Threaten

• Two German regional elections this weekend are expected to result in further gains for a far-right party. • These results will determine if Chancellor Friedrich Merz can maintain his coalition government and implement economic reforms. • A loss of power for the current administration could stall legislative changes intended to revitalize Europe's largest economy.

• Donald Trump threatened to impose serious tariffs on Europe if Canada becomes an associate member of the European Union. • The threat follows Canada's efforts to strengthen ties with European nations as its relationship with the United States worsens. • These potential tariffs could disrupt trade flows and increase costs for businesses operating across North American and European markets.

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, is due to address the European parliament on Thursday. Plus, how the attention economy overwhelmed children’s TVGood morning.Donald Trump has threatened the EU with “serious tariffs” after the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, invited Canada to become the EU’s first “associate member”.Why does the EU want closer ties with Canada? Von der Leyen told the European parliament that, as democracies faced a “fracture in the international rules-based system”, Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together. “This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” she said.How has the EU responded to Trump’s comments? France’s Europe minister, Benjamin Haddad, said on Thursday that Washington had no power to veto EU decisions. “It is not up to the United States, or ‌anyone else, to choose the political and geopolitical direction of the Europeans,” Haddad ‌told Public Sénat TV channel.What’s next? Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has been addressing the European parliament on Thursday. Follow our live coverage here.Did Warsh identify what is driving inflation? Warsh acknowledged changing geopolitics, but avoided calling out the US-Israel war with Iran by name.How did Trump respond? Shortly after the announcement, Trump said in a Truth Social post that interest rates should be 1% or less and criticized the US trade deficit. Continue reading...

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says such a partnership is for the European Union’s ‘common strength’US president Donald Trump has threatened the European Union with “serious tariffs” and a cut to trade after the bloc proposed to make Canada its first ever associate member, calling the idea “laughable”.Suggesting the move was a “hostile act”, the US president told reporters he could put “very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe”. He added: “If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.” Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: The Houthi advance along the Red Sea coast raised fears for global trade and energy supplies, while more than 100,000 Yemenis have been displaced by the fightingGood morning. The lightning advance of Houthi militants along the west coast of Yemen over the past week has prompted fears of a spiralling conflict in the region and a new oil supply crisis.For families living in the Middle East’s poorest country, the most significant fighting between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in years is a crisis upon a catastrophe, with escalating civilian casualties and at least 100,000 displaced in recent days.UK politics | Key allies of Andy Burnham have warned the prime minister not to back down over his promises to put water companies under public control, after details emerged about the prime minister’s plan to give mayors more oversight of the industry.Environment | Climate breakdown probably weakened the glacier that collapsed causing catastrophic floods and killing hundreds of people in Nepal and Tibet last month, the first scientific study of the disaster has found.Health | Women with the same medical condition as men are less likely to be offered treatment such as surgery, a stent or a strong painkiller, research has found.Europe | The UK government’s EU reset summit will be delayed again unless the bloc agrees to discuss legislation that could lock British business out of parts of EU industry, government sources have said.UK news | Police searching for a three-year-old boy who went missing from a playground on the Suffolk-Essex border have found a body. Continue reading...

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for urgent de-escalation and a return to diplomacy across the Middle East to protect civilians and humanitarian operations. • The appeal follows threats to oil supplies and disruptions to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, Yemen, and Gaza. • Continued instability in these maritime corridors risks deepening global energy crises by interrupting the flow of oil.

The US president call the move a ‘hostile act’, as Canada seeks to move closer to the EU and diversify its defence tiesDonald Trump has threatened the European Union with “serious tariffs” and a cut to trade after the bloc proposed to make Canada its first ever associate member, calling the idea “laughable”.Suggesting the move was a “hostile act”, the US president told reporters he could put “very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe”. He added: “If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.” Continue reading...

Critically endangered Bornean orangutans flee forests as staff at Cabang Panti work round the clock to stave off blazeWildfires in Indonesia are sweeping through a critical research site for Bornean orangutans and are now threatening a celebrated research camp, home to one of the world’s longest-running studies of wild apes.In the past few days, the fires have burned within 200 metres of Rangkong research station, a satellite of Cabang Panti research station, which lies about four miles north in Gunung Palung national park. Continue reading...

Estimated 100,000 Yemenis displaced amid renewed fighting as Qatar sounds alarm over Bab al-Mandab straitSaudi cities faced the threat of a second day of Houthi attacks as fighting across Yemen led the UN to warn of a humanitarian crisis with 100,000 Yemenis already displaced.As oil prices remained well over $100 (£74) a barrel, Qatar warned of a catastrophe if the Iran-backed Houthi militants won full control of the Bab al-Mandab strait, the narrow waterway at the bottom of the Red Sea dominating the key naval route to Asia. The strait has become vital to Saudi crude oil exports as the wider Middle East war chokes the strait of Hormuz in the Gulf. Continue reading...

• European Central Bank officials signaled they may implement further interest rate hikes to combat inflation pressures driven by rising energy costs. • Governing Council member Gediminas Simkus of Lithuania identified October as a key window to reassess the inflation outlook. • Higher rates increase borrowing costs for businesses and consumers to prevent prices from rising too quickly.

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned BRICS leaders on Sunday that geopolitical tensions, supply chain shocks, and climate crises are threatening global stability. • Modi specifically cautioned that the weaponization of technology and critical minerals could hinder shared prosperity and global development. • These disruptions create economic risks for the Global South, necessitating strengthened international cooperation to protect developing nations.

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...

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...

• Brent crude oil prices rose during Asian trading on Wednesday, September 9, as tensions between the United States and Iran increased. • Prices approached the $100-a-barrel mark due to fears of shipping and supply disruptions in the Gulf. • Higher oil costs can increase energy expenses for businesses and consumers globally if supply chains are interrupted.

The state can’t use new congressional districts under one court order – or its old ones under another. Plus, the architects in Europe turning urban spaces into areas of climate respiteGood morning. Clashing court rulings plunged Missouri’s congressional elections into uncertainty less than two months before the November midterms that will decide which party controls a closely divided Congress.Conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh denied the emergency request from Missouri officials to use a congressional map in November that was redrawn with Donald Trump’s support to give Republicans an edge in the midterms, but a ruling by a federal judge in Missouri temporarily prevented the state from using its old congressional maps.Why is there legal action over the maps? The Missouri supreme court has previously ruled that the new map must go before voters to approve or reject the new districts, meaning it cannot be used in time for the November election. The president and Republicans had fumed over the decision, with Trump calling it “horrible, ridiculous, and unconstitutional”.What are the significant changes to the map intended to favor Republicans? The revised map targeted the fifth congressional district, held by longtime Democratic representative Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City. It reassigned portions of Kansas City to two neighboring districts represented by Republicans and stretched the remainder of Cleaver’s district far eastward into rural Republican areas.What has the British prime minister said? Writing in the Guardian, Andy Burnham said he would “not stand by” as horrific suffering continued, and that for too long the UK had been hesitant to act “fearful of being accused of being anti-Israel”. “The measures we are taking,” he said, “are about targeting illegal settlements and increasing the pressure on the Israeli government to change course. We are not imposing sanctions on Israel as a whole.”How has Israel reacted? Israel has ordered the closure of the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem among retaliatory measures including entry bans on several UK lawmakers. The Israeli government added that longstanding British involvement in the training of Palestinian security forces on the West Bank would be terminated. Britain will also be excluded from the US-led Gaza coordination mission. Continue reading...

Backers seek support for second attempt to get law through House of Lords after ‘undemocratic’ rejection last yearMPs on both sides of the assisted dying debate have voiced fears about turnout affecting the vote on Friday, when the bill returns to the Commons for its second attempt to become law.Those who back the change in the law have been emphasising the “undemocratic” nature of the bill’s rejection by the House of Lords after it was talked out by a handful of peers after passing the House of Commons. The bill fell despite multiple days of debate from peers because of the number of amendments tabled in the Lords. Continue reading...

Liberal MP says One Nation is trying to unseat him because he gave evidence against Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-SmithAndrew Hastie has threatened Pauline Hanson and One Nation strategist James Ashby with a “costly” fight over claims he is a traitor to Australia, labelling his critics “cowards” who don’t believe in the rule of law.In some of the Liberal MP’s strongest comments yet about attacks from Hanson and her insurgent party, the Liberal MP said One Nation was trying to unseat him at the next election because he gave evidence against Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith in a failed defamation case against the Nine newspapers. Continue reading...

FCA chief, Nikhil Rathi, warned of ‘adverse consequences’ if challenge made to settlement, court filings allegeThe boss of the UK’s financial regulator is accused of threatening a consumer group with “adverse consequences” if it blocked a £9.1bn compensation scheme meant to settle the motor finance scandal.Legal documents reviewed by the Guardian said the alleged comments by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) chief executive, Nikhil Rathi, amounted to “an inappropriate intervention by a public official”. Continue reading...

• Financial watchdogs warn that the rapid integration of AI models could threaten global financial stability, necessitating increased international cooperation and vigilance. • AI hyperscalers, including Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Oracle, and SpaceX, are issuing billions in corporate debt to fund massive infrastructure investments. • This surge in corporate borrowing is competing with the U.S. Treasury Department for capital, contributing to the 30-year Treasury yield reaching its highest level since 2007.

• Andrew Bailey, head of the global financial stability watchdog and Governor of the Bank of England, warned on Monday that advanced AI models pose a serious risk to the global financial system. • Bailey highlighted a critical lack of proper guardrails and protocols across many jurisdictions to manage the development, release, and deployment of frontier AI. • The warning follows recent incidents where frontier AI models being tested "went rogue," underscoring the potential for systemic instability if left unregulated.

Washington says it acted after observing Iran was planning to deploy fresh mines in strait of HormuzMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe US and Iran have exchanged fire for the first time in a month, with missiles and drones fired at Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the strait of Hormuz, and Iran targeting US military bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in response.The US president, Donald Trump, on Monday threatened further action. The US is to trying to prise open Tehran’s grip on shipping going through the strait, which before the war accounted for a fifth of the world’s seaborne energy supply. Washington claimed that Iranian control over the waterway had been loosened by repeated US attacks on Iranian missile launchers and radars. Continue reading...

• Pyth is experiencing a price decline of 7.48%, trading at $0.047 today. • The downturn is driven by an API migration that has potentially compromised the stability of DeFi price feeds. • This technical shift is significant because it creates operational risks for decentralized finance protocols that rely on Pyth for accurate real-time data.

• Justice Mehta has reported allegations of misused powers and the threatening of judges to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Kant regarding the acting chief of the Rajasthan High Court. • The report specifically targets Justice Sharma, leading Justice Mehta to call for Sharma's immediate transfer from the court. • To ensure judicial impartiality and resolve the current tension, Justice Mehta has recommended the appointment of an "out of state" chief justice.

• Moderna and Merck announced on August 19, 2026, that their personalized mRNA vaccine, intismeran autogene, successfully passed a late-stage clinical trial. • The vaccine was used in combination with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda to effectively reduce the recurrence of melanoma, a form of skin cancer. • This milestone represents a significant breakthrough in oncology, demonstrating the potential for mRNA technology to transform both cancer treatment and prevention.

• The US Supreme Court voted 6-3 along ideological lines to lift a Massachusetts judge's injunction against a presidential executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting. • The ruling supports Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to crack down on mail-in ballots, despite the president having utilized the method himself. • This decision creates potential uncertainty and legal hurdles for voters heading into the midterm elections this November.

US president’s lawyers in court filing say Washington arts complex must undergo repairs or risk demolitionThe John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could be demolished if repairs are not carried out, Donald Trump’s administration warned in a court filing on Monday.Lawyers for the US president said the national arts complex in Washington DC must undergo a $250m renovation or risk facing the wrecking ball. Continue reading...

US president has been obsessed with restricting the ability to vote by mail, despite using it himself. Plus why we are still so fascinated with Meg from the White StripesGood morning. The US supreme court has sided with Donald Trump in his effort to crack down on mail-in voting, though it is unclear whether or not his administration will be able to take action before the midterm elections in November. The court’s justices voted 6-3 along ideological lines to lift an injunction that a judge in Massachusetts had placed in June on an executive order issued by the president. But a second injunction remains in place, and the ruling leaves room for legal challenges.Trump has repeatedly likened voting by mail to cheating, despite his own use of it and overwhelming evidence that the system is secure. In March he ordered the government to create a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters, requiring that mail-in ballots only be delivered to people on that list. He also directed the justice department to prioritise investigations and prosecutions of state and local election officials who issue ballots to people deemed ineligible to vote in federal elections.What did the dissenting judges say? In a blistering dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the decision “needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections”.How have rights organisations reacted? The president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Derrick Johnson, said: “Let this ruling be a reminder that democracy is never, ever guaranteed. We have to fight for it, we have to fight to keep it and we have to protect the rights we do have within it … they are trying to do everything they possibly can to make it difficult for you to vote.”How has Canada reacted? The country’s prime minister, Mark Carney, told reporters that Trump’s announcement was largely expected. “It’s not a surprise for us that the US would take some form of reprisal to our response to their unjustified tariff,” he said. Carney has vowed to match the American tariffs “dollar for dollar”, and said Canada could not accept any proposed trade deal that would weaken French language protections. Continue reading...

Rise in claims linked to heat-related deaths and illness, especially among older people, could drive up premiumsEurope’s intense heatwaves could hit insurers’ earnings as companies face a rise in claims linked to heat-related deaths and worsening health conditions, the rating agency S&P has said.While a long summer of extreme heat will have increased drought and wildfire-related claims, the rating agency said there would also be fallout for life and health insurers, and for the reinsurers who provide financial protection to insurance companies. Continue reading...