Zero's Briefs

Italy — Tajani does not rule out Russian attempts on the vote, Salvini downplays — Arriving at the Gymnich meeting in Wicklow, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that attempts to influence elections in EU countries, including Italy, cannot be ruled out, framing it as a general European issue and citing the Catalan referendum as a precedent. He did not point to any already-uncovered plans or ongoing operations. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini spoke of a climate of “anti-Russian anxiety.” (La Discussione, Fanpage)

News — Dioxins above the reference value after the Airola fire — The first sampling by Arpa Campania following the August 31 fire in the industrial area of Airola, in the province of Benevento, detected 0.28 picograms per cubic meter of dioxins, furans and PCBs, against a reference value of 0.15. Results from three other samplers in Arienzo, Bucciano and Rotondi are still pending. The news comes from a single source (NTR24); no independent confirmation is available. (NTR24)

Health — Red alert for heat in Bari until September 3 — The Civil Protection bulletin maintains level 3, the highest, for Bari until September 3: temperatures of 26 degrees at 8 a.m. and 31 at 2 p.m. are forecast, with a perceived temperature of 36. The red alert is issued when high-risk conditions persist for three or more consecutive days. (Rai News TGR Puglia)

Health — 2025 was the worst year for measles since 1992 — A KFF analysis of CDC data indicates that in 2025 the United States recorded more cases, more outbreaks, more states involved and more measles deaths than in any year since 1992. According to the CDC, two doses of the MMR vaccine prevent the disease in 97% of cases. (KFF)

Sport — Coppa Italia and women’s Champions League in the September 2 schedule — In Coppa Italia, Sassuolo-Frosinone at 3 p.m. and Udinese-Venezia at 6 p.m. were on the calendar. The third qualifying round of the women’s Champions League featured eight matches, including Inter-Wolfsburg, PSG-Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid-Ajax and Juventus-St. Pölten. In the women’s Europa Cup qualifiers, Sturm eliminated Gintra with a 5-3 aggregate. (Calcio Magazine)

Sport — Once Caldas wins away, three away wins in Japan — In the Colombian Clausura, Once Caldas won 2-1 at Fortaleza. In Ecuador, LDU Quito and Mushuc Runa finished scoreless. In the Copa Uruguay, Montevideo City beat Danubio 2-0 away. In Japan’s J1 League, Urawa, Okayama and Kobe won away. (Calcio Magazine)

Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics — SCO condemns military actions against Iran — The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit closed in Kyrgyzstan with a joint declaration in which leaders criticized US and Israeli military actions against Iran, calling them contrary to the principles of international law and the UN Charter. The news comes from a single source (Everything Briefing); no independent confirmation is available. (Everything Briefing)

Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics — Beijing protests Taiwan’s presence at the Pacific Islands Forum — In the same roundup reporting on the SCO summit, China is said to have protested Taiwan’s participation in the annual Pacific Islands Forum summit. This news, too, comes from a single source; no independent confirmation is available. (Everything Briefing)

Economy and Markets — US imports via Hormuz at lowest level in nearly forty years — According to EIA data, in 2024 the United States imported about half a million barrels a day through the Strait of Hormuz from Gulf countries: 7% of total imported crude and the lowest level in nearly forty years. In 2025, according to the International Energy Agency, nearly 34% of the world’s crude passed through the Strait. Single source (Focus America). (Focus America)

Culture — Three British exhibitions on artifacts and industrial archaeology — In addition to the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum, the British museum season includes “Tides of Treasure” at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea until June 26, 2027, “Treasure! Lost and found” at the Dorset Museum in Dorchester until September 13, 2026, and “Marking Time” at Stanley Mills, Scotland, until September 27, 2026. Single source. (The Past)

Film & Entertainment — Venice closes on September 12 with Veronesi’s “Dio ride” — The 83rd Mostra, which opened on September 2 with Danny Boyle’s “Ink,” will close on Saturday, September 12 with the out-of-competition world premiere of Giovanni Veronesi’s “Dio ride.” The overall program includes 135 films; among the eagerly awaited events are the documentary on the Oasis reunion and Luca Guadagnino’s “Joie de vivre” on Bernardo Bertolucci. (La Biennale, Il Post)

Tech & AI — OpenAI says Astra has crossed the “Critical” threshold on cybersecurity — According to the company, Astra is the first large language model to cross the “Critical” threshold of its Preparedness Framework in cybersecurity, achieving a perfect score on ExploitBench and, in modified tests, autonomously exploiting two zero-day vulnerabilities. These are claims made by the company, not results verified by third parties; single source available. (AI Weekly)

Number of the Day — $96.59, November Brent after the strikes — This is the peak reached on September 2 by the November-delivery Brent contract. The day before the war began, in late February, Brent had closed at $72.48. (Focus America)

On This Day — Twenty-five years ago, the Shanghai Organization was born — The SCO was founded in 2001 and today counts nine member states: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran. Together they represent 43% of the world’s population and 23% of global economic output. (Everything Briefing)