Emily KaineUpdated September 1, 2026 — 6:59am,first published 6:45amWhat’s making news todayBy Emily KaineHello and welcome to our live coverage of national news for Tuesday, September 1. Here’s what you need to know today.A NSW hiker is the first Australian confirmed dead after last week’s devastating flash floods on the border of Nepal and Tibet. The total death toll of the disaster is still rising as search and recovery efforts continue in the devastated region. The combined deaths in Nepal and China have surpassed 950, with more than 4400 people missing.Attorney-General Michelle Rowland unveiled reforms to Australia’s privacy laws during a press conference yesterday. The reforms have copped backlash for failing to impose an import ban on smart glasses.One Nation leader Pauline Hanson accused the prime minister of inciting violence against her, after he called One Nation dangerous and divisive, and a threat to the country.And US President Donald Trump has vowed to “hit Iran hard”, promising further strikes after Iran launched missiles yesterday at two US air bases in Jordan in response to a US attack on Iran’s Larak Island.Latest Posts6.59amSecond death confirmed after flash flood in Grand CanyonBy At least two people have died after a flash flood in the Grand Canyon at the weekend, the US National Park Service said. Some 15 others may be missing or unaccounted as search efforts progress.The flash flood event happened on Saturday afternoon (US time) in the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area. The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. Now the death toll has increased to two as search and recovery efforts continued, according to a post on X. The National Park Service did not provide further updates on the number of missing people.Bright Angel Creek near the Phantom Ranger Station in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, after flash floods.APBoth the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Grand Canyon National Park staff responded to the event and are aiding in evacuations and accounting for those who may have been in the affected areas. The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office was also on site.Flooding damaged approximately 40 per cent of the Transcanyon Waterline, leaving the park with limited water reserves. “Visitors are asked to remain out of the closure area while search and recovery operations continue.”Bloomberg6.42am‘Information is not available’: Wong says updates from flood zones scarceBy Emily KaineForeign Minister Penny Wong has again acknowledged the ongoing difficulty of obtaining information about the Australians who remain unaccounted for in Nepal and Tibet following devastating flash floods.Speaking to ABC’s 7.30 Report last night, Wong said:“We are working to do whatever we can and to provide any information we obtain, it is obviously in the context that many people [are] missing, thousands missing. It is difficult to find, to get information.Search and rescue volunteers talk to a resident amid the wreckage of a building in Dhunge, Nepal. Kate Geraghty“Information is not available, but we will continue to work to to do that. And our heart goes out to the families and friends of those who are not accounted for.”The minister’s remarks came before news of the death of NSW hiker Michael Keats in Nepal.The Royal Australian Air Force will depart to Nepal this morning, carrying aid from Australia to assist with disaster recovery.6.31amTrump vows further strikes against Iran By US President Donald Trump has promised further strikes against Iran after the first tit-for-tat attacks in a month, as a conflict that had lately settled into an economic stand-off threatened to again break into open fighting.Iran launched missiles at two US air bases in Jordan yesterday in response to a US attack on Iran’s Larak Island, where Washington said it had struck Iranian launchers firing mines into the Strait of Hormuz.“We’re going to hit them hard,” a Fox News reporter quoted Trump as telling the channel. “There will be a response.”A senior Iranian source told Reuters the exchanges of fire, the first since late July, were a “limited and contained confrontation” but said Tehran would deliver a harsh response if attacked again.ReutersPinned post from 6.27amWhat’s making news todayBy Emily KaineHello and welcome to our live coverage of national news for Tuesday, September 1. Here’s what you need to know today.A NSW hiker is the first Australian confirmed dead after last week’s devastating flash floods on the border of Nepal and Tibet. The total death toll of the disaster is still rising as search and recovery efforts continue in the devastated region. The combined deaths in Nepal and China have surpassed 950, with more than 4400 people missing.Attorney-General Michelle Rowland unveiled reforms to Australia’s privacy laws during a press conference yesterday. The reforms have copped backlash for failing to impose an import ban on smart glasses.One Nation leader Pauline Hanson accused the prime minister of inciting violence against her, after he called One Nation dangerous and divisive, and a threat to the country.And US President Donald Trump has vowed to “hit Iran hard”, promising further strikes after Iran launched missiles yesterday at two US air bases in Jordan in response to a US attack on Iran’s Larak Island.1 of 1