged altercation with a police officer and was later designated by Washington as wrongfully detained.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest level in a week on Tuesday as vessel operators continued to avoid the strategically vital waterway amid ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.
Kpler data showed that only eight vessels were tracked in the strait on Tuesday, below the 10-day average of around 12 and the lowest daily total since August 5. Of those vessels, only one, a coal carrier, had exited the strait, while the remaining ships were still making their way through.Seven vessels entered the waterway, all using the Iranian route, highlighting the limited movement through the strait as uncertainty over its security continues to weigh on shipping activity.
Separate data from LSEG recorded 11 vessel transits on Tuesday, down from 14 the previous day, also pointing to a slowdown in traffic through the crucial maritime passage.
The decline comes as the United States and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks, while prospects for an end to the Iran war appeared to weaken. Tehran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions.
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Hormuz Traffic Plummets
The scale of the disruption is stark compared with normal shipping activity. Around 130 to 140 vessels typically passed through the Strait of Hormuz before Iran closed the waterway following the start of U.S.-Israeli attacks on February 28.
The sharp reduction in traffic underscores the growing risks facing international shipping and energy markets as vessels avoid one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
The strait is particularly important for global energy supplies, meaning prolonged restrictions could increase pressure on oil markets and raise transportation and insurance costs for vessels operating in the region.
Red Sea Traffic Holds Up
Shipping activity through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea showed a different trend.
Kpler data recorded 30 vessels crossing the waterway on Tuesday, above its 10-day average of 25.
The contrasting figures suggest that while some shipping activity continues through alternative routes, the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily affected by the ongoing hostilities and uncertainty surrounding its reopening.
ITV have shared a dramatic first look at what fans can expect to see in its upcoming series.
The Party is a five-part thriller following the lifelong friendship between journalist Martin Glimour (Luke Evans) and wealthy politician Ben Fitzmaurice, played by Downton Abbey’s Tom Cullen.
When Martin, who’s been raised by working-class mum Sylvia (Joanna Scanlan), gets a scholarship to an elite boarding school where he meets Ben, the pair forge an unbreakable bond.
As Martin is given a sense of belonging with Ben and his family, he remains loyal to them without question. That is until three decades later when things take a drastic turn.
A synopsis for the ITV show reads: “Martin is invited to Ben’s lavish birthday party at the Fitzmaurices’ country pile. The news of the Conservative leader’s resignation threatens to derail Ben’s Party, as he considers announcing his intention to stand.
“Martin fears the publicity that Ben’s bid would bring, dredging up the secrets of their past with tragic consequences. The drama moves between the shocking events of the Party and the police investigation that follows, with flashbacks to Martin and Ben’s lives at school, university and London party days.
“What unfolds is a gripping exploration of identity, privilege and devotion, combined with a tender ode to anyone who has fought to live authentically.”
Now, ITV have shared some images from the upcoming drama as one shows Martin looking with a concerned look on his face while the shirt he’s wearing is covered in blood.
Another snap shows him in the same clothes, although this time, it seems as though he’s speaking to the police in a questioning room. It raises the question of whose blood that is and what crime has been committed.
Other images include Martin and Ben having an intense conversation with one another at a bar, Ben waving to the crowd on a platform with a woman and a snap of the two main stars in their younger years at school. It wasn’t long before people commented on the first glimpse at the upcoming series, with many sharing their excitement.
One person said: “Incredible! Two supremely talented actors.” Someone else wrote: “We are beyond excited!” Another added: “I loved the book. Luke is surely an amazing Martin.” While a fourth commented: “So excited about this!!”
The Party will air this autumn on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.
North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the East Sea Wednesday, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. In this photo, people watch a news report on the launch at Seoul Station. Photo by Yonhap
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (UPI) — North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, the militaries of Seoul and Tokyo said, its second such launch in less than a week as the United States and South Korea gear up to kick off their major summertime joint military drill.
The missile was fired from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s east coast at around 6 a.m., South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters.
“The detected North Korean missile flew over 700 kilometers (435 miles), and South Korea and the U.S. are currently conducting a detailed analysis regarding its exact specifications,” the JCS said.
The military did not specify the type of missile involved, although the distance the projectile traveled falls within the range of short-range ballistic missiles.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities tracked and shared information on the launch from its initial stage, while Seoul also exchanged information related to the ballistic missile with Japan, the military added.
“Under a robust South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture, the military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various movements and maintaining the capability and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocation,” the JCS said.
Japan’s Defense Ministry also detected the launch, saying the missile flew about 429 miles, reached a maximum altitude of roughly 56 miles and fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi condemned the launch at a press briefing, saying the North’s weapons tests “threaten the peace and security of our country, the region, and the international community.”
Koizumi said the launch violated relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and noted that Japan had lodged a strong protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels at its embassy in Beijing.
Hawaii-based U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said it detected the launch and was consulting with regional allies and partners.
“Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies,” the command said in a statement.
The launch came days before the United States and South Korea are set to begin their annual summertime joint military drills. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise kicks off Monday and will focus on preparing for evolving threats from North Korea, military officials said earlier this week.
North Korea routinely denounces the allies’ joint exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and frequently responds with weapons tests. On Thursday, Pyongyang fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea.
The allies stressed that the joint exercise is defensive in nature.
“We’re up here today announcing Ulchi Freedom Shield to the entire world before it even starts,” U.S. Forces spokesman Col. Ryan Donald said at a press briefing Monday. “UFS is not a pretext, it’s not a provocation. It’s a transparent, longstanding defensive training event.”
New Delhi, India – The vapour heat treatment (VHT) facility in Rehmanpur village of Lucknow, the capital of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh – used to sterilise fruit and vegetables – was preparing for the busiest time of the year when Japanese quarantine inspectors turned up in March.
Export documents had been cleared, shipping schedules finalised, and growers in the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat reserved their best Alphonso and Kesar mangoes for export to Japan, one of Asia’s premium markets.
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Everything appeared set for the season to begin when production ground to a halt. Japanese inspectors reviewing the fumigation, disinfection and certification procedures raised concerns about the whole process, prompting Japan to suspend imports of the fruits.
However, on March 31, the plant protection authorities in Yokohama sent a formal letter, saying all Indian mango shipments bearing inspection certificates issued on or after March 25 would be barred until inspectors could confirm that operational standards had improved.
It was the first major disruption in India-Japan mango trade in nearly two decades. In 1986, imports of the fruit were barred over fruit fly concerns. Restrictions were lifted in 2006 after the country built VHT infrastructure, strengthened pest surveillance and agreed to annual inspections.
Japan ‘gave us credibility’
The 2026 halt now affects six approved varieties of mango – Alphonso, Kesar, Langra, Banganapalli, Chausa and Mallika – covering the peak export window of April through to June.
Japan imported roughly $1.54m worth of fresh and processed mango products from India between 2025 and 2026. It might appear to be a modest sum, but the Japanese market holds huge significance for the rest of the global trade. Japan pays premium prices for mangoes and the country’s approval signals quality to the rest of the world.
The suspension came at an already challenging time for mango farmers in India. Sustained heatwaves through the Konkan belt had destroyed much of Maharashtra’s Alphonso crop. Geopolitical disruptions in West Asia had pushed freight costs higher, and exporters who had spent years establishing relations with the Japanese suddenly faced cancelled contracts and inventories rotting in storage.
A man collects discarded mangoes at a market in New Delhi, India [Kamran Yousuf/Al Jazeera]
Vikram Shah, a Mumbai-based exporter who shipped about 2.5 tonnes of mangoes to Japan in 2025, highlighted the importance of its market.
“Japan was never our biggest market in terms of quantity, but it was the one that gave us credibility,” Shah told Al Jazeera. “We spent six years building trust with buyers there. I travelled to Osaka twice, sat with importers, visited their cold storage facilities and learned exactly what they expected from us. Relationships like that take years to build and can disappear in a single season.”
Rajesh Patil, an Alphonso grower in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, said his family had cultivated mangoes on a three-acre (1.2-hectare) orchard along the Konkan coast for two generations. The Japanese market, he said, consistently delivered far higher returns than domestic auctions, leading him to invest heavily in meeting Japan’s stringent import standards.
“We upgraded the orchard because Japan rewarded quality,” Patil said. “I spent nearly ₹80,000 [$840] on grading and handling equipment, attended pest-management training sessions, and changed the way we harvest and pack fruit,” he told Al Jazeera.
“The Japanese market paid almost twice what I could earn locally. When you make those investments, you expect the system supporting exports to be as reliable as the fruit you grow.”
China objects to rice
On April 17, China revoked the import licences of three Indian rice exporters after the General Administration of Customs rejected their consignments, claiming traces of genetically modified organisms (GMO).
The exporters disputed the finding, pointing out that their shipments received GMO-free certification before their departure and that the Indian government also said all domestic paddy and rice fields are free of genetic modification.
Rice makes up more than 20 percent of India’s agricultural exports, with a record-breaking $12.5bn of it shipped in the last financial year (2025-26). The three suspended exporters now face an uncertain path back into China, rattling their community.
A trader transports sacks of rice through a market in New Delhi [Kamran Yousuf/Al Jazeera]
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, notified the companies and, on June 8, published a list of laboratories approved for GMO tests on China-bound shipments.
SK Singh, an agricultural scientist in New Delhi, told Al Jazeera the dispute exposed weaknesses in India’s testing system.
“Our labs built expertise in pesticide residue and aflatoxin testing because that’s what most markets wanted,” he said. “China’s demand for GMO verification calls for a different scale of capacity.”
The exporters’ certificates came from accredited labs even if the certification network remains uneven, he added.
Only a handful of facilities, concentrated in New Delhi and Hyderabad in the southeastern state of Telangana, run the required protein analysis, forcing exporters in northern Punjab and Haryana states to ship samples hundreds of kilometres away.
Fragmented supply chain
There were other warning signs before the crisis hit mangoes and rice.
Hong Kong suspended several Indian spice products over pesticide residues, and testing found quality deviations in nearly 12 percent of the samples. The European Union also raised the inspection frequency on Indian cumin to 30 percent in January 2025, following 312 spice alerts on its rapid alert system in 2024.
Vendors sell spices at a wholesale market in New Delhi [Kamran Yousuf/Al Jazeera]
Ananya Bose, a food safety scientist in Kochi in the southern state of Kerala, traced the problem to a fragmented supply chain.
“A farmer sells to an aggregator, who sells to a trader, who supplies a processor. Somewhere in that chain, the record of what was sprayed disappears,” she said. “The trail is detailed until the first sale, then it effectively ends.”
Bose has pushed for mandatory digital pesticide records, since regulators abroad expect traceability from field to shipment, a standard many states still treat as optional.
These setbacks may read as isolated incidents, but they expose a gap between India’s agricultural strength and the traceability, food safety and certification standards that Japan, the EU, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada now demand. Those standards are tightened by consumer pressure for transparency, climate-driven pest concerns, food-security strategy and the COVID pandemic.
At the same time, competitors have moved faster, with Thailand building a nationwide traceability programme, Vietnam investing in farmers’ training, and Brazil and Chile pouring money into cold-chain systems.
People move through a busy wholesale market in New Delhi [Kamran Yousuf/Al Jazeera]
India’s progress has lagged with just 207 registered pack houses, 72 percent of them concentrated in Maharashtra. Moreover, scarce cold storage facilities and logistical costs eat up roughly 15 percent of export value, almost double that of advanced nations. Small farmers owning less than 2 hectares (5 acres) of land make up more than 86 percent of India’s cultivators, making standardisation difficult at scale.
“India built its strategy around producing more, while premium markets reward proving quality along the way,” agricultural economist Anil Gupta told Al Jazeera.
Gupta pointed to some real gains: recognised laboratories grew from 22 to 89 over the past decade, and approved export certificates climbed from roughly 61,000 to more than 170,000.
“The progress is measurable, but so is the scale of the challenge,” he said. “These improvements mark a beginning, well short of the finish line.”
Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, a senior official in the government’s Department of Commerce, has called for tighter controls on antibiotic residues, pesticides and aflatoxins in spices, tea, fruits and vegetables. He said funds have been set aside to upgrade laboratories, though without a timeline.
“The government is strengthening the system from testing to inspection and traceability. We are tightening controls on antibiotic and pesticide residues and aflatoxins, expanding laboratory capacity, introducing risk-based inspections and using digital systems and rapid screening to identify problems faster. The objective is to help exporters meet stricter global food-safety standards while protecting India’s access to international markets,” said Ghosh.
India still holds just 2.4 percent of global agri-exports despite ranking as the world’s second-largest agricultural producer, with processed exports stuck near 17 percent, against 25 percent in the US and 50 percent in China.
And growers are facing the fallout.
Gujarat’s Kesar mango farmers lost their strongest Japanese buyer. A basmati rice farmer in Haryana’s Karnal said local prices had already dropped 8 percent. And a turmeric processor in Kerala’s Erode said residue testing cost him 15,000 rupees ($157) last quarter, almost 10 percent of his profit.
Agriculture still employs about 42 percent of India’s workforce while producing less than a fifth of the national output.
“This is about far more than a few rejected shipments,” Gupta said. “The countries that succeed will consistently meet the standards global buyers demand.”
Indian farmers have long proven they can grow for the world. The task now is building systems that convince the world to keep buying.
