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Iran Plans 'Exclusion Zone' Near Strait Of Hormuz Amid Tensions With US
The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and "will begin from the line of the U.S. naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf"
Elon Musk thanked by German far-right leader after landmark election win praised by Russia | First Thing
Populist, far-right, anti-immigration AfD wins vote in eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. Plus, 50 years since The Muppet Show first hit our screensDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning. A far-right leader who has won an important state election in Germany has thanked Elon Musk for his support, as voices in Europe warn the result is a serious moment for the continent. No far-right party has led or formed a government in Germany since the defeat of nazism at the end of the second world war.Ulrich Siegmund, the Alternative für Deutschland’s lead candidate, thanked Musk on X after the tech billionaire said “Well done!” in German to the AfD co-founder Alice Weidel. The populist, far-right, anti-immigration party won the vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.Will the AfD be able to form a state government? Despite its resounding victory, the party fell just short of a majority. It was seeking an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern alone and overcome the so-called “firewall” of the mainstream parties, which refuse to work with it. The final results showed the AfD falling three seats short, with 39 lawmakers in an 83-member legislature.What has been the reaction in Washington and Moscow? Donald Trump posted a screenshot of the election projection without comment on his Truth Social site. The Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev took a screengrab of Trump’s post and praised a “historic win for the pragmatic AfD”. The AfD is pro-Kremlin, urging a stop to support for Ukraine and pushing for Ukrainians in Germany to no longer receive refugee status.Who else has been saying Trump’s war may not achieve its aims? The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said on Sunday morning Washington might not be able to reach an agreement with Tehran that would prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons. “We are strangling their economy to try to bring either a change in policy from the existing regime or a new regime,” he said. Continue reading...
Ratko Mladić, the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’, given hero’s funeral in Serbia
Fanfare at Belgrade funeral of man convicted of genocide raises questions from EU over Serbia’s membership planEurope live – latest updatesThousands of mourners have gathered in Belgrade for the funeral of Ratko Mladić, a Serbian general convicted of orchestrating the worst massacre in Europe since the second world war, and whose hero’s return home has raised international alarm.Known as the “Butcher of Bosnia” for his role during the Balkans genocide in the 1990s, Mladić died in prison in late August aged 84 while serving a life sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Continue reading...
How Putin's Shadow Fleet Is Using Fake Identities To Evade UK Seizures
Authorities who are monitoring shipping traffic consider the sanctioned tanker an ordinary fishing vessel, while the smaller ship appears to be the tanker.
‘Nakedly political’: US attempts to link trans support to authoritarianism in new health department report
HHS releases report linking ‘gender ideology’ to political violence – a study scientists say was poorly conductedThe US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a report linking “gender ideology” to leftwing authoritarianism and political violence – a study scientists say was poorly conducted and “nakedly political”, likely leading to greater politicization of science and health.It follows attempts by the administration to limit access to gender-affirming care – including, on Friday, an agreement reached between the Department of Justice and a New York hospital to no longer offer pediatric gender-affirming care. Dozens of hospitals stopped offering gender-affirming care after the Trump administration began investigating them for offering the standard of care. Continue reading...
US labor unions saw membership gains in 2025, mostly in states with bargaining protections
Uptick in US union membership coincides with high public approval ratings of unionsAfter years of decline, union membership in the US increased by 411,000 members in 2025, the largest increase since 2008, according to a new report.The report makes clear the impact that “right to work” laws can have on union membership: most gains were concentrated in states that protect collective bargaining. Continue reading...
Husband of Tanzania's president dies while undergoing hospital treatment
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan's husband has died while undergoing treatment in Zanzibar
Liberal operatives discussed whether to buy Porsche or Ferrari with developer’s payments, Icac hears
Rightwing NSW powerbrokers are alleged to have received illegal political donations from fugitive developerFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo Liberal operatives traded photos and messages about whether to buy a Porsche or a Ferrari with payments they received for Toplace projects they got approved via a New South Wales government fast-track development process.The Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday heard more evidence from lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood, a principal of Beckington Consulting, who is alleged to have shared in $2m in payments from the fugitive developer Jean Nassif, owner of the now collapsed Toplace. Continue reading...
Weather tracker: Typhoon Saudel causes mass evacuations in south-east China
Torrential rain causes widespread damage; while north-west South Africa hit by thunderstorms and central-southern US faces oppressive heatTyphoon Saudel brought days of torrential rain to Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces in south-east China last week. The city of Putian, in Fujian province, recorded 416.5mm of rain in a 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday, with surrounding villages recording more than 500mm in the same period. In Fujian, authorities estimate that almost 600,000 people were evacuated from high-risk, flood-prone areas. A further 128,000 people in 53 counties were also affected across Jiangxi, with emergency evacuations affecting 9,000 people.Flooding, landslips and infrastructure damage were reported widely in the region. More than 2,500 teachers and students were trapped in a school compound in the Zhejiang city of Wenzhou on Wednesday after extreme rainfall caused flash floods in low-lying areas. At least 1,260 people reportedly had to be rescued in Putian after a river embankment collapsed on Thursday, flattening 100 homes. On Saturday, a landslip in a village of Suichuan county, in Jiangxi province, killed three people and nine others remaining missing. Continue reading...
German chancellor faces pressure after far-right party wins in state election
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under pressure after the far-right Alternative Germany (AfD) party achieved a significant victory in a regional election
Chinese theater, promoter fined for altered patriotic song in a comedy show
Authorities fined two companies and said that one of China's best-known comedians had caused a "negative impact" on society, after an audience reported him for changing the lyrics of a patriotic song during a performance.
Nepal holds a day of mourning after floods kill at least 1,300 people
Nepal is holding a day of mourning to remember those killed in the August 26 floods
