China’s currency – IMF
(Jeremy Mark – Atlantic Council) A decade ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to include China’s renminbi in the basket of currencies that underlie its special drawing rights (SDRs). What may sound like a monetary technicality to some was a milestone event: by elevating China’s currency to a status accorded only to the US dollar, euro, British pound, and yen, the international community gave China a unique seal of approval. In terms of its long-term consequences, however, the international community’s decision was dubious and hotly debated even in 2016. And today, there is a growing sense that it may have planted the seeds for a more fragmented global monetary system. – The IMF’s boost to China’s currency is costing the world, ten years later – Atlantic Council
Democratic Republic of the Congo
(UN News) As Ebola sweeps across the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), ensuring families meet their basic food needs is crucial to halt the spread of the deadly disease. That’s the message from the World Food Programme (WFP), which is calling for greater international support for the population, particularly hungry people in remote areas far from lifesaving Ebola treatment centres. “Ebola is a health crisis, there’s no question about that,” David Stevenson, WFP Country Director for the DRC, recently told UN News. “But at the same time, since Ebola is in eastern Congo and that area is so tragically affected by conflict, by food insecurity, by displacement, it needs to have a comprehensive approach.” – Ebola response in eastern DR Congo must include food aid, WFP says | UN News
Europe
(Zia Weise and Francesca Micheletti – Politico) Tax Big Oil, make Big Tech invest in renewables and protect Europe from climate disasters. Teresa Ribera’s post-summer policy wishlist isn’t short of ambitious ideas. In a 90-minute interview with POLITICO, the European Commission’s vice president for the green transition and competition policy discussed how she sees China, data centers, climate disaster funding, and more. Some of her comments give a glimpse of the EU executive’s plans for the coming months, while others showcase Ribera’s own priorities. Climate change remains her top concern, and she returned throughout the interview to the recent heat waves, wildfires and drought that have ravaged Europe. “This summer has been madness,” she said. Two years into the job, the former Spanish ecological transition minister has also embraced the competitive aspect of her dual role, with her next big challenge being how to approach a potential breakup of search giant Google. – 5 things to know from POLITICO’s interview with Teresa Ribera – POLITICO
(Politico) Two years after Mario Draghi warned that Europe faced an “existential” threat from economic decline, his plan to make the continent competitive again has become the EU’s official agenda — but implementation lags behind rhetoric. The Commission has proposed a series of Draghi-inspired measures, from an industrial policy overhaul to new funding for competitiveness and defense. Yet grand ambition has come up against the realities of the EU legislative machine, and many proposals remain stuck in negotiations as national governments continue to defend their spending priorities and policymaking turf. A year ago, Draghi didn’t sound too happy with how quickly his plan was being implemented. Since then, his frustration with the lack of progress has become increasingly visible. The former Italian prime minister recently co-founded the Rhine Group with Stripe chief Patrick Collison, bringing together business leaders, economists and former policymakers to push Europe from diagnosis to action. The group says Europe is “in a harder place” than when Draghi’s report was published in September 2024, and warns that decline is inevitable unless governments act urgently. Its creation is itself a sign that Draghi believes the institutions responsible for delivering his agenda are moving too slowly. Europe’s leaders broadly agree that competitiveness matters. The harder question is what they are willing to give up to pay for it. – The Draghi plan at 2: Competitiveness crusade runs into Europe’s old politics – POLITICO
(Laura Kayali – Politico) Europe’s space boss wants European countries to decide by the end of the year whether to launch astronauts without U.S. help. “We would like to strengthen our autonomy. The very visible part, which we are discussing, is whether we shall build up a European capability to bring astronauts to space with our own means,” the European Space Agency’s director general, Josef Aschbacher, said in an interview ahead of an international space summit in Paris this week. “That means with our rocket, our own crewed vehicle, our launch … system, our operational system, the science, the recovery and everything that is attached to it, including the control centers operating the facilities,” he added. – Europe’s space chief wants decision this year on launching without NASA – POLITICO
Europe – China
(Francesca Micheletti – Politico) The EU needs to pursue political dialogue with China, its Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera told POLITICO. The intervention by the Spanish number two in Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission comes at a critical moment as Brussels holds high-stakes talks with Beijing on ways to reduce the EU’s €1-billion-a-day trade deficit with China. Von der Leyen is expected to outline ways to strengthen the EU’s trade defenses against a Chinese export glut before EU leaders take stock of the trade negotiations at a summit in mid-October. While the Commission has taken a hawkish line on China, big EU economies have only recently begun to harden their stance. France has led a push for stronger trade protections and Germany is showing signs of coming round. But Ribera’s home country continues to favor an open relationship. “Political dialogue [with China] is very important,” Ribera said in an interview at her office in the Berlaymont on Monday. Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is spearheading the bloc’s efforts to convince Beijing to rein in exports to the EU, which Brussels says benefit from unfair and substantial state support. He was in Berlin on Tuesday for talks with German government and business leaders, and will meet with European CEOs next week, after von der Leyen’s annual address to the European Parliament, to seek their feedback on the EU executive’s push to diversify supply chains away from China. – Competition chief urges EU to talk to China — and defend its own interests – POLITICO
Gaza
(UN News) In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday. Key facts: nearly one in four Gaza households is headed by a woman; 246 Palestinian women and girls killed since October 2025 ceasefire; Women-headed households more likely to lack shelter, food and cash. According to new data from UN Women, nearly one in four households in Gaza is reportedly headed by a woman, an estimated 86,290 families. “This is double the pre-October 2023 rate and follows the widespread killings of Palestinians,” said Sofia Calltorp, Chief of Humanitarian Action at the agency. The update comes 11 months after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Hamas fighters and Israel. It has not halted ongoing exchanges of fire and the killing of 246 Palestinian women and girls by Israeli air bombardment and military ground operations in Gaza. “This is equivalent to six women and girls killed every week between October 2025 and 28 July 2026,” Ms. Calltorp said. – In Gaza, women-headed households face ‘impossible choices’ to survive | UN News
Germany
(Nette Nöstlinger – Politico) Friedrich Merz’s center-left coalition partners increasingly see themselves facing a stark choice: Turn against the reform course they’ve struck with the chancellor or risk sinking with him. Following the conservatives’ stinging defeat to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday — a loss driven in great part by dissatisfaction with Merz and his party, the Christian Democratic Union — there are early signs the Social Democratic Party is turning against the series of reforms it has agreed to push through with the unpopular chancellor. The SPD’s pivot is likely to deepen Merz’s myriad challenges as questions mount over his ability to lead Germany’s relatively weak coalition government. Merz has acknowledged that his dismal approval ratings helped fuel the AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, but argues that the answer is to press ahead with his reform agenda while doing a better job of explaining its necessity to voters. That’s not the conclusion his center-left coalition partners have drawn: They argue the problem isn’t one of messaging but of substance. “The path the federal government has taken with its reform plans has caused particular uncertainty,” Rasha Nasr, an SPD lawmaker in the Bundestag, told POLITICO’s Berlin Playbook Podcast. “It’s very important now that, unlike others in the coalition, we don’t just push this through. The people of Saxony-Anhalt have told us very clearly: ‘This far and no further,’” she added. Merz has staked his chancellorship on tackling economic and welfare reforms that previous governments deemed too politically difficult, even branding himself the “reform chancellor.” His agenda includes raising the retirement age to shore up the pension system, cutting some health-insurance benefits to curb rising premiums and making it harder for workers to take sick leave in an effort to boost growth. Until now, the SPD under the leadership of Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has advanced the reform drive, portraying itself as willing to undertake the tough choices needed to restore Germany’s economy while fighting inside the coalition to resist conservative excesses. But given Merz’s growing troubles — and rising questions about the durability of the coalition government — the party’s calculus appears to have changed. The shift also comes ahead of two additional state elections on Sept. 20 in which the SPD is hoping to score at least one much-needed win. Klingbeil signaled a course change already on the night of the Saxony-Anhalt election. The result provides “a reason to reflect on policies here in Berlin and on the federal government’s reform agenda,” Klingbeil told public broadcaster ZDF as votes were still being counted. “And rest assured, that’s exactly what we’ll do”. The open disagreement prompted the chancellor to discuss divisions between the coalition parties with SPD leaders Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas on Monday via phone, according to a senior government official who was granted anonymity to discuss internal matters. – In Germany, Merz’s center-left partners rebel after far-right rout – POLITICO
Iran
(Fereshteh Ghazi – RFE/RL) Iranian twin sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi turned 20 behind bars this year, awaiting the outcome of a case that has drawn scrutiny over allegations of torture, forced confessions, and severe mistreatment of the defendants. The sisters are among 16 people tried in Isfahan, in central Iran, in connection with demonstrations in the city during mass nationwide protests in January. “These children have been and are still under enormous pressure, both psychologically and physically,” their cousin, Masud Nurmohammadi, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda. The sisters have been convicted of moharebeh, or “waging war against God,” aiding and abetting moharebeh, destruction of public property amounting to moharebeh, assembly and collusion, and propaganda against the Islamic republic. Taraneh has been sentenced to death, while Romina has been given 25 years in prison, according to their family. – Iranian Twin Sisters Reportedly Tortured Over January Protests; One Sentenced To Death, Other Gets 25 Years
Israel – Lebanon
(UN News) The Secretary-General has condemned mounting civilian casualties in southern Lebanon and called on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory, as fighting intensifies in and around Nabatieh. Key points: the Secretary-General has appealed for an immediate cessation of hostilities and called on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory; he has condemned mounting civilian casualties and “scenes of massive destruction” from intensifying Israeli operations in and around Nabatieh; OCHA says around 20,000 people fled Nabatieh District last week, with healthcare in the area under increasing pressure; UNIFIL recorded 528 Israeli projectiles fired between Thursday and Monday and 62 airspace violations on Sunday alone – among the highest daily totals since June. – UN chief demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon amid Nabatieh escalation | UN News
Maritime Security
(UN News) The global shipping industry is facing a “genuinely unprecedented” convergence of maritime crises, with vessels and seafarers increasingly used as “leverage” in conflicts that have nothing to do with them. Four regions – the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the waters off Somalia, and the Black Sea – are now simultaneously active theatres of danger, on a scale the shipping industry has not seen before. Vessels and seafarers are being trapped and attacked in conflicts that have nothing to do with the ships themselves. Damien Chevalier the Director, of the Maritime Safety Division at the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) spoke to UN News about the scale of the threat and what’s being done to protect ships and crews. – Ships and seafarers increasingly caught in the crossfire of unrelated wars | UN News
North Korea – Asia – US – Nuclear
(Markus Garlauskas, John Park, Kyoko Imai, Andrew Brown, Jonathan Corrado – Atlantic Council) The US and its allies should improve their preparations for a limited nuclear attack in East Asia—particularly from North Korea. Unless deterred, a nuclear-armed adversary losing a conflict with the United States is more likely to launch a limited nuclear attack than accept defeat. Preparing to persevere despite a limited nuclear attack helps to deter one, while also improving resilience and conventional-nuclear response options if nuclear deterrence fails. – Preparing for and countering limited nuclear attacks in East Asia: Guardian Tiger III – Atlantic Council
Russia
(RFE/RL) Vitalina Prening, a 16-year-old Russian schoolgirl, was recently charged with planning a terrorist attack, membership in a terrorist organization, and undergoing terrorist training, according to Russian media. From the city of Novosibirsk, Prening was added to Russia’s terrorist blacklist on August 10, although details of the charges against her remain unclear. On social media, those who know Prening have portrayed her as an accomplished youth who drew, sang, practiced ballroom dancing, and participated in state-sponsored public events. Prening is not alone. Hundreds of Russian teenagers have been charged with terrorism, sabotage, extremism, or treason since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Human rights campaigners say the arrest and jailing of teenagers is part of an intensifying campaign to stifle dissent during wartime. – Hundreds Of Russian Teens Face Terrorism Charges As Wartime Crackdown Intensifies
Syria
(AFP) The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors on Wednesday decided to close a long-time probe against Syria launched under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad after the country’s new authorities led agency exports to key nuclear sites. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last month visited two sites, one in Deir Ezzor and a second in an undisclosed location identified to them by Syrian authorities. IAEA head Rafael Grossi said on Monday that a near-complete nuclear reactor found in Deir Ezzor and built secretly during the rule of al-Assad would have been able to produce material to make nuclear weapons. – Syria no longer under UN nuclear watchdog probe
(UN News) A successful and lasting transition in Syria requires comprehensive accountability, inclusion and guarantees that violations will not be repeated, UN independent investigators told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday. Delivering their latest update, the members of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria commended the Government and people for significant achievements made since the fall of the Assad regime nearly two years ago, including establishing a legislative body and constitutional court. – Syria’s transition hinges on justice for all, UN Human Rights Council hears | UN News
UK – Israel – West Bank
(Hafsa Khalil – BBC) Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has rejected the chief rabbi’s warning that British Jews are at greater risk after the UK announced sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Miliband said that as a “proud British Jew” he disagreed with UK Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who described the move as a “truly dark day” that would “succeed only in bolstering the very extremism they seek to target”. “We all need to do more to tackle antisemitism,” Miliband said, “but I believe we can do that and stand up for British values”. The sanctions on trade with illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank come against a backdrop of rising antisemitic incidents across the UK. The Community Security Trust (CST), an organisation that provides security support to the Jewish community, recorded 1,926 incidents of anti-Jewish hate across the UK in the first six months of 2026, a 21% increase on the same period in 2025. Prime Minister Andy Burnham defended his government’s decision, telling MPs that “Britain has to stand for fairness against injustice”. “Where people are being bullied out of their homes… we will always stand with the underdog,” he said. The Palestinian presidency welcomed the UK’s decision, saying it was “an important step towards confronting Israel’s colonial system and its violations against the Palestinian people”. – Miliband rejects chief rabbi’s claim British Jews in greater danger after sanctions move
(Al Arabiya) The Trump administration did not oppose a UK-led initiative to impose new sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Axios reported on Wednesday citing US officials and Western diplomats. The report said that the decision not to push back signals the White House’s “frustration” with the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding its policies in the West Bank. According to Axios, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham had briefed Trump ahead of the announcement. Trump in return reportedly did not push back or ask the prime minister to change course. – Trump administration didn’t oppose UK-led initiative to sanction Israeli settlements
(Reuters) Britain had to “stand for something,” Prime Minister Andy Burnham told parliament on Wednesday in a defense of his government’s decision to block imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Burnham, who has been in the job since July, said Britain had long endorsed the two-state solution in the Middle East, but words needed to be backed by action. “Leadership is about taking action where there is injustice, where we need to correct unfairness, people being driven out of their homes,” he said. – Britain must ‘stand against injustice’ over West Bank settlements, PM Burnham says
(AFP) British foreign minister Ed Miliband on Wednesday condemned as “regrettable and damaging” Israel’s decision to order the closure of the UK’s consulate in Jerusalem as retaliation for London-led Western sanctions over settler violence. “We anticipated this might happen because we saw other countries, the Dutch, for example, who had announced sanctions, who had seen these reprisals from Israel. I think they’re regrettable and damaging,” Miliband told BBC Radio. Israel on Tuesday ordered the closure after 12 countries including Britain, Canada and France announced they would sanction trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, following a surge in settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. – UK rejects Israel’s ‘damaging’ sanctions retaliation
US
(Catherine E. Shoichet, Ione Molinares – CNN) Soledad Miranda’s eyes fill with tears as she packs boxes for a move she’s hoping she won’t have to make. “I feel defeated,” she says. For 25 years, the program known as Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, has allowed Miranda and around 170,000 other Salvadorans to work legally in the United States and protected them from deportation. Now, with a deadline looming, many are on edge awaiting the Trump administration’s decision on their futures. “All of us are just holding our breath,” says Abel Nuñez, executive director of the Central American Resource Center in Washington. Some Salvadorans had hoped the rapport between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and US President Donald Trump could pave the way for a reprieve, even as administration officials have revoked deportation protections for many other nationalities. But the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t yet made an announcement on TPS for El Salvador, and September 9 is the scheduled ending date for protections for Salvadorans, which were last extended during the final days of the Biden administration. It’s unclear what will happen if Wednesday’s deadline passes with no official announcement. Miranda, 52, came to the US in 1997 and built a life for herself and her 16-year-old daughter, who is a US citizen. Working as a cleaner in a government building, she saved enough money for an apartment she says she can no longer afford if her work authorization expires. So she’s started packing treasured mementos from more than 30 years of her life. “Now all of that is in this box,” Miranda tells CNN en Español as she gestures at an empty wall in her apartment. “It’s over”. Still, even as she fears the worst, she’s among a group of advocates pushing for a solution at protests and vigils in Washington, where Salvadorans make up the capital region’s largest foreign-born population. But she says time is running out – and so is hope. – As El Salvador’s TPS deadline looms, many immigrants are on edge | CNN
(Matthew Levitt – Just Security) Twenty-five years after 9/11, the U.S. counterterrorism community still must stop threats to the United States—but with fewer resources, additional responsibilities, and new threats. Directing the counterterrorism community to do more with less is a recipe for disaster. After al-Qaeda’s September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Washington built an extensive counterterrorism bureaucracy to guide the U.S. response to the threat of al-Qaeda specifically and terrorism more broadly. This enterprise proved highly effective tactically, foiling attacks and disrupting terrorist networks. Strategically, it was less successful: more people are radicalized toward violent extremism today than in 2001, creating a more diverse and globally dispersed terrorist threat. – The Looming Terrorist Threats to America
(Ramishah Maruf – CNN) The Trump administration on Tuesday expressed “profound concern” to carmaker Ford about its alleged ties to Chinese technology and manufacturing. In a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cited Ford’s links to Chinese companies such as battery manufacturer CATL and concerns over the Detroit Auto Show and what it described as Ford’s effort “to facilitate Chinese joint ventures on United States soil”. Ford, which called itself “the most American automaker” quickly responded, accusing Duffy’s letter of containing “factual errors”. “Secretary Duffy’s letter is a wrongheaded attempt to capture headlines at the expense of a company that has done more for American manufacturing than virtually any other in the nation’s history,” Ford said in the statement Tuesday. – The Trump administration slams Ford for its ties to China | CNN Business
War in Iran – Middle East – Gulf
(Davis Winkie, Zachary Cohen, Thomas Bordeaux – CNN) A suspected Iranian nuclear site buried under granite has seen a flurry of construction work this year as the war with the US has transpired, according to a group of analysts who reviewed six years of satellite imagery. The Pickaxe Mountain site, located near the Natanz nuclear complex roughly 140 miles south of Tehran, has been the subject of steady discussion by intelligence agencies which view it as a likely location for Iran to protect future nuclear program efforts. According to a new satellite imagery analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, shared exclusively with CNN ahead of its publication, there has been “a clear surge in construction activity” this year. The underground facility is “likely” designed to be a safe haven for Iran’s nuclear program, according to the CSIS analysts. Israeli intelligence has suggested that Iran may be seeking to move centrifuges to the location as part of uranium enrichment efforts, and President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike the site. “We may hit Pickaxe very soon,” Trump told reporters last week, adding that “we know everybody that’s moving” at the site. The granite mountain, however, presents a difficult target to even the Pentagon’s “heaviest non-nuclear” bombs, the CSIS team reported. And It’s not the only Iranian nuclear facility feared to be out of reach for current-generation weapons. But there are signs the US is working to devise some means of striking those sites, even as US forces have largely focused on other types of targets during the six-month conflict with Iran. Four days before the US launched Operation Epic Fury, a program manager at an obscure Pentagon agency charged with combating weapons of mass destruction signed an emergency $1.2 million contract justification to repair a “unique subterranean test facility at White Sands Missile Range” in New Mexico for a “live-fire test designed to validate classified capabilities against rapidly emerging threats.” – ‘Surge in construction’ at suspected Iranian nuclear site, analysts say, as US considers ways to strike deep underground | CNN Politics
(Tim Lister, Zachary Cohen, Hira Humayun, Lex Harvey – CNN) At least seven oil tankers have been struck in and beyond the Persian Gulf since Tuesday evening local time, as the United States and Iran step up tanker attacks in what could mark a dangerous new phase in the war. The escalation led global oil prices to rise briefly above $100 per barrel for the first time since July. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 2.3% before falling back slightly. Late Tuesday, the US military struck five Iranian tankers, sinking one, after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a US Navy warship. Four crude oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island – a hub for Iranian oil exports in the Persian Gulf – were struck, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. One of the ships, identified as the M/T Riesco, is seen on fire and sinking in the Gulf of Oman in a video posted to X by the military. US forces instructed the crews of the vessels they targeted to abandon ship prior to striking, CENTCOM said. – US-Iran tanker attacks signal a dangerous new phase in war | CNN Politics
(Reuters) A tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday, port officials said, and British navy-affiliated UKMTO reported that several merchant vessels in the Gulf had been hit by disabling fire overnight. A fire broke out aboard the Panama-flagged oil tanker New Andros after it was hit in Iraqi waters at around 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday, two Iraqi port officials told Reuters. There were no reports of casualties among the 22 crew members, the officials added. – Oil tanker hit in Iraqi waters, as vessels get caught in US-Iran attacks
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) The United States has imposed sanctions on all of Iran’s remaining active airlines, sharply escalating pressure on Tehran’s aviation sector as part of a broader campaign aimed at cutting the Islamic republic off from international trade and finance. The US Treasury Department on September 8 sanctioned 36 targets, including 27 Iranian airlines, as well as foreign companies and an individual accused of helping Iran’s sanctioned aviation networks procure aircraft, aircraft parts, and other technology. The action marks the first time Washington has used a new August 24 determination targeting Iran’s aviation sector to sanction the country’s remaining airlines. Treasury said the sector is used by the Iranian government to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo. “Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “We will not relent in our campaign to shut down the Iranian regime’s financial lifelines, including the aviation sector,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement. The sanctions come under President Donald Trump’s so-called Operation Economic Outcast, announced by Bessent on August 24 as part of a campaign to sever what Washington describes as the Iranian regime’s remaining economic lifelines. Among the airlines designated are Iran Aseman Airlines, Iran Airtour, Kish Airlines, Qeshm Air, Karun Airlines, Sepehran Airlines, Taban Airlines, Varesh Airlines, Zagros Airlines, Chabahar Airlines, Fly Persia, and Saha Airlines, formally known as the Armed Forces Air Transport Service. Other carriers sanctioned include Air Shiraz, Ava Airlines, Fly Kish, Mehr Airways, Raimon Airways, and Soroush Air. There was no immediate public response from Iran to the September 8 measures. – US Sanctions All Remaining Iranian Airlines In Sweeping Aviation Crackdown
(Claire Keenan – BBC) US forces struck five Iranian tankers on Tuesday, sinking one, in response to Tehran twice targeting an American warship, US Central Command (Centcom) said. Four Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) were targeted, as well as another near Kharg Island, a major oil terminal off Iran’s coast, Centcom added. Tehran responded by launching missiles at a US base in Jordan – most of which were shot down – and said it attacked two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Tit-for-tat strikes between the two countries have escalated in the past week, more than six months after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on 28 February. Oil prices rose in Asia trading. Benchmark Brent crude was up by 1.5% at $99.35 (£73.35) a barrel, while US-traded oil was 1.3% higher at $94.23. Jordan said it had shot down 18 of the 20 Iranian missiles, while two of them fell in unpopulated areas, an official spokesperson for the Jordanian Armed Forces said. After warning of further retaliatory strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they had attacked two US vessels, eight oil tankers and 10 “non-compliant vessels” trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported. The latest round of escalation comes after Iran targeted a US warship with ballistic missiles, which Centcom said were “successfully evaded”. It added that no American troops were harmed during the attacks. – US strikes Iranian oil tankers as Tehran targets American base in Jordan
Tech World, Cybersecurity and Surveillance
(DigWatch) The US Department of Commerce announced that India had joined the Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security, a US-led multilateral initiative aimed at coordinating government approaches to the development of next-generation telecommunications networks. India’s government subsequently confirmed that it had endorsed the initiative. The initiative was launched by the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on 27 July 2026 with 25 participating governments: Albania, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, the Philippines, Romania, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. India’s participation expands the initiative to 26 governments. – India joins 25 countries in US-led 6G initiative | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) The UK government has opened a consultation on how artificial intelligence should be deployed across the country’s energy system, as it prepares its first AI for Clean Energy Strategy. Minister for Local Energy and Jobs Martin McCluskey announced the process on 8 September during the Google for Startups Accelerator Europe event in London, saying the government wanted to examine both the potential benefits of AI and the risks of introducing it into critical energy infrastructure. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is seeking evidence until 6 November on where AI could improve energy forecasting, planning, optimisation, and coordination, as well as the barriers preventing wider adoption. The UK has identified six areas requiring attention: access to data, market incentives, regulation and governance, security and trust, integration with existing technical systems, and workforce capabilities. It is also asking where government intervention may be needed through regulation, standards, funding, or other measures. – UK seeks input on AI deployment in energy system ahead of new strategy | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) The G7 Cyber Security Working Group and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have urged governments and organisations to begin preparing for the risks posed by quantum computing. Their new call to action warns that advances in quantum technology could eventually undermine widely used public-key encryption and put sensitive information and digital infrastructure at risk. The guidance stresses that organisations should not wait until powerful quantum computers become available. Attackers can already collect encrypted information with the intention of decrypting it in the future, while sufficiently powerful quantum computers could also threaten authentication systems, potentially allowing trusted identities to be impersonated and creating wider supply-chain risks. – G7 cybersecurity group urges post‑quantum migration | Digital Watch Observatory
(Pieter Haeck – Politico) An artificial intelligence researcher who worked at Anthropic — and previously OpenAI — has resigned, saying both tech giants are “gambling with our lives”. Jacob Coxon shared his exit in a post on X, warning that the world should “not underestimate the power of this technology.” He added: “These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources. We have all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing”. Coxon said both Anthropic and OpenAI are “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence,” which refers to a scenario in which AI models can develop a more capable successor of themselves, creating an unstoppable feedback loop. – ‘Gambling with our lives’: AI researcher quits Anthropic with dire warning about safety – POLITICO
(Sean Lyngaas – CNN) Chinese artificial intelligence firms are committing “industrial-scale” theft of their American counterparts’ trade secrets to save money and bring the coveted technology to market faster, US federal agencies alleged Tuesday. Major Chinese tech companies are using “distillation,” which involves training lesser AI models on more advanced ones, to “extract restricted proprietary functionalities and capabilities of U.S. frontier AI models,” the FBI, National Security Agency, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency claimed in an advisory. Distillation can be a legitimate research technique, but American officials and AI executives have long complained that the volume and targeted manner of Chinese distillation campaigns against US firms amount to stealing. The new advisory puts more evidence behind those accusations and adds to the growing tensions between US and China over AI technology. President Donald Trump has said that AI will be among the discussion topics when he hosts Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington, DC, later this month. “The sheer scale of these campaigns and their sophistication indicate that distillation is not a supplement to these companies’ AI model development, but the critical core of it,” the new advisory says. – US claims Chinese AI firms are carrying out ‘industrial-scale’ theft of trade secrets | CNN Politics
(UN News) Use of data-intensive technologies – in particular artificial intelligence (AI) data centres – is growing faster than electricity infrastructure can handle, the UN’s economic commission for Europe has warned, raising concerns about the future reliability and resilience of energy systems worldwide. Datacentre consumption is expected to almost double by 2030 – from 485 Terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2025 to 950 TWh by 2030, equivalent to three per cent of global demand, according to the intergovernmental International Energy Agency (IEA). Investment in datacentre infrastructure worldwide, on the other hand, is forecast to roughly double only by 2050 – from around $800 billion per year in 2026 to $1.8 trillion per year in 2050. The Geneva-based commission (UNECE) warns that in many regions, datacentres and other energy-intensive facilities are being built much faster than the power grids needed to supply them. A large facility can often be built and connected within two to five years, but expanding transmission lines and other grid infrastructure can take more than 10 years because of lengthy planning, approval and construction processes. – AI datacentres pose growing threat to electricity systems worldwide | UN News
