Lead Story
UK, France, Canada and others impose trade ban on Israeli West Bank settlements in 'major reset' of relations
The United Kingdom announced on Monday, September 8, 2026, a ban on the import of all goods produced by illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband calling it a 'comprehensive reset' of UK policy on Israel and accusing settlers of 'ethnic cleansing.' France, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden joined the move, which also seeks to block further settlement expansion, including in the E1 corridor near Jerusalem. Trade between the UK and Israel totalled £6 billion in 2025, and settlement goods make up less than 1% of that trade, but the announcement drew sharp condemnation: Israeli President Isaac Herzog called it a 'serious error in judgment,' and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee warned of a 'huge impact on British businesses.' US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would not be joining the sanctions.
Read more →Lead Story
UK, France, Canada and others impose trade ban on Israeli West Bank settlements in 'major reset' of relations
The United Kingdom announced on Monday, September 8, 2026, a ban on the import of all goods produced by illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband calling it a 'comprehensive reset' of UK policy on Israel and accusing settlers of 'ethnic cleansing.' France, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden joined the move, which also seeks to block further settlement expansion, including in the E1 corridor near Jerusalem. Trade between the UK and Israel totalled £6 billion in 2025, and settlement goods make up less than 1% of that trade, but the announcement drew sharp condemnation: Israeli President Isaac Herzog called it a 'serious error in judgment,' and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee warned of a 'huge impact on British businesses.' US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would not be joining the sanctions.
Canada's $27.6 billion retaliatory tariffs on US goods take effect as trade war deepens
Canada's retaliatory tariffs on a swath of US goods took effect Tuesday, September 8, 2026, after trade talks between Ottawa and Washington collapsed, with duties of 15% to 50% now applied to hundreds of American products worth a total of $27.6 billion, including dairy, agricultural equipment, paper, household appliances and electronics. The measures match, dollar for dollar, the 50% tariffs President Trump imposed on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods after Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended trade talks last month; tariffs on US steel, aluminum and iron products doubled to 50%. Hours after Canada's tariffs took effect, the Trump administration issued presidential actions banning imports of many Canadian dairy products, motorcycles and alcoholic beverages, effective September 29, further escalating the standoff.
Read more →Canada's $27.6 billion retaliatory tariffs on US goods take effect as trade war deepens
Canada's retaliatory tariffs on a swath of US goods took effect Tuesday, September 8, 2026, after trade talks between Ottawa and Washington collapsed, with duties of 15% to 50% now applied to hundreds of American products worth a total of $27.6 billion, including dairy, agricultural equipment, paper, household appliances and electronics. The measures match, dollar for dollar, the 50% tariffs President Trump imposed on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods after Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended trade talks last month; tariffs on US steel, aluminum and iron products doubled to 50%. Hours after Canada's tariffs took effect, the Trump administration issued presidential actions banning imports of many Canadian dairy products, motorcycles and alcoholic beverages, effective September 29, further escalating the standoff.
US destroys five IRGC oil tankers, Iran strikes US-linked base in Jordan as Hormuz crisis escalates
US Central Command said its forces destroyed five Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked oil tankers on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 — four in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island — in response to an attack on a US Navy warship. In retaliation, the IRGC said it fired on US-related targets in Jordan, including a fighter jet hangar at the Al-Azraq air base. The exchange is the latest escalation in the monthslong US-Iran war centered on the Strait of Hormuz, which has driven oil prices sharply higher with no resolution in sight, even as Iran and Oman say talks on managing commercial traffic through the strait have reached a 'final stage.'
Read more →US destroys five IRGC oil tankers, Iran strikes US-linked base in Jordan as Hormuz crisis escalates
US Central Command said its forces destroyed five Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked oil tankers on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 — four in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island — in response to an attack on a US Navy warship. In retaliation, the IRGC said it fired on US-related targets in Jordan, including a fighter jet hangar at the Al-Azraq air base. The exchange is the latest escalation in the monthslong US-Iran war centered on the Strait of Hormuz, which has driven oil prices sharply higher with no resolution in sight, even as Iran and Oman say talks on managing commercial traffic through the strait have reached a 'final stage.'
Kenya begins shutting down foreign-run small businesses in crackdown ordered by President Ruto
Kenyan authorities began a crackdown on foreign nationals operating small retail shops and hawking businesses this week, after President William Ruto directed officials to shut such businesses down starting September 7, 2026. Ruto, addressing small-business traders at State House in Nairobi on September 2, said foreigners should not compete with Kenyans in hawking and small retail, though foreign investment remained welcome in ventures requiring larger capital; the government is acting administratively while parliament considers the proposed Local Content Bill, 2025. The directive has sparked fear among migrant communities and drawn mixed domestic reaction, coming amid a wider regional trend of tension over foreign-owned small businesses, from restrictions in Tanzania to a resurgence of xenophobic violence in South Africa.
Read more →Kenya begins shutting down foreign-run small businesses in crackdown ordered by President Ruto
Kenyan authorities began a crackdown on foreign nationals operating small retail shops and hawking businesses this week, after President William Ruto directed officials to shut such businesses down starting September 7, 2026. Ruto, addressing small-business traders at State House in Nairobi on September 2, said foreigners should not compete with Kenyans in hawking and small retail, though foreign investment remained welcome in ventures requiring larger capital; the government is acting administratively while parliament considers the proposed Local Content Bill, 2025. The directive has sparked fear among migrant communities and drawn mixed domestic reaction, coming amid a wider regional trend of tension over foreign-owned small businesses, from restrictions in Tanzania to a resurgence of xenophobic violence in South Africa.
Thieves steal Renoir paintings worth €9 million from French Riviera museum, drop two during escape
Two thieves broke into the Musée Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera before dawn on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, cutting through wire fencing and timing their break-in to a security shift change; the museum's alarm triggered at 5:48 a.m. local time and police arrived five minutes later, too late to catch them. The pair made off with four Pierre-Auguste Renoir works but abandoned two, 'Portrait de Madame Stephen Pichon' and 'Coco lisant,' in the museum garden during their flight. Still missing are 'Madame Colonna Romano,' valued at €2 million, and 'Jeune femme au puits,' valued at €200,000, out of an estimated €9 million total haul. The theft is the latest in a string of museum heists across France and Italy this year.
Read more →Thieves steal Renoir paintings worth €9 million from French Riviera museum, drop two during escape
Two thieves broke into the Musée Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera before dawn on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, cutting through wire fencing and timing their break-in to a security shift change; the museum's alarm triggered at 5:48 a.m. local time and police arrived five minutes later, too late to catch them. The pair made off with four Pierre-Auguste Renoir works but abandoned two, 'Portrait de Madame Stephen Pichon' and 'Coco lisant,' in the museum garden during their flight. Still missing are 'Madame Colonna Romano,' valued at €2 million, and 'Jeune femme au puits,' valued at €200,000, out of an estimated €9 million total haul. The theft is the latest in a string of museum heists across France and Italy this year.