Hillary Clinton leads tributes to Gloria Steinem: ‘Her activism was rooted in optimism’ 03. September 2026 (17:23) Ex-secretary of state joins Nancy Pelosi, Jill Biden, Roxane Gay and others in heralding groundbreaking feministGloria Steinem, groundbreaking feminist campaigner, dies aged 92‘We badly need to raise our boys more like our girls’: Gloria Steinem – a life in quotesLeading figures from politics, entertainment and wider society led glowing tributes to Gloria Steinem on Thursday, with Hillary Clinton hailing the American feminist icon who died at 92 at home in New York as “one of the architects of the entire structure of women’s equality”.Clinton, a former US secretary of state, presidential candidate and first lady, was among the first to jump in with praise early on Thursday when she appeared on the CBS Mornings TV show to share her respect and gratitude for Steinem. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU’s ability to defend against invasion remains in doubt, finds official report 03. September 2026 (17:09) Fragmented infrastructure and reliance on US continue to hinder ‘defence readiness’, says European court of auditorsEurope live – latest updatesThe EU’s ability to respond to a foreign invasion by 2030 remains in doubt due to a continuing reliance on the US and fragmented national defence systems, according to a report from its official auditor.The European court of auditors (ECA) said the EU was much better prepared than before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine of 2022, but achieving its goal of defence readiness by the end of the decade would be difficult. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Manchester synagogue attack: ministers seek to block MI5 files from inquest 03. September 2026 (17:07) Government lawyers tell coroner disclosing intelligence would pose serious risk to national securityMinisters are seeking to block intelligence material from being heard at an inquest into the death of two men killed in the 2025 Manchester synagogue attack.Lawyers for Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, told a coroner on Thursday that disclosing the MI5 files would pose a serious risk to national security. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BoM forecasts strongest El Niño on record as research points to ‘alarming’ climate change influence 03. September 2026 (17:00) Bureau of Meteorology suggests El Niño has already broken records, with Pacific ocean temperature change exceeding 2C in six monthsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereThe growing El Niño weather phenomenon to Australia’s east is already breaking heat records, with forecasts showing it will likely easily surpass previous events, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, as seperate research suggested climate change had greatly shortened the odds of the event hitting record extremes.On Thursday the UN’s weather agency said the event in the Pacific was continuing to strengthen and would probably persist until early 2027, warning it had the “potential to deliver a massive blow to communities and economies across the world”.Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US commerce secretary erroneously said no Americans have died in Iran war, Trump claims 03. September 2026 (16:38) President said Howard Lutnick had Venezuela operation on his mind when he was discussing Iran war on CNBCDonald Trump has claimed his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, erroneously stated that no Americans had been killed in the war with Iran because he was thinking about a previous US operation, in Venezuela.The claim, at odds with the Pentagon’s count of 18 US service members dead in the US-Israel war on Iran, sparked a swift backlash as Trump struggles to end the conflict after six months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rise of far-right leader Roberto Vannacci challenges Meloni as she celebrates Italian milestone 03. September 2026 (16:25) Futuro Nazionale party’s speedy poll rise poses questions whether PM will return to her roots before electionEurope live – latest updatesGiorgia Meloni’s government has become the longest-running in Italy since the second world war – a milestone the prime minister is determined not to let pass unnoticed.In the port area of Bari, the capital of the southern Italian region of Puglia, where Meloni hosted the G7 in 2024 and where she spends her summer holiday, preparations are well under way for a festival-style showcase of her rightwing administration. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Martin McDonagh says CIA has ‘done awful things all around the world’ 03. September 2026 (16:21) McDonagh’s new film, Wild Horse Nine, stars John Malkovich as an agent in 1970s Chile who feels ‘guilt and regret’ over his role in global interventionsThe US’s history of intervening in democratic processes around the world deserves more attention in the light of current political developments, playwright and film-maker Martin McDonagh has said, as his Oscar-tipped film about a rueful CIA agent premieres at the Venice film festival.“I’ve been very interested in the truth of what the CIA has been doing over the last 60 years, and the awful things they’ve done all around the world,” McDonagh said about Wild Horse Nine, his first film since his 2022 tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin. “I think maybe something that’s not talked about enough. We know what the KGB are like, but we probably don’t question the CIA’s activity as much as we ought to.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran targets US bases as Israel warns sanctions could drive Tehran to ‘desperate steps’ 03. September 2026 (16:16) Air bases used by US in UAE and Kuwait hit as Israeli defence chief says Iran’s regime fears collapse due to economic pressuresIran has continued to demonstrate an ability to target bases in the Gulf used by the US despite six months of war and a new sanctions regime described by the Trump administration as an “economic D-day”.As Iran’s military targeted US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats of further strikes by the US president, Israel’s defence chief warned that economic pressures from the sanctions could lead Tehran to escalate to more “extreme measures”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Leon Black fails to appear for US House deposition about Epstein ties 03. September 2026 (16:08) Billionaire financier, who previously walked out of a deposition, instead launches lawsuit against the committeeThe billionaire financier Leon Black did not appear on Thursday in front of the House oversight committee for a scheduled deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and has instead launched a lawsuit against the committee arguing that it does not have the authority to compel him to turn over non-disclosure agreements.Black was a top Epstein client over several years, and the committee is investigating the men’s relationship as well as the existence of any NDAs to which Black is a party. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shootout in Kyiv between Ukrainian spy services ‘disgraceful’, says Zelenskyy 03. September 2026 (16:04) Domestic security service says clash with military intelligence directorate ‘definitely shouldn’t have happened’Several people have been injured in a shootout in central Kyiv between two branches of Ukraine’s security services, in an incident Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “disgraceful”.The shootout, which took place on Wednesday morning in a downtown area of the capital, was between officers from the domestic security service, the SBU, and the military intelligence directorate, the HUR. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
