This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.
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By Tom Williams
That's all for The Loop this morning!
You can keep up to date on the ABC News website, by watching the ABC News Channel, listening to local radio here or subscribing to our mobile alerts.
By Bridget Judd
Lost a lizard recently? You might want to check the mailing address
Iguana get to the bottom of this mystery (thanks, you've been a great audience … ).
Police in the US received a bit of an odd call, after several live lizards were wrongly delivered to a residence in a village north of New York City.
“Needless to say the addressee was quite startled when they opened the box,” Port Chester police wrote on Facebook.
“If you lost your lizards and iguanas we have them at the police department."
A police spokeserson said they held the animals until a local animal sanctuary could pick them up for safekeeping.
By Tom Williams
Jury fails to reach verdict in case against former Manchester United player Ryan Giggs
The jury in the trial of Ryan Giggs has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict on domestic violence charges against the former Manchester United star.
Giggs, 48, had been on trial for four weeks, but after more than 20 hours of deliberation, the jury of seven women and four men failed to reach any verdicts.
Giggs now potentially faces a retrial.
He had been charged with assault and using coercive behavior against an ex-girlfriend.
He had denied all of the charges.
By Tom Williams
Another ship runs aground in Egypt's Suez Canal
A ship has run aground in Egypt's Suez Canal, but has now been refloated with the help of tug boats.
Two navigational sources told the Reuters news agency that tugs were working to free the vessel, after it blocked navigation in the canal.
The ship is the crude oil tanker Affinity V, which is registered in Singapore.
In a translation of a tweet (below) by the Suez Canal Authority, the organisation says it rescued the Affinity, which ran aground due to a malfunction of the ship's rudder which meant it was unable to steer.
This isn't the first time a ship has run aground in the Suez Canal — you might remember the container ship Ever Given got stuck there in March 2021, before eventually being freed.
By Bridget Judd
UN inspectors head to Ukranian nuclear power plant to help 'prevent a nuclear accident'
A team of UN inspectors has made its way toward Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on a mission to safeguard the site and prevent a catastrophe from the fighting raging around it.
Fighting in early March caused a brief fire at its training complex, and in recent days, the plant was temporarily knocked offline because of damage, heightening fears of a radiation leak or a reactor meltdown.
Officials have begun distributing anti-radiation iodine tablets to nearby residents.
The complex has been occupied by Russian forces but run by Ukrainian engineers since the early days of the six-month-old war.
IAEA chief and mission leader Rafael Grossi said the “real work” will start on Thursday (local time). He underscored the challenges ahead.
“It’s a mission that seeks to prevent a nuclear accident and to preserve this important — the largest, the biggest — nuclear power plant in Europe,” he said.
By Tom Williams
UN finds human rights violations in Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity
The United Nations human rights office says discriminatory detention of Muslim groups in China's Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity.
Outgoing UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet's office has published a long-awaited report finding that serious human rights violations have been committed in Xinjiang.
It arrives despite Beijing demanding to keep a lid on the report over the rights of the region's native Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups.
The report found the violations were committed in the context of the Chinese government's application of counter-'terrorism' and counter-'extremism' strategies.
It comes after similar findings from independent advocacy groups and journalists who have documented concerns about human rights in Xinjiang for years.
In a report released last month, the UN's top expert on slavery said it was "reasonable to conclude" that forced labour of members of minority groups has taken place.
By Tom Williams
Australia's Cameron Smith defends controversial decision to join LIV Golf tour
Cameron Smith says he is comfortable with his "business decision" to join lucrative Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway series LIV Golf.
The 29-year-old Australian is the highest-ranked player to join the tour to date, and will make his debut on the controversial series later this week.
Smith is reportedly being paid $145 million dollars to leave the US PGA Tour and join LIV Golf.
"Yes it was a business decision as well … there's so many positives to come out of this thing," he said.
"You know, for me, I haven't been back in Australia for three years as well, to spend more time at home, not missing out on friends and family's weddings, and a couple of my friends have had kids over the last, you know, four or five years ago that I still haven't met, so, that's going to be a part of my life that I can't wait to get back."
Smith also said he felt it was unfair that those who joined LIV Golf are not receiving world ranking points, and hopes that changes before his exemption into golf's four majors expires.
By Tom Williams
Australia's new fire danger rating system begins today
Today is the first day of September (crazy, I know!), which means Australia's new fire danger rating system comes into effect across the country.
The new system simplifies signs from six fire danger levels to four: Moderate, High, Extreme and Catastrophic.
Signs in different states and territories used to look completely different, but they'll all now look like this:
Experts are hoping the new system will provide clearer and more consistent messaging about fire danger, and make it easier for firefighters to understand how a fire might behave if one breaks out.
Keep reading below if you want to learn more:
By Bridget Judd
UN weather agency predicts rare ‘triple-dip’ La Niña this year
The La Niña weather pattern will last until at least the end of the year, becoming the first time this century it will have spanned three southern hemisphere summers, the World Meteorological Organization has predicted.
“It is exceptional to have three consecutive years with a La Niña event. Its cooling influence is temporarily slowing the rise in global temperatures, but it will not halt or reverse the long-term warming trend,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said.
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology is on alert for another La Niña season, with a 70 per cent chance that the country's east coast will have to contend with the climate driver for a third year in a row.
Keep reading here to find out what it might mean for this spring and summer:
By Tom Williams
Treasurer Jim Chalmers responds to concerns over union power at Jobs Summit
With the government's Jobs and Skills Summit set to begin today, some business groups have shared their concerns that unions may have too much sway during the two-day event.
Asked about these concerns on ABC News Breakfast this morning, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it would be "absurd" if union representatives weren't allowed to take part.
"And there are more representatives of the business community, whether it be CEOs or peak employer groups, than there are union leaders, but we want the representatives of working people here," he said.
"One of our objectives is to get wages growing in a sustainable and strong way. That's was been missing in our economy for the best part a decade.
"We welcome the involvement of people from the employer groups, from the unions, from businesses, from community groups and elsewhere, because this is about bringing people in the national economic interest to try and confront some of these big economic challenges which have been neglected for too long."
Want to learn more about what the Jobs and Skills Summit is all about, and what it could mean for workers? Check out this explainer:
By Bridget Judd
Trump's social network unavailable in Google store over moderation issues
Former US president Donald Trump's Truth Social app won't be welcome in Google's app store until it abides by rules regarding content moderation including violent threats, the company says.
A Google spokesperson said the company notified Truth Social on August 19 that its app violated Play policies and required "effective systems for moderating user-generated content" in order to be offered on the platform.
The app breaks rules barring content that incites physical threats and violence, according to the tech firm.
"Last week Truth Social wrote back acknowledging our feedback and saying that they are working on addressing these issues," the Google spokesperson said.
By Tom Williams
One thing to know: The Jobs and Skills Summit begins today
The federal government's two-day Jobs and Skills Summit begins in Canberra today.
Wages, workplace conditions, worker shortages and skilled migration will be high on the agenda, as 143 delegates converge from various backgrounds — including the union movement, big businesses, academia and welfare groups.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is hoping the summit will mark a new culture of cooperation.
Here's how he introduced the event yesterday:
Some groups taking part in the summit are concerned that unions may have too much sway, and use the talks for their own benefit.
The federal Liberals had rejected an invitation to attend the summit, which they labelled as a stunt.
By Tom Williams
Princess Diana remembered 25 years after her death
Fans of the late Princess Diana have placed tributes outside the gates of her Kensington Palace home, marking the 25th anniversary of her death in a Paris car accident.
An arrangement of white chrysanthemums spelling out “Princess Diana” sat among dozens of photos and messages left by admirers, some of whom said they make annual pilgrimages to the spot to remember the tragedy.
“We just come here, do the memorial and, you know, we just chat about things that she used to do, you know, to … let people know that we will never forget the princess, we will never forget what she’s done,” said Julie Cain, 59, who traveled 480 kilometres from Newcastle in northern England.
“We just want her legacy kept, like, going as long as possible.”
By Tom Williams
News while you snoozed
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In a break with tradition, Britain's Queen Elizabeth will meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor at her Balmoral Castle residence in Scotland to appoint the new PM, instead of at Buckingham Palace in London. It comes as the 96-year-old monarch continues to experience mobility issues
- Taiwan says it will exercise its right to self-defence and counter-attack if Chinese armed forces enter its territory, as Beijing increases military activities near the democratically governed island. It comes after Taiwan fired warning shots at a Chinese drone for the first time on Tuesday shortly after President Tsai Ing-wen ordered the military to take "strong countermeasures" against what she termed Chinese provocations
By Tom Williams
Here's the news Australia is searching for
- Mikhail Gorbachev. The funeral for the former Soviet leader will take place this weekend, following his death at the age of 91. It's going to be held at one of Moscow's main cemeteries, where many high-profile Russian political and cultural figures are buried. It's not yet clear if the event will be attended by President Vladimir Putin, who gave a muted tribute to his predecessor
- Luke Bell. The American country singer has been found dead in Tucson, Arizona, more than a week after he was reported missing, according to local media. Police are reportedly investigating
- India vs Hong Kong. Suryakumar Yadav hit a blistering unbeaten 68 and Virat Kohli equaled the record for most half centuries in T20 internationals as India claimed a 40-run victory over underdog Hong Kong in the Asia Cup in Dubai
By Tom Williams
One more thing: Serena Williams is back on court at the US Open today, trying to keep her career alive
After defeating Montenegro's Danka Kovinić in the first round of the US Open to keep singles career alive, Serena Williams is about to face Estonian second seed Anett Kontaveit.
If Williams loses, it could very well be the American's last match and final Grand Slam.
The tennis star signalled her intention to retire in a Vogue article early last month, saying she was "evolving away from tennis", but never completely confirming the US Open would be her final event.
Williams v Kontaveit is due to kick off at 9am AEST this morning.
