Secret

• The United Nations appointed diplomat Martin Kimani as the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa to oversee political and peace operations across the continent. • Kimani will lead efforts to resolve conflicts through preventive diplomacy, mediation, and early warning analysis to address crises before they escalate. • This appointment means the UN will coordinate more closely with regional bodies like the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to manage political instability.

• The UN Secretary-General and the UN Mission in Libya welcomed the House of Representatives' endorsement of the Smaller Convening Agreement signed on August 30. • This endorsement serves as a formal step toward resolving the current political deadlock within the country. • The agreement aims to stabilize the region by facilitating meetings between the Secretary-General, local authorities, refugees, and humanitarian workers.

STC’s 2027 program also features Celeste Barber in Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris play, Tim Minchin as Scrooge and the return of The Picture of Dorian GraySix years after the Australian historian Jenny Hocking won her legal battle to release secret correspondence between Queen Elizabeth II, Malcolm Fraser and the governor general John Kerr, her fight to reveal the truth about Gough Whitlam’s dismissal is being adapted for the stage.The Palace Letters, announced on Monday as part of Sydney Theatre Company’s 2027 program, will have its world premiere at Sydney Opera House in April. It will star Georgie Parker as Hocking, with Jonathan Biggins playing Whitlam. 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...

• The White House signed secretive agreements with 26 drugmakers that may exempt various medicines from mandatory price reductions in Medicare. • A new analysis indicates these deals could drastically reduce the projected savings from the "most-favored nation" pricing policy, which aims to align U.S. drug costs with lower prices paid abroad. • These exemptions could limit the government's ability to lower prescription costs for millions of Medicare beneficiaries.

Lutnick said $500bn of estimated $1tn needed to fund checks to all US adults could come from new visa programDonald Trump’s controversial proposal to give a $5,000 “dividend” to all US adults if Republicans maintain control of Congress in November’s elections would not be paid out from US tax revenues, according to the US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick.“It’s not tax money,” Lutnick said in an interview with NBC News, adding that the administration could “earn the money that Donald Trump wants to pay out, not from the deficit and not from taxpayers”. Continue reading...

• Cuba is experiencing a severe power crisis that is disrupting basic services following the imposition of sanctions. • National electricity generation in August met less than one third of the country's total demand. • The UN and its partners are coordinating with Cuban authorities to provide aid to citizens with the most severe needs.

Democrat Ron Wyden and Republican Warren Davidson tell investigatory powers tribunal that secrecy over encrypted data case is ‘needlessly’ straining US-UK relationsA bipartisan pair of American politicians is telling Britain’s most secretive court to stop hiding its handling of Apple’s legal fight against a government demand to break into its customers’ encrypted data, warning that Whitehall’s taste for secrecy is “needlessly” straining relations between the two allies.The letter, shared with the Guardian ahead of being sent to the investigatory powers tribunal (IPT) on Friday, is signed by the Democratic senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and the Republican congressman Warren Davidson of Ohio. Continue reading...

• A 20-year-old university student, Le Minh Anh, became hooked on a Chinese microdrama despite not knowing the main character's name or the show's title. • Telecommunications giant AIS reported that 9 million customers in Thailand use vertical series apps monthly, and it partnered with ReelShort to launch a 5G package starting at 39 baht ($1.19) per month. • The popularity of Chinese microdramas in Southeast Asia means that telecommunications companies can attract millions of customers with affordable packages, potentially increasing their revenue.

Family of late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV reveal son’s existence as they reject committee’s choice of cousin as new monarchA traditional Ugandan kingdom has become engulfed in a bitter succession dispute after the family of a king who recently died rejected the selection of a television news anchor as his successor.King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who became the world’s youngest reigning monarch when he took the throne in the kingdom of Tooro in 1995 at the age of three, died on 27 August in the US, where he was receiving cancer treatment. Continue reading...

Testimony from Israeli military insiders involved in surveillance and remote killings features in documentary produced by the GuardianTestimony from 24 Israeli military insiders ​on the secret ​systems used in ​the war on Gaza​ has been revealed in a new documentary film about the mass killing of Palestinian civilians.NAZA, a film from the Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was shown at the Venice international film festival on Thursday as the only documentary competing for its prestigious Golden Lion award. Continue reading...

• The United Nations trained nearly 200 community health officers in Rwanda to prepare the government for a potential Ebola outbreak. • Training focused on early detection, risk communication, and infection and prevention and control. • These measures aim to protect Rwanda because its proximity to heavily impacted areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo puts the country at high risk.

Paul Nowak says changes to immigration rules risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentimentAndy Burnham must overhaul Shabana Mahmood’s migration reforms or risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentiment, the TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, has warned.Speaking ahead of the TUC’s annual congress in Brighton next week, Nowak welcomed the “sense of optimism” around Burnham’s fledgling government, but he urged the PM to act in a series of areas, including migration and the cost of living. Continue reading...

• 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. • This confrontation highlights the escalating diplomatic tension between the two nations over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

• The NSA, CISA, and the FBI issued a joint Cybersecurity Advisory asking American AI developers to degrade responses sent to suspected Chinese distillation traffic. • The agencies identified six China-based AI companies conducting industrial-scale knowledge distillation campaigns, which involve using a powerful model's outputs to train a smaller, cheaper model. • This directive treats AI model outputs as an exfiltration surface, meaning the data generated by the AI is viewed as a target for theft by foreign adversaries.

• The UN stabilization mission in the Central African Republic reported a gradual return to normal life in Am-Dafock following an attack by armed groups. • The violence killed 29 people and displaced more than 17,000 residents near the border with Sudan. • The recovery of the region marks a shift toward stability for thousands of displaced civilians returning to their homes.

Martin Rolfe, who faces pressure to resign, due to brief Heidi Alexander after cancellations hit 1,300Business live – latest updatesThe boss of the air traffic control provider Nats has been summoned to meet the UK transport secretary as the number of flight cancellations hit 1,300 in a second day of disruption for hundreds of thousands of passengers.Martin Rolfe, who is facing increasing pressure to resign over a third major stoppage to flights in just over three years, is due to brief Heidi Alexander on Wednesday. Continue reading...

‘I have to be honest, it has been stressful,’ Lonnie Bunch III saysThe Smithsonian Institution’s secretary, Lonnie Bunch III, will retire at the end of the year amid Donald Trump’s attacks on the museum’s content and independence.Bunch, who was appointed in 2019 as the first African American to lead the museums, cited personal reasons for departing, while acknowledging the pressure that the president’s attacks on the Smithsonian’s depictions of US history had taken. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Documents show officers from Maine to California worry Meta’s camera-equipped glasses will be used either to secretly record them or aid acts of terrorismIn January, the New York Police Department’s counterterrorism unit sent out a memo warning police officers about a new potential “security and counterintelligence” threat: Ray-Ban Meta glasses.The memo directed officers to “conduct thorough inspections of all eyewear permitted within inmate cells” and cautioned that people who have been arrested could use these glasses, equipped with small cameras and microphones, to record inside police facilities. The memo cited two examples of such videos posted on social media. Continue reading...

Leon Panetta tells Guardian US is risking ‘forever war’ and says Pentagon ‘turmoil’ sending message of weaknessDonald Trump’s war with Iran is likely to drag on for another six months, Leon Panetta, the former US defense secretary, has warned, as the US president struggles to find his way out of the controversial conflict.Panetta declared in an interview that the war with Iran – launched by Trump over six months ago – risks becoming another “forever war in the Middle East”, with no clear end in sight. Continue reading...

Chris Wright tells ABC there ‘may not’ be an agreement that would prevent Iran from having nuclear weaponsUS energy secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday morning that the US may not be able to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran that would prevent the country from having nuclear weapons.Asked on ABC on Sunday morning about any sign of such a deal, as negotiations appear stalled and the US-Israel war on Iran continues, Wright said: “There may not be a nuclear agreement.” Continue reading...

Labor department report alleges Lori Chavez-DeRemer also made a staffer attend a strip club while on a personal tripDonald Trump’s former secretary of labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, drank during working hours, kept alcohol on federal property and made a staffer attend a strip club while on a personal trip, according to a new report by the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General .Chavez-DeRemer was appointed by Trump to serve as labor secretary in January 2025 and resigned in April 2026 amid the misconduct allegations. Continue reading...

• Investors are analyzing labor market trends and upcoming hiring data to gauge the Federal Reserve's potential interest rate decisions amid persistent inflation. • The Labor Department is scheduled to release its monthly jobs report this Friday. • Federal Reserve policy decisions on interest rates directly impact borrowing costs and market stability for investors and businesses.

• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a report confirming that the El Niño phenomenon is now firmly established. • The WMO warns that the event will intensify into a "very strong" phase over the coming months. • This shift is expected to significantly disrupt global rainfall and temperature patterns, increasing the risks of extreme heat, floods, and droughts.

Exclusive: As millions of people face hosepipe bans, many companies are not required to report, let alone cut, use of public supplyLess than 1% of businesses in England use more water than the daily needs of 10 million people, as millions of households face hosepipe bans and three-quarters of the country is in drought.Businesses across England use 2.6bn litres a day from the public water supply, which includes potable and non-potable water provided by water companies. In total, businesses account for about 30% of public supply use, with two-thirds of their consumption in water-stressed areas, according to Mosl, the organisation that operates England’s business water market. Continue reading...

Telle has previously worked for Trump during his first term as a special assistant to the president for legislative affairsDonald Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle as the acting army secretary after the departure of Daniel Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with defense secretary Pete Hegseth.Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the army for civil works. Continue reading...

President said Howard Lutnick had Venezuela operation on his mind when he was discussing Iran war on CNBCDonald Trump has claimed his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, erroneously stated that no Americans had been killed in the war with Iran because he was thinking about a previous US operation, in Venezuela.The claim, at odds with the Pentagon’s count of 18 US service members dead in the US-Israel war on Iran, sparked a swift backlash as Trump struggles to end the conflict after six months. Continue reading...

• Recent attacks across Ukraine, specifically targeting Kyiv and Odesa, have resulted in significant civilian casualties and extensive damage to infrastructure. • Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale highlighted a concerning pattern of strikes on energy grids, railway systems, warehouses, and shopping malls. • The UN emphasizes that these attacks on civilian targets must not be normalized, as they exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis.