IMF urges Australian government to cut spending as another interest rate hike looms 17. September 2026 (02:20) Warning comes as forecast for nation’s economic growth downgraded amid concerns over rising debt and inflationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe International Monetary Fund has called on Australia’s federal and state governments to cut spending as it warns the Reserve Bank may have to hike interest rates further to get price pressures back under control.More disciplined budgets would rein in rising debt burdens and help solve Australia’s long-running inflation problem, the IMF said in a new report, as it downgraded its forecast for Australia’s economic growth in 2027. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Climate crisis likely behind devastating Nepal-Tibet floods that killed more than 1,300, first study finds 17. September 2026 (01:01) Scientists say global heating was a destabilising factor in collapse of 200,000 sq metre glacier in AugustClimate breakdown probably weakened the glacier that collapsed causing catastrophic floods and killing hundreds of people in Nepal and Tibet last month, the first scientific study of the disaster has found.Researchers identified unusually warm conditions before the glacier’s collapse, which sent an avalanche of 110m cubic metres (3,885 cu ft) of snow and ice into the valley below. This triggered flash floods on an almost unprecedented scale, hitting communities downstream without warning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US lawmakers pass bill giving Trump more power to sanction Russia and its enablers 17. September 2026 (00:41) Act divides Democrats and Republicans, with some saying it gives president power that could be turned against US alliesThe US Congress has passed a sweeping bill allowing Donald Trump to raise tariffs on top buyers of Russian energy and issue other punishing sanctions against the Kremlin following a pitched battle between lawmakers backing Ukraine and sceptics worried the bill gives the president too much power.The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 passed in a 262-159 vote on the last day before Congress goes on recess ahead of the midterm elections. Graham, who died earlier this year, co-authored and submitted the bill more than a year and a half ago. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Macklemore pledges his $1m Ed Sheeran tour salary to Palestine 16. September 2026 (23:26) Rapper, who was dropped from tour after his speech in support of Palestine, challenges Robert Kraft to do the sameMacklemore has announced that he will donate the $1m salary he was paid as an opening act for Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour to organizations working with Palestinian people and relief in Gaza, after being dropped from the tour following backlash to his onstage comments in support of Palestine.The rapper also challenged Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and prominent donor to Israel who refused to let Macklemore play at his Gillette Stadium outside Boston, to match his donation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Top Trump military adviser says US must prepare to fight around moon 16. September 2026 (23:19) Gen Dan Caine comments at Washington summit come after US revealed it has deployed weapons in spaceAmerican troops need to prepare for combat not only in Earth’s orbit but around the moon, Donald Trump’s top military adviser said on Wednesday, looking ahead to a new frontier in warfare after the US revealed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space.Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told service members and industry figures at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington that the US military should adapt now so it “is prepared to fight, endure and win ... from the seabed to cislunar space”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
LA homelessness non-profit workers arrested over alleged corruption and bribes 16. September 2026 (23:13) Pair accused of misappropriating millions in taxpayer dollars as Trump officials target alleged fraud in blue statesFederal law enforcement officers have arrested two employees of California-based homelessness non-profits on corruption charges, alleging that they misappropriated millions in taxpayer dollars.The US justice department has arrested Michael Young, a founder of the Culver City-based nonprofit Home At Last, and Lakiya Malone, an employee of the Los Angeles-based Special Service for Groups. The two are expected to appear in court on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Key House Democrat refuses to clear Trump’s $2.8bn arms sale to Israel 16. September 2026 (22:20) Pro-Israel Gregory Meeks raises concerns over threat to civilian lives from package of 40,000 one-ton bombs‘An antidote to Trumpism’: Our politics team answered your questions on Democrats’ midterms hopesThe top Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee has thrown up a roadblock to one of the largest US arms transfers of Trump’s second term, refusing to clear a $2.8bn sale of 2,000lb bombs to Israel.Gregory Meeks announced the hold on Tuesday on a package of 40,000 of the bombs, among the most destructive conventional munitions in the US arsenal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Made in Europe’ law threatens UK plans for reset with EU 16. September 2026 (21:39) Government sources say legislation aimed at China poses a risk to British businesses and must be addressedThe UK government’s EU reset summit will be delayed again unless the bloc agrees to discuss legislation that could lock British business out of parts of EU industry, government sources have said.The “Made in Europe” legislation – formally known as the Industrial Accelerator Act – is designed to curb China’s increasing presence in European industry, but was not on the reset plan agreed by the former prime minister Keir Starmer and the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, in London in May 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Palestinian American activist arrested and ‘charged for trespassing at a public hearing’ 16. September 2026 (21:17) Noura Erakat says a Florida mayor shortened speaking time and banned discussion of investment in Israeli bondsThe human rights lawyer Noura Erakat was arrested on Tuesday at a Palm Beach county, Florida, budget hearing about the county’s more than $1bn investments in Israeli bonds.Erakat, a prominent Palestinian American activist, legal scholar and Guardian contributor, was one of several people in attendance at the public commission hearing who were forcibly removed by local law enforcement. The removal happened when the group attempted to speak out against the county’s investment in the bonds – the largest by a municipal government. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Is EU’s offer to Canada a blueprint for Britain – or a reminder it is out in the cold? 16. September 2026 (20:57) Ursula von der Leyen has opened door for Canada to become associate member to deepen links in ‘openly hostile world’Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has been advocating closer alignment with “middle powers” since January in the face of recklessness in Washington.But what should worry another middle power, the UK, is that it was Brussels that came up with Wednesday’s big reveal in Strasbourg. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
