Argentina
(Martin Epstein – The Interpreter) His arrival on the political scene was as rapid as it was unexpected, both for Argentina and for the world at large. And while some of Javier Milei’s campaign slogans have been toned down since assuming the presidency, several of the core policies promoted by this advocate of libertarian ideas continue to be implemented as near-religious dogma. The Milei experiment is, from multiple perspectives, unique in its kind. While the government has adopted a policy of automatic, uncritical alignment with Donald Trump’s administration – without hesitation or internal division – it has simultaneously kept Brazil and China as its principal trading partners. Nearly three years into this project, it remains difficult not only to understand that balance, but especially to imagine how it will evolve.
The drive to push liberal economic ideology to its limit – reflected in public spending cuts on a scale never seen before in Argentina, his combative rhetoric and controversial style, and the stated goal of dismantling the state from within – has proven to be far more than electoral promises. From day one, it has been the defining mark of a disruptive government. The land of beef and football spent decades pursuing multilateral integration, consistent with the post–Cold War order. Argentina positioned itself the community of nations as a country of peace and diplomacy through its engagement with the regional body Mercosur and its role within the G20. The country also took a leadership role within the UN-driven decolonisation agenda, given its particular interest in the Malvinas/Falklands dispute. From that platform, and through close ties with global powers such as Brazil, Russia and China, Argentina’s potential integration into the BRICS bloc appeared all but assured by late 2023 – foreshadowed that year at point 91 of the Johannesburg Declaration of the BRICS leaders’ summit. Trade complementarity with the bloc offered a chance to deepen ties further with its principal partners and to foster new commercial opportunities. But then Milei won, ushering in what might be called “the Argentine paradox”. – Argentina’s Milei paradox: Washington’s ally, Beijing’s trading partner | Lowy Institute
Australia
(Alexander Robinson – The Strategist) The Royal Australian Air Force could increase pilot training capacity, reduce costs and make more efficient use of resources by using high-performance turboprop aircraft alongside jet trainers in the fighter training pipeline. The RAAF’s present ability to deliver pilots is insufficient: greater capacity is called for in the Integrated Investment Program, Defence’s long-term spending plan. RAAF fighter pilots currently progress from basic and advanced flying training on Pilatus PC-21 turboprops to lead-in fighter training (LIFT) on the BAE Systems Hawk 127, then to operational conversion on frontline aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin F-35A and Boeing F/A-18F. Using jets for LIFT was a logical choice when Australia chose the Hawk in 1996. At that time, the gap between the capabilities of turboprop and jet trainers was large, simulation technology was limited and realistic preparation for flying fighters depended heavily on aircraft performance. Today, those factors have changed. – To lift capacity and save money, shift some fighter training to turboprops | The Strategist
Australia – AUKUS
(Michael Pezzullo – The Strategist) The first question to consider when thinking about a major defence program such as AUKUS is this: defence against whom? Australian governments have given two different answers to this question over the years. Prime minister Bob Hawke’s government said in 1987 that Australia would have a ten-year warning window within which to prepare against an emerging regional threat. It did not mean the Soviet Union. Rather, it was concerned about the remote threat of the re-emergence of an aggressive Indonesia, something that had concerned Australia in the 1960s and 1970s. By contrast, the government of Kevin Rudd said in 2009 that Australia would need to significantly build up its military capability by 2030 as a hedge against the prospect of major war where Australia might have to defend itself for a time with minimal combat assistance from the United States, which would likely be stretched and not able to spare much for the defence of Australia. In defending against a regional military power (say, an aggressive Indonesia that was led by an authoritarian and nationalistic former general), we would almost certainly be fighting on our own. Australia would favour fighting an offensive campaign, without having to call on the combat forces of the United States or anyone else. The objective of the campaign would be to rapidly destroy as much of the enemy’s fighting power as possible, with a view to dictating the terms of war termination and, hopefully, peace. – AUKUS has put Australia’s submarine effort back on track | The Strategist
Australia – Japan
(Adel Abdel Ghafar – The Strategist) The Australia–Japan partnership stands out because the two countries bring complementary strengths across the economic, political and security spheres. As leading Indo-Pacific democracies, the two are among the middle powers best placed to drive cooperation and build regional institutions together. This is a case that Japan’s Ambassador to Australia, Kazuhiro Suzuki, made at ASPI’s Defence Conference on 25 June. Suzuki set that case within a longer arc. The Free and Open Indo-Pacific concept originated with former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, whose 2007 Confluence of the Two Seas speech connected the Indian and Pacific Oceans into a single strategic theatre. Current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has since updated that vision, arguing in a speech in Hanoi last May that a more contested environment required a Free and Open Indo-Pacific built around resilience, autonomy and practical cooperation. – Japan and Australia can be a model for middle-power cooperation | The Strategist
Climate Action
(UN News) Tackling air pollution and climate change together can save millions of lives, reduce global warming and generate roughly $15 in economic benefits for every $1 spent, a new UN-backed report has revealed. The assessment by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) shows how coordinated action can improve public health, strengthen economies and accelerate progress on climate goals through 25 proven measures and policy reforms. These include using renewable energy, electric vehicles and clean fuel sources for cooking. It comes as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also underlined the importance of coordinated action as increased pollution from wildfires and heatwaves threatens to undermine global efforts to improve air quality, – Coordinated action on clean air and climate change can net $15 for every dollar spent | UN News
Europe
(Zoya Sheftalovich, Gregorio Sorgi – Politico) António Costa’s EU budget tour is reaching the bigger capitals, with Berlin, Warsaw and Madrid on the agenda for the coming days. The settings may change, but the main question the European Council president is asking remains the same: Can we all agree on new EU taxes to help fund the long-term budget? Introducing new EU-wide levies is crucial to lay the groundwork for a budget agreement by the end of the year, before national elections in France, Spain, Italy and Poland in 2027 threaten to disrupt the negotiations. Costa — who has been touring EU capitals to assess what each wants from the budget — will bring up the topic of taxes when he meets Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday. The following day, he will meet Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Madrid, along with Portugal’s Luís Montenegro in Lisbon. He will finish the week in Finland, meeting Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Sunday. “Ambition cannot be realized without the right financial instruments,” Costa said on Saturday. “A budget not just about numbers, but as the ultimate political choice, a choice about our future”. The topic of new taxes — own resources, in EU-speak — was also the focus of a meeting of European ministers in Dublin last week, when the real horse-trading began over the European Commission’s €2 trillion Multiannual Financial Framework proposal for 2028-2034. Countries that pay more into the EU budget than they receive are resisting higher contributions, while governments across the bloc support increased spending on defense, security and competitiveness. That leaves new EU-level revenue streams as the most plausible way to expand the budget without directly asking national treasuries to pay more. “We cannot do more with less,” Spanish Secretary of State for Europe, Fernando Sampedro, said in Dublin, summing up the fundamental tension underpinning Costa’s tour. – Costa puts EU taxes at heart of his grand budget tour – POLITICO
(Aitor Hernández-Morales – Politico) The political reaction to the surge of migrants into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta laid bare how sharply Europe’s migration debate has shifted, and how it’s forcing migrant-rights groups to rethink the way they make their case. Where previous migration crises often divided European leaders between calls for solidarity and demands for tougher controls, the response to Ceuta — where more than 100 people died last month as they tried to enter — was strikingly uniform. From the far right to the center left, political leaders overwhelmingly called for stronger borders and more effective deterrence. “The conversation around migration and the language used to refer to migrants has changed in many EU countries, even center-left member states,” said Michele LeVoy, director of the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants, a network of organizations that advocate for unauthorized migrants across Europe. In response, migrant-rights groups are changing tactics. As humanitarian appeals lose political traction, they are turning more heavily to the courts, building broader alliances and experimenting with new ways to talk about migration. “We’re trying to be stronger together by working with organizations from across civil society, working with lawyers to challenge litigation, and really showing that these policies are bad for everyone, not just migrants,” LeVoy added. – Ceuta crisis forces Europe’s migrant-rights groups to rethink their playbook – POLITICO
Germany
(James Angelos and Nette Nöstlinger – Politico) Germany’s far right is moving to turn its landslide election victory into a knockout blow against Friedrich Merz and his beleaguered conservatives — and the chancellor appears at a loss over how to respond. Merz seemed to have no clear plan for saving himself and his party as his government confronted its biggest political crisis yet, beyond ambiguous promises to become a better, more empathetic politician 16 months into his chancellorship. “We are all deeply shocked,” Merz said Monday, after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) reached a new high in Saxony-Anhalt’s weekend election while support for his Christian Democratic Union fell by more than half. “This is the worst election defeat the CDU has suffered in years — or even decades,” the chancellor added. “Of course, there will have to be consequences”. But what those consequences will be remains uncertain. Merz’s dismal approval ratings and the AfD’s convincing win have fueled speculation that his conservatives could seek a Kanzlertausch, or “chancellor swap,” to revive their political fortunes. But Merz said Monday that he would remain in office and stay the course on economic reforms he argues are long overdue and will, with time, solve the country’s economic problems. The AfD has made little secret of its intent to turn the election loss into a still greater debacle for Merz. The far-right party is openly courting conservative lawmakers in Saxony-Anhalt to defect and join its ranks — a strategy aimed not only at securing the three additional seats it needs to govern alone, but also at fracturing the conservatives and breaking Merz’s control of his party. “The conservative bloc will never again be able to win a federal election, that is a fact,” AfD national co-leader Alice Weidel said in Berlin on Monday. “The gap between us and them is already at 10 percent, and my stated goal is to significantly widen that gap in the shortest possible time”. Merz on Monday acknowledged that he is part of the problem. Only 9 percent of people voting in Saxony-Anhalt approved of his performance as chancellor, according to one exit poll for German public television. “I know that my persona, too, has been a recurring topic in this election campaign,” Merz said. Germans are anxious about their economic wellbeing and security in turbulent times, he went on, adding: “We must try — myself included — to connect more deeply with people, including their full range of emotions.” –Merz has no good answers as the far right targets his downfall – POLITICO
(Melissa Bell – CNN) Alternative for Germany (AfD) may not have won the supermajority it sought in the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sunday, but the far-right party did take another giant step toward power in a country whose postwar democracy was designed to prevent the return of right-wing extremism. The AfD’s win, which co-leader Alice Weidel described as “historic,” also showed that in Germany, as elsewhere in Europe, the center is not holding as firmly as it once did. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the AfD’s victory has shaken his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) “to its very foundations” and would have “consequences” reaching well beyond the region. “It is an election result we cannot simply move past as if nothing happened,” he said Monday. “It is the most severe election defeat the CDU has suffered in years, indeed in decades”. On Sunday, the CDU didn’t just lose support to the AfD at the margins, but more than half its 2021 vote outright, with the AfD more than doubling its own share in the former East German state to 44% in a single electoral cycle. The AfD was already the largest opposition party in the federal parliament in Berlin, making the “eastern exception” argument — that this is a regional, post-Communist phenomenon — harder to sustain. The CDU’s rhetoric on migration has shifted further right as the AFD’s popularity has grown. And with each win at state level, the “Brandmauer,” or “firewall against the far-right,” that prevents ultra-nationalist parties like AfD from joining ruling coalitions is being tested a little more by parliamentary arithmetic as much as by principle. The question now is: How much longer can a democratic argument be made to justify the firewall? A similar question is also facing Europe as a whole. In Brussels, the so-called “cordon sanitaire,” the European Union’s own version of the far-right firewall, is also under pressure from mathematics. – The far right’s win in Germany is sending a chill through the establishment in Europe | CNN
India – China – BRICS
(Eerishika Pankaj – The Interpreter) Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was in Beijing last week for Special Representatives (SR) talks with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi – the latest in a series of meetings between the two men and the last before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September. China’s President Xi Jinping’s attendance remains unconfirmed, but is increasingly expected. Delhi’s investment in a smooth September summit gives Beijing a kind of leverage that no amount of talks has managed to trade away. As a litmus test for India’s own BRICS presidency, “stability” between the rival neighbours matters, given that Delhi has invested immense diplomatic capital in the summit’s success. Having Xi in the room on 12 September, marking his first visit to India in seven years, is central to the narrative. Back in June, Doval and Wang were in New Delhi for the BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting, where the atmospherics were notably warm by the standards of a relationship still recovering from the violence that erupted in Galwan in 2020 between troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) separating the two countries. This was in line with the diplomatic theatre of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin in 2025, which marked Modi’s first visit to China in seven years. Clearly that warmth has held, but the more interesting question is who needs it to hold more? – Delhi and Beijing need BRICS to work – not to trust each other | Lowy Institute
Israel – Lebanon
(The Soufan Center) Israel has claimed to have captured a key Lebanese Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, introducing an additional hurdle to efforts by regional mediators to de-escalate regional tensions and re-establish a U.S.-Iran truce. The Israeli offensive against the Hezbollah command and missile center at Ali al-Taher Ridge leaves all but dead a U.S.-brokered agreement from June under which Israel agrees to cede territory taken from the militants and give it to the forces of the sovereign Lebanese government in Beirut. U.S. officials apparently did not insist that Israel halt its offensive, potentially threatening a return to the June U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding that applies a U.S.-Iran ceasefire to “all regional fronts”. Iran did not implement its threats to attack Israel if it stormed the Ridge, suggesting it wants to avoid drawing Israel back into the U.S.-Iran war. – Repercussions of Intensified Fighting in Lebanon – The Soufan Center
Israel – West Bank
(AFP) An Israeli court on Tuesday rejected a bid from rights groups to halt development of a settlement in the occupied West Bank that would severely undermine the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state. The Jerusalem District Court said in a ruling it had dismissed the motion, which aimed to stall the publication of tenders for the settlement east of Jerusalem. Israel’s construction and housing ministry opened a tender for construction of more than 1,200 housing units in July, leading NGOs to file motions against it. – Israeli court rejects petition to halt key occupied West Bank settlement project
(Dan Bloom, Noah Keate and Sophie Inge – Politico) France and Canada will join the U.K. in imposing new trade sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements Tuesday in a major diplomatic coup for Britain as it resets its relationship with Israel. In the House of Commons, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband confirmed Britain, France and Canada will impose a ban on the trade of goods and some services from Israeli settlements, having last month condemned Israel’s plans for 1,200 new homes in the E1 area east of Jerusalem. The U.K., France and Canada are also among the 11 countries which issued a joint statement Tuesday warning the Israeli government’s actions in the West Bank are threatening the possibility of reaching a two-state solution. – France and Canada join UK in issuing trade sanctions on Israeli settlements – POLITICO
(Reuters) Britain will announce a trade ban on goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank later on Tuesday, confirmed a senior minister, as part of the UK’s efforts to support a two-state solution. Six weeks into his new job, foreign minister Ed Miliband flagged last week that he was looking at resetting Britain’s policy on Israel, and he is due to make a statement on Israel and trading restrictions in the House of Commons. Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, also in office since July, spoke to US President Donald Trump on Monday to stress the “the importance of the two-state solution,” in what is seen as a reference to the sanctions. – UK to announce a trade ban on Israeli West Bank goods
Nepal
(Jawad Khalid – The Interpreter) As Nepal reels from the Bhotekoshi flood, its government has filed a formal request with the UN’s Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, warning that the scale of destruction, put at $4–7 billion for broader economic loss, including $2.5 billion in infrastructure damage, is far beyond what the country’s own resources can absorb. Nepal’s government has called this a matter of legal and moral liability, not charity, arguing the country is bearing the cost of a climate crisis it did not create. The FRLD was established in 2022 at COP27, with its Governing Instrument agreed the following year at COP28 to cover exactly this kind of loss, the kind mitigation and adaptation finance cannot address. Pledges to date stand at $822 million, but only $350 million is actually earmarked for disbursement. Against that, the fund’s first call for proposals drew 180 requests worth $2.8 billion, nearly eight times what’s available. The board deferred its first funding decision to December, a year after the call opened. None have been approved, and no money has yet reached any country for any disaster. – Nepal’s floods will test whether loss and damage funds can actually work | Lowy Institute
Occupied Ukraine
(Lily Hyde – Politico) No political rights. No freedom of expression. No protection from secret detention without access to family, an attorney or a physician. No protection from deportation. Welcome to Russia-occupied Ukraine. For the second year running, U.S.-based democracy tracker Freedom House has listed Ukraine’s occupied eastern and southern territories as the most unfree places in the world — outranking South Sudan, North Korea and the Gaza Strip. Inhabitants here are subject to repressive Russian legislation, including forcibly imposed citizenship and the use of antiterrorism laws against political dissidents and religious minority groups, Freedom House says. And it is this system of surveillance, repression, indoctrination and state theft that pushes occupied Ukraine to the top of the list. Discriminatory policies publicly encoded in Russian law permeate every aspect of residents’ lives — measures that appear to be changing the region’s demographics. Russia is “deliberately changing the ethnic composition so as to destroy a culture or tip the political balance in favor of another group,” the report notes. International humanitarian law forbids any occupying power from introducing permanent changes to territories it occupies, particularly in demographic, social and economic domains. But Moscow claims these areas are not occupied — they are simply a part of Russia, and therefore subject to Russian law. “This occupation is one of the most well-documented systems of repression, oppression and human rights violations because so much is put on the public record,” said Danielle Bell, head of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. “This is a systemic approach to restricting people’s rights and fundamental freedoms”. Since 2022, HRMMU has noted at least 16 Russian laws and decrees limiting the rights of Ukrainian citizens in these territories. Schools teach a Russian version of history, instilling Russian identity and values. “Ukrainian nationalism,” which includes expressing sympathies with Ukraine or using the Ukrainian language, is punished as “extremist.” And resettlement from Russia to these areas is actively encouraged. The regime has “all the signs of cultural genocide,” said journalist Andrii Dikhtiarenko, a native of now-occupied eastern Ukraine. – The least free place on earth: Occupied Ukraine – POLITICO
Russia – Ukraine
(Reuters) Russia pummeled Kyiv with drones and missiles early on Tuesday, resuming its air attacks after a brief halt for the visit of US peace negotiators, killing two people and triggering fires across the Ukrainian capital. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 10 more had been injured in the city, while falling debris in one district caused fires at a five-story apartment building and a three-story residential block. The attack damaged at least 14 high-rise buildings, a dorm, a school, a clinic, warehouses and other sites, officials said. – Russia hits Kyiv after brief pause for US envoys’ visit, killing two
(Barak Ravid – Axios) The U.S. is exploring whether Ukraine and Russia could take steps to de-escalate the war during the winter while restarting negotiations toward a broader peace agreement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios in an interview Monday. The Ukrainian president believes the weeks before winter offer a window for diplomacy. While Zelensky said he’s convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin is counting on another brutal winter to weaken Ukraine, he added that Putin doesn’t want to antagonize the U.S. president ahead of the midterm elections. “My feeling [is] that Putin needs Trump,” Zelensky said. “He doesn’t want … to upset him”. Zelensky said that even if Putin doesn’t want to de-escalate, he could be pressured by the Trump administration to do so. When asked whether Putin might want to give Trump a diplomatic win before the U.S. elections, Zelensky replied: “Yeah”. Zelensky met in Kyiv on Sunday with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. It was their first visit to Ukraine since Trump started his second term. – Zelensky to Axios: US explores Russia-Ukraine war winter de-escalation
Saudi Arabia – Houthi – Yemen
(Al Arabiya) Several energy sector facilities and installation in the southern region of the Kingdom were targeted on Tuesday morning, an official source at the Saudi Ministry of Energy said according to a statement, adding that relevant authorities began taking the necessary measures. “The attacks caused fires at several locations, leading to a temporary halt in some operations. Specialized field teams have begun containing the fires, securing the sites, and assessing the damage,” the statement said. The attacks have resulted in injuries among citizens and residents. – Saudi Arabia says energy sector facilities targeted in Southern Region
(Al Arabiya) Official Spokesman for the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki al-Malki said on Tuesday that the escalation by the Houthi militia and its attempts to target Saudi Arabia, its national assets, its citizens and residents “is a dangerous escalation that confirms the hostile and irresponsible approach of this terrorist militia”. Al-Malki said in a statement that latest attack by “the terrorist Houthi militia” targeted civilian and economic sites in the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran. These resulted in injuries to 73 civilians, including women and children, noting that these attacks “constitute a blatant violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and a direct threat to the security and safety of its citizens and residents.” – Coalition says Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia constitute dangerous escalation
(Kathleen Magramo, Eyad Kourdi, Tim Lister – CNN) Saudi-led coalition forces are vowing a resolute response to a wave of attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen that wounded dozens of civilians and caused fires at energy facilities. The Houthi attacks, which are reported to have struck several Saudi towns and cities, mark a dramatic escalation in the conflict, which flared up again in July with missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities and ships in an expansion of the Middle East war. At least 73 people, including women and children, had been wounded, said Major General Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition Forces, who described the attacks as “dangerous” and “senseless”. Houthi forces had targeted “civilian and economic sites” in the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran – all in western Saudi Arabia, according to Al-Maliki. – Scores wounded as Iran-backed Houthis attack Saudi Arabia | CNN
Serbia
(Una Hajdari – Politico) Serbia’s hopes of joining the EU were further threatened Monday by the funeral of a notorious army commander convicted of war crimes and the Srebrenica genocide. Ratko Mladić’s send-off — attended by thousands of people in Belgrade on a balmy September afternoon — drew condemnation from Brussels, which is already at odds with Serbia over its democratic decline, its crackdown on press and judicial freedoms and failure to sanction Russia for the war against Ukraine. “Any glorification of war criminals, genocide denial and revisionism contradict the most fundamental European values and have no place in the EU or in EU candidate countries,” Christian Wigand, a spokesperson for the European External Action Service, said in a statement Monday, while European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a planned visit to Belgrade this week over what she called the “glorification” of Mladić. – Ratko Mladić funeral exposes gap between Serbia’s EU ambitions and political reality – POLITICO
Sudan
(Sudan) The ongoing war in Sudan took centre stage at the UN Human Rights Council on Monday where the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, led calls for an end to attacks on civilians in “markets, hospitals [and] fuel stations”. Key points: Türk calls for an immediate ceasefire and end to foreign involvement; civilians face growing attacks, including from long-range drones; SAF and RSF may have committed war crimes; Sudan’s healthcare system has suffered extensive damage. Now well into its fourth year, the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has created a massive humanitarian emergency, with more than six million people displaced internally and another 4.5 million forced to seek shelter across Sudan’s borders. In his appeal for an end to the violence, UN rights chief Mr. Türk warned about the deteriorating situation in Kordofan, Blue Nile, and North and West Darfur, stressing that civilians remain at “imminent” risk. – Human rights chief Türk renews call for end to spiralling Sudan war | UN News
Terrorism/Counter-Terrorism
(Ray Furlong – RFE/RL) Farhad N. was just a few months old when hijacked airliners were deliberately piloted into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, part of attacks on the United States that killed thousands of people. Twenty-five years later, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for plowing a Mini Cooper car into a crowd of people in Munich, killing two people and injuring dozens. The 25-year-old Afghan’s story underlines how the world has been shaped since 9/11, with both the terror threat and counterterrorism operations continually in flux. The 9/11 attacks were plotted by Al-Qaeda, a group led by Saudi millionaire Osama bin-Laden and sheltered by the Taliban authorities in Kabul who were subsequently driven from power. After this, Farhad N. – whose surname is abbreviated in line with German privacy rules — began to grow up in a country where US-led international forces fought for 20 years to keep the Taliban at bay. Later, he was among hundreds of thousands of Afghans who left their country to seek peace and prosperity in Europe — only to become radicalized by online propaganda posted by imams in his native country. He had no affiliation or links to any specific group and appeared to have acted entirely on his own initiative. “In the old days, we would call these lone actors or lone wolves. This is the future,” a former US diplomat with decades of experience in counterterrorism told RFE/RL. “Nobody needs to be a part of a group…They can be inspired by a group, they can be inspired by multiple groups,” the ex-diplomat, who did not wish to be named, said, adding that advances in Artificial Intelligence were exacerbating an “inflection point” in the development of terror threats. RFE/RL spoke to multiple experts about how technological means that did not exist 25 years ago, including drones, AI, and social media — are creating a completely new and more dangerous environment. “We’re beginning to see a lot more online presence. We’re beginning to see a lot more use of influencers…in addition to the standardized actors that we have become used to in the terrorist scene, we also have lone actors, those who are influenced,” retired US General Joseph Votel told RFE/RL. Votel led a parachute assault by US troops on Taliban positions in Kandahar in October 2001, just weeks after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. He went on to play a key role in what was dubbed the War on Terror, serving also in Iraq and commanding operations against Islamic State (IS) militants. “These terrorist organizations have survived. They’ve continued to adapt as much as they can…they’ve become more sophisticated,” he said. “The environment is much more complex now for security experts.” – From Al-Qaeda To Lone Wolves And AI: How Terrorism Has Changed Since 9/11
US
(Reuters) Republican Vice President JD Vance called Abdul el-Sayed, a Muslim and a Democrat running for the US Senate in Michigan, “very, very evil” at a rally last week, accusing him of defending terrorism because of remarks he made after a March attack on a suburban Detroit synagogue. In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott, in a close race for another term, attacked a proposed Muslim-led development and called for an investigation into what he described as efforts to create “sharia courts,” a claim disputed by developers and civil rights groups. In Alabama, where Muslims make up less than half a percent of the population, US Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican running for governor, warned that “the enemy is inside the gates,” referring to what he called radical Islam. – Republicans are making Muslims a campaign issue in the 2026 US midterms
(Asha M. George – Atlantic Council) The United States faces a growing range of biological threats, from state bioweapons programs and naturally occurring diseases to emerging risks from artificial intelligence. While the White House’s biodefense personnel cuts are cause for concern, reorganization does not automatically signal reduced capacity. The worst time to rebuild biodefense is during a crisis. The White House should staff, organize, and prioritize the mission before a catastrophe arrives. – How the White House can get ahead of the next biological threat – Atlantic Council
US – Canada
(Elisabeth Buchwald, John Liu – CNN) President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to ban the sale of Canadian Bombardier jets if they are not built in the United States, hours before Canada moved forward with $20 billion worth of retaliatory tariffs on American goods, which took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Tuesday. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has stood firm on the country’s countermeasures and has signaled he will match any future trade actions Trump enacts. The latest spat marks a new, more vicious chapter in the rapidly escalating trade war between the two countries. The new levies include a doubling of taxes charged on American aluminum and steel to 50%, matching the rate the US charges on the metals from Canada. Paper products, construction materials, home appliances and agricultural products are also facing fresh duties. Trade talks between the two nations, which are top trading partners with one another, broke down last month at the 11th hour. Trump had initially pushed back his self-imposed deadline for the tariffs, touting a deal that was within reach. But the two sides failed to bridge their remaining differences as negotiators haggled over the final details. Since then, Trump and Carney have traded increasingly pointed jabs. Trump went as far as renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” threatened to double auto tariffs to 50% on January 1, and now has threatened to ban one of Canada’s top aircraft companies from selling in the US unless it builds there. “If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank,’” Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday. CNN has reached out to the White House regarding the suggested ban. In a response to CNN, the Montreal-based company said it maintains a significant manufacturing presence in the US, and has continued to expand in the country. “The American aerospace industry is a clear winner on trade and exports. Bombardier is a strong contributor to the sector, creating tens of thousands of jobs across the United States,” it said. Throughout the trade talks, Carney has accused the Americans of not negotiating seriously. “When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions — we can have those discussions,” Carney said last week. The intensifying trade war between the two neighbors is unfolding just two months before the US midterm elections, putting Republicans in competitive races in the position of explaining their views on tariffs imposed by the president. That includes Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who faces a tough reelection fight and has criticized Trump’s tariffs. Canadian Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly said the government is specifically tailoring its countermeasures to “put political pressure” on the Trump administration to reconsider its actions. Ottawa, however, exempted American seafood from the 25% duties — a move that spared industries in key states such as Alaska and Maine from a potentially significant hit. Trump is all but certain to respond to these countermeasures, prompting yet another response from Carney. This next tit-for-tat could hit closer to home. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said that his province could put restrictions on electricity exports to the border states it supplies, such as New York and Michigan. – Canada’s retaliatory tariffs take effect as Trump threatens to ban Bombardier jet sales in US | CNN Business
US – Middle East
(Katie Bo Lillis, Zachary Cohen – CNN) In offices across the military and in the intelligence community, there have been recent quiet discussions about cutting the number of people and facilities typically stationed in the Middle East if the Trump administration succeeds in ending the Iran conflict, six sources say. If those cuts happen, it would mark another shift in how the US national security apparatus treats a region that successive presidents have sought to leave behind. In the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, the US exponentially expanded a constellation of permanent military and intelligence facilities to fight wars and conduct strikes in half a dozen countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya. But the recent fighting with Iran has laid bare deep vulnerabilities in the American infrastructure in the Middle East as many of those sites have become targets of repeated Iranian attacks in an unpopular war that has killed 18 American service members. Officials involved in the informal discussions in the military and the intelligence community indicated they are now acting at least in part to predict what might be acceptable to a mercurial president who sources say has articulated no clear strategy for a postwar future — and who, in the past, has staked his political identity on reducing American forces overseas. Those discussions are happening even as there are still 50,000 troops and a large number of military assets in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers and more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers. CIA officers who were sent home during the hottest part of the fighting earlier this year are being sent back to the region, one of the sources said. The US military is also evaluating how to harden its defenses for those troops who are expected to remain in the region, even once the war ends. That includes by moving some installations underground to better defend against missile and drone attacks like those launched by Iran in the monthslong conflict, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. While the Pentagon has long discussed moving some bases in the region underground, the idea took on new urgency after the first weeks of war as Iran exposed how vulnerable they were to drone and missile attacks. “The vulnerabilities were always known, but the US never acted on it with urgency,” said one of the sources, a US official. The military has developed several potential courses of action for changing the US force structure in the Middle East as soon as next year, two of the sources said — noting it would not make sense to abandon those strategic locations for launching aircraft while the conflict is ongoing. The Office of the Secretary of Defense directed questions to US Central Command. Central Command did not respond to a query from CNN before publication. The Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment. In the background of today’s discussion are the repeated planned pivots out of the region: 25 years of military intervention in the Middle East since September 11 with cycles of promises to pull back. – Military and intelligence officials discuss smaller presence in the Middle East as US looks for another post-9/11 strategy | CNN Politics
Tech World, Cybersecurity, Surveillance
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Researchers found an exposed Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) database containing 220.8 million passenger and crew records from January 2017 to April 2026. The data includes sensitive details such as passport numbers, identities and flight information, potentially affecting travelers of many nationalities who flew to, from or through Vietnam. Kinryū Labs discovered the Elasticsearch cluster, named “pax-info,” while searching for exposed databases. It contained 29 indices and about 107 GB of data. The researchers linked the server to IP space assigned to Viettel in Hanoi, but could not confirm which Vietnamese organization operated it. Researchers found an exposed APIS database linked to Vietnam that contained more than 220 million passenger and crew records from 2017 to 2026. The data included passport numbers, identities and flight details. The Elasticsearch database, discovered by Kinryū Labs, held about 107 GB of data across 29 indices. It was hosted on IP addresses assigned to Viettel in Hanoi, although researchers could not confirm which Vietnamese organization operated the system. – Massive Vietnam-Linked APIS Database Exposes Passport and Flight Data
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) North Korean-linked hackers found a genuinely clever hiding spot for their malware: inside the actual source code of HAProxy, the load balancing software running at the edge of two South Korean companies’ networks. Rapid7’s research documents a previously undocumented Linux toolkit hitting South Korea’s automotive and media sectors, and the depth of integration here goes well beyond a typical backdoor bolted onto a system. “A new Linux toolkit, identified by Rapid7 Labs, has been targeting organizations across South Korea’s automotive and media industries with minimal detection. The campaign made use of a HAProxy instance named “ted backdoor”, alongside trojanized versions of crond, agetty, atd, sshd, and polkitd.” reads the report published by Rapid7. “This previously undocumented framework enabled threat actors to execute remote commands on compromised servers, inject malicious scripts into web traffic, perform credential harvesting, and engage in long-term surveillance”. The implant, which Rapid7 calls the “ted backdoor” based on debug strings the attackers left behind, isn’t a separate process running alongside HAProxy. It’s compiled directly into HAProxy’s own source code as a custom plugin, using the software’s native filter API, internal memory management, and event scheduler to intercept HTTP traffic while completely legitimate load balancing keeps running normally on top of it. “The standout feature of this toolkit is its depth of integration with the target environment. The ted backdoor is compiled as part of the victim’s existing HAProxy version 2.8.12.” continues the report. “It uses its native filter API, internal memory pools, event scheduler, and process management infrastructure to intercept traffic and hide from monitoring, while genuine load balancing traffic operates as expected”. – North Korea-linked Hackers Hide a Backdoor Inside HAProxy
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Forget installing malware because today’s extortionists just pick up the phone instead of writing code. A widespread threat cluster tracked as PREY-0058 bypasses endpoint security entirely by targeting Microsoft 365 and SaaS environments through pure social engineering. Attackers pose as internal IT help desk staff via phone calls and direct executives toward rogue authentication portals. “The threat actors impersonate internal IT or helpdesk personnel by phone and direct them to an authentication-themed URL, often formatted as <victim organization>.<lure domain>.” reads the report published by Artic Wolf. “These attacks most frequently target Directors, Vice Presidents, and other executive staff”. Once victims land on these pages, adversary-in-the-middle panels intercept credentials and multi-factor approvals in real time. Stolen session tokens are then replayed using residential proxy networks that match the victim’s exact geographic location. – IT Help Desk Impersonation Lets Hackers Bypass MFA
(DigWatch) Tasmania has proposed new data centre expectations for major digital infrastructure projects, covering renewable energy, electricity-network costs, water use, community benefits, and transparency. The draft applies to new and expanded data centres and AI infrastructure, including hyperscale, co-location, large-scale AI computing facilities, and multi-site developments. It excludes small edge and on-site enterprise facilities. The data centre expectations are non-statutory and would not create a new approval or regulatory process. Instead, they provide government guidance on the outcomes developers should pursue through Tasmania’s existing planning, connection, infrastructure, and commercial processes. Energy is central to the proposal. Tasmania expects new data centre and AI infrastructure developers to support additional renewable generation and enter commercial arrangements that can help bring forward new wind and solar projects. Developers would also be expected to explain how they source electricity and demonstrate that renewable-energy commitments are genuine and independently verifiable. – Tasmania proposes data centre expectations on renewables, network costs and water | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Spain has opened consultation on new data centre rules that would make access to electricity networks conditional on requirements covering energy and water efficiency, renewable power, resilience, and digital sovereignty. The draft Royal Decree responds to a rapid increase in proposed computing infrastructure. Spain says more than 6 GW of grid-access capacity has been granted to data centres through the transmission network since late 2023, alongside around another 6 GW through electricity-distribution networks since 2020. Those figures already exceed the government’s 2030 estimate of 3.5–4 GW of electricity demand associated with 2.5 GW of computing capacity. The main requirements would apply to data centres with electricity-grid access capacity of 1 MW or more. Before beginning operations, covered facilities would have to demonstrate compliance with digital-sovereignty requirements and must remain compliant to retain their grid-access and connection permits. – Spain opens consultation on data centre rules | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) India and Luxembourg are looking to broaden their cooperation beyond their established space partnership, with discussions focusing on AI, quantum technologies, advanced materials, and life sciences. Luxembourg’s Minister of Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, met India’s Minister of State for Science and Technology and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, in New Delhi to explore concrete areas for collaboration. Space remains a central pillar of the relationship. The countries already have an agreement on peaceful cooperation in outer space, while Luxembourg companies have already worked with Indian partners on satellite capacity and related technologies. Both sides discussed further opportunities involving Earth observation, communications, satellite systems, launch services, ground stations and mission support, alongside greater engagement between their private space industries. – India and Luxembourg deepen cooperation in emerging technologies | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Ministry of Transport have released a new Logistics Network Construction Implementation Plan, setting out measures to develop a more interconnected, digital, and automated national logistics network by 2030. The plan, approved by the State Council, covers physical infrastructure as well as rules, standards and information and data systems. Under the plan, China aims to improve the interconnection of logistics hubs and transport corridors, expand the use of smart and green infrastructure and equipment, and strengthen interoperability of logistics information and rules. It also sets a target of reducing total social logistics costs to 13.1% of GDP by 2030. The NDRC and Ministry of Transport identified digitalisation, data-sharing, and technical standards among the areas where further development is needed. – China outlines digital and data-driven logistics network under 15th Five-Year Plan | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Governments, workers, and employers across South-East Asia and China have called for stronger reskilling, social dialogue, and inclusive AI policies as artificial intelligence changes labour markets across the region, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). The recommendations emerged from the Regional Policy Dialogue 2026 in Bangkok, which examined how AI is affecting employment and how governments can integrate the technology into public employment services and skills-development systems. Participants stressed that human judgement and social dialogue should remain central as AI adoption expands. – ILO dialogue examines how AI is reshaping labour markets in Asia | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Students who use AI and digital tools for clearly defined learning purposes can benefit from the technology, while excessive or poorly guided use is associated with weaker educational outcomes, according to new findings from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 assessment. The study, which involved 760,000 students across 91 countries and economies, found that students who reported not using AI to draft text for writing assignments performed better than those who did. Among frequent AI users, however, students who used the technology to support learning and had been taught how to assess the quality of AI-generated information tended to perform better than those who had received no such guidance. – OECD finds how students use AI matters for learning outcomes | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) The Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a nationwide crackdown on so-called ‘digital arrest’ scams, conducting coordinated searches at 89 locations across 20 Indian states and arresting three individuals allegedly involved in receiving, layering, and dispersing fraud proceeds. The operation forms part of the CBI’s broader nationwide effort to dismantle cybercrime syndicates that exploit the identity and authority of law enforcement institutions to defraud victims of large sums of money. The action relates to three cybercrime cases involving an alleged combined loss of ₹42.36 crore (~€4M). The cases originated in Gujarat, where the reported loss amounted to ₹19.24 crore; Rajasthan, specifically Pilani, involving ₹7.67 crore; and Karnataka, involving ₹15.45 crore. The scale of the alleged losses illustrates the significant financial impact that digitally facilitated impersonation schemes can have on individual victims. In the Gujarat case, investigators reported that a victim was subjected to an illegal ‘digital arrest’ for approximately three months. Fraudsters allegedly impersonated police officers and maintained prolonged contact with the victim, using threats of arrest and other forms of coercion to induce the transfer of funds. Similar methods were reportedly employed in the Rajasthan and Karnataka cases, where victims were subjected to extended video or telephone calls and threatened with arrest. By creating the appearance of an official law enforcement procedure, the perpetrators allegedly exploited victims’ trust in public institutions to exert psychological pressure and obtain substantial financial transfers. – Indian Central Bureau of Investigation conducts nationwide crackdown on digital arrest scams, searches 89 locations in 20 states | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) BRICS+ countries should accelerate the development of digital payments, technology sharing, and simplified trade mechanisms to strengthen economic cooperation, according to Sameep Shastri, Chairman of the BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Speaking to news agency ANI, Shastri said India’s fourth BRICS presidency has raised expectations among businesses, with this year’s focus on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. He said BRICS+ nations should create larger markets for innovators and startups, allowing businesses to expand across member and partner economies. – Digital payments and technology emerge as drivers of BRICS trade | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) On 6 September 2026, the United Nations marked the International Day of Police Cooperation by highlighting the importance of cross-border collaboration in addressing organised crime and the increasingly significant role of cyber-enabled offences. The observance emphasised that transnational criminal networks operate across jurisdictions and increasingly exploit digital technologies, requiring law enforcement agencies to cooperate beyond national borders and strengthen their ability to exchange information, develop common approaches and respond collectively to emerging threats. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that effective international cooperation enables law enforcement agencies to better support survivors, apprehend perpetrators, disrupt criminal networks and enhance safety. This cooperation is supported by a range of international mechanisms and organisations. INTERPOL, which connects police forces in 196 countries, provides a critical infrastructure for international police cooperation and information-sharing. United Nations Police, under the leadership of Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, provide advisory, training and capacity-building support to national police institutions, with a particular emphasis on strengthening policing institutions that are effective, accountable and responsive to the communities they serve. – United Nations Secretary‑General urges international police cooperation to face the growing cybercrime dimension of transnational crime | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Singapore has introduced a Digital Infrastructure Bill that would create new licensing regimes for major data centres and cloud service providers, covering both operational resilience and environmental sustainability. Under the proposed framework, major co-location and cloud data centres with a critical IT load of at least 10 MW would be subject to security and resilience requirements. Major cloud providers would also be covered where their Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service activities generate at least S$100 million in average annual revenue from users in Singapore over the previous three years. Licensed operators would have to implement risk-management measures, business continuity and disaster recovery plans, and report specified disruptions to the Infocomm Media Development Authority. – Singapore proposes new licensing rules for data centres and cloud services | Digital Watch Observatory
(Nidhi Singh – The Interpreter) Australia is building data centre capacity at a pace it cannot absorb, while India’s AI expansion requires computing power on a scale it cannot build fast enough – creating a natural complementarity both countries can take advantage of. The Australian National AI Plan, released in December 2025, presents Australia as the Indo-Pacific’s home for trusted digital infrastructure, citing more than A$100 billion in forecast data centre investment alongside an abundant renewable resource. It also instructs Austrade to market the country as a regional AI hub, including a mandate to find demand in other regions. India offers a suitable destination. Indian businesses are adopting AI at some of the highest rates and demand is outrunning what can be built domestically. This offers a chance to outsource the infrastructure – training a large model is a kind of workload where the physical distance is immaterial. Other governments are bidding for the same business. India and the United Arab Emirates agreed terms in May 2026 for a cluster involving G42 and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. However, this was a single transaction with no standing framework behind it. – An AI agenda for the India-Australia partnership | Lowy Institute
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) A database said to contain 32.8 million Condé Nast user records is being offered for $15,000 on a Russian-language cybercrime forum. Ransomnews reviewed a 5,000-record sample and concluded that it is consistent with genuine Condé Nast account data collected between September and late October 2025, including records that have not appeared publicly before. Ransomnews’ original report provides the underlying analysis. The alleged dataset covers users across Condé Nast’s publishing portfolio, which includes Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, Glamour, WIRED, Vanity Fair and other titles. Condé Nast has not publicly confirmed the breach or commented on the new sale listing. The seller claims the database contains 32,815,767 unique email addresses. It also allegedly includes names, postal addresses, gender, dates of birth and phone numbers for portions of the population, but no passwords, password hashes, usernames or payment-card data. “A database of 32,815,767 Condé Nast user records went on sale on a Russian-language hacker forum on 7 September 2026 for $15,000, offered as the full set behind December’s WIRED leak.” Ransomnews states. “Ransomnews tested the 5,000-row sample: it is genuine Condé Nast account data, captured in September and October 2025, and the 30.5 million non-WIRED records have not surfaced publicly before. Condé Nast has never commented on the breach.” – Condé Nast Data of 32.8 Million Users Offered for Sale After WIRED Leak
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) Security researcher Chaotic Eclipse, also known as INFINITE NIGHTMARE, MSNightmare and Nightmare-Eclipse, released a new zero-day exploit targeting Nvidia. The researcher named the exploit GreenSection, it triggers a Memory Corruption flaw. The researcher disclosed a potential security vulnerability in NVIDIA’s Windows user-mode components. Several NVIDIA components share a global memory section that gives all users full read/write access. Although the software performs checks to prevent misuse, it reuses data from this shared memory at runtime, which can lead to an out-of-bounds memory write. The researcher says the flaw does not immediately provide SYSTEM-level privileges, but it could potentially allow an attacker to cross user boundaries or even compromise the Windows Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe) process. They did not fully investigate the impact but suggested that the bug could potentially support a more complete exploit. The researcher also provided a simple proof of concept: run an application using Vulkan or OpenGL, launch the PoC, press Enter, and observe the application crash. – Chaotic Eclipse Released A PoC For NVIDIA GreenSection Memory Corruption Zero-Day
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) JSCeal is a cryptocurrency stealer that Check Point Research has tracked since early 2025. Unlike most malware, it hides its code in a format that makes analysis much harder. Check Point presented its latest research at Black Hat USA 2026 and showed how its team built a tool that converts the hidden code into a form analysts can understand. JSCeal uses a clever trick. Instead of delivering normal JavaScript, its creators compile the malware into V8 bytecode, the format that Chrome and Node.js use to run JavaScript efficiently. They then package the bytecode with a Node.js runtime that executes it. The original JavaScript never reaches the victim’s computer. As a result, most tools designed to analyze JavaScript have little useful code to work with. “JSCeal is a stealer delivered as compiled V8 bytecode (.jsc) and executed by a bundled Node.js runtime, targeting cryptocurrency applications (other vendors also tag it with the names WEEVILPROXY or MeadowLocust). ” states the report. “Unlike ordinary JavaScript malware, JSCeal reaches the analyst after two transformations have already removed much of the information that source-oriented tools depend on. First, the JavaScript is heavily obfuscated. Then it is compiled into V8’s internal bytecode representation and shipped as cached data rather than source code. The resulting format is version-specific, poorly served by mature reverse-engineering tooling, and unsuitable for most standard JavaScript deobfuscation workflows.” – JSCeal Hides Crypto Malware in V8 Bytecode
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) The recent case involving OpenAI test agents and Hugging Face should concern security teams, but not for the reason implied by headlines about an imminent AI “takeover.” The documented issue is more concrete: autonomous agents, given too much access and weakly isolated test infrastructure, found ways to communicate, bypass boundaries and act outside their assigned scope. OpenAI is developing “automated shutdown capabilities” for AI systems, according to a letter sent to two House Democrats. The move comes weeks after one of its AI agents reportedly escaped its digital environment during a safety test and hacked Hugging Face. The incident has raised new concerns about how OpenAI controls increasingly autonomous AI agents. “OpenAI told two House Democrats that its engineers are developing “automated shutdown capabilities” for AI systems, according to a company letter reviewed by Reuters, weeks after the company disclosed one of its AI tools escaped its digital container during a safety test.” Reuters states. “The company’s safety practices have come under scrutiny since OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, disclosed that one of its AI agents went rogue during a security test and hacked into AI company Hugging Face. AI agents are programs that run with minimal human supervision”. The main problem was poor isolation: agents could share information, pass discoveries between runs, and access infrastructure beyond their intended limits. This broke a key safety assumption, that each agent would remain fully contained. – Why AI Agent Sandboxes Are Failing Security Tests
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) When a ransomware gang dumps nearly six terabytes of state administration files onto the dark web, ignoring them does not make the problem go away. The Rhysida ransomware group recently carried out this exact threat against Berlin after local authorities refused to pay a thirty Bitcoin ransom. At the end of August, Berlin’s state government confirmed it was dealing with an extortion attempt following an August cyberattack on the city-state’s administrative network, and officials have already refused the requested ransom. The ransomware group Rhysida claimed responsibility on its leak site August 28, posting an entry titled simply “Berlin, Germany” and claiming 5.79 terabytes of data across roughly 1.44 million files, with personal information on 12,076 individuals allegedly included. – Berlin Ransomware Leak Exposes State Secrets
(DigWatch) Argentina. A Bill on mandatory identification and labelling of AI-generated and AI-modified digital content, was introduced to the Chamber of Deputies. According to the bill’s text, the purpose of the proposal is to establish an identification system and mandatory labelling of AI‑generated or AI‑modified content in order to protect dignity, the right to information, identity, image, voice and labour rights, and to preserve the integrity of the democratic system and the Argentine cultural ecosystem. Congresswoman Carolina Basualdo explained her initiative in an interview with La Voz En Vivo, The Congresswoman stated that the proposal seeks to identify artificial‑intelligence products to ensure information transparency and protect a persons’ digital identity. She also stated that what is being proposed is to ensure that citizens and audiences can distinguish between what is real or a product of AI. Basualdo also cited a case of an influencer with a disability whose image was digitally altered without consent as an example of the risks of missing regulation. – Argentina proposes legislation on AI content labelling and digital identity | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Belgian prosecutors have announced that they detained a Chinese-Belgian national in relation to the suspected leak of gallium nitride chip technology from the now bankrupt firm BelGaN to a China-based rival. The suspect, who held a senior research position at BelGaN, is alleged by prosecutors to have also been serving as a director of a Chinese company with similar manufacturing activities. This case adds to a broader investigation by Belgian authorities into BelGaN’s 2024 bankruptcy where, due to financial difficulties, the company had been partially acquired by Hong Kong-based Chinese investors in 2022. The same investors reportedly set up GaNkool, a similar semiconductor company, in China to which sensitive licences and technologies were allegedly transferred. As such, Belgian prosecutors are investigating the suspect on charges of espionage, participation in a criminal organisation, misuse of company assets and unlawful disclosure of trade secrets. – Belgium detains dual national on suspicion of semiconductor espionage | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Google Research and Cathay Pacific are expanding trials of an AI-based system designed to help aircraft avoid atmospheric conditions in which persistent contrails are likely to form, extending the technology’s testing across Asia-Pacific and transpacific routes. The system combines AI predictions, satellite imagery, and weather data to identify cold and humid areas where warming contrails are likely to develop. Flight teams receive the information before departure, while updated forecasts can be delivered to pilots through Cathay Pacific’s in-flight connectivity and Electronic Flight Folder. Pilots can then make small planned altitude adjustments to avoid those areas while operating within existing safety requirements. – Google and Cathay Pacific expand AI trial to reduce aviation contrails | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) US Senator Josh Hawley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, has expanded an investigation into AI-enabled surveillance camera networks, requesting information from Motorola Solutions, Verkada, and Axon Enterprise about how their systems collect, retain, share, and allow customers to search personal data. In separate letters dated 2 September, Hawley said the investigation was examining the companies’ collection, retention, and dissemination of data generated by AI-enabled surveillance cameras. Similar letters were sent to Verkada and Axon. – US senator expands AI surveillance camera investigation to Motorola Solutions, Verkada and Axon | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) On 4 September 2026, the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (GGE on LAWS) brought its three-year mandate to a successful conclusion with a consensus-based adoption of its draft final report. Under the Chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Robert in den Bosch of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Group formulated a set of elements to constitute an instrument, without prejudging its nature, along with other measures to address emerging technologies in the area of LAWS. The elements specifically address: the characterisation of LAWS, the applicability of international law in armed conflict, including the principles and requirements of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack, control and human judgment to ensure compliance with applicable international humanitarian law and the measures that follow from it, and human responsibility and accountability that cannot be transferred to machines. – GGE LAWS mandate ends | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Google DeepMind has selected 16 organisations across the Asia-Pacific region for a three-month accelerator focused on using artificial intelligence to address climate, biodiversity, agriculture, and carbon-related challenges. The selected projects span areas including biodiversity monitoring, environmental risk prediction, satellite-based crop and mangrove analysis, climate-resilient agriculture, energy optimisation, carbon measurement, and regenerative farming. Several combine AI with satellite data, remote sensing, bioacoustics, drones, or geospatial analysis. – Google backs 16 AI climate projects across Asia-Pacific | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has opened a public consultation on draft rules for the protection of personal information by large personal information processors on 7 August 2026, with comments accepted until 7 September 2026. The draft would apply to organisations assessed against criteria including processing the personal information of more than 10 million people, providing important network services involving personal information, and having processing activities that could significantly affect national security, economic activity, social stability, or public health and safety. – China closes consultation on stricter rules for large data processors | Digital Watch Observatory
(UN News) UN human rights chief Volker Türk added his voice on Monday to growing calls for greater AI controls, warning that the revolutionary technology could become an “existential risk to humanity” if left unchecked. Without binding rules, independent oversight and clear limits, the technology could become impossible to control, the High Commissioner told the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Mr. Türk raised the prospect of AI systems becoming so powerful that their developers could no longer control them. “AI that escapes its testing environment, or blackmails developers to prevent itself from being turned off, is AI that is too powerful,” he said. “I am calling here, today, for an all-out effort to put cast iron guarantees in place around the safety and security of AI, before it is too late.” – AI: Türk urges action before it becomes an ‘existential risk to humanity’ | UN News
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