United Utilities fined £1m after discharging raw sewage into Lancashire coast

• Israel announced it is closing the British consulate in Jerusalem in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the UK Labour government. • The closure follows the UK's decision to unveil a package of sanctions targeting settlements in the West Bank.

• The Middle East Council on Global Affairs is organizing the Hili Forum 2026 to analyze how Gulf states can improve security and economic resilience during regional instability. • The forum focuses on the unresolved U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and the lack of progress toward Arab-Israeli peace.

• Retired Admiral Cem Gürdeniz published an analysis on September 8, 2026, proposing new security frameworks for Europe and West Asia to move toward a multipolar global order. • The author suggests implementing a "New Helsinki Process" in Europe and a "New Westphalia Process" in West Asia to manage confessional and political differences.

• China has expanded its influence across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America, and the Indo-Pacific by providing development aid to regions often neglected by Western nations. • The Lowy Institute reports that China has committed $7.5 billion and spent at least $5 billion in development aid in the Pacific islands since 2008.

More attendees are in their 40s and 50s, with fewer festival-goers in their 20sThree people died at Burning Man this year, tripling the average number of deaths in connection with the annual festival that brings tens of thousands of people to build a temporary utopian community in the brutal conditions of the Nevada desert.The increase in fatalities comes as news reports have highlighted that the average age of Burning Man attendees is increasing, with fewer participants in their 20s, and more in their 40s and 50s. Continue reading...

Whitehall officials also ask why laws meant to clamp down on the wearing of masks at demonstrations were not usedPolice have been told by the government they expect better intelligence gathering after masked far-right groups took to the streets at the weekend, the Guardian has learned, as the Kent force admitted mishandling warnings of potential trouble.Police in Kent on Saturday and then Portsmouth, Hampshire, on Sunday said they were taken by surprise when hundreds massed to oppose what they say is illegal immigration via small boats. Continue reading...

Satirical program’s new title is ‘inspired by bravery and patriotism’ of Apple and Google, who capitulated to Trump’s requests to change Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’In light of Donald Trump’s attempts to rename a gulf, lakes and even states after “America”, South Park, the animated satirical program that has long skewered those in power, has announced an official name change. For its 29th season, the Comedy Central series will be known as “South America”.“Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA,” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker said in a statement. “We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount – a Skydance Capitulation.” The show’s parent company, Paramount Skydance, owned by Trump ally David Ellison, is poised to become one of the biggest media conglomerates in the US after the Trump administration approved its $111bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), drawing much creative industry backlash.The 29th season of “South America” will premiere on 16 September, and stream globally on Paramount+. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary ends UK’s feigned helplessness with sanctions and description of Israel’s actions as ethnic cleansingThe indefatigable ability of UK Foreign Office ministers over decades to issue boilerplate statements of concern about the extension of illegal settlements in Israel has long been a matter of ridicule.Even some of the Conservative ministers who issued them, notably Alan Duncan and Alistair Burt, have agreed. Duncan described the UK stance towards settlements as weak and naive, while Burt wondered at the ability of the Foreign Office to find new forms of diplomatic condemnation that never amounted to any specific action. Margaret Thatcher, often torn as prime minister between her natural sympathy for Israel and her fear of the Gulf states falling under the sway of the Soviet Union, similarly expressed her anger at the settlements. Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy says government will introduce legislation after talks deadline ends without breakthroughApple and Google will be forced to block explicit images on children’s smartphones by law in the UK after talks failed to produce a breakthrough, the government has said.The legislation commitment puts ministers on a collision course with two of the biggest players in Silicon Valley, months after the government announced a social media ban for under-16s. Continue reading...

Trump passed the long weekend posting a torrent of memes and musings on his Truth Social platformThe long weekend may have proved too long for Donald Trump, who passed the time by musing about annexing other countries, unilaterally renaming places he’s not allowed to rename and turning himself into a superhero.Amid the torrent of memes and posts by the president on his Truth Social platform over the Labor Day holiday weekend was a bizarre AI-generated video depicting Trump as the Green Lantern DC superhero, wielding a glowing green power ring to erect his border wall, illuminate an “American manufacturing” scene, and command a fleet of warplanes and warships behind him. Continue reading...

High yields threaten to wipe out at least half of the £24bn headroom John Healey was expecting to have for his budgetThe UK government was forced to pay the highest interest rate for a 30-year bond since 1998 on Tuesday, underlining the fiscal challenges facing the chancellor, John Healey.Echoing the global bond market sell-off that has driven up yields, or interest rates, on government borrowing across major markets, the Treasury paid 5.82% to borrow £4bn. Continue reading...