Iran claims to have seized American drone US says had ‘malfunctioned’ 08. September 2026 (22:34) Centcom says ‘defective’ drone was surveilling regional waters and was not collecting sensitive dataIranian forces claimed to have seized an American underwater drone in the strait of Hormuz that the US military said had “malfunctioned” more than a day earlier.US Navy Capt Tim Hawkins, a United States Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement the drone was surveilling regional waters when it malfunctioned “more than a day ago”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Far-right port protests: police told to improve intelligence gathering 08. September 2026 (21:13) Whitehall officials ask why laws meant to clamp down on mask wearing at demonstrations were not usedPolice have been told by the government they expect better intelligence gathering after masked far-right groups took to the streets at the weekend, the Guardian has learned, as the Kent force admitted mishandling warnings of potential trouble.Police in Kent on Saturday and then Portsmouth, Hampshire, on Sunday said they were taken by surprise when hundreds massed to oppose what they say is illegal immigration via small boats. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ed Miliband has overturned decades of Foreign Office inertia on illegal Israeli settlements 08. September 2026 (20:34) Foreign secretary ends UK’s feigned helplessness with sanctions and condemnation of ‘ethnic cleansing’Will UK sanctions have any impact on ‘settler terrorists’? The indefatigable ability of UK Foreign Office ministers over decades to issue boilerplate statements of concern about the extension of illegal settlements in Israel has long been a matter of ridicule.Even some of the Conservative ministers who issued them, notably Alan Duncan and Alistair Burt, have agreed. Duncan described the UK stance towards settlements as weak and naive, while Burt wondered at the ability of the Foreign Office to find new forms of diplomatic condemnation that never amounted to any specific action. Margaret Thatcher, often torn as prime minister between her natural sympathy for Israel and her fear of the Gulf states falling under the sway of the Soviet Union, similarly expressed her anger at the settlements. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphones 08. September 2026 (20:25) Lisa Nandy says government will introduce legislation after talks end without breakthroughApple and Google will be forced to block explicit images on children’s smartphones by law in the UK after talks failed to produce a breakthrough, the government has said.The legislation commitment puts ministers on a collision course with two of the biggest players in Silicon Valley, months after the government announced a social media ban for under-16s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
United Utilities fined £1m after discharging raw sewage into Lancashire coast 08. September 2026 (20:04) Sewage plume reached seven bathing waters and significantly affected water quality in June 2023United Utilities has been fined nearly £1m after illegally discharging raw sewage into the Lancashire coastline and polluting seaside holiday locations including Blackpool.The water company pleaded guilty to five environmental permit offences relating to a pollution incident along the Fylde coast in June 2023, and was ordered by Preston magistrates court on Tuesday to pay £964,225 in fines and costs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Smithsonian Institution secretary to retire amid Trump attacks on museum independence 08. September 2026 (19:44) ‘I have to be honest, it has been stressful,’ Lonnie Bunch III saysThe Smithsonian Institution’s secretary, Lonnie Bunch III, will retire at the end of the year amid Donald Trump’s attacks on the museum’s content and independence.Bunch, who was appointed in 2019 as the first African American to lead the museums, cited personal reasons for departing, while acknowledging the pressure that the president’s attacks on the Smithsonian’s depictions of US history had taken. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US federal court says no constitutional right to clean water in Mississippi case 08. September 2026 (19:37) Appeals court dismisses lawsuit from Jackson residents claiming that tainted drinking water violated their rights A US appellate court has decided that the federal constitution does not guarantee a right to clean water.That legal opinion came in the form of a decision on Friday from the fifth circuit court of appeals to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of a 2022 lawsuit from several Jackson, Mississippi, residents claiming that tainted drinking water violated their constitutional rights. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Victims of deadly Amazon cargo plane crash identified, as two more remain critical 08. September 2026 (19:15) The victims, employees of an aircraft cleaning company, were in a van when the plane crashed into itAt least five dead after Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airportOfficials in Florida on Tuesday identified the five people killed in Saturday’s Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami international airport – and said two more remained hospitalized in critical condition.At a morning news conference, the Miami-Dade sheriff, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, also said both pilots of the Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767, which careered off the end of the airport’s runway and struck at least two vehicles, were released from the hospital after treatment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine’s prosecutor general quits after anti-corruption agents raid his office 08. September 2026 (19:00) Ruslan Kravchenko resigns over allegations some of his officials were engaged in large-scale money launderingUkraine’s prosecutor general has resigned after investigators used ladders to raid his office in connection with a major corruption scandal that threatens to embarrass Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Ruslan Kravchenko quit his post on Monday after allegations that some of his officials were involved in large-scale money laundering. They received cash to protect call centres involved in illegal phone scams, it was claimed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel to close British consulate in Jerusalem after sanctions announced 08. September 2026 (18:55) Several MPs also banned from Israel after UK steps up condemnation of settlements and announces sweeping sanctionsUK politics live – latest updatesIsrael has ordered the closure of the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem in response to sweeping UK sanctions on goods from illegal settlements.Reacting to Ed Miliband’s description of violent Jewish settler activity on the occupied Palestinian West Bank as “ethnic cleansing” carried out with the tacit backing of the Netanyahu government, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, announced retaliatory measures including the closure of the consulate and entry bans on several UK MPs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
