Australia news live: Pauline Hanson to make cost of living ‘worse’, new union boss warns; Labor scraps course citing ‘integrity’

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2026 took place in Bishkek from August 31 to September 1, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the organization. • Discussions focused on regional cooperation, security, trade, energy, and connectivity, while addressing major geopolitical issues including the Russia-Ukraine war.

• This daily news roundup from September 2, 2026, highlights several critical global issues, including Ukrainian President Zelensky's threats regarding civilian aircraft. • The collection features reports on the widespread deployment of AI, the potential appointment of an IDF fanatic to a top U.S. Army position, and the environmental impact of extreme heat.

• Experts from the Brookings Institution are analyzing the long-term global implications and policy requirements resulting from the war in Iran. • The conflict has highlighted a "jarring reckoning" regarding the fragility of economic security across Asia within a degraded geopolitical landscape.

• Kyrgyzstan is hosting a pivotal Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, bringing together global heavyweights involved in current geopolitical conflicts. • The host nation is strategically balancing its diplomatic ties with major global powers to leverage its geographic position for political and economic gain.

• Prof Michel Chossudovsky and Drago Bosnic released a video on September 2, 2026, alleging that Pfizer Inc. has a criminal record with the U.S. Department of Justice. • The report highlights a previous $2.3 billion health care fraud settlement mandated by former U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., citing it as the largest of its kind.

• The Harvard Kennedy School is launching a new program dedicated to diplomacy, focusing on negotiation scholarship and the management of international ties. • Co-led by Simcock and Nick, the initiative aims to build a professional "bench" capable of addressing emerging geopolitical issues and managing disputes.

• Iran has claimed responsibility for new attacks targeting military bases used by U.S. troops in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, ignoring previous warnings from Donald Trump. • Simultaneously, the Pentagon is investigating reports that a separate U.S. military strike may have accidentally hit a wedding party.

Project that critics say will disrupt historic sightlines in Washington DC is facing a lawsuitThe Trump administration said on Thursday that excavation work will start over the next two weeks on the site where it plans to build a towering, gilded arch, a project that is facing a lawsuit and that critics say will disrupt historic sightlines in Washington DC.The proposed arch is one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave his lasting imprint on Washington, including renaming and renovating the Kennedy Center, building a huge new White House ballroom, refurbishing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and rebuilding a golf course in East Potomac Park that could significantly reduce the public’s access to running and biking paths. Continue reading...

US vice-president says he’s ‘extremely skeptical’ of Iran reports when asked whether US was responsible for deathsThe US vice-president, JD Vance, said “sometimes things happen” when asked on Thursday whether an American strike was responsible for killing four people, including a child, at a wedding celebration in southern Iran this week.The strike hit Kuhestak, a town in Sirik county on the strait of Hormuz. The toll was reported not by the Iranian government but by the Iranian Red Crescent, a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement that operates independently of Tehran and is generally treated by international monitors as a credible source on casualty figures. Continue reading...

Deadlocked jurors to return on Friday to see if they can reach a decision after dramatic day of deliberationsThe deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial went home without a verdict Thursday in a dramatic sixth day of deliberations.Her defense lawyer told the judge that the panel’s foreperson said in a note that a single juror would not follow the court’s instructions about reasonable doubt and was holding up a verdict. Continue reading...

Investigation broadcast by Channel 4 shows man posing as ‘impermissible donor’ paying for polling that helped Reform Nigel Farage is facing fresh criticism on the eve of the Reform UK party conference after some of his team were filmed appearing to plot to avoid electoral laws on foreign donations in an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4.A group of investigative journalists called Verbatim, funded by the Centre for Climate Reporting, posed as a potential Reform supporter and his wealthy American father, an impermissible donor, who paid for £30,000 of polling commissioned by Reform and which benefited the party. Continue reading...