John Major’s rise from obscure whip to PM part of new National Theatre season

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the multilateral system is straining under fractured geopolitics during his opening address at the 81st UN General Assembly. • Guterres cited a combination of nuclear escalation risks, worsening climate chaos, and declining financial resources for humanitarian operations.

• Professor Michel Chossudovsky released a video on September 9, 2026, discussing the historical and geopolitical implications of the September 11, 2001 attacks. • The presentation argues that the 9/11 attacks were instrumental in changing the nature of wars led by the United States and NATO.

• Former President Donald Trump stated on September 9 that he intends to speak with countries that sanctioned settlements to understand their reasoning. • Otzma Yehudit filed a 39-page request alleging that two nonprofits linked to the Ra’am party, Aid 48 and Humanitarian Deeds, transferred millions of shekels to terrorist organizations.

• The Ministry of National Defense dispatched a local fact-finding mission to the Middle East to evaluate troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz. • The mission focuses specifically on the strategic logistics and security requirements of deploying personnel to this critical waterway.

• Harsh Pant, Vice President of the Observer Research Foundation, stated that the upcoming BRICS summit will test India's diplomatic capabilities during a period of global fragmentation. • Pant noted that current wars in Europe and the Middle East are creating geopolitical instability with no clear end in sight.

• India is attempting to build consensus among member nations at the BRICS summit to overcome deep global divisions. • Harsh V Pant of the Observer Research Foundation notes that India will prioritize the developmental challenges of the Global South to foster unity.

• Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro publicly criticized China during the Seoul Defense Dialogue after receiving a note from Chinese officials mid-speech. • Teodoro read the note aloud to the forum, describing the communication regarding South China Sea arbitration as actual coercion and bullying.

Australia declined to join move by UK, Canada and France in banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements Labor party members have criticised the federal government for not following the UK, Canada and France in banning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, urging Penny Wong to mount a stronger response to violence against Palestinians.The Labor Friends of Palestine group wrote to the foreign minister on Wednesday, calling for Australia to join a coordinated approach with allies and partners overseas, in line with changes to the party’s national platform agreed in July. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: No Bayeux ticket? Everything you need to know about the sold-out exhibition – from its epic journey to London to a Game of Thrones likenessGood morning. If you live in the UK, you have probably heard about the Bayeux tapestry exhibition, which opens today, and you probably haven’t got a ticket. The digital queue was nine-hours long when they first went on sale in July, and the exhibition has already broken the British Museum’s record for the number of tickets sold in a single day.Some lucky individuals, including King Charles and aspiring overlord Peter Thiel, have been treated to early previews of the medieval tapestry. Guests staying at One Aldwych, a hotel where rooms go for £1,000 a night, can partake in the “Bayeux experience” with a themed cocktail (mead spritzer, anyone?), a full English breakfast and preferential access to tickets.Reform | The Met police will investigate allegations that Reform UK broke electoral law relating to overseas donations as part of a wider inquiry.UK- Israel | Prominent British rabbis have backed Ed Miliband’s sanctions on Israeli settlements, warning that the time for inaction on settler violence must come to an end.Technology | Just a day after three Anthropic researchers warned that artificial intelligence could kill off humanity within the decade, US politicians have begun lashing out about the risks of the burgeoning technology.UK news | Protesters who gathered outside a Portsmouth hotel mistook Pakistan’s under-19 cricket team for asylum seekers.US news | Donald Trump pledged to pay every adult citizen in the US $5,000 if Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections, during a marathon speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas. Continue reading...

News outlets raise alarm after being barred from media events and condemn offensive comments made by party director James AshbyThe ABC and the Guardian have called on One Nation to reverse its ban of select media outlets from press conferences amid warnings the party is practising censorship and actively avoiding public scrutiny.On Tuesday both outlets were asked to leave a One Nation press conference in Victoria. During the event, the state’s party leader, Warren Pickering, admitted to illegal drug use and drink driving. Continue reading...

Dow Jones convicted of one count of deterring Selina Cheng from role at Hong Kong Journalist Association but cleared of second chargeA Hong Kong court has convicted the publisher of the Wall Street Journal of deterring a reporter from taking up a trade union role, in a case that raised concerns about press freedom in the city.The newspaper dismissed Selina Cheng just weeks after she was appointed chair of the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA) in 2024. She was told at the time her termination was officially due to restructuring. Continue reading...

Police allege the 78-year-old sexually abused 29 children connected to the now closed Magill training centre between 1978 and 2003Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man who had access to children in South Australia’s youth detention centre has been charged with historical sexual abuse offences dating back to 1978.The 78-year-old from Adelaide’s western suburbs was charged with 55 offences including multiple counts of rape, unlawful sexual intercourse, sexual abuse of a child, gross indecency and indecent assault. Police say the charges relate to 29 known victim-survivors, many of whom were children at the time of the alleged offending. Continue reading...