North America

Canada’s Counter-Tariffs on U.S. Goods Take Effect Tuesday: September 6, 2026

OTTAWA — Canada’s dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on about C$27.6 billion of U.S. goods remain set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 8, covering steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics at rates of 15, 25, or 50 percent matching U.S. measures, according to the Department of Finance Canada.

Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered the response after trade talks collapsed and Washington imposed a 50 percent tariff on a comparable value of Canadian goods. Goods in transit to Canada when the measures take effect are exempt. Ottawa later narrowed the list after industry feedback, including removing fish and seafood to limit domestic harm.

Trade talks have been frozen since late August. Carney has said Ottawa is ready to deal when Washington is serious, Reuters reported earlier this month.

Sources: Canada Department of Finance; Reuters.

Hurricane Lowell Holds Category 3 Strength; Kauai Under Tropical Storm Watch: September 6, 2026

HONOLULU — Hurricane Lowell remained a powerful Category 3 storm late Saturday with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph about 610 miles south-southwest of Lihue, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 p.m. HST advisory.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Kauai County, including Kauai and Niihau. A Hurricane Watch covers portions of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument from Nihoa to French Frigate Shoals. Lowell is expected to turn north Sunday and pass west of Kauai County late Monday into early Tuesday while still a powerful hurricane.

Heavy rain is forecast to begin affecting the Hawaiian Islands Sunday afternoon through early next week, with flash-flood and mudslide risk especially on Kauai and parts of the Big Island. Large swells are expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents across portions of the islands for several days.

Sources: National Hurricane Center; NBC News.

World Brief, Evening: September 5, 2026

U.S. envoys spent three hours with Putin in Moscow, CENTCOM said it hit three Iranian oil tankers after IRGC missiles targeted U.S. warships, and Nepal’s flood toll climbed past 1,340 with more late rescues. Ten stories as of Saturday evening, September 5.

1. Moscow / Kyiv. President Vladimir Putin met U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for about three hours at the Kremlin on Saturday, the Kremlin and ABC News reported. Putin said he had ordered a pause in strikes on Kyiv since midnight for the mediators’ safety and noted Ukraine had sharply reduced its own strikes on Russian territory. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov called the talks substantive, constructive, and candid. The envoys are due in Kyiv on Sunday for their first visit there as negotiators.

2. Kharg Island / Strait of Hormuz / Gulf of Oman. U.S. Central Command said Saturday it permanently disabled the Iranian oil tankers M/T Downy off Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and destroyed the unladen M/T Kylo in the Gulf of Oman, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer; no American personnel were hurt, according to a CENTCOM release and the BBC. Iranian media later said the Guards had targeted six vessels in response. Adm. Brad Cooper said if Iran shoots at two U.S. ships, Washington will take out three of theirs.

3. Rasuwa / Nepal. Nepal Police put the Bhotekoshi flash-flood death toll at 1,344 on Saturday, with 4,898 still missing and more than 8,600 rescued, the Hindu and Himalayan outlets reported. Rescuers pulled more survivors alive late in the search, including a Chinese worker from an Upper Trishuli tunnel and a 64-year-old woman from a buried home in Nuwakot, ABC Australia reported. Australia’s disaster-assistance team is on the ground with drones.

4. Hawaii. Hurricane Lowell remained a Category 4 storm Saturday with maximum sustained winds near 145 mph about 635 miles south-southwest of Lihue, the National Hurricane Center said. Watches will likely be required for Kauai County later today; the center is forecast to pass just west of the main islands Monday night. Rainfall of 3–6 inches is possible on Kauai and the Big Island, with flash-flood, surge, and dangerous-surf risks statewide.

5. Indonesia. Nearly 2,000 students and teachers fell ill this week in suspected food-poisoning outbreaks linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s Free Nutritious Meals program across Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, the AP and BBC reported. Health ministry data through early September already counted more than 50,000 people affected in prior MBG-linked incidents. The nutrition agency blamed kitchens that ignored safety rules; police have opened investigations.

6. Viacha / Bolivia. Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano confirmed two conscripts dead, seven missing, and 81 wounded after Friday’s twin blasts of pyrotechnic material at an army maintenance center southwest of La Paz, AFP via RFI reported. Two of the wounded were in serious condition. The ministry said no military munitions detonated; Viacha declared three days of mourning while search teams clear debris.

7. Ituri / eastern Congo. Authorities are shifting toward a village-centered Bundibugyo Ebola response after President Félix Tshisekedi directed a community-led model. Early September figures still stood near 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths, Health Policy Watch and Africa CDC guidance show — still the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record. There is no approved vaccine for Bundibugyo; Ervebo continues under compassionate use for front-line workers.

8. Ottawa / Washington. Canada’s dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on about C$27.6 billion of U.S. goods remain set for 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 8, covering steel, dairy, appliances, and electronics at 15–50 percent rates, per the Department of Finance. Trade talks have been frozen since late August. Prime Minister Mark Carney says Ottawa is ready to deal when Washington is serious, Reuters reported.

9. Queenstown / Christchurch. A Sydney-bound Qantas flight from Queenstown diverted safely to Christchurch on Saturday after what the airline called a suspected engine issue, ABC News reported. Witness video appeared to show flames from one engine after takeoff. Qantas said both engines kept running, the jet received a priority landing, and passengers were being rebooked with support.

10. Manila. Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte posted ₱360,000 bail Saturday at a Quezon City court after an arrest warrant on three counts of grave threats, with bail set at ₱120,000 per count, Philippine outlets and morning wire roundups reported. The criminal case is separate from her Senate impeachment proceedings; she said she feared for her safety in detention.

Coming up. Tuesday 8 September — 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly opens, New York; Canadian counter-tariffs take effect. Wednesday 9–Thursday 10 September — ECB rate decision, Berlin. Saturday 12–Sunday 13 September — BRICS summit, New Delhi. Sunday 13 September — Sweden general election. Tuesday 15–Wednesday 16 September — Federal Open Market Committee, with projections. The standing calendar is at The Watch.

Sources: Kremlin; ABC News; CENTCOM / DVIDS; BBC; The Hindu; ABC Australia; National Hurricane Center; AP; AFP / RFI; Health Policy Watch / Africa CDC; Canada Department of Finance; Reuters; Philippine Daily Inquirer / GMA.

World Brief: September 5, 2026

U.S. envoys land in Moscow with a peace proposal, Iranian media say a tanker was hit near Kharg Island, and Nepal’s flood toll climbs past 1,300. Ten stories as of Saturday morning, September 5.

1. Moscow / Kyiv. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday with what President Trump called a proposal to end the war in Ukraine, the BBC and other outlets reported. Russian state media showed them greeted at Vnukovo by Kirill Dmitriev; they are due in Kyiv on Sunday for their first visit there as envoys. Overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had carried out “demonstrative” strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil and linked the attacks to preparations for a possible U.S. aircraft arrival. Ukraine said it would pause its own strikes for the visit and urged Moscow to do the same.

2. Kharg Island / Persian Gulf. Iranian media, including Tasnim and Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, said Saturday that four U.S. missiles struck a small Iranian oil tanker about six nautical miles from Kharg Island’s anchorage. Local sources told Tasnim there were no casualties and the crew was evacuating; U.S. Central Command did not immediately comment, AP reported. The claim lands days into renewed U.S.–Iran fighting around the Strait of Hormuz and after Trump’s earlier AI-generated post claiming Kharg was being “blown to smithereens.”

3. Rasuwa / Nepal. Nepal Police said Saturday the death toll from the August 26 Bhotekoshi flash floods had risen to 1,344, with 4,898 people still unaccounted for and more than 8,600 rescued, the Himalayan Times reported. About 1,300 bodies have been buried; DNA matching continues. Search teams are still working hydropower tunnels along the valley where hundreds of laborers were trapped after the glacier-collapse floods that also hit Tibet.

4. Ituri / eastern Congo. Authorities are shifting toward a village-centered Bundibugyo Ebola response after President Félix Tshisekedi directed a community-led model, Africa CDC guidance shows. The outbreak stood at 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths in early September data, Health Policy Watch reported, still the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record. Community alerts have risen sharply in zones like Nyankunde where trained local leaders now help with early reporting and safe burials.

5. Indonesia. Nearly 2,000 people, mostly students, fell ill this week in suspected food-poisoning outbreaks linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s Free Nutritious Meals program, AP and the BBC reported. Cases spanned East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh, and South Sulawesi between Tuesday and Thursday. Indonesia’s human-rights commission called for a transparent police probe; the National Nutrition Agency blamed kitchens that ignored food-safety rules.

6. Koror / Palau. Pacific Islands Forum leaders closed their 55th summit by registering collective “concern” over China’s July intercontinental ballistic-missile test that overflew Pacific members without adequate notice, AP reported. The communiqué called for at least 24 hours’ advance notification of future ICBM tests; Nauru dissented from the clause. Host President Surangel Whipps Jr. and New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon framed the language as a regional position despite the split.

7. Viacha / Bolivia. Two explosions of pyrotechnic material at an army maintenance center in Viacha, about 30 kilometers from La Paz, killed at least two people and wounded dozens on Friday, Bolivia’s defense ministry said, according to AFP. Officials later reported rising numbers of missing conscripts and injured civilians as search teams cleared debris; nearby homes were damaged. The cause remains under investigation; the ministry said no military munitions detonated.

8. Manila. Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte posted ₱360,000 bail Saturday at Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 after an arrest warrant on three counts of grave threats, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and GMA News reported. Bail was set at ₱120,000 per count. The warrant followed a probable-cause finding Friday; Duterte said she feared for her safety in detention. The criminal case is separate from her Senate impeachment proceedings.

9. New York. Gloria Steinem, the writer, organizer, and co-founder of Ms. Magazine who became one of the best-known voices of the U.S. women’s movement, died at 92 at her New York home on September 2, AP and other outlets reported. The Gloria Steinem Foundation said she passed peacefully surrounded by people who loved her; no cause was given. Steinem’s advocacy spanned more than six decades, from undercover journalism to the National Women’s Political Caucus and Ms.

10. Niamey. Russia’s Africa Corps helped Nigerien loyalist forces regain Air Base 101 after a late-August mutiny that briefly threatened the junta, AP and Reuters reported. Russian ambassador Viktor Voropayev said Niamey requested support and that mutineers were neutralized with Africa Corps help; security sources told Reuters kamikaze drones were used. The episode underlined how far Niamey has leaned on Moscow since shifting away from Western partners.

Sources: BBC, AP via ABC, CNBC / Tasnim, AP via Times Kuwait, Himalayan Times, Health Policy Watch / Africa CDC, AP (Indonesia), BBC (Indonesia), AP (Pacific), AFP via France 24, Philippine Daily Inquirer, NBC / AP, AP via PBS.

Feminist Icon Gloria Steinem Dies at 92: September 5, 2026

NEW YORK — Gloria Steinem, a leading voice of the U.S. women’s liberation movement, writer, and co-founder of Ms. magazine, has died at 92, her foundation said, according to the BBC.

The foundation said she “passed away peacefully” at her New York City home on Wednesday, “surrounded by many who loved her.” Steinem co-founded the Women’s Action Alliance more than 50 years ago, campaigned for reproductive rights and equal pay, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2013.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1934, she built a journalism career that included an exposé of Playboy Bunny working conditions and co-founding Ms. in 1972. She married David Bale in 2000; he died in 2003. Hillary Clinton called her “one of the architects of the entire structure of women’s equality,” and Meghan Markle paid tribute to a “friend and mentor.”

Sources: BBC.

World Brief, Evening: September 4, 2026

A Russian drone hit Ukraine’s SBU headquarters in central Kyiv as U.S. envoys prepare weekend peace stops in Moscow and Kyiv, Western powers drafted an IAEA resolution to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council, and Hawaii watched Category 4 Hurricane Lowell. Ten stories as of Friday evening, September 4.

1. Kyiv. A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in the heart of the capital on Friday afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, targeting a room used by security chief Oleksandr Poklad. Zelenskyy said he had spoken with Poklad and ordered an “appropriate, tangible response.” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said people were injured in the strike and in related hits across the city; Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it a “major escalation” launched during a renewed peace push. The SBU building sits near St. Sophia Cathedral; images showed smoke from windows on the front façade. BBC.

2. Moscow / Kyiv / Washington. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to visit Moscow and then Kyiv this weekend with a proposal “to end the war,” President Donald Trump told reporters Friday. Russian state media and Ukrainian officials pointed to Saturday in Moscow and Sunday in Kyiv—the envoys’ first trip to Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would hold back aerial strikes during the visit for the negotiators’ safety and urged Moscow to do the same. Putin had said Thursday there was a chance of a deal while keeping maximalist territorial demands. The diplomatic track lands against the SBU strike and continued long-range exchanges. Al Jazeera; BBC.

3. Vienna / Iran. The United States, Britain, France, and Germany have drafted a resolution for the IAEA Board of Governors seeking to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for failing to comply with nuclear nonproliferation obligations, diplomats told the Associated Press. The text, also reported by Reuters, is still under negotiation and has not been formally submitted; a vote is expected at next week’s board meeting. An IAEA report this week warned that continued denial of inspector access after the June 2025 strikes on nuclear sites is a proliferation risk requiring “utmost urgency.” Russia and China hold Security Council vetoes, so immediate U.N. sanctions are unlikely even if the board acts.

4. Bandar Abbas / Strait of Hormuz. The Persian Gulf and Bandar Abbas were comparatively calm on Friday after this week’s biggest U.S.–Iran flare-up since July, AP reported, with commercial vessels still anchored and traffic well below pre-war levels. Washington is still investigating the Kuhestak wedding strike that Iranian officials say killed five and wounded nearly 70; CENTCOM says it never targets civilians. Thursday’s Iranian fire at Kuwait was intercepted by Kuwaiti defenses. Brent has been trading in the mid-$90s as Hormuz shipping stays constrained.

5. Trishuli valley / Nepal. Rescuers pulled two hydropower workers, Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan, alive from the Upper Trishuli 3A tunnel nine days after the glacier-collapse floods, the BBC and Al Jazeera reported. Maharjan was in critical condition; a third person’s body was recovered in the same tunnel. Officials believe dozens more may still be inside Trishuli 3A alone, and hundreds remain missing across hydropower sites. Nepal’s confirmed dead climbed past 1,280 with more than 5,000 still listed missing; Chinese figures put Tibet’s toll in the dozens dead and hundreds missing. Australia’s drone specialists arrived Friday to help the search.

6. Ituri / eastern Congo. Africa CDC said Thursday it is still too early to call the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak under control, even as some zones show fewer new cases. Government figures through September 1 stood at 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths (case fatality about 48.6%), with transmission still active across most of 60 health zones in six provinces. There is no approved vaccine for Bundibugyo; Ervebo, made for Zaire ebolavirus, is being given to front-line workers under compassionate use while efficacy studies continue. WHO has called the epidemic the second-largest on record and among the fastest-moving it has seen.

7. Central Pacific / Hawaii. Hurricane Lowell remained a powerful Category 4 storm Friday with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph about 590 miles south-southwest of Honolulu, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said. Forecasters expect a sharp turn north early next week and warn Lowell could still be near major-hurricane strength when it nears the western Hawaiian Islands late Monday. Governor Josh Green has issued a statewide emergency proclamation. Watches could be required for western islands Saturday; heavy rain, surf, and rip currents are the near-term hazards statewide.

8. Koror / Palau. The 55th Pacific Islands Forum closed Friday after leaders registered “concern” over China’s July ICBM test that overflew members without adequate notice and called for at least 24 hours’ advance notification of future tests, ABC Australia and regional outlets reported. The communiqué did not name China; Naoero (Nauru) formally dissented from the clause. Leaders also endorsed a tiered system for external partners. New Zealand will host the Forum in 2027.

9. Lima / Peru. Peru has declared a 60-day state of emergency in 893 districts across 22 regions plus Callao over the threat of intense rainfall tied to El Niño, per Supreme Decree 124-2026-PCM published September 1 in El Peruano and reported by Andina and other outlets. Coastal El Niño alerts remain in force; authorities have warned that roughly 1.2 million people could face flood and landslide risk as the season builds. The decree authorizes regional and local response from existing budgets.

10. Ottawa / Washington. Canada’s dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs are still due Tuesday, September 8, with U.S.–Canada trade talks frozen since August 21 after Washington imposed 50 percent tariffs on a large Canadian goods package. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Washington needs to drop “memes” and toughness before talks restart. The deadline lands the same day the 81st U.N. General Assembly session opens in New York.

Sources: BBC (Kyiv), Al Jazeera (envoys), BBC (envoys), AP (IAEA), AP (Hormuz), BBC (Nepal), Al Jazeera (Nepal), Africa CDC / ECDC (Congo), CPHC/NHC (Lowell), ABC Australia (Palau), Andina / El Peruano (Peru).

Hollywood Posts Best Summer Box Office Since Pandemic: September 4, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Hollywood is closing its strongest summer since the Covid-19 pandemic, with U.S. and Canadian theaters generating $4.6 billion from the first weekend in May through Aug. 30, measurement firm Rentrak reported, according to Reuters.

The haul is up about 26 percent from summer 2025 and reflects an eclectic mix of blockbusters, sequels and original films that drew Gen Z audiences and women back to theaters. Analysts estimate the full-year domestic box office could top $10 billion for the first time since 2019, when ticket sales finished near $11.4 billion.

Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends, said summer momentum could carry through the holidays when “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part Three” reach theaters. The Labor Day weekend still closes the official summer season on Sept. 7; even a strong finish is unlikely to catch the inflation-adjusted 2013 summer record of about $6.8 billion set in the era of “Iron Man 3” and “Despicable Me 2.”

Year-to-date domestic sales had already crossed $7 billion by late August, Deadline reported, fueled by titles including “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” and breakout originals from YouTube-rooted filmmakers. Industry executives cast the rebound as evidence the theatrical window still matters after pandemic closures and the simultaneous 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes.

Sources: Reuters; The Straits Times.

Category 4 Hurricane Lowell Prompts Hawaii Emergency Proclamation: September 4, 2026

HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green issued a statewide emergency proclamation as Category 4 Hurricane Lowell tracked far south of Hawaii and forecasts shifted toward a sharp northward turn that could threaten Kauai early next week, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center, issuing advisories with the National Hurricane Center, said Thursday that Lowell remained a major hurricane with sustained winds near 130 mph (215 km/h) and a central pressure near 943 mb while centered about 495 miles south-southwest of Hilo and 590 miles south of Lihue. Forecasters expect a westward crawl, then a turn north this weekend and a closest approach to the westernmost main islands late Monday into Tuesday, still near major-hurricane strength.

No tropical storm or hurricane watches were yet in effect, but Kauai sits inside the forecast uncertainty cone. National Weather Service meteorologists warned of significant flash-flood and wind risk and an extreme surf and storm-surge hazard for Kauai on Monday. Swells from Lowell already prompted high-surf advisories for south- and southeast-facing shores statewide. Hurricane Karina, farther east, was also being monitored as it weakened.

Green’s office said the proclamation, in effect through Nov. 1, covers preparation for Lowell, Karina, Marie and any further storms as Hawaii continues recovering from Tropical Cyclone Lala. The state is sending six high-water vehicles to Kauai and activating Hawaii National Guard personnel. Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami urged residents to build kits, fill tanks, secure yards and check on neighbors while models continue to shift.

Sources: Honolulu Star-Advertiser; NOAA / NHC-CPHC.

Harvard Maps Chimeric mRNAs Linking Distant Genes to Immunity: September 4, 2026

BOSTON — Mammalian cells can stitch instructions from genes on different chromosomes into chimeric messenger RNAs that make functional hybrid proteins, Harvard Medical School researchers reported Sept. 2 in Nature.

For decades, textbooks treated each of the roughly 20,000 human genes as encoding one kind of protein, with isoform diversity arising mainly through cis-splicing within a single locus. Using long-read direct RNA sequencing, Ruaidhri Jackson’s team compiled what he calls a “dark genome” library of more than 30,000 chimeric transcripts seen at least once in mammalian cells and profiled nearly 400 regulated by inflammatory signals in human and mouse immune cells.

Chromatin conformation capture showed inflammation can loop chromosomes together, placing distant parent genes near each other so a fused mRNA can form. One protein-coding chimera fuses the pore-forming inflammasome effector gasdermin D (GSDMD) with an out-of-frame C-terminal domain from Tmem106a. The GSDMD-TMEM106A protein localizes to the plasma membrane, partners with canonical GSDMD N termini after inflammasome activation, and speeds pore formation and IL-1 beta release during pyroptosis — but cannot open membranes without GSDMD.

In mice, loss of the chimera impaired antibacterial defense while reducing lethal sepsis risk; overexpression strengthened host protection but raised sepsis lethality. The authors argue chimeric RNAs are regulated players in immunity and a possible therapeutic target class, while leaving intact the broader picture that most proteins still arise from single genes.

Sources: Nature; Harvard / phys.org.

Teoscar Hernandez Walk-Off Lifts Dodgers Past Cardinals: September 4, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Teoscar Hernandez ripped a two-run double in the ninth inning Thursday night, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and sparing them a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium.

With one out, Tommy Edman singled to left and stole second, Mookie Betts walked, and Hernandez drove a 3-2 pitch from Riley O’Brien into center field for the Dodgers’ eighth walk-off win of the season, Reuters and The Associated Press reported. O’Brien (3-7) blew his sixth save of the year.

Los Angeles had been hitless with eight other runners in scoring position before the decisive knock, continuing an offensive funk with runners aboard. Edman, batting leadoff while Shohei Ohtani rested neck, biceps and knee issues after a four-strikeout game Wednesday, went 4-for-5. Hernandez and Edman were the only Dodgers with hits in the game.

St. Louis led 2-0 on RBI singles from Joshua Baez in the first and Ramon Urias in the third off Tarik Skubal, who allowed 10 hits while striking out six. Quinn Mathews kept the Dodgers quiet into the late innings, allowing four hits. In the eighth, Cardinals reliever George Soriano loaded the bases with walks to Hernandez, pinch-hitter Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker before Dalton Rushing struck out to end the threat.

The Dodgers entered the night at 83-57. St. Louis fell to 70-71 and opens a series at Colorado on Friday.

Sources: Reuters; AP via CBS Sports.

North America

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