From ovations in Venice to death threats in Israel: the extreme responses to NAZA documentary 19. September 2026 (07:00) As Gaza documentary wins cinematic acclaim, its directors face vitriol in Israel amid a febrile election campaignFirst there was a moment of stunned silence. Then, in the Sala Grande, the main screening hall of the Venice film festival within the Palazzo del Cinema, the audience stood almost as one and turned to applaud the film-makers for 25 minutes.The film the audience had watched for 80 harrowing minutes was the Gaza documentary NAZA, which has been produced by the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘My fear was too great’: the Pussy Riot member recruited by Russian spies to inform on fellow activists 19. September 2026 (06:00) Exclusive: In her first media interview since fleeing Russia, Rita Flores describes her three years of being run by the FSBFirst came the blackmail and death threats to secure cooperation, then came a series of tasks, each more sinister than the last: to inform on fellow activists, to elicit personal information from protest-minded artists and – eventually – to help with a plot to kidnap and murder a Kremlin enemy.That is how Rita Flores, a 29-year-old Russian artist, activist and former member of the Pussy Riot collective, described her recruitment and three-year handling by officers from Russia’s FSB security service, a cooperation she only broke when she fled the country last month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Thousands protest closure of the Kennedy Center amid fears Trump is set to demolish the institution 19. September 2026 (05:33) Demonstrators gathered outside the building in Washington, after the president was spotted holding a placard that read: ‘Kennedy Center DEMOLIS ...’On Friday evening thousands of protesters gathered outside the Kennedy Center in view of the marble facade that remained concealed by scaffolding and tarpaulins, to protest Donald Trump’s plans for the facility and express alarm that he might make good on his threat to tear down the institution.Crowding streets in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington and locking down traffic as they walked, many carried signs, as they joined in the “Hands Around the Kennedy Center” protest. Some wore costumes and booed when the president was mentioned during the program. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than 35 woman come forward in case against fake 49ers player accused of fraud 19. September 2026 (03:37) The FBI says Daejon Love and his alleged accomplice, Taylor Chan, defrauded women they met on dating apps out of $1.3mAt least 35 additional women have come forward with fraud allegations against Daejon Love, the man accused last month of masquerading as a San Francisco 49ers player and wealthy investor, the FBI announced on Friday. Federal authorities had previously said Love conned more than two dozen women, many of whom he met on dating apps, out of $1.3m.Love, 35, and alleged accomplice Taylor Chan, 18, who posed as his financial adviser, were arrested in August and have been charged with wire fraud. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Google says its Gemini AI model hacked three other companies 19. September 2026 (02:53) Disclosure comes after OpenAI and Anthropic hacks amid fears that tech firms unable to control powerful AI models In a first for Google, the company confirmed that its AI model, Gemini, breached the security of three other companies in May. The hacks occurred during a cybersecurity evaluation by AI-security firm Irregular.Irregular, an Israel-based startup that scrutinizes the security of advanced AI systems, was also at the center of some of the recent OpenAI and Anthropic hacks of third-party entities, including OpenAI’s breach of AI software company, Hugging Face. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US and Denmark reach security deal after Trump’s threats to take over Greenland 19. September 2026 (02:10) The agreement would allow the US to expand its military presence, while Denmark and Greenland say it preserves their sovereignty and right to self-determinationDonald Trump announced on Friday that the US had struck an Arctic security pact with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland, after threatening for much of his second term to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory by force.The full scope of the deal Trump described as “very important, historic, and special” was not immediately clear. But soon after his announcement in a post on Truth Social, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland issued statements indicating the deal would be signed by the three governments on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly in New York City next week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Uber ordered to pay $40m over death of woman ejected by driver on freeway 19. September 2026 (01:34) California judge finds company ‘vicariously liable’ for driver’s negligence in death of Emily Normandin-ParkerUber was ordered to pay $40m to the parents of a 23-year-old woman who was killed after a driver kicked her and a friend out of his car by the side of a California freeway, according to newly public arbitration documents.An arbitrator, retired Calfornia judge Richard A Stone, found that the ride-share company was “vicariously liable” for the driver’s negligence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US woman falsely charged with bank theft sues for $10m over AI facial recognition 19. September 2026 (01:34) Angela Lipps, 50, alleges in suit that Fargo police wrongly relied on AI facial recognition to arrest and charge herA Tennessee woman who was falsely charged with bank theft in North Dakota and jailed for six months has sued for $10m in damages, alleging in a federal lawsuit that Fargo police improperly relied on an artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition system to wrongly accuse her.Angela Lipps, 50, was arrested at gunpoint by US marshals at her home in Tennessee while babysitting her neighbor’s four children in July 2025. The mother of three and grandmother of five was booked into a county jail and remained there for almost four months without bail while awaiting extradition to North Dakota, where she was held for about two more months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Men deported from US bound and beaten in Equatorial Guinea detention hotel, lawyers say 19. September 2026 (01:08) Group trapped at Hotel Bamy after US removal as rights groups sound alarm over poor conditions and violenceTwo men that the Trump administration expelled to Equatorial Guinea were bound, fitted with bags over their heads, beaten and pushed down a flight of stairs, all in plain view of other US deportees, according to witnesses and human rights lawyers.The men – one from Egypt and one from Eritrea – were then taken to a prison. About 30 detainees from the US remain trapped at a hotel in the outskirts of the coastal city of Malabo after being deported from the US. Detainees have said they believe the men were beaten for telling the press and human rights advocates about the poor conditions and violence inside the hotel, and that they are haunted by flashbacks and terrified they will be retaliated against next. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration pushes on with construction of controversial Big Bend border wall 19. September 2026 (01:07) Customs and Border Protection faces bipartisan backlash from locals for 30ft border wall through Texas national parkThe Trump administration is pressing forward with construction on the controversial border wall in the Big Bend region of west Texas, even as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) faces furious backlash from local leaders and landowners for its fast-moving plans.Construction began this week in Hudspeth county, which lies just east of the city of El Paso. CBP has been pressing landowners there to grant permission to allow the agency to erect a 30ft steel bollard border wall in that area, offering them signing bonuses as an incentive to avoid eminent domain disputes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
