Headlines: 1-6 September 2026

Sunday, 6 September 2026

German far-right AfD wins by a landslide in Saxony-Anhalt but falls short of majority in its quest to form the country's first far-right state government since World War II (LINK) — 6 September 2026

— Final results showed AfD receiving 43.8% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago in the region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin. However, falling three seats short, with 39 lawmakers in an 83-member parliament. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the party of Germany's unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, slumped to a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, with only 17.2% of the vote, and won 15 seats. The centre-left Social Democrats got 9.3%, the Greens 8.9% and the Left Party 8.6%, all winning 8 seats apiece.

Lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt welcomes 'strong' cooperation with Elon Musk as French minister says 'we cannot forget our history' — (LINK)

European Commission to double funding for Greenland (LINK) — 6 September 2026

— Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: "For the next EU budget, we have proposed to more than double our investment in Greenland. Because we are building this partnership for the long term." Greenland has been under renewed geopolitical focus since US President Donald Trump's threat earlier this year to seize the island by force.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it attacked three US-affiliated vessels and three oil tankers using an "unauthorized" route in the Strait of Hormuz (LINK) — 6 September 2026

Netanyahu orders West Bank outposts to be removed amid US pressure, sources tell Reuters (LINK) — 6 September 2026

UN expert Francesca Albanese calls for 'true paradigm shift' as U.K.'s Miliband resets policy on Israel to ban trade with unlawful Israeli settlements (LINK) — 6 September 2026

— Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur on the occupied territories, said a "ban on settlement goods was a change in UK government stance and absolutely important". Albanese also said the trade ban could not be narrowly confined to goods — such as agricultural products and cosmetics — since "they are a fraction of what sustains the occupation, and a fraction that Israel can absorb without difficulty". The package should also aim to include trade in services, she said.

Egyptian TV presenter sentenced to death on drug charges (LINK) — 6 September 2026

US envoys hold talks with Zelensky in Kyiv after meeting Putin: their first visit since Russia's full-scale invasion (LINK) — 6 September 2026

— Jared Kushner said the US president had instructed them to find a way to end the war and "create the right conditions for a long-term, durable peace".

Ukraine: Witkoff and Kushner to take US peace push to Kyiv after meeting Putin in Moscow (LINK) — 6 September 2026

U.S.: FBI adds three men to newest most wanted fraud list launched in June: they are accused of stealing from a government food stamp program, the Pentagon and tech investors (LINK) — 6 September 2026

— WCSC: FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI has already caught four people who allegedly committed $2 billion in fraud. The new list joins the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, founded in 1950, and the Most Wanted Terrorists list, founded in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Switzerland's federal government is replacing Microsoft with open source alternatives on 3,000 computers: has over 54,000 (LINK) — 6 September 2026

Hurricane Lowell forecast to pass west of Hawaii (LINK) — 6 September 2026

China unveils plans to beat US in retrieving Mars samples (LINK) — 6 September 2026

Some of France's most famous cheeses are in peril from the effects of climate change: French dairy cows that normally graze outdoors in summer under heat-related stress. French farmers bound by strict cheesemaking regulations are having to buy extra feed to supplement the animals' diets. According to a team of French researchers, it could mean the difference between a good cheese, and an insipid one (LINK) — 6 September 2026

Saturday, 5 September 2026

US military hits 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying Navy ships were targeted with missiles (LINK) — 5 September 2026

Putin orders a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv as U.S. envoys visit Russia and Ukraine (LINK) — 5 September 2026

Fundraiser for Lindsay Clancy's parents raises over $1.1 million after mistrial (LINK) — 5 September 2026

In the late 1920s, mule deer were brought to California's Catalina Island; now a judge has ordered for 2,000 of them to be culled for threatening the native plants (LINK) — 5 September 2026

Miss World has crowned its 2026 winner, Joheirry Mola of the Dominican Republic (LINK) — 5 September 2026

The model from Santo Domingo holds a degree in Business Management and Administration from Universidad Iberoamericana — (LINK)

U.S.: Unruly, disruptive Tucson man duct-taped to first-class seat and taken off diverted flight no longer has a job (LINK) — 5 September 2026

— It is reported three passengers helped restrain the man with zipties. News 4 Tucson confirmed Saturday Lundeen is no longer employed by Long Realty.

Friday, 4 September 2026

Five EU countries aim to send migrants to return hubs for deportation centres built outside the European Union by 2027: Denmark, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece (LINK) — 4 September 2026

— Ministers agreed on a common model for "return hubs" — facilities set to host asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected by the five countries and who cannot be returned to their countries of origin.

Trump threatens to stop trading with countries where U.S. has a trade deficit unless the Fed cuts rates (LINK) — 4 September 2026

UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size (LINK) — 4 September 2026

— The "Correct the Map" resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by African Union (AU) members, passed with the support of 164 nations, including France and the UK. The US was the only nation to vote against it — while there were six abstentions.

BBC: What different world maps get right — and what they get wrong (LINK)

U.S: Measles cases top 3,000 to reach highest level in three decades, CDC reports (LINK) — 4 September 2026

US issues sanctions on Turkish bank that it calls a 'critical financial lifeline' for Iran (LINK) — 4 September 2026

Iran war is "small potatoes" for U.S., Trump says, defending vice president, who said Thursday it shouldn't be called a war, saying, "A lot of people don't call it a war. I call it a military conflict" (LINK) — 4 September 2026

U.S.: Starbucks anti-unionization case brought by NLRB narrowed by US appeals court (LINK) — 4 September 2026

— In a 2-0 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected claims that the coffee chain violated federal labor law when a Wichita, Kansas, store manager and assistant manager told employees they closed their hiring portal and reduced hours because of union or ?other protected activities. The New Orleans-based court upheld a finding that Starbucks illegally threatened to deny maternity leave benefits to a pregnant employee if workers unionized.

Nepal: Two men pulled alive from Nepal hydropower plant tunnel nine days after floods: One rescued said he became trapped after helping others escape; body of a third man found at site (LINK) — 4 September 2026

— The number of people killed in Nepal has exceeded 1,290. The death toll in China is at least 31, according to state media outlet Xinhua. About 5,500 across both countries remain missing.

Planting billions of trees in China to fight climate change backfired, altering the water distribution across the entire country (LINK) — 4 September 2026

Travelling to Europe? EES border checks are changing from 6 September: industry experts are concerned the removal of the Entry/Exit System's temporary flexibilities will see border chaos return (LINK) — 4 September 2026

Airports in Greece, Spain and France set to face five-hour EES queues next week (LINK)

Trump signs order to remove endangered species protection for grey wolves and a subspecies, the Mexican wolf: conservation groups have criticised the move, saying they are still considered endangered (LINK) — 5 September 2026

Crypto trader turns $1,491 into $1.2 million with AMC in 7 hours (LINK) — 4 September 2026

U.S.: Judge declares mistrial in Lindsay Clancy trial after jurors can't reach a verdict (LINK) — 4 September 2026

— Judge said earlier that he won't question a juror who the defense said was a lone holdout, according to notes from the jury. Clancy's attorney Kevin Reddington said the juror refuses to apply the law on reasonable doubt and had asked the judge to remove the member. Clancy is accused of murder after strangling her three young children in 2023. Prosecutors have argued she acted "intentionally, rationally, and swiftly" to kill her children, while the defense said she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

Drought drives up Swiss milk and potato prices (LINK) — 4 September 2026

— The Swiss Farmers' Union (USC) estimates that 50% of the grain maize harvest has been lost, whilst losses for forage maize have reached 30%. Potatoes and sugar beet have both seen a 20% decline and 10% for soya, sunflowers and fresh vegetables. Fresh fruit has seen a 5% decline. Crops, such as hay have been hit hardest, with losses reaching 40%. The cherry harvest is 15% lower than forecast, with similar problems for plums and raspberries.

— In the face of these losses and the higher costs incurred for irrigation, agricultural organisations have begun negotiations to adjust prices. For milk, an indicative increase of four centimes per litre has already been agreed, and the sector will ask the Confederation for a further four centimes in support to tackle the emergency. In the potato sector, however, producers have secured a price rise of just two centimes per kilo from the major retailers.

Switzerland's gender pay gap shrinks to its lowest ever: 15.7% (LINK) — 4 September 2026

Why home ownership varies so sharply across Switzerland's cantons (LINK) — 4 September 2026

— In 2024, 35.7% of permanently occupied homes were owner-occupied. Yet the gap between cantons was enormous. In Appenzell Innerrhoden, 55.8% of homes were occupied by their owners. In Valais, the rate was 52.6%, and in Jura 48.3%. By contrast, only 14.0% of homes in Basel-Stadt were owner-occupied. Geneva stood at 18.6%, while Zurich was at 27.1% and in Vaud 29.6%. The first divide is between urban and rural Switzerland. Housing costs far more in Geneva, where supply has not risen sufficiently to meet demand, than in Appenzell. Urban cantons attract younger adults, international workers and people who expect to move again.

— Mortgage affordability rules amplify this effect. Swiss banks typically assess borrowers not only against current mortgage rates but against a much higher theoretical interest rate, together with maintenance and amortisation costs. FINMA, the financial regulator, regards a calculation using a 5% mortgage rate, alongside maintenance and amortisation costs, as a sustainable benchmark. It also regards 20% of the bank's valuation to be a minimum deposit requirement. That means a household may be perfectly capable of paying the current interest bill but still fail the bank's affordability test. In expensive cantons, the income required to satisfy those tests can be formidable. The result is that a household which could plausibly buy a home in Jura, Solothurn or parts of Valais may fail to qualify for an equivalent property in Zurich, Zug, Basel, Geneva or Vaud.

After months in Hormuz, USS Abraham Lincoln limps into port covered in rust (LINK) — 4 September 2026

Thursday, 3 September 2026

Iran war escalation raises concern over civilian death toll: Iran says 18 killed in latest US strikes; four at wedding: US says it never targets civilians: UN chief alarmed by civilian toll, urges diplomacy to end war (LINK) — 3 September 2026

— Iran's health minister said 18 people were killed and 108 wounded in Tuesday night's U.S. strikes across Iran. The Iranian Red Crescent said four people were killed and 67 wounded at a wedding ceremony near the coast of the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait's army reported missile and drone attacks early Thursday, saying they were intercepted by air defense systems.

— United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "deeply alarmed by reports of civilian casualties, including a strike that reportedly hit a wedding ceremony in Iran," and called for an immediate cessation of military action, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. "The Secretary-General condemns all attacks against civilians. He recalls that all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution," Dujarric said.

Rome implements enhanced security measures around Colosseum as violence, 'predatory' crimes spike (LINK limited) — 3 September 2026

— Around-the-clock security at the city's biggest tourist site comes as a new subway stop enables criminals to travel to the city to rob or assault tourists.

U.S.: Lack of FEMA funds cuts off key recovery program for Eaton, Palisades fire survivors (LINK) — 3 September 2026

Geneva Airport generates over CHF3 billion for regional economy: report (LINK) — 3 September 2026

— Of the CHF3.3 billion, nearly CHF2 billion went to the canton of Geneva, more than CHF550 million were generated in the neighbouring French region, and around CHF770 million in the rest of Switzerland.

Switzerland has worst summer potato harvest on record: nearly 20% less than the average over the last six years and 130,000 tonnes of potatoes had to be imported (LINK) — 3 September 2026

The 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes (LINK) — 3 September 2026

BIOMECHANICS: Matilda Brindle, Catherine Talbot, and Stuart West for devising a more precise definition of kissing — "non-agonistic interactions involving directed, intraspecific, oral-oral contact with some movement of the lips/mouthparts and no food transfer" — in ants, birds, polar bears, and humans.