Monday briefing: What do Reform’s record-setting donations mean for the party – and our politics?

• Houthi forces in Yemen have advanced their positions, creating a new geopolitical challenge for Gulf states and the United States. • Analyst Fawaz Gerges told Reuters that this move is a game changer that alters the regional balance of power.

• France’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva expressed regret for criticizing U.S. human rights in a social media post. • The diplomatic dispute resulting from the post has delayed the arrival of a new French ambassador in Washington.

Big manufacturers planning to produce more of the forever chemicals to meet demand from datacentresPfas companies are launching a “tidal wave” of forever chemicals production to meet demand from the AI industry, a campaign organisation has warned.Despite alarm over the chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, a survey of the 10 biggest manufacturers found most had plans to increase production. Continue reading...

Corruption inquiry turns its investigation to allegations Strathfield councillors may have engaged in blackmail or illegal surveillanceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastA Sydney mayor was allegedly threatened, followed and his children were secretly recorded after he refused to honour an agreement to step down, the NSW corruption watchdog has heard.Former independent Strathfield council mayor Matthew Blackmore has fronted the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) inquiry, codenamed Operation Rosny.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...

‘Commonsense change’ looks to end current confusion and put ‘passengers first, not shareholders’ when services are disruptedRail passengers whose trains are cancelled will have the immediate right to travel on other operators’ services to finish their journey without further charge, ministers have announced.The “commonsense change” will take effect from Sunday 20 September, ending the confusion in Britain where many pre-booked tickets are not valid on other firms’ trains. Continue reading...

Attenders will be asked to take part in tests to see if they have become more open to views they do not agree withFestivalgoers sometimes report feeling they have a fresh perspective of the world when they make their weary way home after a stimulating cultural gathering.A new “festival of ideas” in Somerset is aiming to measure whether the beliefs and ideas of attenders and speakers really are changed by their event. Continue reading...

Adolescence co-writer criticises government inaction and calls for laws banning secret use of AI to generate scriptsJack Thorne, one of Britain’s most successful screen and stage writers, has warned that some people in his profession are using AI “to cheat”, as he called for laws banning the secret use of the technology to generate scripts.Thorne, who co-wrote the hit Netflix drama Adolescence and wrote the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, said that “writers need to be squeaky clean” in the face of AI models that “steal” the creative industry’s work. Continue reading...

Electoral Commission finds abuse, particularly of women, minority ethnic and disabled people, is affecting candidates’ behaviourAbuse and intimidation of election candidates is “a serious and growing concern”, the Electoral Commission has said, as a review of this year’s local and mayoral elections in England revealed a surge in threats to those who stood.More than half of the candidates for Labour or Reform UK reported abuse while those most likely to be targeted were women, people from minority ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities. Continue reading...

Alleged victim tells court he froze and was ‘in disbelief’ after broadcaster kissed him on corner of his lips at public eventA prominent athlete froze and was “shocked and embarrassed” when Alan Jones kissed him on the side of his mouth at a public event, the broadcaster’s trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre has heard.The witness said the kiss on the corner of his lips happened years after Jones sent him a weekly bouquet of flowers after he had complimented the flowers on Jones’s dining table. He said Jones’s driver would drop the flowers at his home every week. Continue reading...

TGA issues alert after person was hospitalised after believing they were taking experimental weight loss drug retatrutideFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA patient who tore their oesophagus after taking a counterfeit version of an experimental weight loss drug has prompted Australia’s medicines regulator to warn of serious risks of such products.The concern relates to retatrutide, a type of drug known as a peptide. Retatrutide has not been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) or regulators overseas, and it cannot be legally prescribed or sold in Australia. Continue reading...

Miki Zohar accuses Oscar-winning directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor of ‘treason against the state’‘They know the house they are bombing is full of children’: NAZA’s directors on their devastating film about Israeli intelligenceIsrael’s culture minister has called for the Oscar-winning Israeli directors of NAZA, a documentary about the country’s mass killing of civilians in Gaza, to be stripped of their citizenship, accusing them of “treason against the state”.NAZA, which was produced by the Guardian, is named for an acronym used by Israel’s intelligence service to indicate how many civilians it expects to die in an airstrike on Gaza. Continue reading...