US officials defend Venezuela oil deal amid questions over rebuilding plan 02. September 2026 (02:18) Government talks up pact but Venezuelan opposition alarmed that democracy yet to return after Maduro exitTrump administration officials on Tuesday defended a highly contentious deal giving the US control of a significant chunk of Venezuelan oil reserves, arguing that the sweeping agreement would help stabilize and rebuild democracy in the shattered South American country while giving Washington vital access to strategic crude reserves.Last week, Donald Trump announced a “groundbreaking” deal that would give the US “majority” control over 65bn barrels – roughly one-fifth – of Venezuela’s oil reserves. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than a third of prenatal reports to NSW protective services not investigated, ombudsman finds 02. September 2026 (02:00) Other families have been unlawfully compelled to be case-managed without consent, watchdog findsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than a third of all reports raising concerns about the future welfare of unborn children were closed due to a shortage of allocated caseworkers, while families were unlawfully compelled to take part in prenatal case work, the New South Wales ombudsman has found.In its findings after investigating the Department of Communities and Justice’s practice of responding to prenatal reports, which were released on Friday, the watchdog raised concerns about the number of reports about particularly high-risk children that were not referred on to further support services or a dedicated case manager due to a lack of resources. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fund defence spending from tax rise on middle earners, thinktank tells Healey 02. September 2026 (01:01) Resolution Foundation argues that UK’s internationally low ‘tax wedge’ must rise to pay for defence ambitionsThe chancellor, John Healey, must be prepared to raise taxes for middle earners if he wants to fund significantly higher defence spending, the Resolution Foundation thinktank has said.Healey resigned from Keir Starmer’s government in June, protesting against what he argued was the then prime minister’s failure to adequately fund defence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dozens arrested after fatal pre-dawn shootout in Dutch village 02. September 2026 (00:00) Police urged people in Overasselt to stay indoors after one person died and 34 were arrestedAuthorities have arrested 34 people, including French, Belgian and Algerian nationals, after a person died in a pre-dawn shootout in a Dutch village reportedly linked to a notorious drug lord.Police urged people in Overasselt, near the German border, to stay indoors with doors and windows shut in case further suspects were on the loose. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bank of America executive identified as victim of stabbing in Times Square 01. September 2026 (23:25) Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old vice-president at the bank, was killed in Tuesday stabbing in New York City, officials sayA corporate vice-president at Bank of America was killed in a stabbing in New York City’s Times Square, the second-biggest US lending bank said on Tuesday about a random incident that took place in broad daylight in the bustling heart of Manhattan.The incident had brought the streets of the crowded area to a halt on Monday as emergency vehicles swarmed between the skyscrapers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Florida set to execute 14th person this year with two more execution dates set 01. September 2026 (23:23) Harold Gene Lucas, 74, was convicted of killing a 16-year-old girl who rejected his advances and wounding her two friendsA Florida man convicted of killing a 16-year-old girl who rejected his romantic advances and wounding two of her friends was set to be executed Tuesday evening.Harold Gene Lucas, 74, was scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6pm at Florida state prison near Starke. He was sentenced to die for the 1976 fatal shooting of Jill Piper and the wounding of her friends, Richard Byrd Jr and Terri Rice. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Deported Milo Yiannopoulos says he is ‘ashamed’ of support for Trump 01. September 2026 (22:49) British far-right pundit breaks silence on ICE arrest and deportation and says he was ‘really, really terrified’Milo Yiannopoulos, the British far-right commentator who was arrested last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Louisiana and deported to the United Kingdom, has broken his silence about the experience, saying that “for the first time I know what it feels like to be really, really terrified”.Yiannopoulos on Tuesday appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored, a YouTube show presented by Piers Morgan, the British broadcaster and media personality. Yiannopoulos, 41, described the experience in the US as “humiliating and disorientating”, “physically degrading” and “frightening”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democratic contender Abdul El-Sayed hits back at JD Vance over ‘evil’ taunt 01. September 2026 (22:21) Michigan Senate candidate accuses vice-president of ‘dog whistle’ and says Republican policies are true evilAbdul El-Sayed, the Democratic US Senate candidate in Michigan, has hit back at Republican vice-president JD Vance’s onslaught against him, saying it is “evil” to deprive people of healthcare and affordable groceries.Vance, in a Monday speech that railed against undocumented immigrants, cast El-Sayed as representative of “terrible evil” and as someone who fights for “one group at the expense of others”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tucson police investigate deadly shooting outside gay bar as hate crime 01. September 2026 (21:41) Two people shot dead and suspect later died in hospital after shooting in parking lot of Venture-N barAuthorities in Tucson, Arizona, are investigating a shooting outside a gay bar that left three people dead as a possible hate crime.The shooting occurred shortly after midnight on Monday in the parking lot of Venture-N, according to Tucson police. The suspect, identified by police as 44-year old Ousman Ceesay, allegedly killed 42-year-old Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and 33-year-old Cameron Davis Capara. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Farage faces questions over his claim of facing second standards investigation 01. September 2026 (20:54) Reform leader said inquiry had been widened but watchdog is not believed to have decided whether to do soNigel Farage is facing questions about why he claimed his finances were the subject of a second standards investigation, as he was sworn in again as Clacton’s MP.The Reform UK leader said when he resigned in July that the standards system had become a “political tool” because “yet another standards investigation is under way” into his finances. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
