Category: World

FORMER American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn has been found guilty of murdering his wife.

Prosecutors said Flynn, 40, killed his wife Ashley while she was asleep on February 16, stressing that he shot her twice in the back of the head before attempting to make the death look like the result of a home invasion.

Flynn consistently denied murdering Ashley, who was a school teacher and volleyball coach.

But on Tuesday, Flynn was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs after jurors returned guilty verdicts on all nine counts – including aggravated murder and tampering with evidence – after just over two hours of deliberation.

The verdict appeared to overwhelm him emotionally, as he cried and repeatedly wiped his pained face.

A sentencing hearing was set for October 5, where he could be condemned to life behind bars without parole.

During closing arguments, Matthew C. Joseph, an assistant prosecutor with the Miami County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Troy, Ohio, argued that the evidence showed Flynn’s version of events was entirely fabricated.

Damning texts messages between Flynn and his ex-mistress, Alleigha Botner, shocked the courtroom.

In a slew of texts, Flynn told Botner that he had stayed awake until 4am thinking about “ways to kill her and not go to jail.”

Botner responded that she did not want Ashley killed.

“I’m not asking that you take her life,” she wrote, according to the evidence, while adding that making the divorce happen would “change everything.”

Flynn answered: “I’ll work on getting rid of her. Until then, I love you.”

According to Flynn’s account to police, he was sleeping in a separate room with the couple’s daughters when he heard a gunshot.

He said he later found Ashley dead.

The texts were presented as evidence of Flynn’s state of mind and his relationship with his wife.

Flynn’s defense team has disputed the prosecution’s case, arguing that investigators zeroed in on him early in the investigation.

They also maintained that his affair with Botner drew disproportionate attention and influenced how authorities viewed the evidence against him.

Flynn appeared on Season 12 of American Idol in 2013. He performed during the televised auditions in Chicago but did not advance to the main competition.

Flynn’s story began to unravel after his wife, Ashley, was found fatally shot inside their Ohio home.

He had called police early that morning, claiming an intruder had entered the house and shot her. Flynn told investigators he was in his daughters’ bedroom when he heard a gunshot.

He also said he later discovered a door leading toward the garage standing open.

But investigators found no evidence that anyone had fled the property. They also determined that damage around the garage-side door did not appear consistent with a typical forced entry, according to CNN.

Inside Flynn’s truck, officers noticed that the center console was open—the same location where Flynn said he kept his handgun.

As investigators continued questioning him, Flynn insisted that there had been no serious problems in his marriage “whatsoever.”

That account became more complicated when authorities uncovered his relationship with Alleigha Botner.

According to testimony, Flynn and Botner had been involved in an affair for approximately 18 months. Their relationship generated an enormous digital trail: jurors were told the pair exchanged more than 100,000 messages.

Those communications would later become a major part of the prosecution’s case.

In one message from September 2025, Flynn described everything he was willing to risk to stay with Botner, including his daughters, his quarter-million-dollar salary, his home, his position at a church, and the possibility of public humiliation.

Botner said she met Flynn at 21 while interning at Christian Life Center in Dayton, where he served as a music pastor.

She later became a worship leader at the church.

Botner, meanwhile, repeatedly pushed Flynn to leave Ashley.

“Until she’s gone, I’m gone,” she wrote in one exchange, according to evidence presented at trial.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17075763/caleb-flynn-guilty-murder-ohio-ashley-flynn/

LINDSAY Clancy flashed a rare smile in court on Tuesday as her lawyer stunned the courtroom by insisting there is “no evidence” she killed her three children, and then clashed with the judge over when any retrial could happen.

Kevin Reddington argued prosecutors had never properly proved Clancy carried out the killings, despite her defense previously not disputing that she killed five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan.

The dramatic arguments unfolded at Plymouth Superior Court in Massachusetts, where Clancy returned for the first time since jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict earlier this month.

Reddington said prosecutors had failed to properly establish what happened inside the family’s Duxbury home on January 24, 2023.

“This entire case is based on speculation,” he told Judge William Sullivan.

Reddington also lashed out at the fierce public reaction to Clancy, saying people who hear she killed her children often skip over the legal question of whether she was criminally responsible.

“When people hear that she admitted to it, they go off on a tangent,” he told the court.

“‘She’s a demon and possessed and should be executed,’” Reddington said, describing the reaction he says Clancy has faced.

“This is coming from politicians, from President Trump, all the way down,” he added.

His remarks came days after the holdout juror’s attorney publicly called Clancy a “demon” and said she deserved execution.

Reddington argued that such rhetoric ignored the two-part question at the heart of the case – whether Clancy committed the acts and whether prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she understood they were wrong.

Clancy did not dispute during her trial that she killed five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan.

But Reddington is now attacking the evidence underpinning the prosecution’s argument that she carried out the killings while understanding that what she was doing was wrong.

Judge William Sullivan has delayed arguments on Clancy’s bid to have the charges dismissed until November 2.

The next hearing could now tackle both the defense bid to dismiss the case and, if the charges remain in place, when Clancy could face a new jury.

Clancy’s lawyers told the court they were ready to argue the motion on Tuesday, but prosecutor Jennifer Sprague asked for more time because it had only recently been filed.

Outside the court, more than 300 women dressed in pink T-shirts gathered ahead of the hearing, turning the entrance into a sea of pink as tensions built over whether Clancy could face a second trial.

Supporters wore matching shirts emblazoned with “Justice for Lindsay” and messages including “Presumed innocent,” “Seek the truth” and “Mental health matters.”

The show of support echoed scenes from Clancy’s first trial, when crowds repeatedly gathered outside the courthouse as jurors weighed whether Clancy was criminally responsible for killing her children.

As Reddington made his way through the crowd outside the courthouse, a woman appeared to stretch out an arm to hold people back as cameras and reporters closed in around him.

The defense lawyer was surrounded by a crush of media as he arrived for the high-stakes hearing.

Clancy also spoke in court for the first time since the mistrial.

When Judge William Sullivan greeted her at the start of Tuesday’s status conference, the 36-year-old replied simply, “Good morning.”

Clancy’s lawyers have asked Sullivan to investigate the 12th juror, who prevented the panel from reaching a unanimous decision.

Court filings have said the jury was split 11-1 in favor of finding Clancy not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility.

The defense wants the court to examine the holdout juror’s questionnaire answers and conduct during deliberations.

They have also raised questions over whether the juror followed court rules involving cellphone use.

The request comes after tensions over the holdout juror exploded during deliberations in the first trial.

At one point, defense attorney Kevin Reddington told the court that “one juror refuses to listen to the law on reasonable doubt.”

Sullivan declined to remove the juror after questioning members of the panel individually.

The jury later reported it was hopelessly deadlocked, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial.

Reddington is now also asking Sullivan to dismiss the case rather than allow prosecutors to try Clancy again.

The fight over the lone holdout juror has only grown more bitter since the mistrial.

Michael Desronvil has denied the claims from fellow jurors that he refused to follow the law or acknowledge his own reasonable doubts about the prosecution’s case.

His attorney, Edward Paltzik, has accused Reddington of unfairly targeting Desronvil and warned that attacking a juror for sticking to his view could set a damaging precedent for future jury service.

Paltzik has insisted that his client followed the evidence and had “zero doubt” about his position.

Desronvil also spoke publicly for the first time on Monday night, asking people to shift attention away from him and back to Clancy’s three children.

“I know the whole focus has been on me, but we want to reel everything back and put the focus on the three angels,” he told Fox News.

He said Cora, Dawson and Callan were “the ones that can’t speak for themselves, the ones that can’t defend themselves, and the ones that can’t fight the battles.”

Reddington, meanwhile, has called Desronvil an “obstructionist juror” and wants the court to examine allegations about his conduct during deliberations, including claims involving cellphone use and answers on his jury questionnaire.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17072224/lindsay-clancy-back-in-court-after-mistrial/

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration was dealt a blow Tuesday as a judge ruled the city must scrap its bungled rollout of the new pied-à-terre tax and start anew.

The decision by Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Wayne Ozzi is a major setback for one of the mayor’s signature policies – and comes as casino mogul Steve Wynn and former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross joined the legal fight to halt the tax.

Ozzi ruled the city was both “arbitrary” and “capricious” when it mailed notices to more than 1,000 New Yorkers who were not actually subject to the tax on luxury second homes in the Big Apple.

Homeowners who received the bogus notices were “substantially harmed and penalized needlessly” by having the “burden” of proving to city officials that they should be exempt, the judge wrote.

Ozzi found that all roughly 17,000 notices sent out must be “cancelled,” and the city Department of Finance must start from scratch and resend them individually.

The tax, approved by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature, is meant to apply to 1-to-3 family homes worth at least $5 million and co-ops and condominiums valued at $1 million or more that are unoccupied, non-primary residences.

Randy Mastro, who filed the suit on behalf of Staten Island homeowners, hailed the decision — which the city will likely appeal — as a victory.

“We’re gratified that the court has recognized we were right all along. The fact is that this administration failed to follow state law when it burdened New York City homeowners with proving they live in their own homes or be on the hook for paying a new surcharge,” Mastro said.

“Now the administration must go back and do what it should have done from the start: use all the information at its disposal to make an individualized ‘initial determination’ about who truly owes this surcharge before demanding that they pay it.”

The Mamdani administration said it planned to appeal the ruling. The city has said that the tax would raise more than $500 million a year to help fund schools, libraries and other essential public services.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/29/us-news/new-yorkers-battling-mamdanis-pied-a-terre-tax-snag-big-legal-win-as-casino-mogul-steve-wynn-joins-fight/

Presley Gerber’s tragic final moments in rehab before his death at 27 have been captured in a video exclusively obtained by Page Six.

In the footage, the late son of Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford is seen filming himself in Resolutions Living in Santa Monica, Calif., on the evening before he died by an apparent overdose.

Presley is wearing a white tank top, a silver chain necklace and black eyeglasses in the clip. His distinct neck tattoos could also be seen in the video.

He proceeds to film the inside of his living quarters, which features multiple beds and a balcony overlooking the manicured property and city skyline.

Two sources confirm to Page Six that the video was filmed Saturday night.

A rep for the Gerber family did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

The model died of an apparent overdose while staying at the luxurious $7.7 million rehab facility on Sept. 20. He was 27.

The facility features living quarters, a movie theater, gym, city views and nearby mountains, as well as a fully stocked kitchen with meals curated by chefs for residents.

In regard to treatment, the website describes residents participating in a “three-phase recovery program” that includes “goal-setting activities, volunteer work and character-building exercises.”

Insiders told Page Six that Presley had checked into the facility the same weekend he was pronounced dead.

In dispatch audio obtained by Page Six, authorities responded to a “cardiac arrest” and “overdose.”

Another source told us Presley “seemed off” and “didn’t seem like himself” in the days leading up to his death.

After the news of his death surfaced, a family rep told Page Six in a statement that they are asking for “privacy during this very difficult and painful time.”

A source previously told Page Six that Presley’s sister, Kaia Gerber, is struggling to cope with his passing, as they shared an extremely close bond.

“Kaia and Presley were insanely close. I don’t know how she’s going to go on without him,” the source said. “They were way more than brother and sister. She is heartbroken. They were like best friends.”

Another insider told us that Presley’s mom is “devastated” and “inconsolable” after losing her only son.

“They were so close,” the source said. “What you saw online and in the press wasn’t just for that purpose. They were a tight-knit family and [sister] Kaia and Presley were more than just siblings. Cindy has to be beyond gutted.”

Presley was reportedly cremated at the Rose Family Funeral Home, with the family planning to keep his ashes at his parents’ Malibu home.

Rande and Cindy are allegedly “struggling emotionally” to plan a memorial for their late son.

“Their priority is to keep it private, without media or paparazzi there,” a source told People.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/09/29/celebrity-news/video-shows-presley-gerbers-heartbreaking-final-moments-inside-rehab-hours-before-death/

A former Ohio music pastor who once appeared on the TV talent competition American Idol has been found guilty of murdering his wife.

Caleb Flynn, 40, fatally shot Ashley Flynn twice in the back of the head while she slept at their Ohio home on 16 February this year, then tried to claim that intruders had shot her.

Flynn wept in court as the jury delivered its verdict after deliberating for less than three hours.

He also was found guilty of the other eight charges against him, which included aggravated murder and tampering with evidence. He faces life in prison without parole.

Closing arguments ended on Tuesday in Flynn’s trial after eight days of testimony, which included a song played in court that prosecutors say he wrote and dedicated to the woman with whom he was having an affair.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution presented evidence including police body camera footage, and activity on Flynn’s iPhone and Apple Watch around the time of the murder, which took place in Tipp City, a suburb of Dayton.

They also called dozens of witnesses, including his former mistress Alleigha Botner, whom he met while she was an intern at his church.

Some of their 100,000 exchanged text messages were read aloud in court. The defence called no witnesses.

“I was up until 4am last night crying, literally thinking of ways to kill her and not go to jail,” Flynn wrote in a message to Botner, 24, in August 2025.

In another message, he wrote: “I just want her dead and gone.”

Testifying in court, Botner said she now hates Flynn “because I believe that he murdered his wife”.

During closing arguments on Tuesday, prosecuting attorney Paul Watkins leaned heavily into Flynn’s text exchanges, which he said demonstrated the defendant’s “hatred” for his wife.

He described Flynn as being afraid to lose custody of his daughters in a divorce, as well as his job with his wife’s family business and his job at the church.

An emotional Flynn was seen in court at times sniffling and wiping tears from his eyes.

Watkins also said that when police arrived at the family home in the early hours on 16 February, Flynn told police he had been in his daughters’ bedroom when he heard gunfire.

Flynn said he found his 37-year-old wife dead in the bedroom, after noticing the garage side door was open. Watkins said Flynn later told investigators he had not been to the garage, contradicting his earlier statement.

Flynn’s defence lawyer Patrick Mulligan, meanwhile, told the court there was no concrete evidence, saying: “Connecting a couple of meaningless dots doesn’t solve the case.”

Mulligan said the issue was not whether Flynn was a good husband to his wife, a schoolteacher and volleyball coach, and that evidence of infidelity was not evidence of murder.

“They can’t find the gun, therefore they blame it on him?” Mulligan questioned, referring to the charge of tampering with evidence that Flynn also faced.

Flynn’s gun, which had been kept in the console of his truck, has been missing since investigators arrived at the scene and found the truck’s centre console open.

Earlier in the trial, Botner took the stand as a witness for two days, offering testimony about her nearly 18-month relationship with Flynn.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5rm9gv7n07xo

 

OpenAI on Tuesday unveiled “dots”, a new artificial intelligence (AI) assistant it says can proactively carry out tasks on a user’s behalf.

At its annual developer day in San Francisco, chief executive Sam Altman referred to “dots” as “remarkably capable, always-on agents that can handle really anything you can think of.”

At the same time, OpenAI president Greg Brockman and other tech leaders held a meeting with President Donald Trump as the firm faces intense scrutiny after internal tests of its AI agents revealed unexpected and occasionally harmful actions.

Dots, however, were pitched as brightly coloured cute cartoons meant to function as digital assistants for people with busy lives.

The dots, Altman said, “can handle really anything you can think of.”

A glossy video was shown during the event, with people speaking to and naming animated versions of their “dots,” then giving them various tasks, like building a website and booking afterschool activities for their children.

Speaking about “my dot,” Altman almost entirely eschewed referring to the tool as an agent, which has been in common use for years. AI agents are essentially AI chatbots that are programmed to operate somewhat autonomously.

“You just give your dot a responsibility… and your dots will just get to work and keep working,” Altman added.

At the event, Altman reiterated his decision for OpenAI to not make a highly anticipated stock market debut until it can “make confident safety decisions”.

The company has been preparing for a blockbuster listing, potentially valuing the firm at up to $1.4tn (£1.06tn).

Altman told reporters that “it is going to take us some time to figure out how to make sure that alignment, monitoring, safety, security stay well ahead of capabilities.”

OpenAI’s event on Tuesday took place as President Donald Trump held a White House lunch with tech leaders and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Trump repeated his belief that AI companies should regulate themselves.

He also said they had discussed creating a ten-person committee to oversee the sector, adding there would be “tremendous self-policing”

Some researchers and company heads have called for a slowdown in AI development as more instances of breaches by AI firms’ models become public.

“We need to navigate the centrist path,” Altman told the BBC during a question and answer session with reporters on Tuesday.

“I am hopeful that the industry will figure out a more sensible, more pragmatic stance than has been exhibited by some of the members of our industry,” he added, declining to specify particular company names or leaders.

The day prior to OpenAI’s event, the company said it was delaying the launch of its latest model due to certain safety issues that showed up during internal testing.

Since July, the company has been dealing with a series of issues with its AI agents acting improperly. It has faced unprompted hacking into the AI platform Hugging Face, posting to third-party websites images that AI agents took from ChatGPT user chats, and accessing non-public information maintained by the Australian government.

OpenAI, as well as rival AI firm Anthropic, previously delayed public release of certain AI models due to potential risks, mostly pertaining to cybersecurity or hacking concerns.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw7v42rp083eo

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that two individuals died and six, including three children, were injured due to Russian aerial bombings in Sumy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two people were killed and six others, including three children, were injured after Russian guided aerial bombs struck the centre of Sumy on Tuesday.

Zelensky said four guided bombs hit the city, damaging a school building while classes were in session. Emergency services were deployed to the site as rescue and recovery operations continued.

According to Zelensky, teachers and students had moved into a shelter before the strikes and about 100 people were evacuated from the school.

“There was also damage in the private residential area,” Zelensky said, adding that two people had been confirmed dead.

He expressed condolences to the families of those killed and thanked the teachers and school administration for helping evacuate the children and staff.

Zelensky condemned the attack and accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians, schools and residential areas.

“America, Europe, all our partners must not forget that Russia will not stop this madness without real pressure,” Zelensky said.

He called on Ukraine’s international partners to respond to the latest strikes with concrete measures, saying that any response should go beyond what he described as “lip service”.

The Ukrainian president’s comments came as Russian strikes continued to hit areas of Ukraine amid the ongoing war between the two countries.

Sumy, a city in northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border, has repeatedly come under Russian attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/russia-bombs-school-in-ukraines-sumy-during-classes-children-among-dead-article-156248289

The order also includes signatures from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Anthropic’s Daria Amodei, Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, Elon Musk and Jensen Huang.

Artificial intelligence will now be referred to as “super intelligence” in the United States. This comes after President Donald Trump announced that the name had been changed on Tuesday (local time), after a meeting with several tech CEOs and leaders regarding artificial intelligence.

The order signed by Trump also includes signatures from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Anthropic’s Daria Amodei, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, Elon Musk and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang.

Speaking to reporters, Trump stated that AI will now be referred to as “SI,” adding that the name has been officially changed by the “biggest, smartest and greatest people anywhere in the world.”

.@POTUS corrects the Fake News: “It’s not AI. It’s SI… We’ve changed the name officially to SI… Super Intelligence.” https://t.co/aeytRtP22Q

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 29, 2026

In the AI space, “super intelligence” refers to a kind of AI that exceeds the cognitive abilities of humans in all aspects. Despite the renaming, superintelligence AI is yet to be achieved.

Furthermore, this change from AI to “SI,” comes amid a global call for a slowdown and artificial intelligence and reports of OpenAI’s AI agents going rogue.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/ai-is-now-si-trump-makes-super-intelligence-official-alongside-ai-bosses-zuckerberg-elon-musk-jensen-huang-pichai-101790730900293.html

 

The Tu-95 is a large, nuclear-capable bomber developed during the Soviet era that Russia regularly uses the aircraft for military exercises.

A Russian Tu-95 military aircraft crashed during a training flight in the eastern Amur region on Tuesday, killing six crew members and injuring another, the country’s defence ministry said.

The bomber went down in an uninhabited area, the ministry said, adding that the aircraft was not carrying ammunition at the time of the crash.

“On September 29, a Tu-95 aircraft crashed in the Amur region during a training flight. The aircraft went down in an uninhabited area,” the defence ministry said, according to state-run TASS news agency.

“According to preliminary data, six crew members died, while one was injured and evacuated to a medical facility,” it added.

Unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to show flames and thick smoke rising from the crash site, while booming and crackling sounds could be heard in the background.

US officials told Reuters that the cuts would affect billets for one- to four-star generals and admirals.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to announce plans to cut up to 20% of top military leadership positions, doubling the minimum reduction he ordered last year, US media reported on Tuesday.

The move is expected to be outlined during Hegseth’s State of the Force address on Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

US officials told Reuters that the cuts would affect billets for one- to four-star generals and admirals.

Plan Doubles Earlier 10% Cut

Officials said the plan would increase the reduction from the minimum 10% cut Hegseth announced last year. Rather than removing officers directly, some future positions could be downgraded in rank while others could be eliminated altogether.

A Pentagon tally showed 851 active-duty generals and admirals in July, compared with 848 a year earlier. Federal law caps the total at 857.

Last year in May, Hegseth had ordered cuts of at least 10% among general and flag officers and 20% among National Guard general officers. The Pentagon at that time said the aim was to remove redundant force structures and excess senior positions.

The Washington Post reported that the latest move could affect the careers of hundreds of current and rising military leaders.

Hegseth Says Focus Is Readiness

Hegseth has dramatically reshaped the US military’s senior leadership since taking office during President Donald Trump’s second term, with several senior officers being dismissed or leaving their posts.

Army Chief of Staff General Randy George was fired in April, while Joint Chiefs Chairman General Charles Brown Jr and Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti were removed shortly before the US began its war with Iran on February 28.

Several other senior military figures have also retired or resigned.

Fox News quoted Hegseth as saying the latest effort was not intended to punish senior officers. He described it as a deliberative process carried out with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to improve readiness and operational effectiveness.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/hegseth-to-cut-up-to-20-of-top-us-military-posts-amid-iran-war-doubling-planned-cuts-ws-l-10360082.html

Iran has linked any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to conditions including an end to the US blockade, sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

Diplomatic efforts to broker a breakthrough between the United States and Iran have made little progress, with neither side showing signs of backing down, according to a report by Axios.

Qatari mediators have been working to find common ground between the two sides, but three sources familiar with the talks told Axios that negotiations remain deadlocked.

The stalemate is raising concerns that the US-Iran conflict could return to major combat operations.

Qatari Mediation Fails To Bridge Gap

Qatari mediator Ali al-Thawadi held several hours of talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his team in New York on Monday, where they discussed a two-page Qatari compromise proposal.

The proposal reportedly sought to address Iran’s demand for an end to the US naval blockade and Washington’s call for concessions on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Al-Thawadi later met US envoy Jared Kushner and other American officials in Washington, with Vice President JD Vance attending part of the meeting.

One source told Axios: “It is stuck. The Iranians are asking for things the US can’t accept and the US thinks it is winning so there is no need for compromise.”

Qatari officials are expected to continue their mediation efforts but are increasingly frustrated, according to two sources.

Hormuz Remains Key Sticking Point

Iran has linked any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to conditions including an end to the US blockade, sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said Qatari mediators had presented ideas and were expected to convey the US response to Tehran.

Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had also warned that regional infrastructure could face attacks if Iran’s security was not guaranteed.

“In a region where we cannot sell oil, no one else will sell oil either; or if our security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure will remain safe,” Ghalibaf said, according to Iranian state media.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/us-iran-talks-hit-stalemate-as-neither-side-budges-fears-of-fresh-conflict-rise-ws-l-10360078.html

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday let President Donald Trump’s administration resume deporting ​migrants to countries other than their own without offering them the chance to show the harms they may face, bolstering a tool his administration has used for rapid ‌expulsions as part of his immigration crackdown.
The court granted the Justice Department’s emergency request to put on hold Boston-based US District Judge Brian Murphy’s ruling that the Department of Homeland Security’s policy to remove migrants to so-called third countries is unlawful. The court also agreed to hear arguments in the dispute in December, with a formal ruling on the policy to follow.

The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Its three liberal justices dissented from the decision to let the ​deportations immediately resume pending the final outcome of the litigation.
Murphy’s ruling came in a class-action lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups on behalf of migrants seeking to prevent the US ​government from sending them to third countries without notice and a chance to assert the harms they could face.
More than 25,000 migrants have been deported ⁠to 29 countries under the policy implemented last year, according to a tally by human rights groups, with the vast majority going to Mexico.

The policy is one of a number of measures the administration ​has taken in its pursuit of Trump’s goal of mass deportation. The Republican president has enforced a sweeping crackdown on immigration — among his top priorities — since returning to office last year.
The administration has carried ​out third-country deportations to politically unstable South Sudan, which the US State Department urges Americans to avoid due to the risks of crime, kidnapping and armed conflict, as well as Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, the Central African Republic, and other nations.
Department of Homeland Security General Counsel James Percival welcomed the court’s decision.
“A bad day for criminal illegals and open-borders activists alike,” Percival wrote on social media.
Trina Realmuto, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, said the court has “allowed ​the administration to resume sending people to third countries where they face persecution or torture. That is a devastating result for people who may be put on a plane before they ever have ​notice or an opportunity to raise a fear claim.”

In February, Murphy ruled that the policy violates immigration law procedures and due process protections under the US Constitution’s Fifth Amendment. Due process generally requires the government to provide notice ‌and an ⁠opportunity for a hearing before taking certain adverse actions.
The Supreme Court, which has allowed a number of Trump’s hardline immigration policies, previously sided with the administration in the legal challenge, suspending a preliminary order that Murphy issued earlier in the case halting the removals. In another win for the administration, the Supreme Court subsequently lifted limits the judge had imposed to protect a group of men from being sent to South Sudan.
The case began in 2025 after the Department of Homeland Security moved to step up deportations of migrants who cannot be returned to any country listed on their deportation orders.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/supreme-court-lets-trump-resume-third-country-deportations-2026-09-29/

Anthropic is making a massive bet that AI will transform the global economy more profoundly than ​industrialization, electricity and the internet, according to its IPO prospectus seen by Reuters.
But the cost to get there will be staggering. Anthropic reported a net loss of $42 billion ‌in 2025, and plans to spend $518 billion on cloud, computing and infrastructure obligations in coming years, according to the prospectus.

The prospectus details how the company has grown sharply in the last year — while also posting wider losses. Revenue grew 12-fold in 2025 to nearly $4.6 billion, even as the company lost more than $8 billion on an operating basis, excluding writedowns of various liabilities mostly tied to previous fundraising, according to the documents, reported here for the first time.
The public sale, ​which could value it at more than $2 trillion, would capitalize on the rapid rise of the AI startup lab that only came into existence five years ago, and establish it ​as a benchmark for how Wall Street values AI’s leading companies, including rival OpenAI.

The plans come as Anthropic confronts evidence from its own research that increasingly ⁠autonomous AI models can behave in unexpected and potentially harmful ways, including sabotaging code, assisting fraud and manipulating information in controlled tests.
These reports have broken into the wider public sphere, igniting fears over ​how companies can keep the increasingly powerful systems under control as they race to deploy them commercially.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for the global AI community to slow the pace of releasing new ​capabilities to address those concerns. Still, Anthropic rolled out its new Opus 5.5 model last week to counter OpenAI’s momentum since its launch of GPT-6 Astra, ahead of its own expected IPO.
The AI lab spent $7.33 billion on compute and infrastructure last year, a threefold surge from 2024, accounting for more than half of its $12.65 billion in total operating expenses.

Anthropic’s public market debut is likely to be pushed to after the November US midterm elections, Reuters previously reported, citing ​sources. The sale would bring public investors into an AI race that has been until now underwritten by venture capital firms, sovereign wealth funds and Big Tech companies.

A $2 TRILLION VALUATION EXPECTED

Anthropic’s ​expected valuation target is more than double its own estimated valuation of $965 billion in May.
The near-$42 billion net loss included a roughly $34 billion accounting charge that reflected an increase in the estimated value of financing that could eventually ‌turn into Anthropic ⁠shares, rather than money the company spent running its business.

Anthropic said nearly a quarter of its revenue came from two customers last year, and as part of its risk factors, warned that many of its largest clients were not locked into long-term contracts and could cut or stop spending.
Anthropic had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaling $20.28 billion as of December 31, the prospectus shows.
Anthropic’s debut would follow SpaceX’s (SPCX.O), recent blockbuster IPO that valued Elon Musk’s company at $1.77 trillion.
That company’s shares surged 19% in their June 12 debut to $160, but currently trade at around $147 — above where the IPO sold at $135 apiece.
That performance could give ​investors pause as they assess the still-lofty valuations for ​high-growth companies. AI and chip stocks have ⁠sold off recently, and Anthropic’s sale will further test whether enthusiasm for the AI trade can withstand greater scrutiny, given its ambitious growth projections.
Still, the listing stands to cap one of the strongest years for US IPOs since 2021, despite elevated interest rates, economic uncertainty and valuation concerns.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/anthropics-ipo-prospectus-shows-sweeping-ai-vision-surging-costs-2026-09-28/

US forces withdraw from ​their remaining bases in Iraq on Wednesday, raising fears they will leave behind a security vacuum, further embolden Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias ‌and give the resurgent Islamic State group an opening to regroup.
The departure, celebrated as a victory by Tehran and its allies, was agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump’s administration even as it wages war against Iran.

It comes 23 years after US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein, then triggered upheaval and chaos, culminating with ​the rise of Islamic State.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps urged Americans to vote out Trump’s allies in Congress as US forces exit from neighbouring Iraq, ​where Tehran has steadily entrenched itself through proxies since the Iraqi dictator’s fall.
While the departure of US forces is broadly ⁠popular among Iraqis, some worry that security forces trained and funded by the United States still can’t protect the country, where 4,500 American forces died ​in more than 20 years of war.

“The lesson from the past two decades is that security vacuums can be extremely dangerous,” said Jassim al-Bahadli, an ​Iraqi analyst who advises the security forces.
After US forces invaded in 2003, it went on to occupy the country, install a Shi’ite-led government and fight a years-long insurgency — first by Saddam loyalists, then al-Qaeda, as a sectarian civil war devastated Iraq — before withdrawing at the end of 2011. They returned less than three years later to help Iraqi forces defeat ​the Sunni militant group Islamic State, which terrorized millions, in a major war from 2014 to 2017.
Around twice as many Americans died in “Operation Iraqi Freedom” as ​in the parallel war in Afghanistan, which ended with an abrupt US withdrawal in 2021.
In this year’s conflict with Iran, 7 of the 18 US service members listed ‌as killed ⁠were in Iraq, the last an army sergeant who died during the controlled detonation of a drone at a base near Erbil in July.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us-forces-exit-iraq-emboldening-irans-proxies-islamic-state-2026-09-30/

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the same campaign playbook that has served him for decades as he tries to retain power in an election ​next month, presenting himself as the only person who can keep Israelis safe in a hostile region.
But four weeks before the election, he is struggling to salvage his security ‌credentials, shattered by Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on his watch on October 7, 2023 — one of the country’s worst security breaches.

The October 27 election is Israel’s first since its single deadliest day and the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, masterminded by a Palestinian militant group that caught the Middle East’s most powerful military off guard.
“Netanyahu does not surrender” is the official slogan for Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, which most opinion polls predict will lose around a third of its parliamentary seats.
In speeches and ​short campaign videos, Netanyahu portrays his political rivals as weak leftists who lack the resolve to wage war on Israel’s enemies and the backbone to stand up to its critics abroad.

On Tuesday, ​in a video shot in a military airbase, he said there were signs Israel’s enemies were planning an attack before the election. “Don’t mess with us, not now ⁠and not ever,” he said, “our long arm will reach you.”
But whether Netanyahu, who turns 77 days before the election, can still present himself as best equipped to navigate Israel on matters of national security and ​diplomacy is a big question, said Yohanan Plesner, President of the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute (IDI).
In recent weeks, Netanyahu has been forced to deny media reports that his Middle East partners warned him of a potential Hamas ​attack, allegations seized on by his political rivals.
“This is a new thing. Mr Netanyahu ran in elections, but never after overseeing such a dramatic security failure,” said Plesner.

“It’s in many ways a referendum on the incumbent, his responsibility for the failure, the government’s responsibility and the way they carried out the Israeli response.”

NETANYAHU TAKES ON THE WORLD

Hamas’ assault precipitated a multi-front war in which Israel’s military had some success against the Palestinian group and allies Hezbollah and Iran, but made few strategic gains. Netanyahu says ​the conflict has, and still will, transform the region.
But Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza, with tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and much of the enclave in ruins, has led to deeper diplomatic ​isolation.
Support for Israel has fallen even in its most important ally, the United States.

Netanyahu’s last campaign in 2019 featured Donald Trump shaking hands with Netanyahu on election billboards. This time, the US president’s image has been absent from Likud’s campaign videos.
Nonetheless, ‌Israel’s longest-serving ⁠leader – first elected prime minister in 1996 – has not strayed from campaign tactics that have kept him in power almost consecutively since 2009.
A source close to Netanyahu said the prime minister approaches all elections as though he is going to lose – and that this was one of the reasons he has often won, even when the odds were against him.
Another source briefed on his campaign said Netanyahu’s team appears focused, showing no sign of panic or disarray despite the opinion polls.
Netanyahu’s address at the United Nations on Thursday in which he mounted a forceful defence of Israel’s actions in the region and berated critics, featured heavily on his Telegram channel, a ​platform largely used for political messaging.
He posted six teasers ​before the address, with one video saying he ⁠was “proud to represent you to the world, about to get on (podium) to fight for Israel against the UN,” and five excerpts of his speech.
The link to the full address was captioned in Hebrew: “Netanyahu takes on the world.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/using-old-election-playbook-netanyahu-projects-image-israels-protector-despite-2026-09-29/

A NEW YORK TIMES tech executive was shot dead in broad daylight after two masked attackers allegedly took turns firing at him in a packed parking lot.

Witnesses said the gunfire erupted as families were nearby, before the suspected shooters calmly walked away from the scene.

The horror unfolded at Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California, shortly after 3 pm on Saturday.

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, was found lying in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Authorities arrested his two 77-year-old parents-in-law nearby within minutes.

Dublin Police identified them as Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, a married couple who also live in the city.

Both were arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into Santa Rita Jail.

Police have not revealed a motive and said detectives are still working to establish what led to the killing.

A witness told KPIX that a man opened fire on McKinsey before handing the gun to a woman, who also shot him.

The witness also said both attackers were wearing masks, though police have not publicly confirmed that account or said which suspect allegedly fired a weapon.

Another witness, Assad Razawi, said he heard several gunshots while nearby and then saw McKinsey collapse.

“I saw the guy drop to the floor: head bloody and chest bloody,” Razawi told KGO.

Other witnesses then directed officers toward the suspects as they walked away, according to local reports.

Police said both suspects remained nearby and were detained with help from members of the public.

The shooting stunned residents because the sports complex was busy with families at the time.

“This place is busy on a Saturday,” Dublin resident Kevin Stein told KTVU.

“It’s incredible that they’d just do that right in front of everybody.”

McKinsey worked as director of engineering for New York Times Games and had been with the company for more than three years, a Times spokesperson confirmed to the San Francisco Chronicle.

He joined the newspaper’s games engineering operation in 2023 after previously working in engineering roles at companies including Splunk.

Public records show McKinsey and his wife had also been locked in a series of legal disputes before his death.

His wife sought a domestic violence restraining order against him in October 2025, while McKinsey sought one against her two months later, according to Alameda County court records reviewed by SFGATE.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17070063/nyt-exec-shot-dead-california/

 

MILANIA Giudice claimed her family was treating her like Britney Spears was handled by her own inner circle in newly-uncovered police body camera footage.

Troubled Milania, 20, vented about her loved ones to a friend on the phone after police were called to help locate her at Tampa International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

In the explosive footage, the college student is seen sitting in an airport terminal, while surrounded by the police who located her.

She could be heard telling the friend, “They put me under the Baker Act.”

In Florida, the Baker Act allows someone to place a loved one under a temporary psychiatric hold so they can receive a mental health evaluation.

“I’m under conservation from my parents,” Milania says, likely intending to say conservatorship.

She goes on to say, “or some Britney Spears bull***t.”

Pop star Britney was infamously held in a conservatorship under her father Jamie’s control for nearly 14 years after dealing with severe mental health issues.

Later in the footage, Milania’s mother Teresa tells cops that her daughter had the deadly drug fentanyl in her system at some point in the recent past.

The Tampa University student responds, “I was laced!”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tv/17069504/milania-giudice-bodycam-britney-spears-airport-police/

ABC News is weighing a major shakeup at “Good Morning America” after the iconic broadcast lost its No. 1 ratings berth last season to NBC’s “The Today Show,” The Post has learned.

During 2025-2026, “GMA” amassed 2.8 million total viewers and 477,000 viewers in the coveted 25-54 demo — while “Today” reeled in 2.9 million total viewers and 612,000 viewers in the demo.

It was the first time “Today” was top dog since the 2011-12 season — when Matt Lauer and Ann Curry were co-anchors.

It didn’t help that “Today” captured a massive audience spike earlier this year as viewers followed the developing story of co-host Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother. “Today” also got a boost as NBC carried the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl this year.

But insiders also pointed to the fact that co-hosts Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, and George Stephanopoulos are rarely on set together. The trio is “never” in the studio at the same time, an ABC source noted, adding that “someone is always on vacation,” on assignment or working on another project, which has harmed viewership.

“Anchors are the No. 1 reason people watch,” the source said. “Anchor chemistry is everything, but Robin and George detest each other and Robin is jealous of Michael. It’s palpable. They don’t like each other.

“They can’t afford to keep all those anchors,” the person added.

Although their exact salaries could not be learned, sources said each host is making north of $15 million per year.

Reports of a tense off-camera relationship between the anchors have been well-documented, but the source said it matters now because the ratings are sliding and parent company Disney is looking to trim costs.

“They’re going to need to cut their salaries significantly — and no one wants to take a pay cut,” the insider said.

However, another source familiar with the show said of the trio: “They’re the longest running anchor team and they’re the best at what they do and it shows.”

ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic is “very concerned” and “very hands-on,” two network insiders told The Post, adding that executive producer Simone Swink could be on the chopping block if the show doesn’t turn things around.

“I have heard Simone is in trouble,” an additional source said, before turning to the show’s highly-paid co-hosts, Roberts, Strahan and Stephanopoulos.

However, a source familiar with the show said of Swink: “She holds one of the most respected and important roles at the network and is the best person to lead the show.”

Under her leadership, sources said “GMA” has lost its edge and has been relying heavily on sponsor-driven content that can turn off viewers.

One source pointed to a Sept. 15 segment with skier Lindsay Vonn, who sat down GMA’s Ginger Zee to talk about her recovery from a devastating crash at the Olympics in February. Before cutting to the interview, Zee said the segment is sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Images of Vonn in her hospital bed and her rehab appear on screen as the athlete explained that her doctor recommended she take Vertex’s non-opioid prescription pain drug Journavx.

“When you’re in the hospital dealing with so much, the last thing you need is to be in constant pain. Journavx for me was what able to manage my pain,” Vonn told Zee, before reciting a pharmaceutical warning script.

“If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you know, it can interract with other medications and there are other side effects like muscle spasms, rash, itching and elevated muscle enzymes,” she added, as a graphic flashed on the screen detailing the drug’s dangers.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/28/media/abc-news-weighs-major-shakeup-at-gma-after-ratings-loss-to-today-sources/

A New York Times tech executive who was allegedly shot dead by his elderly in-laws in California was in a vicious war with them and his estranged wife for being transgender, according to court documents.

Jonathan McKinsey’s wife, Candice Jang, filed for a restraining order against him in 2025, and he replied by filing a restraining order of his own.

McKinsey claimed Jang had tried to pull medical tubes out of his body when he was transitioning from a woman to a man in 2010, the restraining order records, obtained by The Mercury News, said. The two married in 2011.

He also claimed in the same filing that his mother-in-law branded him a “disgusting queer” and a “pervert” after falling out with him over one of their children’s choice of clothing.

The 40-year-old, who was the Times’ head of engineering for games player experience, was gunned down in a sports complex parking lot in Dublin, Calif., around 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Cops arrested his in-laws Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, who are accused of murder.

Jang and McKinsey had a violent history. During one alleged incident, he claimed Jang beat him with a frying pan in 2013, he alleged in his request for a restraining order. He also accused Jang of abusing their children verbally.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/28/us-news/slain-nyt-exec-was-transgender-targeted-by-in-law-docs/

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are back in action for “The Mummy 4.”

Fraser, who is reprising his role as lead adventurer Rick O’Connell, was all smiles while filming scenes at a former military base in Suffolk, England, on Monday.

Cameras caught the actor in action as he put on a helmet and got behind the wheel of a silver-and-red rocket car during a record-speed trials scene.

Fraser, 57, was also photographed chatting with fellow actors on set as they cheered for him.

He dressed for the part, wearing a black leather jacket and pants.

As for Weisz, she was spotted filming a separate scene in London for the highly anticipated Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin-directed film.

The actress, who portrays Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan, shot a few scenes outside the British Museum.

She stepped out wearing a brown cropped jacket, a mustard yellow polka-dot midi skirt and a wide-brimmed hat.

Weisz accessorized with black shoes, leather gloves and a brown leather briefcase.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/09/28/entertainment/brendan-fraser-and-rachel-weisz-seen-for-the-first-time-on-the-mummy-4-set/

OpenAI will not release its new AI model GPT-6.1 Astra due to safety concerns, the ChatGPT-maker confirmed on Tuesday.

The AI system, which performs tasks like browsing the web and using apps by itself, “didn’t quite meet the bar” of the company’s standards, Saachi Jain, head of safety systems at OpenAI said.

On Tuesday, OpenAI also issued an update on incidents, that occurred in June but were not made public until last week, in which its models accessed Australian government websites and systems without authorisation.

Those incidents and similar breaches by models developed by major AI firms have in recent weeks intensified the debate around the risks posed by the technology.

Top AI leaders including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic boss Dario Amodei have urged the industry to slow the pace of development due to concerns about risks associated with the technology.

OpenAI’s decision, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is a rare instance of a major AI developer pulling a new release over safety concerns.

The model fell short in terms of “staying within scope and authorisation, and how it communicates back to the user about the type of work it’s done,” Jain said.

“We want to make sure our model development is safe no matter whether that’s in the company, or when we ship it to users. But when we ship it to users, we have an extremely high bar in terms of safety and alignment,” she added.

The flagship GPT-6 Astra agentic model was released in September and specialises in complex reasoning and executing tasks autonomously. OpenAI said it was the result of “years of research and big bets”.

OpenAI is set to hold its annual DevDay developer conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, where it is expected to make several announcements. It is unclear if a new version of Astra will be among them.

The company’s security controls have come under intense scrutiny after several high-profile incidents involving its technology.

Australia hacks

Last week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that a rogue OpenAI agent had hacked into government websites and systems in June in what experts said was the first known case of its kind in the world.

Albanese criticised OpenAI for notifying the Australian government through a generic email address rather than making direct contact with officials.

OpenAI said in a statement on Tuesday that it was sorry for the incident and that it “should have handled our response better”.

Services Australia, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, the Victorian Department of Health and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare were all affected, OpenAI clarified.

The firm said it launched investigations into the incidents as soon as it became aware of them in mid-August and notified the affected organisations between 10 and 24 September.

“Our aim was to give affected agencies a detailed account once our investigation was complete,” OpenAI said, adding that it should have shared early findings more promptly and kept Australian authorities updated.

OpenAI added that it will develop “practical approaches” to how developers and governments identify and disclose future AI incidents.

The company will fund cyber security measures, offer dedicated support to impacted agencies and set up a taskforce to manage the risks from increasingly advanced AI agents.

They also said a top OpenAI executive will be in Australia to attend a Joint Select Committee hearing on AI on 6 October.

In July, OpenAI said its AI systems had accessed the internet and hacked into open-source developer hub Hugging Face, prompting researchers and officials to call for tighter controls over the technology.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm5y5nynl75ko

 

Five men who were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences near RAF Fairford are being released on police bail, counter-terror police have said.

A major incident was declared and dozens of homes were evacuated after police were alerted to three “suspicious vehicles” near the airbase in Gloucestershire in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said officers were exploring “multiple lines of inquiry”, including whether proxies or individuals working on behalf of a foreign state were involved.

The five men are all UK nationals in their 20s from London.

They were initially detained on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act and then further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.

Counter-terror police said they remained under investigation and their release was “subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others”.

Three of the men live in Westminster, one in Camden and another in Willesden, police said, and they are aged between 23 and 25.

A farmer who called 999 to report the three white vans in the village of Whelford, which lies directly east of the base, told the BBC it was “pure luck” that she spotted them.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she arrived home to find the driveway and road blocked and saw a “large group of hooded and masked men”.

“When they saw me they ran ahead of me – some into the field and some towards the neighbouring village of Kempsford. I then realised that something highly unusual was taking place,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

She said that she called the Ministry of Defence police at RAF Fairford but received no answer. She then rang 999 at 01:36 BST and said “within 10 minutes the village was full of armed police”.

“I believe that my 999 call foiled whatever plans they had,” she added.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said on Monday afternoon that the three “suspicious vehicles” had been “subject to extensive examination, with the support of military assets and forensic experts”.

Officers were considering the incident “from every possible angle”, including that “this may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state”, he added.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a Cobra meeting on Monday afternoon and urged people “not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts”.

The Iranian embassy in London said it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” what it called “unfounded and malicious speculations” linking Iran to the incident, adding that these would “serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK”.

The embassy said Iran “reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, as necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and damaging media narratives”.

The RAF base has been used as a forward operating location by the US Air Force (USAF) for decades.

In recent months, US bombers have taken off from the base for the Middle East, after the UK approved a US request to use it for defensive strikes on Iran.

In July, Iran said “any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces”.

Late on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a TV show that it was clear a “foreign actor” had been involved in events over the weekend.

Without providing evidence or giving further details, he told Fox News network’s “Hannity” programme: “What happened, what almost happened, what could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation. It’s one that clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6e9elmpvglno

Pope Leo XIV said he was not in “panic mode” but believed concerns raised by AI specialists deserved attention.

Pope Leo XIV has urged world leaders and technology experts to take concerns over artificial intelligence seriously, saying warnings about AI potentially becoming dangerous should not be dismissed as “fake news”.

Speaking to reporters on Monday as he returned from a four-day trip to France, Leo was asked what the United States and China should do to prevent AI from creating serious risks for humanity.

“This is a problem that I think we need to sit down and talk about,” the US-born pope said. “We can’t just sit back and pretend nothing is going to happen.”

His comments came after US President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about AI going rogue as a “hoax”.

Pope Says AI Risks Need Attention

Leo said he was not in “panic mode” but believed concerns raised by AI specialists deserved attention.

“I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI should be taken seriously,” he said.

“I don’t think that that is ‘fake news’,” Leo added, referring to claims that such warnings were being made for financial or other gains.

The pope has made AI a major focus of his papacy and dedicated his first encyclical, Magnificent Humanity, to the technology and its impact on humanity.

Calls For Global Dialogue

Leo called for political leaders, technology companies and social organisations to work together to examine both the current development of AI and its possible future impact.

“To simply say, ‘Oh, it’s not going to happen’ and close our eyes to it I think is probably not the most responsible way to go about that,” he said.

His comments come as concerns grow over increasingly powerful AI systems and their potential to perform tasks beyond human abilities.

Several technology leaders have called for greater safety measures, with Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei warning about the rapid development of advanced AI systems.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/not-fake-news-pope-leo-urges-action-on-ai-risks-contradicts-trumps-hoax-claims-ws-l-10358176.html

US President Donald Trump denied an Axios report that he offered Iran sanctions relief and frozen funds, calling the story “untrue” and a “HOAX”.

US President Donald Trump has rejected a report which claimed that he was willing to offer Iran sanctions relief and release frozen Iranian funds in return for concrete steps on Tehran’s nuclear programme, saying he had offered Iran “nothing”.

Trump made the clarification in a post on Truth Social on Monday, directly disputing the report and demanding that Axios withdraw what he described as a false story.

“Axios just released a story that ‘Trump’ offered Sanctions Relief and Frozen Funds to Iran. This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING!” Trump wrote.

He further accused Axios of publishing what he called a “hoax” and said the report was being used to serve what he referred to as “Trump Derangement Syndrome”.

“Axios’ story, like most others, is a HOAX, used only for purposes of satisfying their Trump Derangement Syndrome. They should withdraw this fake story, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump said.

According to the report, Washington was prepared to provide economic relief to Tehran as part of efforts to secure Iranian commitments on its nuclear programme.

The report had cited unnamed US officials and said the proposal was part of indirect diplomatic efforts involving mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.

Trump, however, did not qualify his denial or indicate that he had made any such offer to Iran.

His post also comes amid renewed diplomatic activity between Washington and Tehran, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York and Qatari mediators involved in efforts to find a way forward.

According to AFP, US and Iranian officials met the previous week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA subsequently reported that Tehran had no further direct talks with Washington scheduled.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/donald-trump-denies-offering-iran-sanctions-relief-frozen-funds-ws-l-10358275.html

This meeting comes amid political controversy surrounding alleged warnings from the UAE regarding Hamas’s activities before the October 7 attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a rare visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Sunday, according to both countries. An Israeli source familiar with the visit told CNN that the meeting was dominated by discussions about Iran, an area in which Israel and the UAE have expanded security cooperation during the current war.

The UAE’s state news agency, WAM, confirmed on Monday that Sheikh Mohammed and Mr Netanyahu had met on Sunday.

The two leaders discussed “bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and further develop them”, WAM reported.

Netanyahu’s office said the talks focused on “strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges”. His wife accompanied him on the trip, along with the head of the National Security Council, the head of Mossad, a military secretary and a political adviser, his office said.

The visit comes a month before Israel’s 27 October election, as Netanyahu faces renewed political controversy over claims that the UAE leader warned him of a major Hamas operation days before the 7 October 2023 attack.

Reports by Haaretz and The New York Times have alleged that Sheikh Mohammed issued such a warning.

The Atlantic has separately reported that Egypt’s intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, travelled to Israel on 26 September 2023 and warned that Gaza would “blow up”.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Israel received at least three warnings from Egypt about a possible attack from Gaza, including a phone call to Netanyahu in the days before 7 October.

Netanyahu’s office has repeatedly denied receiving any such warning, describing the reports as fabricated lies intended to harm him politically.

His opponents have used the allegations to renew questions over responsibility for the failure to prevent the 7 October attack.

Neither Israel nor the UAE referred to the reported warning in their statements about Netanyahu’s latest visit.

Earlier this month, the UAE’s Foreign Ministry said it “does not comment on media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders”. It did not deny that a conversation had taken place, adding: “When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between the relevant entities.”

An Israeli source previously told CNN that Netanyahu’s office had sought a denial from the UAE over reports of the warning. The UAE instead issued a statement about intelligence-sharing.

Netanyahu’s Likud party has also accused UAE-based Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan of “blatant foreign interference” in Israel’s election. The party did not provide evidence for the allegation.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/israel-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-uae-visit-mohammed-bin-zayed-iran-hamas-october-7-warning-article-156243222

Anthropic is making a massive bet that AI will ​transform the global economy more profoundly than industrialization, electricity and the internet, according to its IPO prospectus seen by Reuters.
But the cost to get there will be staggering. ‌Anthropic reported a net loss of $42 billion in 2025, and plans to spend $518 billion on cloud, computing and infrastructure obligations in coming years, according to the prospectus.

The prospectus details how the company has grown sharply in the last year — while also posting wider losses. Revenue grew 12-fold in 2025 to nearly $4.6 billion, even as the company lost more than $8 billion on an operating basis, excluding writedowns of various liabilities mostly tied to previous fundraising, according to the documents, reported here ​for the first time.
The public sale, which could value it at more than $2 trillion, would capitalize on the rapid rise of the AI startup lab that only came into existence ​five years ago, and establish it as a benchmark for how Wall Street values AI’s leading companies, including rival OpenAI.

The plans come as Anthropic confronts evidence ⁠from its own research that increasingly autonomous AI models can behave in unexpected and potentially harmful ways, including sabotaging code, assisting fraud and manipulating information in controlled tests.

These reports have broken into the ​wider public sphere, igniting fears over how companies can keep the increasingly powerful systems under control as they race to deploy them commercially.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for the global AI community to slow ​the pace of releasing new capabilities to address those concerns. Still, Anthropic rolled out its new Opus 5.5 model last week to counter OpenAI’s momentum since its launch of GPT-6 Astra, ahead of its own expected IPO.

The AI lab spent $7.33 billion on compute and infrastructure last year, a threefold surge from 2024, accounting for more than half of its $12.65 billion in total operating expenses.
Anthropic’s public market debut is likely to be pushed to after the November US midterm elections, ​Reuters previously reported, citing sources. The sale would bring public investors into an AI race that has been until now underwritten by venture capital firms, sovereign wealth funds and Big Tech companies.

A $2 TRILLION VALUATION EXPECTED

Anthropic’s expected valuation target is more than double its own estimated valuation of $965 billion in May.
The near-$42 billion net loss included a roughly $34 billion accounting charge that reflected an increase in the estimated value of ‌financing that could ⁠eventually turn into Anthropic shares, rather than money the company spent running its business.

Anthropic said nearly a quarter of its revenue came from two customers last year, and as part of its risk factors, warned that many of its largest clients were not locked into long-term contracts and could cut or stop spending.
Anthropic had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaling $20.28 billion as of December 31, the prospectus shows.
Anthropic’s debut would follow SpaceX’s (SPCX.O), recent blockbuster IPO that valued Elon Musk’s company at $1.77 trillion.
That company’s shares surged 19% in their June 12 debut to $160, but currently trade at around $147 — above where the IPO sold at $135 apiece.
That performance ​could give investors pause as they assess the ​still-lofty valuations for high-growth companies. AI and chip ⁠stocks have sold off recently, and Anthropic’s sale will further test whether enthusiasm for the AI trade can withstand greater scrutiny, given its ambitious growth projections.
Still, the listing stands to cap one of the strongest years for US IPOs since 2021, despite elevated interest rates, economic uncertainty and valuation concerns.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/anthropics-ipo-prospectus-shows-sweeping-ai-vision-surging-costs-2026-09-28/

 

US and Iranian officials spoke separately with mediators on Monday as part ‌of a renewed effort to end seven months of war, according to officials of both countries.
Any further talks are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal that Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, ​an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.

The war began in late February with US and Israeli ​attacks on Iran, killing thousands of people over seven months and shocking global markets ⁠as vital waterways for oil remained choked. The US and Iran have twice previously agreed to ceasefires in ​mediated peace talks, in April and June. Those agreements quickly unraveled.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who remained in New ​York after attending the General Assembly, said Iran expected to receive the US response to its latest ceasefire proposals and its conditions for restoring passage of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state news agency IRNA.
“If the Americans claim ​they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution,” Araqchi said.
US officials separately ​spoke with mediators on Monday, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House, without giving further details.

TRUMP HAS FLAGGED ‌FURTHER TALKS ⁠THIS WEEK

Iran’s seven-day plan envisages an end to all hostilities in Iran and Lebanon, the unfreezing of billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian assets, an end to sanctions on Iranian oil and the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-iran-set-hold-separate-talks-with-mediators-monday-or-tuesday-official-says-2026-09-28/

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on ​Monday there are more than 8,000 North Korean troops ‌on Russian territory and preparations are underway to deploy another 10,000 troops.
Citing “new data” on the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, Zelenskiy said in ​a post on X they were “being selected for ​training and subsequent deployment to Russia.”

The Ukrainian president said in August ⁠that up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers could be ​sent to fight for Russia, and called on South Korea to ​provide support for Ukraine’s air defence.

South Korea announced in July a $100 million aid package for Ukraine, although it excluded lethal weapons.

Zelenskiy’s comments on Monday came after ​Seoul and Kyiv were at odds over his announcement last ​week that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South ‌Korea.
Seoul ⁠expressed regret over his announcement, citing an agreement to keep the transfer confidential. South Korea also protested against what it called a false statement from the Ukrainian presidential office denying that such a confidentiality ​agreement existed.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ukraines-zelenskiy-says-north-korea-prepares-deploy-another-10000-troops-russia-2026-09-28/

 

US President Donald Trump on Monday said that a Minnesota company plans to build a multi-billion-dollar steel mill in Iowa, handing the administration a marquee manufacturing ‌investment to showcase as Republicans head into November’s midterm elections.
Trump unveiled the project at the White House with executives from Mesabi Metallics, which recently opened Minnesota’s first new iron ore mine in 50 years. The White House said the plant investment would amount to $15 billion.

The announcement comes as Trump seeks to bolster his economic record ahead of November’s election, with his approval rating plumbing all-time lows of late as the Republican Party confronts ​voter concerns about inflation and the cost of living. Trump has made tariffs and a revival of US manufacturing central to his economic agenda, arguing that higher ​barriers to imports will drive investment and jobs back to the United States.
But Republicans are in the midst of several competitive elections in ⁠Iowa, a once-swingy state that has more consistently voted for Trump’s party in recent years. Polling this cycle shows a tight race for a seat in the US Senate, as ​well as its gubernatorial race, where the Democratic candidate, Rob Sand, has led most polls.

The potential $15 billion steel project gives Trump a high-profile investment to tout as he makes that case ​to voters. It also comes as the administration faces pressure to show that its policies imposing broad tariffs on US imports can deliver industrial gains without fueling inflation.
“This is a tremendous investment,” Trump said in the White House’s Oval Office. “Our steel industry is roaring back to life.”

NEW JOBS EXPECTED

Global steel markets have been sluggish in recent months due in part to overcapacity, particularly in China, and lackluster demand. In the ​US, however, steel prices have been higher because of trade barriers, boosting the appeal of domestic projects despite their high construction costs.
Trump imposed a 25% tariff on most imported steel ​during his first term, a levy that his successor, Democrat Joe Biden, largely kept in place.

The American steel manufacturer Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF.N), is idling some production at its Hamilton, Ontario, plant in Canada and will lay ‌off hundreds ⁠of workers, citing damage from US tariffs, CBC News said on Monday.
US manufacturing activity has picked up over the last year, with Federal Reserve industrial production data showing output growing by the most in around four years. Factory employment, which fell by 113,000 in Trump’s first year back at the White House, has also rebounded a bit this year, rising by 56,000 through August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The new project will be fully vertically integrated, with Mesabi using iron ore from its Minnesota mine to produce steel in Iowa. The ​first phase will produce 7.5 million tons of ​steel annually, with the plant eventually ⁠expected to reach 10 million tons, which the White House described as the largest steel plant in US history.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/trump-unveil-planned-15-billion-iowa-steel-project-2026-09-28/

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Sunday his decision to meet Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was driven by security concerns ​and to address a growing food-export crisis.
Lavrov and Wadephul met in New ‌York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, marking the first such talks since before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Wadephul said Russia’s alleged deployment of ​armed drones at Leipzig airport had crossed a line and made it necessary ​to communicate directly that Germany was prepared to defend itself.

“Russia ⁠has to understand that we are ready to resist and to defend ourselves,” ​Wadephul said in an interview with ARD.
The meeting also came amid diplomatic efforts ​to revive Russia and Ukraine’s Black Sea grain and energy exports that have been sharply curtailed by attacks on vessels and port infrastructure.
“A number of colleagues, especially from the Global ​South, asked me to speak with Russia,” Wadephul said, citing this as ​the second reason for the talks.
“There is a threat of famine there, and that is ‌why I ⁠am advocating for a ceasefire in the Black Sea,” he added.
Relations between Moscow and Berlin, a close ally of Ukraine, have been frozen since the Russian invasion and Wadephul said this diplomatic silence had been necessary.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/german-foreign-minister-says-lavrov-meeting-driven-by-russia-security-concerns-2026-09-27/

Russian drones set ablaze a market outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv ‌on Sunday, killing two people, while three others died in strikes by Moscow’s forces in different regions and Kyiv itself also came under attack, local officials said.
Ukrainian prosecutors said the drone attack hit a market in Sofiiska Borshchahivka on the western outskirts of Kyiv, killing 2 people ​and injuring about 10.

Pictures posted online showed installations and vehicles on fire, with debris strewn on the ground.

In ​the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said nine people were injured, including a child. Six of ⁠the injured were being treated in hospital.
Russian forces have long staged intensive attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, mostly at ​night. In recent weeks, they have launched strikes almost continuously throughout the day.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy decried the latest attacks, saying ​the civilian targets made the acts unquestionably “terrorism”.
“Russia has no military objective whatsoever in doing this,” Zelenskiy wrote in a post on X. “It is purely an attempt to break people and inflict as much harm as possible on our society.”

In the northern city of Sumy, a frequent ​Russian target near the border, three glide bombs struck near a family support centre, killing two people, regional governor Oleh ​Hryhorov wrote on Telegram.
Russia has long said it intends to turn areas of the Sumy region into a buffer zone.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest ‌city in ⁠the northeast and another frequent target, a drone struck a car, killing the driver, prosecutors said.
Zelenskiy said Russia had deployed 277 attack drones of various types since Saturday, 155 of them of the jet-powered variety Moscow has recently used more readily as they fly higher and are difficult to intercept.
He said the targets in Kyiv had included a building used as ​a residence by the Saudi ​Arabian ambassador.

DATA CENTRES AND A ⁠PLAYGROUND

Klitschko said on Telegram that a drone had struck a high-rise apartment building, triggering a fire in an eastern suburb and wounding one person. Emergency crews extinguished the blaze.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-attacks-kills-three-ukrainian-cities-strikes-hit-kyiv-districts-2026-09-27/

British police arrested five men on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences on Sunday near an air base that has been used by the US to ​strike Iran, after a tip-off that three vans had been seen heading to the military airfield.
US President Donald Trump said the suspects had been looking to ‌do “big damage” and had been under investigation by British and US authorities.

British counterterrorism detectives leading the investigation said police had received a call about three suspicious vehicles that appeared to be travelling towards RAF Fairford in the west of England in the early hours of Sunday.

Five men were arrested by armed officers and later held on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. Police, who said they believed the incident was now contained, have ​not yet publicly stated who they assessed was involved.
An Iranian-linked motive is considered the most likely, a source familiar with the investigation said, while a Russian sabotage operation or an ​Islamist plot were also being looked at.

POLICE WORKING TO UNDERSTAND CIRCUMSTANCES

“We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain ⁠in custody,” Counter Terrorism Policing Senior National Coordinator Vicki Evans said in a statement.
“As you would expect we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident.”

Police ​said a 400-metre cordon was in place around the base as the bomb disposal unit investigated the vans. Local residents in 85 homes in a nearby village were evacuated and armed officers ​were patrolling the site.
The British government, which has given authorisation to the US to use bombers based at Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz, said Prime Minister Andy Burnham was being updated on the incident.
Burnham thanked the police and armed forces, saying on X: “I know today’s incident near RAF Fairford will be deeply concerning for local residents and for many people following developments ​across the country”.
Britain said in July its armed forces were ready to protect the country from any attack after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned it not to allow US bombers to fly from ​Fairford, saying any base used to launch attacks would be a legitimate target.

“The arrest in the UK was fantastic,” Trump told reporters, saying it was “an amazing job”.
“We had them under investigation. They were looking to ‌do big ⁠damage to our fort and working with the British worked out great … We had them under view for a long time, and we got them,” Trump added.
On Sunday morning the base was blocked by armed police while large machinery also prevented access, and Reuters witnesses said security had been increased at other bases used by the US, with armoured vehicles and soldiers at the gates of RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in eastern England.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/security-increased-us-fairford-air-base-england-2026-09-27/

It was never going to be a bed of roses when container-style blocks were used to house athletes, but Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games organisers said using ottomans as ​extensions could have brought more comfort to taller competitors.
Complaints about cramped rooms and small beds surfaced ‌on social media from athletes staying in the modular units, adding to the woes of the organisers, who have drawn flak for not building a traditional Athletes’ Village.

On Sunday, media were given a peek inside the container-style athletes’ accommodation at the Garden ​Pier that looked like a minimalist Lego city.
The wood-lined rooms looked compact and the beds appeared ​short — especially for typically tall basketball players — though a separate, spacious dining hall and a ⁠shop selling basic necessities aimed to offset the squeeze.
South Korea have already moved their men’s basketball team into ​standard hotels, but Yuta Matsuo, deputy director of the Games’ athlete accommodation section, and his team braved rain ​to explain the “sustainable” rationale behind the setup.

“The most requests we have received was about the size of the bed, particularly from the basketball players and other athletes with larger physiques,” Matsuo told reporters.
“When there were more beds and more people staying in the ​rooms, they felt the space was rather cramped.
“We had thought that the bed extension, ottomans, could be used ​effectively to make better use of the available space. However, we could have done a better job of explaining how these ‌tools ⁠could be used, because they may not have been used as effectively as we had hoped.
“Going forward, we would like to improve the way we communicate what these items are for and how they can be used, so that we can provide the athletes with a more comfortable environment during their stay.”
The organisers are also using ​a cruise ship and hotels ​to accommodate 17,000 athletes ⁠and officials who have descended on the port city.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sports/organisers-fend-off-bed-size-complaints-nagoya-2026-09-27/

South Korea’s presidential office ‌demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and then falsely denying that the two sides had agreed to keep the move confidential.
“The presidential office expresses strong regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and ​its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement,” Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public ​relations, said in a statement released on Sunday.

He said the government was reviewing additional measures over ⁠the issue if necessary.
Seong said Ukraine had repeatedly discussed the prisoners’ transfer with Seoul through various channels and had requested ​secrecy, arguing that public disclosure could trigger domestic criticism that Kyiv had given up an opportunity to exchange the soldiers for ​Ukrainian prisoners.
South Korea agreed to keep the transfer confidential given security, diplomatic and humanitarian concerns, including the safety of the prisoners and their families, he said.
According to the statement, Ukraine later disclosed the transfer in President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s address to the United Nations General Assembly without sufficient prior ​consultation and subsequently denied the existence of any confidentiality agreement.

Seong said the denial had seriously damaged trust between the two ​governments and could harm bilateral relations.
Ukraine’s embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Zelenskiy told the United Nations General Assembly ‌last ⁠week that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. He said the men had recently been sent there after being captured while fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung days earlier said Ukraine had disclosed the transfer in breach of a non-disclosure agreement.
In a post on X, Lee said “it was appropriate in every aspect not ​to disclose” the transfer, given the ​potential consequences, and that ⁠the two sides had agreed to keep it confidential.
“I do not know what circumstances led the Ukrainian side to disclose the matter despite the confidentiality agreement, but it is deeply regrettable,” ​he wrote.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/south-korea-voices-regret-over-ukraine-denial-pact-north-korean-pows-yonhap-2026-09-27/

Iran insisted on Sunday that only diplomacy can solve its conflict with the ​United States and Israel, after US President Donald Trump said he rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting.
“Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening ‌the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on social media. “Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock.”

Iran announced a peace proposal last week at the UN General Assembly in New York, saying it had been transmitted to the Americans via Qatari mediators. Trump said on Saturday he rejected the plan, and argued that desperation was driving the Iranians’ push for an agreement on the key waterway.
“They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing ​so badly,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Keeping the door to diplomacy open, however, Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Sunday that he expected US negotiators to engage in more talks this ​week.
Araqchi said mediators facilitating Tehran’s talks with Washington had not officially relayed a US rejection of the plan.

“We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views ⁠to us, and we will make a decision based on them,” Araqchi posted.
The US has imposed an economic blockade on Iran to put pressure on Tehran to stop Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which ​have drastically reduced shipping through the area even as Trump repeatedly asserts that the US controls the waterway.
The commander-in-chief of Iran’s army, Amir Hatam, said the war was at a critical and decisive stage, adding that Tehran would not accept ​a situation in which it was unable to trade while foreign powers used the region’s strategic waterways.
“If Iran cannot trade, if Iran cannot live, no one will be able to trade or live,” he said, in comments reported by state media.

SAUDI ARABIA DRAWN DEEPER INTO WAR

Previous attempts at diplomacy have failed to end the war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Since then it has alternated between pauses and renewed strikes, killing thousands while degrading the conventional forces of Iran and damaging its already ​ailing economy.
Iran and its allies have responded by extending the conflict throughout the region. Iran has struck US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have hit Saudi interests.

Saudi Arabia, the ​largest of the Gulf states, has been drawn deeper into the war this month as Houthi fighters have advanced in Yemen, routing forces of the Saudi-backed government and threatening Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea.
The Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly fired into Saudi ‌Arabia and, ⁠in a possible sign of further escalation, parents in Riyadh received notices from schools on Sunday saying classes would shift to remote learning for the week, according to people who received the messages.
The notice did not give a reason for the decision. Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yemen’s Houthi-run health ministry, meanwhile, said seven people were killed and 40 wounded, including children, in a strike on shops at a market at the Mawiya junction in Taiz province, in the southwest.
Later, Yemen’s internationally recognised government said its forces had targeted a Houthi military camp and vehicles at the same junction.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/iran-insists-diplomatic-solution-after-trump-rejects-peace-plan-2026-09-26/

The meeting may signal a shift in Anthropic’s relationship with the Trump administration, emphasizing America’s leadership in artificial intelligence

US President Donald Trump is due to host Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei for a private dinner at the White House on Sunday, according to a report by Axios. The meeting will be the first one-on-one encounter between Trump and Amodei, and comes after months of tensions between the artificial intelligence company and the administration.

The dinner is also expected to come ahead of a meeting between Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and leading AI executives at the White House on Tuesday.

Several prominent technology leaders, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Google’s Sundar Pichai, attended a state dinner with Trump last week. Amodei was notably absent because of a scheduling conflict.

According to one source, Trump subsequently invited the Anthropic chief personally to Sunday’s dinner.

IRANIAN prosecutors have opened a criminal case against a theatre company after a female actress rested her head on a male actor on stage.

Lackeys of Tehran’s savage mullahs claim the behaviour violates the country’s standard of public decency and was a “violation of social norms.”

An audience members shared footage of popular play Tehran Paris Tehran, being staged at Book Garden, showing Fatemeh Masoudifar leaning her head toward Mehrdad Sedighian’s chest.

Mehrdad places his hand over her head as she appears to tightly embrace him.

Due to strong religious rules in the Islamic Republic, physical contact between unrelated or unmarried men and women in public is strictly prohibited.

Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, scrutinised the scene, saying it was indicative of what it described as “the gradual erosion of the boundaries governing artistic freedom and public conduct”.

They wrote: “It seems there is no supervision over theater stages.”

The production company responded to the controversy saying it was all a misunderstanding as the angle of the video misconstrues the true distance between the actors.

Moreover, the moment depicts a brother and sister interacting during a “moment of crisis”, meaning they have not broken or offended any Islamic laws.

They added that they have since changed the actors’ positions in the scene to avoid further misunderstanding.

Tehran Paris Tehran follows Sara, a young girl who embarks on a journey from Iran to France and back to avenge her father’s murder.

It comes after recent backlash in Iran for its response to violations of the Islamic Republic’s social and religious restrictions.

Authorities have increasingly handed out severe punishments such as women facing flogging sentences for singing without compulsory hijabs alongside male musicians.

Singer Parastoo Ahmadi and seven others involved in a concert at the historic Caravanserai were each sentenced to 74 lashes, a two-year ban on audiovisual and musical activity and a two-year travel ban.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17065734/iran-probe-actress-rests-head-on-actors-chest/

A STAGGERING 1,600 baby teeth have been found in a mass grave at a ranch after smoke was spotted from a secret incinerator.

The grisly haul was reportedly unearthed alongside charred bone fragments in Zacapu, in Mexico’s cartel-plagued state of Michoacán.

Activists claim the tiny teeth could represent more than 80 children – feared to be victims of sexual exploitation, organ trafficking or child pornography.

But the chilling discovery has not yet been independently confirmed by forensic testing.

Authorities are still carrying out scientific examinations to establish whether the recovered material is human, how many victims it could represent and how they died.

The horror began with a plume of smoke rising above the mountains surrounding Zacapu in 2021.

Margarita López, founder of volunteer search group Buscando Cuerpos en Todo México, said she spotted the mysterious column while searching for missing people.

Her group followed the smoke towards a private ranch which López claims belonged to a drug trafficker from Sinaloa.

Beneath avocado trees, the searchers stumbled across a makeshift crematorium.

López claims scorching temperatures still lingered at the site following what appeared to have been the recent incineration of remains.

Members of the group began painstakingly scouring the charred ground – unearthing fragments of human-looking bone including vertebrae, phalanges, kneecaps and tarsal bones.

López said an investigator from Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office was accompanying the searchers.

But officials said on Thursday it had no record of receiving a complaint or request for forensic intervention over the alleged discovery.

The official López claims was at the search, identified only as “Braulio”, allegedly cleaned one of the teeth recovered from the site.

He determined it appeared to be the canine tooth of a child, according to López.

Searchers switched to ultra-fine sieves with mesh measuring just a quarter of a centimetre as they hunted for more tiny fragments.

They spent days meticulously sieving the scorched soil and more tiny teeth began emerging from the earth.

López claims around 1,600 suspected children’s teeth were eventually recovered during searches stretching from the first operations in 2021 through to work carried out on September 22, 2026.

She has claimed the teeth indicate children aged between one and six were burned at the site.

Elsewhere, she has suggested the suspected remains could belong to children aged up to 12.

Neither age range has been independently established by forensic experts.

Nor has it been confirmed that the teeth represent 1,600 separate children.

There is currently no publicly established forensic evidence linking the suspected remains to any of those crimes.

López said: “Most likely, these children were victims of sexual exploitation, organ trafficking, or child pornography . I ask those who stigmatize the disappeared, what crime did these more than 80 children commit?”

The activist and other parents from her group have spent the past two weeks rallying outside Mexico‘s Attorney General’s Office in Mexico City.

She claims the evidence recovered by her group has already been handed to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, known as the FGR, for forensic examinations and DNA analysis.

Senator Laura Esquivel Torres has demanded answers from law enforcement authorities in Michoacán over the horrifying claims.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17063469/horror-baby-teeth-mass-grave-ranch-incinerator/

Hundreds of protesters blocked a road in Portadown, County Armagh on Sunday, preventing a contentious Orange Order march from taking place.

The Drumcree parade, which in the 1990s sparked some of the most serious disorder in Northern Ireland’s history, was due to go ahead for the first time in 30 years after a series of legal challenges.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill, who is also vice-president of Sinn Féin, joined the protesters, while members of the Order and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politicians gathered about a mile away to wait for the road to clear.

Most of the protesters have since dispersed, but some members of the Order remain and intend to try and march.

Most recently, at approximately 04:00 BST on Monday morning, a group of men attempting to carry out the parade were blocked by several police Land Rovers.

Since 1998, the Order had been banned from completing its Drumcree march – and until this year had been repeatedly refused permission to finish the route by the Parades Commission, which was set up to adjudicate disputes.

The Orange Order is a Protestant pro-British organisation, while the area where it wants to walk – specifically along the Garvaghy Road – is largely Catholic and predominantly inhabited by pro-Irish nationalists.

Many Catholics see the marches as sectarian and object to them passing through, or close to, Catholic or nationalist areas.

Late on Sunday night, the Order’s local deputy district master said he was “disappointed and frustrated” by what he called a lack of a “proper policing plan” to allow the march to go ahead.

Nigel Dawson, who remains at Drumcree Parish Church, insisted the Order would “complete our 1998 parade, which we set out this morning to do”.

Asked if the 35 Orange Order members would consider going home for the night, he told BBC News NI: “Absolutely and unequivocally no.”

Breandán Mac Cionnaith, from the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC) which was protesting against the march, said: “We said they weren’t getting down and we stopped them getting down.”

Addressing protesters as they cleared the area on Sunday night, he said their goal now was to “make sure we stop them permanently”.

He also asked some residents to remain on the streets, saying he thinks the stand-off is going to “drag on for a while”.

Mac Cionnaith said they will meet the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable and the Northern Ireland secretary on Monday.

He told BBC News NI “we’re going to sit down and see how this can be avoided so this community doesn’t have to go through this ever again”.

Protesters started gathering on the Garvaghy Road in the early hours of Sunday, after the march was given the go ahead.

Dozens of armoured police vehicles arrived later, with officers calling on protesters to clear the route.

The march was meant to begin no later than 08:00 BST, but police told the Orange Order that the road was not clear to begin. Protesters continued to block the road throughout the day.

First Minister O’Neill, who had joined protesters, said the Garvaghy Road community had won a “victory”.

“This community do not want this, they do not want this march,” she said shortly after midnight on Monday morning.

“And tonight, I believe, is another victory for this community in standing steadfast for the right to live free from sectarian harassment and intimidation.”

Earlier, she had urged protesters to stay on the road until at least midnight.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said O’Neill was breaking the law by protesting, and had “broken her pledge of office”.

Speaking earlier on Sunday, he said “it is shameful that we see on the streets of Portadown, a first minister, a collection of ministers and series of elected representatives who are participating in an unlawful protest”.

Sinn Féin has been contacted for comment.

‘We haven’t got a solution yet’

Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant, who returned from the Labour Party conference for talks, urged both sides to “double down on compromise”.

He said “nobody should be attending an unlawful protest”, but he added it was not his job “to decide whether somebody has or hasn’t broken the law”.

Sir Chris met politicians from the DUP, the Alliance Party, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) on Sunday evening.

Sinn Féin said, while they had agreed to meet, the form did not suit the secretary of state. Sir Chris said he had been in discussions with the party’s vice president, O’Neill, on Sunday evening.

Sir Chris said “there are a few ideas around” about how to move forward, but that “we haven’t got a solution yet”.

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham appealed for “calm on all sides”, saying there have been “big gains made in Northern Ireland, and we don’t want to see things go backwards”.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin also appealed for calm, but he said he found the original decision by the Parades Commission to approve the march “incomprehensible and wrong”.

While at the protest, First Minister O’Neill was asked if she thought Stormont could collapse over Drumcree.

She replied: “The progress of the last 28 years have been brought into question by the actions of the Orange Order and those within political unionism that want to drag us backwards.

“What’s the point? What’s the point whenever people are going to railroad over their rights?”

DUP MP Carla Lockhart said the first minister was “whipping up hysteria” at an unlawful protest, and warned of “profound” consequences if the Parade Commission’s determination is not upheld.

SDLP leader Claire Hanna, who was at the protest, called for “political leadership” and said it was “necessary to de-escalate”. Her party has called for an international mediator to help resolve the dispute.

Meanwhile, UUP leader Jon Burrows said the rule of law needed to apply to “everyone”, and that Stormont has been “put under threat”.

“It is vital that everyone obeys the law. I don’t care who that is. I don’t care how senior you are,” he said.

Justice Minister Naomi Long, from the Alliance Party, said there was a “predictability about all of this”, calling it an “entirely avoidable conflict”.

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the policing operation “helped ensure there has been no violence or disorder”.

The last 24 hours have been “very challenging for our people”, he later told reporters at the Waterfront, adding that the police have been “evidence gathering”.

“So whatever’s been happening, by whatever party, we’ve been gathering the evidence of what they’ve been doing,” he said. “So we’ll deal with that at the right time.”

Boutcher said he wants everybody to find “a place that they can, with dignity, walk away from the current situation”, but added that there needs to be a “longer-term conversation”.

What is the Garvaghy Road dispute all about?

The Orange Order, the most prominent of the loyal orders associated with Protestants in Northern Ireland, holds thousands of parades every year and the vast majority pass off without incident.

However, many Catholics see the marches as sectarian and object to them passing through, or close to, Catholic or nationalist areas.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6qjkk55wd47o

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and explosive offences after three “suspicious vehicles” were reported travelling towards an RAF base, police have said.

A major incident was declared and dozens of homes near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire were evacuated following the report at about 00:45 BST on Sunday.

An Army explosive ordnance disposal team has been examining vehicles near the base, which is used by the United States Air Force (USAF), as counter-terror police lead the investigation.

Residents evacuated from the nearby village of Whelford have been told they will not be able to return home overnight, but officials say they believe the incident is contained.

Aerial pictures showed a remote-controlled robot approaching stationary white vans in a wooded area, though its use has not been confirmed by police.

A 400m cordon has been placed around the area, where a hazardous area response team was deployed as part of a major emergency service response.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham was kept updated on the “deeply concerning” situation near the base.

The site shares a long history with the American military, and has recently been used by US warplanes as a staging post for defensive strikes on Iran.

President Donald Trump said those arrested had been “looking to do big damage”, adding: “We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.”

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he had been in contact with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth.

A USAF spokesperson said its personnel remained vigilant but did not discuss specific force protection methods.

The US Department of Defense meanwhile raised the threat level at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk – which hosts the USAF’s 48th Fighter Wing – to its second-highest category.

Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) and Gloucestershire police said the probe was in its early stages, with the five men still in custody as of Sunday evening.

The BBC understands the operation was not intelligence led. The men were initially arrested by Gloucestershire police and detained on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act, before being further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.

Asked whether police were seeking other individuals, Gloucestershire Constabulary’s temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth told a news conference late on Sunday that she believed the matter was “contained”.

An image purporting to show the moment five men were arrested was sent to the BBC.

It showed detained men in Whelford, about 350m (1,148ft) from runway access at Crash Gate 6A at RAF Fairford.

The BBC has been unable to verify the original source, but BBC Verify has geolocated the image and confirmed it appeared to be authentic.

A local resident told the BBC she alerted the police to suspicious activity near the base early on Sunday.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said she initially called the Ministry of Defence (MoD) police but nobody answered, and then called 999. She said she had seen three parked vans and a group of men wearing masks.

The MoD declined to comment.

Several residents said they had been led from their homes in the early hours and evacuated to a leisure centre.

Julian Tudsbury said he was woken up at 07:00 by police banging on his door in Whelford, where 85 households were advised to evacuate.

“There were several police, three police cars in the drive, and they said you need to evacuate, there’s been a major incident, said he couldn’t elaborate,” he said.

He said another local had seen three vehicles making their way to the base and called the police “straight away”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqrm99mm9l84o

Taylor Swift made history at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.

The pop superstar was celebrated with the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors during Sunday night’s ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Swift, 36, took the stage to accept the first-of-its-kind honor, which recognizes her work behind the camera and her contributions to music videos and visual storytelling.

Her friend, actress Dakota Johnson, presented the award to her “girl.”

“First of all, I want to say thank you to MTV for giving this platform to music videos so long ago. I got to start making music videos and being a part of music videos 20 years ago, and since then, I’ve gotten to be a part of making 60 music videos, roughly 60 of them — 18 of those I wrote and directed, and I really love writing and directing music videos,” Swift said into the mic as she dazzled in a black and silver Tamara Ralph Couture gown.

“I gotta tell you, though, the main reason why I love writing and directing music videos so much is because you, the fans, make it so much fun. You make it so rewarding because you actually care about what we’re making. So I want to say thank you to everyone who ever worked on a music video that I got to be a part of. I learned something from every single person that ever worked alongside.”

The singer-songwriter concluded her speech by debuting the music video for her new song “Patient Zero,” which stars Johnson and Colin Farrell.

CBS and MTV announced Monday that Swift would become the first-ever recipient of the Artist Director Honors, which was created to recognize music artists whose work behind the camera has helped expand the possibilities of music videos.

The award celebrates a “sustained and influential body of work” from artists who have pushed creative boundaries and established a distinct directorial voice, according to the networks.

Swift has increasingly taken control of the visuals accompanying her music throughout her career, first co-directing the videos for “ME!” and “You Need to Calm Down” in 2019 before making her solo directorial debut with “The Man” the following year.

She has since directed a slew of her own music videos, including “Cardigan,” “Willow,” “Anti-Hero,” “Bejeweled,” “Lavender Haze,” “Karma” featuring Ice Spice, “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” and “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone.

Swift also stepped behind the camera for 2021’s “All Too Well: The Short Film,” starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien.

More recently, she directed videos for “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Opalite” from her album “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/09/27/entertainment/taylor-swift-celebrated-with-inaugural-mtv-vma-artist-director-honors-at-2026-ceremony/

MAGA star Alina Habba was all smiles with her new hubby, Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon, during their extravagant, star-studded wedding at the ritzy Waldorf Astoria in New York City, pictures obtained by The Post show.

Habba, 42, tied the knot with Mildon, 29, CEO of Miller Holding, a Turkish industrial conglomerate, on Saturday in a top-dollar soiree that one source pegged at around $10 million.

The glittering reception took place in the fourth-floor ballroom of the hotel, which was adorned with some 900,000 fresh blooms from all over the world in a dazzling spectacle with numerous Trump-world figures and international guests in attendance.

Habba, who previously served as President Trump’s personal lawyer and briefly as the acting New Jersey US attorney, wore three different dresses during the lavish wedding, the source said.

Her two young kids, Chloe and Luke, were seen being escorted through the lobby just ahead of the extravagant ceremony. Details about the wedding were first reported by the Daily Mail and the Correspondent.

The newlyweds had tapped YSD Events, which worked with some of Habba’s friends in the past, to organize the opulent wedding, which included a 30-piece band to perform, The Post was told.

A singer from France was flown in specifically to perform their first dance song, Heir Encore. Their first course during dinner was individual tins of caviar for all of the guests.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/27/us-news/alina-habbas-wedding-to-turkish-billionaire-estimated-to-cost-10m-and-guests-included-mike-tyson/

 

Benjamin Satterley, who performed as Pac in All Elite Wrestling, has died at the age of 40, the company announced Sunday night.

Satterley had his final match at the All Out pay-per-view against AEW national champion Andrade at the NOW Arena in Chicago on Saturday night.

“Benjamin Satterley defined excellence, as a beloved husband & friend to his many loved ones, + in his wrestling knowledge, skill, unprecedented athleticism, professionalism, consistency + dedication to the sport that he loved & traveled the world to pursue,” AEW president Tony Khan wrote on X. “May Ben rest in peace.”

Satterley, who was part of the Death Riders faction since late 2025, lost the match and received a handshake from Andrade in the ring afterward. He appeared later in the night, getting involved in the main event clash between Death Riders leader Jon Moxley and AEW World Champion Will Ospreay.

No cause of death was given.

“All Elite Wrestling is saddened to announce the passing of Benjamin Satterley, aka Pac,” the promotion said in a statement. “A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Satterley began his wrestling career in 2004 and went on to perform for wrestling organizations all over the world, captivating fans with innovative high-flying moves and incredible in-ring ability.

“Pac signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2019 and held multiple AEW Championships and competed in some of the most memorable matches in AEW history. Our condolences go out to Satterley’s family, friends and fans.”

Satterley, a perfect combination of freakish athleticism and strength, also performed in WWE as Neville from 2012-18. He was featured for his high-flying acumen as “The Man That Gravity Forgot,” known for his signature Black Arrow corkscrew-senton splash.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/27/sports/aew-star-pac-dead-at-40-one-day-after-final-match/

FBI personnel data recently stolen by the ShinyHunters hackers includes sensitive psychiatric and medical ​evaluation records, according to the hackers and documents reviewed by Reuters.
ShinyHunters, one of the world’s most notorious and attention-seeking hacking crews, first said ‌it had breached the FBI on Tuesday. In the hack, the group obtained granular details about bureau employees and their assignments, Reuters previously reported, including sensitive work against Chinese spies, Russian intelligence, drug cartels and others.

The breach has already rattled the bureau, but now threatens to turn into a serious counterintelligence risk, said Eric O’Neill, a former FBI operative who founded the cybersecurity consultancy Nexasure AI.
O’Neill said the presence of ​medical data was a sign that the hack was approaching the same kind of magnitude as the 2015 intrusion into the Office of Personnel Management, which ​exposed millions of Americans’ sensitive clearance information, allegedly to Chinese intelligence.
He added that the data would be a powerful magnet for ⁠hostile spies.
“I would be shocked if Russian intelligence isn’t knocking on their door and saying, ‘We want that stuff, hand it over,'” said O’Neill.

The FBI declined to comment on the ​records. In a statement issued Wednesday, the bureau said it was “aggressively investigating” the reported breach.
ShinyHunters circulated the medical files to a small circle of reporters earlier this week after announcing ​it had broken into the FBIjobs.gov site and stolen what it claimed was 2 to 3 terabytes of data.
The BBC earlier on Friday reported that a blood and urine test document, was among the sample, but the presence of other sensitive files, including a mental health evaluation and other records, has not previously been reported.
Reuters was able to partially authenticate some of the half-dozen files in several ways, ​including running two social security numbers in them against credit bureau data, and lining up the date of a pre-employment mental health evaluation against a former FBI analyst’s ​LinkedIn profile. Reuters also matched the name of an FBI psychiatrist in the document to a LinkedIn profile with the same name and an identical job title.

In one case, Reuters was able ‌to confirm with ⁠a person familiar with the matter that a medical professional listed in one of the documents as performing FBI evaluations was in fact doing so at the time, although the person could not authenticate the entire file.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter.
The psychiatrist and the FBI employees named in the data either did not return messages or declined comment.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/shinyhunters-hackers-say-they-stole-psychiatric-medical-records-fbi-staff-2026-09-25/

The US Transportation Department on Monday will finalize sharply lower vehicle fuel economy standards through 2031, reversing a push by the Biden administration to force automakers to build more electric vehicles, officials said on Saturday.
President Donald Trump ​said he had approved new fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, which he ​said will lower the price of new vehicles. “A major victory for America’s auto ⁠workers is coming Monday,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

The new standards would cut the cost of ​new vehicles but increase fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions for decades, according to the department’s own ​estimates.
Trump’s push comes as American drivers are grappling with sharply higher fuel prices since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran at the end of February.
Under Democratic President Joe Biden, the government sought to push automakers to build ​more electric vehicles to meet rising fuel-efficiency standards. Biden increased required fuel efficiency for cars by ​8% annually for model years 2024 and 2025, 10% for 2026 and 2% annually from 2027 to 2031.

The Trump ‌administration ⁠in December proposed retroactively revising down the 2022 model year fuel economy standard and then raising it between 0.25% and 0.5% annually through 2031.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-says-he-approved-fuel-economy-standards-ending-biden-ev-mandate-2026-09-26/

The United States and China have agreed to reduce tariffs on $30 ‌billion of goods and launch a dialogue on AI, both countries said following President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington.
The tariff reductions would apply to US exports such as agricultural goods, wood and cosmetics, as well as US imports including small appliances, toys, decorations, a ​White House statement said on Friday.

“The two countries reached consensus on recommendations for more favorable tariff ​treatment for $30 billion of non-sensitive goods in each direction,” the White House said.

The three-day summit ⁠between Xi and President Donald Trump, which ended on Friday, showcased personal diplomacy rather than big public breakthroughs. Xi ​has since landed in Beijing, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday.
The two sides also agreed to set up ​a trade council and extend the outcomes of earlier talks in Kuala Lumpur, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
The agreement follows a move by the world’s two largest economies to extend by two months a trade truce that had been due to expire on November ​10, allowing more time to work on a potentially bigger trade deal, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on ​Wednesday.

“This historic visit enriched the constructive and stable China-US relationship, upheld the overall stability of bilateral ties, opened a new chapter ‌in China-US ⁠relations, and will have a far-reaching impact on world peace and development,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement.

DIALOGUE ON AI

On artificial intelligence, the two sides agreed to hold a dialogue on the technology’s risks and benefits, with the next round of discussions set for November, and to set up a communication channel for AI-related ​incidents, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and ​the White House said.
The ⁠White House said that the leaders had agreed to use the term “super intelligence” in place of “artificial intelligence.”
In a separate statement, the Chinese ministry said that Beijing valued ​Washington’s use of the new term.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-us-agree-30-billion-tariff-cut-ai-dialogue-during-xi-visit-2026-09-26/

Iran on Sunday insisted that only diplomacy ​can solve its conflict with the United States and Israel after US President Donald Trump said he rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait ‌of Hormuz and end fighting.
“Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on social media. “Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock.”

Iran announced a peace proposal last week at the UN General Assembly in New York, saying it had been transmitted to the Americans via Qatari mediators. ​Trump said on Saturday he rejected the plan and argued that desperation was driving the Iranians’ push for an agreement on the key waterway.
“They want to make ​a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Despite Trump’s ⁠public statements, mediators facilitating Iran’s talks with the United States have not officially relayed a US rejection of the plan, according to Araqchi.

“We are waiting for the mediators to ​convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them,” Araqchi posted.
The US has imposed an economic blockade on Iran to put pressure on ​Tehran to stop Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which have drastically reduced shipping through the area even as Trump repeatedly asserts that the US controls the waterway.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Trump had rejected the Iranian proposal, citing unnamed US officials.
It said Trump was privately skeptical that Iran would meet his demands and had told his staff that he sees ​a renewed bombing campaign as likely after the November US midterm elections.
A US official had said earlier that discussions with Iran through mediators were “positive and constructive”.

CONFLICT HAS DISRUPTED ​OIL FLOWS, HARMED GLOBAL ECONOMY

The Iranians also engaged their Saudi rivals regarding the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the stakes of a seven-month-old conflict that has disrupted oil flows through a critical shipping ‌lane and ⁠taken a toll on the global economy.

Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations on Friday the proposed deal would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and a pause in regional fighting.
“If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” Araqchi said. If the US were to agree, the warring parties could start wider talks “on mutually agreed subjects.”
That could potentially include discussions of Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has said Tehran must never acquire a ​nuclear bomb, while a senior Iranian official told ​Reuters that Iran would show no flexibility, opens new tab ⁠over its nuclear program even if the US accepted its peace deal.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/iran-insists-diplomatic-solution-after-trump-rejects-peace-plan-2026-09-26/

Of those rescued, 1,113 people are currently staying in 21 holding centres, including 187 from Nuwakot, 805 from Rasuwa and 121 from Dhading districts.

Kathmandu: A month after the devastating flash floods hit Nepal’s central and northern districts, at least 1,453 people have died and 5,285 remain unaccounted for, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

NDRRMA said the bodies of 1,451 people have been recovered so far, while two others died while undergoing treatment. A total of 13,795 people have been rescued to date, it said Saturday.

Of those rescued, 1,113 people are currently staying in 21 holding centres, including 187 from Nuwakot, 805 from Rasuwa and 121 from Dhading districts.

Flash floods originating near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.

The disaster also killed 43 people in Tibet, while more than 500 still remain unaccounted for, according to Chinese media.

In Nepal, security agencies have so far provided medical treatment to around 11,000 people affected by the floods, according to NDRRMA. Seven people injured in the floods are currently undergoing treatment, it said.

Identification of the dead remains a major challenge a month after the disaster. Of the 1,453 bodies recovered so far, 112 have been identified and handed over to their families, according to NDRRMA.

Many of the recovered bodies were badly damaged or fragmented, making visual identification difficult. Nepal Police has therefore been relying on DNA profiling to establish links between recovered remains and people reported missing after the floods.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/world/asia/nepal-floods-1453-dead-nearly-5300-still-missing-a-month-after-disaster-4160561

Russia has claimed responsibility for striking a data centre in Kyiv linked to Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service.

Russia has claimed that its forces struck a data centre in Kyiv used to support Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service during a wave of overnight attacks.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said drones targeted the Cosmonova data processing centre in the Ukrainian capital, alleging that the facility “provided mobile internet service and support” for Ukraine’s use of Starlink.

Ukrainian officials said a drone crashed into an office building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, where the Cosmonova data centre is located.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said five people were injured in Russian strikes across the capital in the early hours of Saturday.

Ukrainian media had previously reported damage to the Cosmonova facility following overnight attacks from Thursday into Friday. A Ukrainian television channel also said it had suspended broadcasts early Saturday after damage was reported at data centres in Kyiv.

US President Donald Trump claimed Saturday that Iran is willing to open the Strait of Hormuz because it has “no money coming in” due to Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports

US President Donald Trump claimed Saturday that Iran is willing to open the Strait of Hormuz because it has “no money coming in” due to Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports.

“And what they want to do is immediately open the Hormuz Strait. You know why? Because they’re dying. You know why they’re dying? Because they have no money coming in, because they get their money from the Hormuz Strait. So they outsmarted themselves”, Trump told reporters.

VIDEO | Washington DC: US President Donald Trump says, “And what they want to do is immediately open the Hormuz Strait. You know why? Because they’re dying. You know why they’re dying? Because they have no money coming in, because they get their money from the Hormuz Strait. So they outsmarted themselves. They said, ‘Let’s close it and cause a problem for the world.’ And then I came along, and we put up the greatest blockade ever in military history. It’s a wall of steel, and we put it up, and guess what? They don’t have any money now, because they wanted to close the strait and I said, ‘That’s fine. We’re going to close it on you, but everybody else is able to use it.'”

(Source: Third Party)

(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 26, 2026

He said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz created a problem for the world, adding the US military targeted Iran’s economy by putting “the greatest blockade ever” on the country’s ports.

“They said, ‘Let’s close it and cause a problem for the world.’ And then I came along, and we put up the greatest blockade ever in military history. It’s a wall of steel, and we put it up, and guess what? They don’t have any money now, because they wanted to close the strait and I said, ‘That’s fine. We’re going to close it on you, but everybody else is able to use it.'”

The president’s remarks came a day after he revealed that he had rejected the proposal put forth by Iran through Qatari mediators. Tehran had announced its peace proposal during the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this week.

Following this, Iran asserted Sunday that only diplomacy could resolve its conflict with the US and Israel, adding that it was still waiting for an official response on the peace proposal to open the vital Strait of Hormuz and halt the fighting in the region.

The war in West Asia began on February 28 after the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran, killing its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/theyre-dying-no-money-coming-in-trump-says-iran-willing-to-open-hormuz-as-he-turns-down-tehrans-deal-ws-l-10355079.html

 

Iran says only diplomacy can resolve its conflict with the US and Israel as Tehran awaits Washington’s formal response to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran on Sunday insisted that only diplomacy could resolve its conflict with the United States and Israel, while saying it was still waiting for an official US response to its proposal to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and halt fighting in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran’s conditions for reopening the waterway remained unchanged, and that any move towards reopening it would depend on those conditions being met.

“Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met,” Araqchi said, according to Reuters.

“Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock,” he added.

Iran had announced its peace proposal during the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this week, saying it had been transmitted to the United States through Qatari mediators. However, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had rejected the proposal.

“They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

The Associated Press reported that Iran’s proposal offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear programme within seven days if the United States lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waived sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observed a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.

According to AP, Araqchi had said on Friday that the seven-day timeline would begin once Washington accepted the proposal.

Initial steps would take around four to five days, with the strait opening on the sixth day and talks with the United States beginning on the seventh day on a final deal covering mutually agreed subjects.

Despite Trump’s public rejection, Araqchi said Iranian mediators had not formally conveyed a US rejection of the proposal to Tehran.

“We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them,” he said, according to Reuters.

The US has imposed an economic blockade on Iran as it seeks to pressure Tehran to stop attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Shipping through the waterway has fallen sharply amid the conflict.

Trump has repeatedly asserted that the US controls the strait.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report Trump’s rejection, citing unnamed US officials, Reuters reported.

A report with the WSJ said Trump was privately sceptical that Iran would meet his demands and had told staff that he viewed a renewed bombing campaign as likely after the November US midterm elections.

A US official had earlier described discussions with Iran through mediators as “positive and constructive”.

The stakes are particularly high because the seven-month-old conflict has disrupted oil flows through the critical shipping route and affected the global economy, Reuters reported.

Iran has also engaged its regional rival Saudi Arabia over the Strait of Hormuz.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/iran-diplomacy-response-donald-trump-hormuz-strait-peace-proposal-us-israel-war-ws-l-10355080.html

In his speech, he also cautioned against additional seats being allocated to Western countries. He specifically named Germany and Japan and claimed that they are “on the path to militarism and revanchism”.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov strongly backed India’s permanent membership on the United Nations Security Council during his address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Saturday.

This high-level endorsement underscores Russia’s official policy on global governance reform, aligning with broader BRICS declarations to advocate for the Global South while drawing a firm line against expanding Western influence within the UN’s top security body.

He advocated for more seat allocation to the Global South and voiced strong support for Brazil and India.

BIG AT UNGA
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov backs India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. https://t.co/Qb3h4KgSvO

— Shadow IND (@ShadowIND_IN) September 26, 2026

“We are in favour of broadening the representation of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We support Brazil’s and India’s candidatures for a permanent seat,” he said.

In his speech, he also cautioned against additional seats being allocated to Western countries. He specifically named Germany and Japan and claimed that they are “on the path to militarism and revanchism”.

“UN Security Council reform cannot involve any additional seats being allocated to Western countries, especially to Germany and Japan, who are now on the path to militarism and revanchism,” Lavrov stated.

However, Lavrov warned that any modernisation of the UN Security Council must not dilute the core prerogatives or powers of the existing permanent members.

Russia was not the only country which threw its weight behind New Delhi. Mauritian Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful explicitly endorsed India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UNSC during his speech.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/at-un-russia-backs-indias-bid-for-permanent-security-council-seat-12103228?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

Directly referencing remarks made the previous day, without naming Pakistan, S Jaishankar said that it raised arguments to “normalise terrorism” and affirmed India’s right to self-defence.

Speaking at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that Pakistan is a “serial practitioner of terrorism” and that the country “misrepresented facts” yesterday, referring to their prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif’s address.

Directly referencing remarks made the previous day, without naming Pakistan, Jaishankar said that it raised arguments to “normalise terrorism” and affirmed India’s right to self-defence. He conditioned any normalisation of ties on the cessation of terrorism.

“Yesterday, a serial practitioner of terrorism misrepresented facts before this assembly. Arguments were invoked to normalise terrorism and claim immunity from its consequences. That will not stand. Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised. Friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism, and understandings premised on that will naturally be called into question. It is for the perpetrator of terrorism to mend its ways”, Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar said a persistent threat to peace has been the scourge of terrorism.

“That this could be state-sponsored, with cross-border purpose, makes it a direct affront to the global order. Governments indulging in such practices must be held accountable. There must be no dilution in our zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism. Its financial aspects, in particular, should be exposed and should be countered,” he said.

On Friday, Sharif revisited the May military confrontation, characterising India’s Operation Sindoor as an act of “external aggression” launched under a “false pretext.” He further asserted that Pakistan’s actions were a legitimate exercise of its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

He then proceeded to praise Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir and praised the armed forces.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/serial-practitioner-of-terrorism-s-jaishankar-rips-into-pakistan-at-un-12103028?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

“There’s never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools,” Gates said.

Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates has backed warnings issued by artificial intelligence (AI) leaders in the recent days, claiming the tool was “powerful enough” to drive events which could kill “billions.”

“AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that, you know, cause a billion deaths,” Gates told NBC’s Meet the Press. He further added, “There’s never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools.”

Gates’ remarks come after Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei and OpenAI boss Sam Altman themselves flagged risks related to AI, including “loss of human control”. The statements received support from several entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk.

However, US President Donald Trump rejected the concerns over rapid development of AI as “conspiracy” and pushed back against the risks, dubbing the tool as “super intelligence”.

FOUR American tourists are among the six killed when an explosion tore through a building near the Acropolis in Greece.

A suspected gas leak in the two-storey building in Athens triggered the deadly blast at around 7:30am on Friday, officials have said.

On Saturday morning, officials in Greece confirmed that they had pulled six bodies from the rubble including those of two American couples.

A British expat, 78, and his wife, 77, have been confirmed as the other two fatalities.

The Americans, aged 30 to 40, were staying at the residence and were due to check out just hours later.

They had been due to check out and fly from Athens airport at 3pm on Friday but they failed to show up, a police source said.

The group is believed to have comprised of a sister and her brother and their spouses, according to local media.

It is reported that one couple were newlyweds on their honeymoon.

They had all been staying in a short-term rental on the first floor.

Shocking pictures showed the aftermath of the blast which reduced the property to a pile of twisted ​metal, ⁠crumbled balconies and hanging ‌concrete slabs in the district of Plaka.

Athens mayor Haris Doukas believes the blast was caused by a gas leak – but the deputy mayor told The Sun that an explosive device has not been ruled out.

He called the tragedy “an incredible disaster” with concerns that two nearby buildings may also collapse due to the damage they sustained.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17061538/american-couple-killed-athens-explosion-relatives-found-greece/

CINDY Crawford’s son’s body has been cremated just days after his suspected overdose in rehab.

Presley Gerber, 27, was cremated at the Rose Family Funeral Home – with his ashes set to be kept at his parents’ home.

His official cause of death is still pending investigation.

Police sources have told The U.S. Sun that Presley died of a suspected overdose while in the recovery home.

Arrangements are underway for his funeral and it is believed to be taking place in the coming week.

The family is deciding between Forest Lawn or Malibu Presbyterian Church, TMZ reports.

Presley was found unresponsive on Sunday morning at a sober house in Santa Monica, California.

He was declared dead at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.

The rehab facility’s website boasts that its program is located in a prime section of Los Angeles, inside a luxurious mansion.

It features breathtaking views of the ocean and the city.

They offer their clients 24/7 onsite staff, chef-prepared meals, and an in-home movie theater.

It is unknown how long Gerber had been staying at the facility.

The Medical Examiner told The U.S. Sun that Gerber was pronounced dead at 9:45 am on Sunday, and as of Monday afternoon, an autopsy had been completed.

Gerber’s famous family, which also includes model/actress sister Kaia, released a statement after the tragic news, saying, “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.”

The model had been open about his battle with addiction and mental health for years before his death, and even spoke about trying psychedelic drug therapy in his battle for recovery.

In his final photos just weeks before his death, Gerber grinned at the camera in a lush backyard on Instagram.

The star’s celebrity parents and sister were very supportive of his recovery journey.

Crawford commented under the post: “You are a warrior! Walked thru fire to find yourself! So proud!”

“That’s my brother I am so damn proud,” sister Kaia wrote.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/17060370/cindy-crawford-son-cremated-after-overdose/

A GRIEVING mom has warned of the dangers of kratom – nicknamed gas station heroin – after it was found at the scenes of two Ole Miss students’ deaths.

Susan Eppard lost her son Matthew Eller, 22, in 2021 after he became hooked on the substance, which is often taken for energy and focus but can produce opioid-like effects.

She said her “perfectly healthy” son became emaciated and increasingly isolated himself from friends and family before suffering a violent seizure and dying on the kitchen floor of his home.

“Justice for my son Matthew will be when kratom is banned across the entire United States,” Susan told The U.S. Sun.

Her warning comes after Ole Miss students Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, were found dead in separate incidents on Monday.

Hamilton, a freshman from Colorado, was found unresponsive inside Stewart Hall on the University of Mississippi campus, while Strang, a junior from Georgia, was found dead at an off-campus home in Oxford.

Autopsies have been carried out and officials are fast-tracking toxicology reports to determine how the students died and whether kratom played a role.

Packaged kratom was found in both investigations, but the deaths are not thought to be linked to each other and there is no confirmed connection to the substance.

Lafayette County Metro Narcotics has since urged the Ole Miss community to avoid kratom “out of an abundance of caution.”

For Susan, the deaths immediately brought back memories of losing Matthew almost five years ago.

“It’s heartbreaking every time another person dies from kratom,” she said.

“Knowing what these families are going to have to go through, their brothers and sisters and their moms and dads, everybody.

“It’s heart-wrenching.”

Susan believes Matthew — from Cartersville, Georgia, — had been taking kratom for around two years before his death, although she said he hid the extent of his use from her.

She first discovered empty packets and initially struggled to find information online warning of serious risks.

Susan said Matthew believed it was a safe swap for coffee.

“He thought it was like a coffee alternative. Safe for energy,” she said.

But she said his use eventually became all-consuming.

“All I know was he was spending all of his money on it,” she said.

“He couldn’t pay his car payment, lost his car, couldn’t pay his phone.

“He had been living with me and I didn’t charge him any money, but he just still had no money, even for food or anything.”

Matthew was working full-time, but Susan said he was eventually spending “thousands of dollars” on kratom.

The worried mother also watched her once outgoing and athletic son dramatically change.

“He became quite emaciated. Very, very skinny,” she said.

“He was always, you know, like the center of attention. Everybody joined around him when he’d walk in a room, just lighting up every room.

“And he became very reclusive. He started staying away from all his friends and family.

“He loved his grandmother so much and he wouldn’t answer her phone calls.”

She recalled asking her son if he was taking drugs because she could not understand where his money was going.

“He said, ‘No mom, I’m not on drugs. You can test me,’” she recalled.

“And he didn’t act like he was on drugs other than when he would sleep.

“He would sleep like he was in a coma.

“I had to buy a sonic alarm clock to wake him up for work.

“I had no idea you could die from it [kratom]. I don’t think he thought he could have died from it.”

Susan said Matthew had apparently attempted to stop using kratom but continued hiding it from his girlfriend.

“I don’t know really if he ever could have got off of it,” she said.

“I think his death was the only thing that was going to free him from this garbage drug.”

Matthew was playing cards with his girlfriend at his home when tragedy struck.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17058185/kratom-gas-station-heroin-killed-son-matthew-eller/

Republic of Ireland players intend to wear black armbands “in recognition of all lives lost in the [Gaza] conflict” for Sunday’s Nations League game against Israel in Hungary, after confirming they will go ahead with the fixture.

“A star sent from the heavens,” is how Zihan Han describes the man she’s become a huge fan of recently, a man who young Chinese people call an “idol”.

Except this is no pop singer or movie star, but a 54-year old anthropologist. Professor Biao Xiang has become an unlikely guide for an increasingly disillusioned generation.

And it’s because of what he talks about: anxiety and how to navigate it.

China’s economy and tech have grown at breakneck speed, but there is plenty worrying its Gen Z, from jobs to romantic prospects to the sheer pressure of keeping up.

“The transition from school to the real world brings a lot of uncertainty now, and people often feel anxious because they don’t know how to face it,” says a 23-year-old Chinese graduate who didn’t want to reveal her name because she was worried speaking to foreign media might affect her chances of finding a job back home.

“People need an anchor in their life. And his words make us feel there is someone that gets me.”

She and Zihan were among some 500 people – mostly Chinese diaspora – who piled into an auditorium recently in Singapore. Xiang spoke for more than an hour in Mandarin before he took questions. When it ended, dozens queued to meet and take photos with him. The Chinese grad called it “an academic fan meeting”.

Xiang has been interviewed by major Chinese outlets and has travelled to top Chinese campuses to talk, including at his alma mater, the prestigious Peking University – one talk earlier this year was live-streamed because the auditorium was full. “When in doubt, ask Biao Xiang,” has become a saying, according to Chinese media.

In Sinapore, Xiang spoke of the recognition young people seek in today’s China, where they often look to systems for approval – from competitive exams to secure jobs – and how that approval becomes a measure of self-worth, which can be exhausting and damaging.

It is healthier, he suggested, to seek meaning and understanding from others and use that to understand ourselves better.

These are hardly quick fixes. But in a country where discontent can be politically sensitive and heavily censored, he is a rare public figure who addresses what he calls the “pain point of the times”.

“Everyone knows where the issue is, but they are reluctant to look at it. Sometimes it is too painful to look at, or they don’t have a way,” he tells the BBC over tea in Singapore.

“But as an academic, it is not terrifying if you can describe it – that’s how you analyse and manage it.”

He now lives in Germany, where he is the director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, and studies social change in China and other parts of Asia.

Xiang believes Chinese society is at a “turning point”, where people are searching for meaning while making sense of rapid social and economic change. He sees contradictions – uncertain youth in a powerful, assertive country; disillusionment despite huge advancement – and his job, he says, is to unpack what is driving it.

China’s leader Xi Jinping has acknowledged it too: he said the “principal contradiction” was “between the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development”.

Xiang has catchy names for what is causing this. “Floating” is how he describes people working relentlessly just to survive, like a hummingbird that keeps flapping its wings to stay mid-air.

“The nearby” refers to what is immediately around us. Xiang argues that people are preoccupied by the “very near” (themselves) and the very far (the world) while the space in between – “the nearby” – is neglected. This, he says, leaves them feeling disconnected.

This seems to be resonating deeply with young people looking for answers.

One user on RedNote writes, “He consistently views issues from the perspective of the vulnerable, attributes personal stress to macro-level causes, and encourages people to actively engage with life – it’s truly wonderful.”

Another says, “He never spouts empty, feel-good platitudes; instead, he crouches down to face real-life dilemmas alongside us.”

Zihan says it boils down to Xiang’s willingness to talk openly about these things: “Those who have said similar things aren’t as kick-ass as Teacher Xiang, yet people who are as kick-ass as him haven’t said such things.”

Born in 1972, Xiang came of age during another turning point, as China emerged from the brutal chaos of Mao Zedong’s rule to trade with the world. It urbanised, ordinary people turned into entrepreneurs and businesses took off for the first time in the Communist nation.

Growing up in Wenzhou, which transformed into an industrial port, Xiang witnessed this first-hand. “It was a vast landscape of small business owners,” he recalls. “Most people didn’t care too much about education, the focus was on practical matters – specifically, how to make money.”

And many of them did. Their children grew up in a glorious era of double-digit economic growth. But the economy slowed during Covid and hasn’t bounced back. The old equation – hard work = secure job – no longer works, and they want a new narrative, Xiang says.

Youth unemployment hit 21.3%, before the government stopped publishing the data in mid-2023. Those with “good jobs” – civil servants, corporate employees, engineers – are anxious about losing them.

They constantly complain online about long, exhausting working hours and a toxic office culture and their fear of the “curse of 35” – a cutoff age for job advertisements, after which it is harder to find a new job.

Because of censorship, it’s hard to know the true extent of this mood. But that feeling of being squeezed seeps into public discourse in other ways. That anxiety quickly turns into anger in online debates, be it about university entrance exams or bride price or food safety scandals.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq70dgdndr46o

 

Pope Leo XIV has praised the “enthusiasm, energy and commitment” young people bring to the Catholic Church as dense crowds attended an open-air Mass in Paris.

An estimated 700,000 people had gathered for the Mass celebrated by the Pope from a special altar on the Place de la Concorde, on the second day of his four-day visit to France.

It began after the pontiff rode down the Champs-Élysées Avenue waving to crowds from his open-topped popemobile.

Many senior politicians attended the Mass. On Friday, the Pope met French President Emmanuel Macron.

During Saturday’s Mass, the Pope told worshippers that Catholics should not keep their faith to themselves but “let it overflow so that those you meet may be refreshed”.

The leader of the Catholic Church also addressed young people in his speech, describing them as “today’s Church”.

“How beautiful it is to see your enthusiasm, energy and commitment, and the joy you bring to Christian communities,” he said.

After being welcomed by Macron on Friday, the Pope was joined by 80,000 young people at the Stade de France in northern Paris.

Macron did not attend Saturday’s event and will not be at any of the Pope’s Masses during his visit, largely to avoid appearing to breach France’s strict rules on the separation of Church and state.

But the Mass was attended by Macron’s wife Brigitte and French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.

Several candidates for next year’s presidential election also attended.

Marine Le Pen of the hard-right National Rally party and conservative Bruno Retailleau were both pictured at the Place de la Concorde ahead of the event, while centrists Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal were also spotted.

Earlier on Saturday, the Pope met migrants and volunteers as he visited the Maison Bakhita centre, an association supporting refugees, and praised the organisation for inviting “us to see those who are invisible”.

He also stressed the “fundamental role of women in building a civilisation of love”.

The Pope issued a warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) at the start of his visit to France on Friday.

Leo cautioned against “losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines” in wide-ranging remarks to Church and state officials at the Élysée Palace.

Large crowds are expected throughout the remainder of the pontiff’s trip, which the Church believes reflects a growing spirituality among the French and other Europeans.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm4gjjwvvlzro

In a horror scene right out of “Sweeney Todd,” a Yonkers barber gashed a customer’s artery during a wild attack with a straight razor — and was then handed a paltry sentence by notoriously lenient judge.

Haircutter Jeury Fernandez Navarro, 38, flew into a rage because he suspected 27-year-old Carlos Santana Cordero had sex with his girlfriend, according to trial testimony.

Cordero was sitting in another barber’s chair at Escape Barber Shop on South Broadway on Aug. 4, 2025, when Navarro grabbed his hair and jerked his head back and held a gold-plated razor to his neck, according to a criminal complaint.

As the victim fought back, Navarro swung the razor toward his face, but instead struck his left arm, according to the complaint.

Navarro, who claimed the slashing was accidental, then picked the victim up by his hair a second time and held the razor to his neck while walking him out of the barbershop, as both slipped on the puddles of blood on the floor, according to the complaint and a video played in court.

Outside, the wannabe Sweeney Todd — the fictional “Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ who slit his victim’s throats with a razor and sent their bodies down a chute — continued his attack on Cordero until a Yonkers cop arrived at the scene and stopped him, officials said.

Cordero suffered a lacerated artery in his left forearm and had to undergo surgery at Westchester Medical Center, prosecutors said.

Crime scene photos obtained by The Post show blood staining the shop’s tile floor and the gold razor after the savage attack. Blood could also be seen on the sidewalk outside.

“The defendant in this case callously and intentionally grabbed a defenseless victim by the head and proceeded to viciously slash him, even as the victim attempted to protect himself,” Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace said.

After a jury found Navarro guilty of second-degree assault — a felony — and weapon possession, Cacace’s office asked Judge George Fufidio to sentence him to five years in state prison with five years of post-release supervision.

But the lenient judge let him off with 2 ½ years in prison and 1 and ½ years of post-release supervision.

“While we respect the court’s decision, my office firmly believes that a more substantial prison sentence was warranted given the severity and brutality of the defendant’s conduct,” Cacace said.

Last week, The Post wrote about Judge Fufidio setting a lower bail than the prosecutor requested for a man who beat up a Bronx bus driver in a Yonkers road-rage incident.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/26/us-news/barber-sentanced-after-real-life-sweeney-todd-razor-attack-on-customer/

The US Supreme Court revived on Friday an expanded immigration database that President Donald Trump’s administration said aims to combat voting by noncitizens but critics contend could disenfranchise eligible voters.
The justices ​granted the Justice Department’s request to block a judge’s order that had stopped state officials from using Social Security numbers and other information to conduct sweeping checks of ‌the citizenship status of registered voters against federal records.

The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Its three liberal justices dissented from Friday’s order.
The majority said the plaintiffs’ arguments likely fail because federal law expressly authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to request and receive information relating to citizenship and immigration status from other agencies, including the Social Security Administration.
The administration’s data-sharing arrangement is one in a series of actions boosting the federal government’s involvement in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections ​in which Trump’s fellow Republicans seek to maintain control of Congress. The U.S. Constitution gives individual states the primary authority to run and administer elections.
The Department of Homeland Security last year ​redesigned a federal database known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, used to verify a person’s citizenship and immigration status. The revamp ⁠allowed users to search many records at a time and to conduct searches using individuals’ Social Security numbers.
In a social media post on Friday, James Percival, general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, ​replied to a post about the court’s order, saying, “Yes, you read that right. We had to file an emergency petition in the Supreme Court just so we could use government data to help states stop ​noncitizens from illegally voting.”
Since the federal database was expanded, several Republican-led states have compared their voter lists to the database, and some voters flagged as potential noncitizens have had their registrations canceled.

Critics say such election-related actions by Republicans are driven less by concerns over election security than by an attempt to gain political advantage by narrowing the electorate, risking the disenfranchisement of eligible, often Democratic-leaning voters.
Trump has carried out hardline policies toward immigration and has made false claims ​of widespread voting fraud including in his 2020 election loss to Democratic former President Joe Biden.
Advocacy groups that sued to block the revised SAVE system said that the new approach has resulted in people ​who were wrongfully identified as noncitizens being kicked off voter rolls. They have argued that SAVE can be outdated, meaning immigrants who have become naturalized US citizens and are thus eligible to vote are sometimes labeled as noncitizens.

The ‌modified system’s ⁠overall error rate is not publicly known. The Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department did not provide that information when asked.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which represents the plaintiffs, called Friday’s decision “profoundly disappointing,” saying it puts Americans “at risk of being unlawfully targeted by the administration’s unreliable voter purge database weeks before the midterm elections.”
In a dissent on Friday that was joined by her two fellow liberal justices, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that “the harm caused by burdening or disenfranchising even a few lawful voters outweighs the nonexistent harm that the government experiences when it is prevented from taking an action that it ​likely lacks the authority to take.”
In their Supreme Court ​filing, the advocacy groups cited a Travis ⁠County, Texas, election official who said 25% of the system’s noncitizen matches there involved people who had already proven their US citizenship, and news reports finding that at least 81% of the system’s responses in St. Louis County, Missouri, were erroneous.
The voting rights group League of Women Voters and privacy rights group ​Electronic Privacy Information Center sued in September 2025 to block the Trump administration’s modified system. They said that the revamp violated federal privacy and ​other U.S. laws.
In a June ⁠ruling blocking the revamped database, US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in Washington, D.C., said the system was haphazardly assembled and contained unreliable citizenship data.
“All in all, the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote,” Sooknanan wrote. “This court cannot stand idly by while that happens.”
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in a 2-1 ruling on ⁠September 4 ​declined to halt Sooknanan’s ruling, prompting the administration’s request to the Supreme Court.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/supreme-court-restores-trumps-mass-voter-verification-system-2026-09-25/

Two months after OpenAI disclosed the accidental hacking of Hugging Face, the ChatGPT maker is still working to understand the full scope of its rogue agent activity, two people briefed ​on the matter told Reuters.
The latest example came on Friday when OpenAI said its agents had leaked 53 images from ChatGPT users. OpenAI declined to say if the images were AI-generated or identified real people. It also declined to say when ‌the images were posted.

The disclosure and researcher reports on Friday of other previously unknown activity involving several US agencies reveal a new area of privacy risk for the company, and illustrate how difficult it is even for an AI firm at the cutting edge of the technology to inventory all the unauthorized activity tied to its agents. OpenAI’s ongoing battle also reflects a yawning gap between the strength of the models the company is testing and its capacity to oversee or even track their actions.
As of mid-September, one person briefed on the matter estimated that OpenAI had found roughly two dozen incidents of its agents acting in undesirable ways. But the number has continued rising as OpenAI teams sift through internal logs of ​the agents’ activities and find previously unknown cases, the two people close to the company said.

OpenAI said its review would take months to complete given the scale of the work.
The company also said, opens new tab it had notified dozens of third parties about improper activity.
Most of the leaked ​images have been taken down and OpenAI said it was lobbying hosting providers to remove the rest.
OpenAI’s agents had access to these images because the company relies on anonymized user data for part of its model-training process, ⁠according to the company, former employees and outside researchers. Enterprise data is not eligible for training, while ChatGPT consumers need to opt out of allowing the company to use their data for training.
Before user posts are used for training, they go through an anonymization process that strips out metadata, names and ​other contact information and should make it difficult to trace back to any individual user, the company said.

But the practice carries risks because there is a chance that the data may not be fully stripped of personally identifiable information and that it might leak in the course of the model’s work, three ​people familiar with OpenAI’s practices said.
OPENAI AGENTS ACCESSED US WEBSITES
OpenAI said late on Friday its models accessed information from the websites of the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Census Bureau during research and training activity, but found no evidence of unauthorized access, compromised accounts or security breaches.
Separately, AI research nonprofit Transluce said agents appearing to originate from OpenAI made an unsuccessful attempt to hack a US Department of Education civil rights website.
Transluce said the incident was part of broader AI agent activity probing government websites using tactics including exposed credentials, anti-bot bypasses and fake accounts.
MORE THAN 15 CASES
In the two months since OpenAI first announced that its agents broke containment, there ​have been more than 15 different OpenAI-related incidents of varying levels of severity disclosed by the company, by outside researchers, or — just on Wednesday — by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the United Nations, who said OpenAI agents broke into a government health data portal in June.

Past incidents have varied in nature, ​ranging from spam-like messages left on internet sites all the way to the break-in at Hugging Face, which involved a swarm of agents abusing previously unknown software vulnerabilities to escape their networks and penetrate the AI repository as they hunted for answers to a test. OpenAI also said its agents took aim at its own infrastructure.
Albanese ‌told reporters in New ⁠York that OpenAI uncovered the activity in August, and disclosed it on September 10 via an email to a general government inbox. He said he directly told OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that this disclosure process was unacceptable.
OpenAI said some of the sites involved are operated by government, universities and public agencies because the models that are conducting research seek out reputable sources of public information.
A LOCKED-DOWN PROCESS
The July 21 announcement that OpenAI’s agents had slipped out of control and hacked Hugging Face sparked widespread worries within the AI industry over its ability to control the more powerful AI models under development now. Since then, Anthropic, Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and Meta (META.O), opens new tab have said they’ve found similar behavior by their agents after the Hugging Face incident prompted them to search.
OpenAI has acknowledged a general need for more transparency around rogue AI behavior. On September 16, the company published a new framework for disclosing such incidents, saying it would err on the ​side of transparency “even when significance is uncertain.”
Even so, two people familiar with OpenAI’s ​investigation into its agents’ activity described it as locked down and ⁠shaped by company lawyers. The process has been unusually compartmentalized for a company that some former employees say was more open about these issues in the past, the people said.
Roughly 100 people were in some way involved in the process to understand the Hugging Face hack, three people briefed on the matter said. During that process, evidence of other incidents surfaced.
Reuters has previously reported that OpenAI investigators looking into the Hugging Face breach were discouraged by the ​company’s lawyers from expanding the scope of the investigation to include other incidents. OpenAI said its lawyers did not discourage deeper investigation.
Many incidents have been uncovered by outside researchers rather than OpenAI directly. In several episodes, ​the agents took problematic actions that went ⁠unnoticed by the company for months.
Earlier this month, a small group of investigators discovered that the company’s agents had hijacked a mostly defunct German wiki site to share tactics to cheat on some tasks, bypass OpenAI’s restrictions and mask their behavior.
This week, the AI research firm Transluce, opens new tab said it discovered that OpenAI agents had bypassed the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s anti-bot controls. The firm also found two other cases that it linked to OpenAI agents. Those incidents were separate from the activity disclosed by Albanese.
In a statement, OpenAI said “much of the activity described in Transluce’s report overlaps with cases at varying stages of investigation in our ongoing review of misaligned model ⁠activity.” The company ​said it is prioritizing the most severe cases in its review.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/openai-works-understand-full-scope-agent-activity-user-data-leak-emerges-2026-09-25/

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s hard-hitting speech followed the catastrophic Bhotekoshi floods in Nepal on August 26, 2026, which tragically killed over 1,400 people and left thousands missing.

While delivering his maiden speech at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah questioned a global system where weapons cross borders rapidly while farmers struggle to access fuel and fertilizer.

“Inter-continental missiles arrive on time. Rifles and ammunition cross borders, clear every bottleneck, meet each deadline. But a peasant in Nepal cannot procure his fertilizer or fuel at market price at a time of need”, he said.

In his speech, Shah strongly criticised the current global order, stating, “We have built a world with flawless logistics for war and broken logistics for food.”

At 36, Shah spoke as the youngest head of government at the assembly this year, using the global platform to advocate for climate justice for South Asian nations.

“And this is not Nepal’s private misfortune. Ask Bangladesh. Ask Bhutan. Ask India. Ask the Maldives. Ask Pakistan. Ask Sri Lanka. Ask any other country in our region and you will hear the same account: hit by the climate we did not warm, and hit again by the wars we did not start. This tells us there is a lot more broken than meets the eye in the present order of global cooperation,” he said.

Shah’s hard-hitting speech followed the catastrophic Bhotekoshi floods in Nepal on August 26, 2026, which tragically killed over 1,400 people and left thousands missing. He broadened his message to include the shared vulnerabilities of the entire South Asian region, urging world leaders to look at the ground realities of the global order.

Nepal PM Proposes Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism

He then proposed that a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism should be established since a warming climate is destabilising the region’s ecology and should be led by his country, India and China.

“The Hindu Kush Himalaya is home to nearly two billion people. These mountains provide water, ecosystems, agriculture and livelihoods to populations far beyond Nepal. The Himalayas are not peripheral to the planet. They are part of the planet’s life-support system,” Shah said.

“That is why, as an urgent first step, we propose that we establish a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism, led by Nepal, India and China,” Shah said.

He said that through the mechanism, the countries can share satellite data and expertise with each other.

Speaking at the UNGA, the Nepali leader highlighted that climate change does not care for borders and that glaciers and floods do not travel with a visa and passports.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/ask-india-ask-pakistan-balen-shahs-unga-attack-on-broken-global-order-12099227?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

Iran had proposed to reopen the strategic waterway Strait of Hormuz and end fighting in the region within seven days.

President Donald Trump has reportedly rejected Iran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and is likely to resume bombing Tehran after the November mid-term elections in the US.

Tehran had proposed to reopen the strategic waterway Strait of Hormuz and end fighting — which began on February 28 when the US and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran — within seven days if the US agreed to its demands.

“Iran has conveyed to the United States, through Qatar, a concrete seven-day plan. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, and normal maritime passage restored within seven days,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters at the UN on Friday.

“The choice now rests with the United States. Iran does not accept coercion, threats, or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure,” he said.

“I can tell you if there is seriousness in the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” he added.

Hours later, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had rejected the proposal, citing US officials familiar with the matter.

Trump, who has vowed that Iran will never acquire a nuclear bomb, was skeptical Tehran would meet his demands and sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely, according to the report.

He also posted an image on his Truth Social platform of a map showing Hormuz circled and labelled “Trump Strait.”

Iran’s 7-Day Plan To End War

Iran said it would reopen Hormuz — the world’s most vital energy conduit — and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the US lifts its naval blockade, waives oil sanctions and observes a ceasefire that includes Lebanon.

The proposal was discussed by the Iranian foreign minister at a private gathering on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Tehran’s new proposal resembled an agreement reached in June that later collapsed.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview with broadcaster CBS that the ceasefire “process will begin from the very day they accept it.”

“We had previously reached an agreement based on the MOU that was signed in Pakistan…if the United States agrees to proceed in that way, everything will return to the way it was before,” he said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-us-iran-war-us-president-rejects-irans-7-day-peace-plan-middle-east-war-likely-to-resume-after-us-polls-12100071?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

A plane crash in Kinshasa, Congo, killed at least 14 people, including two senior military officials: Lt. Gen. Mutombo Katalayi Tiende and Lt. Gen. Bakumi Likulia.

At least 14 people, including two senior military officials, were killed in a plane crash in Kinshasa, Congo, the country’s military said, according to the Associated Press.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/at-least-14-including-two-senior-military-officials-killed-in-plane-crash-in-congos-kinshasa-ws-l-10353720.html

India said the international community would recognise Pakistan and its policies for what they are, rejecting what it described as repeated falsehoods being presented at the UN.

India on Saturday strongly responded to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly, accusing Islamabad of promoting terrorism and repeating false claims. India also warned that continued cross-border terrorism would have consequences.

India’s First Secretary at the UN, Petal Gehlot, said Pakistan must stop supporting terrorism and asserted that New Delhi would exercise its right to self-defence if cross-border terrorism continued.

The response came after Sharif raised the Indus Waters Treaty at the UNGA and said any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of waters would be treated as an “act of war”.

‘Pakistan carries out terrorism at night’

Responding to Pakistan’s remarks, Gehlot referred to Osama bin Laden, saying the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks was living near Pakistan’s premier military academy.

“Today, the representative of Pakistan went out of his way to praise that very military,” Gehlot said.

She also questioned Pakistan’s claims on democracy and human rights, saying the country’s government was operating under a security cordon to protect it from its own people.

Gehlot referred to Pakistan’s 27th Constitutional Amendment and the lifetime legal immunity granted to what she described as the country’s “actual ruler”.

She further said Pakistan spoke about security during the day while carrying out terrorism at night.

“The world knows how minorities are treated in Pakistan,” she said, adding that “sweet and deceptive words” could not mislead the international community.

India: J&K ‘integral and inseparable’

On Jammu and Kashmir, Gehlot rejected Pakistan’s references to the region. “Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inseparable part of India and will always remain so,” she said.

Addressing the recent protests in PoK, she added that if Kashmir was to be discussed, Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir should also be brought into the discussion. “Ask the people of Rawalakot about the killings, violence and denial of basic rights they have endured for years,” Gehlot said.

‘Terrorists will have no place to hide’

Gehlot said the central issue remained Pakistan’s “longstanding policy of cross-border terrorism”. “We demonstrated last year that there would be neither a safe haven nor a place to hide for terrorists,” she said.

India, she added, had the right to defend itself against terrorism and would exercise that right.

“If terrorism continues from Pakistan’s side, there will be consequences,” Gehlot said. She also warned that continued terrorism could affect relations that had so far been built on friendship and goodwill.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/pakistans-terrorism-deceit-for-all-to-see-indias-blistering-response-at-un-after-sharifs-indus-treaty-threat-10353734.html

The demonstration was announced amid mounting concerns over Khan’s treatment in prison. The former prime minister has been jailed since 2023 on corruption charges.

Leaders of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have vowed to proceed with a nationwide demonstration demanding the former prime minister’s release, despite a sweeping government crackdown aimed at preventing the march from reaching Islamabad.

Authorities have deployed tens of thousands of police personnel, blocked major highways and issued arrest warrants against PTI leaders as part of efforts to stop the protest.

The demonstration was announced amid mounting concerns over Khan’s treatment in prison. The former prime minister has been jailed since 2023 on corruption charges.

March To Begin On Oct 4

On Friday, PTI leaders announced that the march would now begin on October 4 instead of the originally planned September 27. The party said the one-week delay was intended to increase pressure on the government.

The protest is expected to pose a significant challenge to the military-backed government, according to analysts. The ruling coalition is headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is widely seen as the country’s de facto leader.

PTI has remained a major political force, with Khan continuing to serve as a rallying figure for his supporters despite the government’s efforts to suppress the party.

PTI Leaders Detained, Khan’s Sisters Jailed

The crackdown intensified this week, with dozens of PTI leaders and ministers detained or facing arrest warrants. Khan’s three sisters were also arrested on Monday and remain in jail after being charged with posing a grave threat to security.

Among those facing arrest is Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khan’s home province and a PTI stronghold. Thousands of supporters are expected to travel from the province towards the capital, the Guardian reported.

Afridi said PTI would proceed with the march unless the government agreed to significant concessions concerning Khan’s treatment and jail conditions, including a fair hearing in his cases.

“The government is panicking – that’s why they have put Islamabad under siege, that’s why they are abducting our ministers,” he said. “But Imran Khan is the most popular leader of the country, and people will come out for him. I am certain they won’t be able to stop the public power of the masses when they come out on the streets and take to Islamabad.”

Afridi also admitted that the extensive security arrangements had raised fears of a violent confrontation between authorities and Khan’s supporters attempting to enter Islamabad. Similar clashes have taken place during previous demonstrations.

Highway Shut As Security Tightens

The government has already deployed tens of thousands of security officials across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and closed the main highway linking Peshawar with Islamabad.

“I know they can go to any extent to stop us by brute force; we have no doubt about it,” Afridi said. “But if we have a large number of people, they can’t open fire at us. Our plan is to bring so many people that they surrender.”

Faisal Karim Kundi, the central government-appointed governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, defended the security measures as precautionary. He accused PTI of attempting to create “instability and violence”.

“The state can’t allow any violent group to march on Islamabad,” Kundi said.

The measures have also triggered growing frustration among residents and businesses in Islamabad, where authorities have taken extensive steps to prevent PTI supporters from entering the capital.

More than 1,000 shipping containers have been used to block roads, with some fitted with spikes. Sandbags have also been placed on bridges, while a key highway leading into the capital has been shut.

Public gatherings have been prohibited in Islamabad, and 22,000 police and other security personnel have been deployed across the city.

The shutdown has affected businesses and disrupted supplies. Shahid, a 76-year-old retired businessman, said the restrictions had left residents struggling.

“The entire city is suffering. The government has shut down the whole city and we, as citizens, are helpless. I have never seen such a situation. Joblessness, inflation and insecurity have made our lives hell, but does the government care? No.”

Despite the government and military’s efforts to weaken Khan’s party and keep the former prime minister out of public consciousness, he remains a political alternative for many Pakistanis.

Media organisations have reportedly been instructed not to refer to Khan by name.

The PTI has alleged that Khan is being kept in solitary confinement and denied adequate medical treatment, as well as contact with his family and lawyers for months.

Khan has denied all charges against him and alleged that his imprisonment is politically motivated because of the threat he poses to the government and military. All but one of the court rulings against him have been overturned.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/pakistan-blocks-highways-deploys-22000-security-personnel-as-imran-khans-party-vows-to-march-on-capital-ws-kl-10353719.html

Sharif claimed the Kashmiri people had been waiting for the United Nations to fulfil its commitment to a “free and impartial plebiscite” under its auspices.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif again raised the Kashmir issue while addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, saying that it needs a “just and fair solution”.

Sharif claimed the Kashmiri people had been waiting for the United Nations to fulfil its commitment to a “free and impartial plebiscite” under its auspices.

He alleged that generations of Kashmiris had endured “illegal occupation, arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, sexual violence, and collective punishment”.

“But this requires a just and fair solution to the Kashmir dispute. For eight decades, the Kashmiri people have waited for the United Nations to fulfil its solemn commitment to a free and impartial plebiscite under its auspices. Generations have endured illegal occupation, arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, sexual violence, and collective punishment,” Sharif said.

India’s reply

In India’s right to reply, the first secretary in New Delhi’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Petal Gahlot, accused Pakistan of pursuing a long-standing policy of cross-border terrorism and warned that such acts will have consequences.

“At the heart of the issue is the long-standing practice of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan. We demonstrated last year that terrorists will have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised and continued. Terrorism by Pakistan will have consequences…We are confident that this Assembly will recognise Pakistan and its policies for what they really are, not what its representative mendaciously projects it to be. Reiterating falsehoods year after year does not make them true. Pakistan’s terrorism, deceit and duplicity will neither benefit it nor the world,” Gehlot said.

India has repeatedly rejected Pakistan’s assertions on Kashmir made at the UNGA forum as well as on other UN platforms in the past, saying that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pakistan-un-speech-shehbaz-sharif-india-reaction-kashmir-101790384157679.html

Shehbaz Sharif warned that any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the Indus River waters would be treated as an “act of war”,

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday (local time) credited US President Donald Trump for his “timely intervention” during the four-day military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May 2025, which followed India’s Operation Sindoor, while also warning that any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the Indus River waters would be treated as an “act of war”.

Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Sharif said Trump’s intervention had come at a decisive moment when the two nuclear-armed neighbours were on the brink of a larger conflict.

“His timely intervention came at a decisive juncture when two nuclear-armed neighbors stood at the brink of an all-out war. And, who knows, Mr. President, the extent of devastation that could have taken place had President Trump not stepped in at this critical moment with clarity of thought and action. Mr President, we must therefore ensure that South Asia never reaches that precipice ever again,” Sharif said.

Shehbaz Sharif on Operation Sindoor

New Delhi has consistently maintained that the May 2025 ceasefire between India and Pakistan was reached through direct communication between the two sides, with no role played by any third party.

Sharif also said Pakistan exercised its “inherent right of self-defence” under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter during the confrontation, while praising the country’s armed forces for their response.

“A year ago, Pakistan faced external aggression from India under a false pretext. Pakistan exercised its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter,” he said.

#WATCH | New York | Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif says, “A year ago, Pakistan faced external aggression from India under a false pretext. Pakistan exercised its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Our brave and valiant armed forces, under the courageous leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir, responded with precision and professionalism. They silenced the enemy, repulsed its attack and taught it a lesson it shall never ever forget. Thanks to President Donald Trump’s resolute and visionary leadership, hundreds of millions of lives in South Asia were saved. His timely intervention came at a decisive juncture when two nuclear-armed neighbors stood at the brink of an all-out war. Who knows, Mr. President, the extent of devastation that could have taken place had President Trump not stepped in at this critical moment with clarity of thought and action. Mr. President, we must therefore ensure that South Asia never reaches that precipice ever again. But this requires a just and fair solution of the Kashmir dispute”

(Video Source: United Nations)

— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2026

“Our brave and valiant armed forces, under the courageous leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, responded with precision and professionalism. They silenced the enemy, repulsed its attack and taught it a lesson it shall never, ever forget,” Sharif said.

Sharif on Indus Waters Treaty

Sharif then renewed Pakistan’s warning over the Indus Waters Treaty, criticising India’s decision to hold the 1960 water-sharing agreement in abeyance.

He described the shared waters of the Indus River system as the “lifeblood” not only for Pakistan but for the entire region, and alleged that India’s decision had “no legal basis whatsoever”.

“The shared waters of the Indus River system are the lifeblood not only for the people of Pakistan, but for the entire region. India’s unilateral decision to hold the existing treaty in abeyance has no legal basis whatsoever,” Sharif said.

#WATCH | New York | Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif says, “…Any attempt to stop, impede, or divert Pakistan’s share of the waters will be treated as an act of war. India must make no mistake about it”

(Video Source: United Nations)

— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2026

He further claimed that India’s position and actions regarding the treaty had been rejected by UN experts and the Court of Arbitration.

“In fact, both its claims and actions have been rejected by UN experts and, more recently, by the Court of Arbitration. Our legitimate stand that the treaty remains valid, binding and fully operative has been vindicated beyond any ray of doubt,” he said.

“Water must never be weaponised. Rivers should nourish nations, not divide them. Therefore, any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the waters will be treated as an act of war. India must make no mistake about it,” Sharif added.

The May 2025 military confrontation followed India’s launch of Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed after attackers targeted civilians.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan-un-shehbaz-sharif-speech-donald-trump-operation-sindoor-indus-water-treaty-india-101790384145058.html

 

At least four people were killed and seven injured, including a child, in Russian drone strikes on Ukraine’s Kyiv region, while a McDonald’s logistics warehouse was also hit.

At least four people were killed and seven others injured, including a child, after Russian drone strikes hit Ukraine’s Kyiv region on September 25, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy said Russian drones also struck a warehouse used by McDonald’s. The company’s Ukraine press service confirmed that a logistics partner’s warehouse in the Kyiv region was attacked.

“The most important thing is that no one was injured,” McDonald’s said, adding that its restaurants were continuing to operate as usual. The company said it was assessing the potential impact of the attack on its operations.

As of now, four people have already been reported killed as a result of a Russian drone strike on an office building in Kyiv. My condolences to their families and loved ones… Seven more people were injured, including a child. I thank all of our emergency services, which always respond quickly to help people after Russian attacks.

There were also drone strikes today on a warehouse used by McDonald’s. An attack drone – against ordinary food products… The Russians are constantly expanding their escalation operation: American and other businesses, data centers, internet providers – for Russia, ordinary life in and of itself is simply a target. All of this undermines people’s ability to stay connected, study, and work.

It is important that the world responds to all of this and that Russia feels the response to its terror. Our long-range capabilities and the world’s sanctions must work in concert toward exactly that – concrete consequences for Russia.

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 25, 2026

 

TikTok and its parent company ByteDance will pay the US state of Alabama $100m (£754.5m) and make a series of changes to restrict children’s usage in the state as part of a lawsuit settlement.

The deal was reached just before a jury trial was set to begin on Monday. It ends a lawsuit alleging TikTok is intentionally designed to addict children to its features, mirroring a host of lawsuits against social media platforms.

The company is now required to install a number of new safety features, including a two-hour daily usage limit for children as well as overnight and school-hour restrictions.

The changes will only apply in Alabama. It marks the platform’s first settlement with a US state.

“We’re very pleased,” said Katherine Robertson, chief counsel in the Alabama Attorney General’s office in an interview with the BBC.

She added that the state had been engaged in mediation with TikTok in the run-up to trial and that the deal they have now reached was the state’s final offer.

“This is very restrictive injunctive relief that’s going to require them to change a lot of the policies that we had identified as the culprits in what we call the war on childhood,” Robertson said.

The new time limits and usage blocks are due to take effect immediately.

However, TikTok has up to a year to implement other changes included as part of the settlement, such as the establishment of age verification measures.

Many of the measures follow a framework established by an August settlement struck between social media rival Meta and 52 state Attorneys General.

TikTok has agreed to pay up to $300m to Alabama if conditions of the new settlement are not met. The $100m payment is due to the state within 45 days.

Other safety features demanded as part of the deal include a host of measures to allow parents to heavily moderate usage by their children, along with restrictions on some content, and new ways to verify the age of young users.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmgjqq54dlx0o

 

Current and former FBI agents have spoken to BBC News of their shock, fear and anger following a hack that appears to have exposed the private and personal information of the agency’s entire workforce.

“This is really bad for our undercover agents,” says one former FBI agent, who fears for the safety of his colleagues.

The former cyber investigator is in a group chat with current agents who are worried their personal information could soon be freely available online to criminals and hostile nation-state hackers.

He says staff fear they could be targeted, or that criminals could use the data to create highly convincing phishing attempts, scams or demands for bribes.

The hacking group ShinyHunters is threatening to publish the stolen databases and documents within four days unless its demands are met.

Some agents are also concerned about the risk of physical attacks from cyber criminals they have investigated.

“One of the things we are discussing in the group chat is ‘violence-as-a-service’ attacks from young online gangs,” says the former worker.

“They could use this information to harass an FBI agent who has worked on their cases.”

Personal concerns

Groups similar to ShinyHunters – believed to be an English-speaking gang – have in the past been linked to swatting incidents, and even petrol bomb attacks against law enforcement officers and rivals.

The group claims it breached FBI systems on Monday and later posted details of the attack on its darknet site.

The FBI has not responded to requests for comment.

However, on Wednesday the agency acknowledged the breach – saying it was “aggressively investigating” how it occurred.

For Michael McPherson, a former FBI agent who is now senior vice president of security operations at cyber firm ReliaQuest, the hack presents “a security threat which cuts to the core of agent safety, particularly their families”.

He says agents understand the “inherent risks” that come with the job.

“But this incident reportedly includes personal data such as home addresses and contact information, which could expose family members who are normally insulated from the threats associated with such a career,” McPherson says.

ShinyHunters shared samples of the alleged stolen data with reporters, along with an extortion demand.

The samples appear genuine and include names, addresses, phone numbers, badge numbers, job titles and information about spouses.

The records appear to relate to thousands of agents, including senior officials such as deputy directors.

The criminals also appear to possess highly sensitive medical information relating to thousands of special agents.

BBC News has seen samples of stolen “fitness-for-work” medical examinations containing information such as blood and urine test results, along with doctors’ notes mentioning conditions including a “shellfish and banana allergy”.

Agents’ full names and addresses, as well as references to medical issues including “blood in the urine” and “high cholesterol” are now in the criminals’ hands.

Cynthia Kaiser, who was the Deputy Director of Cyber at the FBI and now leads the Research Centre at Halcyon says ShinyHunters appear to already have lost control of some of the data which is circulating in various online groups of cyber researchers and could lead to harm even before the main tranche is published.

“A lot of the damage may already be done, and as we have seen in past FBI data breaches, that information continues to circulate the dark web years later,” she said.

There are also concerns about the breach’s national security implications, such as staff becoming targets for recruitment efforts by hostile foreign intelligence services.

Fallout fears

Alongside fear, many of those who spoke to the BBC expressed anger at the FBI for allowing the data to be stolen.

The hack is particularly embarrassing from a technical perspective because ShinyHunters is not generally regarded as a highly sophisticated hacking group.

One former cyber agent said FBI staff were furious about the “sloppy and lazy security failures” that allegedly enabled the breach.

There is also confusion about how to handle any fallout if data is published next week, as threatened.

The FBI appears unlikely to comply with the extortion demands, and the hackers have indicated they intend to post the information on their darknet site.

Unusually, the group is not demanding money. Instead, it wants the FBI to retract an advisory published in May, which it claims “offended” them.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm4gjjlgzdjgo

OpenAI has acknowledged that it alerted “dozens” of global institutions that their websites may have been meddled with by its AI bots acting improperly.

AI agents attempted to get information from “governments, universities, public agencies, and other institutions”, including the SEC, Census Bureau and Education Department, the company said.

The disclosures come just days after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that OpenAI agents had breached non-public files on the website of its government-run health care scheme, Medicare.

Since August, public fears have grown around the potentially serious, even life-threatening, impacts of AI tools falling outside of human control.

OpenAI said that some of the data was accessed by AI agents, essentially bots that are designed and trained to operate somewhat autonomously, which were working to find “authoritative sources of public information”.

But the company noted that some of the bots went beyond that and worked to bypass security measures on websites.

When attempting to get information from the Census Bureau, for instance, AI agents used tools reserved for software developers to access it, the company said.

OpenAI said all of the government data accessed by bots was public.

However, it noted that information that its bots accessed from the SEC, which regulates the US stock market and protects investors, was later published by AI agents on another website. OpenAI says this action was not intended.

In other instances that OpenAI disclosed on Friday, its AI agents transferred data when it should not have.

Such activity resulted in at least 53 incidents where an OpenAI agent took an image from ChatGPT user activity and transferred it elsewhere.

The company said that in each instance of a user image being used and transferred by an AI agent, the user had opted in to allow OpenAI to train models using their data.

Nevertheless, OpenAI admitted: “This is not an appropriate use of this data”.

It added that the leak of user images occurred before it had put in place new safeguards on AI training, and it was working to get all the user images transferred to any third-party removed.

Reuters first reported the expanded investigations. OpenAI also published details to its public blog.

In certain instances of the agent activity, OpenAI said the tools “bypassed” security controls of some websites.

In other instances, the AI agents showed “misalignment” in attempts to get at information from websites. Misalignment is a term used by AI companies and researchers to describe instances where an AI tool did something that it was not trained to do or was otherwise unintended.

OpenAI said that it was limiting identifying what entities were impacted because many had asked the company to not disclose details.

“Our goal is to give each organization the facts and defer to them on if and when to make the incident public,” it said.

Not all of the instances involved in this incident were being considered a significant security breach, the company noted.

“Some organizations may review what we share and conclude that the information was intentionally public or that the model’s interaction was not concerning,” it explained. “Others may identify a design issue or security weakness they want to address.”

The company said many of the incidents are being referred to as “agent spam”, which it described as “unexpected or concerning” AI agent activity, like posting information to the internet.

OpenAI began taking such incidents more seriously after an incident in July where a group, or “swarm,” of its AI agents hacked the AI developer platform Hugging Face without being prompted to do so.

Hugging Face was first to go public with the incident, with OpenAI publicly taking responsibility for it later.

Clement Delangue, the head of Hugging Face, said Wednesday during a United Nations Security Council session on AI: “I often wonder what would have happened had I decided not to disclose this attack publicly.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw62jje658dlo

 

VLADIMIR Putin has clung onto power in a sham election that experts warn has offered the bloodthirsty tyrant a mandate for all-out war.

With opposition silenced, an emboldened Putin will now begin his full-scale mobilisation to unleash a new wave of terror across Ukraine and its allies.

Prominent Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky told The Sun: “Putin plans to use the falsified results of the vote as carte blanche for any actions in the war against Ukraine.”

It was the first parliamentary election to take place since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine able to vote.

But they could not vote against the war, and neither could residents of Russian-occupied Crimea, which Mad Vlad annexed in 2014.

Russians were given the choice between Putin’s party, United Russia, and nine others – all of which supported the war.

Yabloko, the only mildly anti-war party, was allowed to participate but was quickly removed from the election after it began rapidly gaining
support in the polls.

Khodorkovsky, an exiled Russian businessman who spent 10 years in a Siberian prison after clashes with Putin, has emerged as a leading figure in opposition circles operating outside of Russia.

He said: “Putin interprets the results as evidence that the majority of the population supports his rule and the continuation of the war.

“He needs to take a number of unpopular measures at home — mobilising both the population and the economy — and he will now use the result of the vote as a mandate from the public to take these steps.”

Putin’s generals have reportedly asked for an additional 800,000 troops following the elections.

It comes amid reports the desperate tyrant is plotting the worst winter blitz yet in a brutal bid for victory.

As Russia gears up for a fresh offensive to break the front-line deadlock, Putin is desperately trying to thwart European support for Ukraine.

Moscow has ramped up pressure on Nato states in recent months, with Western officials accusing the Kremlin of reckless drone incursions and sabotage.

In one of the starkest warnings yet, Danish intelligence said Russia could launch a military attack against a Nato state in just months.

The service said Russia could launch long-range strikes on Nato infrastructure or carry out an incursion into a neighbouring country, in a report published Thursday.

It came hours after a fire at a Starlink satellite station in central Poland that local authorities described as an “act of sabotage”.

Weeks earlier, Nato jets scrambled to shoot down a drone in Lithuania, a Russian frigate fired flares at a Danish defence helicopter and a suspected Russian drone washed up on a Polish beach in a triple overnight threat.

And in August, Germany publicly blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport.

Khodorkovsky said: “Regardless of the election results, Putin’s hybrid war against the West is a new reality that will continue for as long as Putin remains in power.”

This will take different forms from paramilitary provocations to sabotage, subversion, election interference and cyber attacks, he added.

Khodorkovsky said: “There is no longer any doubt that the regime plans to expand its use of terrorist methods and contract political killings.”

The Danish services said Russia could seek to test Nato’s article 5, which commits members to collective defence.

It comes amid fears that the alliances most powerful member, the US, would not support Europe in the event of a Russian attack.

Professor Dr Ulrich Schlie, the director of the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) said the West must be prepared to counter the Russian threat.

He told The Sun: “We have seen hybrid warfare in Germany to the surprise of some of my compatriots, most recently in Leipzig and elsewhere.

“And we will see more of the same from the Russian army in the years to come.

“Putin’s course has been set. He’s been waging a shadow war against NATO and the UK for decades.

“We have to be prepared.”

Despite Putin’s election steal, the reality of his leadership is fuelling rising anxiety at home and cracks are beginning to emerge within the Kremlin.

Ukraine’s latest long-range strike campaign has reached Moscow – including the biggest wave ever launched against the capital as voting took place.

Kyiv has spent the summer blitzing oil depots with state-of-the-art drones, before shifting its crosshairs to a series of strikes that have crippled Russia’s largest e-commerce platform.

The attacks have tanked Russia’s already reeling economy – wiping out businesses, suffocating trade and sparking nationwide fuel shortages.

Khodorkovsky said: “Putin has very serious economic problems.

“They are not so severe that people will run out of food tomorrow, but they are serious enough to forget about economic growth and
technological progress.

“Russian society has begun to feel that Russia is at war and that its citizens are living in a country at war. Dissatisfaction with the authorities is growing.

“This does not mean that Russian society will rise up tomorrow, overthrow Putin and end the war. But Putin’s situation is becoming more difficult.”

Russia has suffered 1.4 million casualties including 500,000 deaths since invading Ukraine in 2022.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17058471/putin-rigged-election-unleash-hell-nato/

Usually when divorce battles end, the exes leave the courtroom to lick their wounds and see what’s left in their bank account.

But for Silvio Scaglia, the end of the wrangling over what belongs to him and what belongs to now-ex wife Julia Haart is far from the end of his legal woes — after a judge demanded he be jailed for actions he took during the divorce proceedings.

Last week, we reported that the Italian businessman and his former wife and business partner had ended their four-year $90 million dollar split, with Haart walking away with Elite, the famed modeling agency they ran together during their brief marriage.

Now, according to court papers obtained by Page Six, New York judge Jeffrey Pearlman has issued a no-bail bench warrant for Scaglia’s arrest, demanding he be immediately jailed for 14 days.

Court documents claim that Scaglia broke a law that says spouses aren’t allowed to move shared assets once a divorce has officially begun by transferring the firm — which represents Kendall Jenner, Adriana Lima and more — without Haart’s permission.

The judge said in the papers Scaglia had “siphon[ed]” the onetime couple’s assets as well. As we previously reported, Pearlman had found that the businessman had bought Bentleys, Porsches and Van Cleef & Arpels jewels with company funds.

And Pearlman still wants Scaglia to face the music for ignoring various court orders during the hearings. (Page Six reported in 2024 that the court ordered him to be jailed for ignoring a court order to pay Haart $300,000).

The businessman appears to be living in his native Italy, and has yet to submit to US authorities for any of the alleged crimes.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/09/25/society/julia-haarts-ex-husband-facing-criminal-charges-jail-over-alleged-actions-during-brutal-divorce/

President Trump was trying to “connect” with Xi Jinping, rather than “dominate” him, at the White House state dinner for the Chinese leader, according to a body language expert.

Sean Johns, who has 20 years of experience analyzing nonverbal communication and is the founder of the body language training company BodyLytics, told The Post that from Trump’s initial handshake with Xi and through the toast, the president appeared to be trying his best to make his Chinese counterpart feel welcomed and respected during the high-stakes visit.

Johns noticed the president “closed the distance” and “came towards” Xi during the arrival ceremony on the North Portico, which he found “not typical for Donald Trump.”

“Closing the distance between people is trying to kind of like connect. In a strange way, you’re connecting. So you’re closing that gap,” he explained.

“What we’re looking at with this handshake is what was not there,” Johns said. “Because Donald Trump is known for the aggressive handshake. He shakes for too long. He kind of grabs you by the arm often.

“And with President Xi, he didn’t do that.”

Trump’s approach to the handshake was “more of a sign of respect,” according to the body language expert.

“I think that he wasn’t trying to dominate, which he usually does,” Johns said, noting that Trump typically overdoes it with handshakes and aggressive pats on the back “depending on who he’s dealing with.”

“This showed that there was a lot of respect for [Xi]. And it was a very two-sided thing,” he continued, adding that both leaders “looked quite comfortable around each other … and there was no dominance play from either side.”

Johns pointed out that at the end of the handshake Trump forced “a little false smile,” which he would later deploy again during his toast for Xi.

At several points in his toast, Trump displayed what Johns described as “incongruence” between his remarks and body language.

“He emphasized that ‘We’re delighted to have you here,’ but there was no body language delight … the words were positive, but the body language was neutral,” the expert noted. “And he did this twice.”

“When he said, ‘We’re happily celebrating,’ It didn’t look like he was happy celebrating, it just looked like protocol.”

Another moment that stood out to Johns during Trump’s speech was when the president went off-script to invite guests to tour the new White House ballroom, which is still under construction.

“That’s the first time where you see a genuine smile,” Johns said, “and he almost came across like a naughty schoolboy.”

When discussing the ballroom, Trump became more expressive and aggressive than at any other point in his remarks or interactions with Xi.

“He makes his first hand gesture, bearing in mind that his hands have been down the whole time,” Johns observed.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/us-news/trump-wasnt-trying-to-dominate-at-state-dinner-with-xi-body-language-expert/

 

President Trump on Friday ordered the cancellation of $810 million in congressionally appropriated funding, including large sums meant for illegal immigrants and race-focused programs, in the second “pocket” rescission in 49 years, The Post has learned.

The action eliminates 11 pools of unspent money at seven federal departments and agencies as part of a drive by fiscal hawks to whittle down executive-branch expenses.

“In accordance with… the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, I herewith report 11 rescissions of budget authority, totaling $810 million,” Trump wrote in a notice to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

“The proposed rescissions affect programs of the Departments of Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, and Justice, as well as for International Assistance Programs.”

A pocket rescission is a proposed cancelation of congressionally mandated spending that occurs so late in the federal fiscal year that it takes effect regardless of legislative pushback. It is legally controversial because Congress otherwise has 45 days to consider the action.

With just five days before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, the White House Office of Management and Budget identified areas where funds arguably are no longer needed or contrary to Trump’s policies.

The largest pot — $567 million appropriated for HHS to provide social services to illegal immigrants, including through grants to non-government organizations — was deemed to be no longer necessary because of the near-elimination of illegal border crossings in the past year.

Some of the organizations that had received funds through the program drew controversy over their political connections to Democrats and their alleged tolerance of child abuse.

The next-largest sum being eliminated, $70 million, was allocated to fellowships and grants for foreign academics and students in the US. Some of that funding drew conservative qualms when it was discovered to be flowing to transgender-focused projects.

Another $56 million is being yanked from a Department of Housing and Urban Development program for outside organizations that provide housing counseling, which instead allegedly fueled “DEI-centric” agendas of Democrat-linked racial advocacy groups such as UnidosUS and the National Urban League.

A sum of $28 million is being withdrawn from HHS grants deemed “wasteful, duplicative, and sometimes outright harmful and blatantly ideological.” The precise grants that are impacted are unclear.

A further $25 million is being yanked from a Department of Education migrant students initiative, which funded organizations that allegedly encouraged participants to avoid law enforcement.

The rescissions yank $15 million apiece from the Justice Department’s Community Relations Services, an all-but-shuttered office focused on race relations, and from a DHS program that subsidized cultural orientation, healthcare and legal advice for illegal immigrants and asylum seekers.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/us-news/trump-cancels-nearly-1b-in-funding-for-illegal-immigrants-and-race-focused-programs-in-new-pocket-rescission/

 

The Italian government has enacted measures to limit the number of students with inadequate Italian language skills in classrooms and ban face-covering Islamic veils in schools.

The Italian government passed an order on Thursday (September 24) to restrict the number of students in each school classroom with limited Italian language skills and to outlaw face-covering Islamic veils (burqas and niqabs) in schools. As reported by PTI, Premier Giorgia Meloni’s conservative government said the package aims to strengthen integration through language learning and has received backing from right-wing allies.

While opponents, including educators, unions and opposition parties, have cautioned that students could resort to enrolling in schools far from their neighbourhoods owing to the latest provisions, critics blamed the government for turning immigration into a political matter.

With elections around the bend, expected as early as next spring, analysts have said the recent steps allow her to reestablish her standing on issues important to her conservative base, although the impact is likely to be limited and questions pertaining to how the new rules would be implemented remain to be addressed.

Trump’s criticisms of these networks continued, asserting their absence from the significant event damaged their credibility

CNN and MS NOW journalists were denied access to cover Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival for the state dinner at the White House on Thursday, despite a federal judge having ordered the restoration of the outlets’ access.

A CNN reporter and producer were stopped by a White House press official and told to “talk to” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung. The incident came after the White House had asked CNN to provide the names of journalists who would cover Xi’s arrival.

CNN submitted a team consisting of a reporter, producer and camera crew, as it normally does for White House events. But about an hour before Xi’s scheduled arrival, the White House told CNN it could cover the event only with a photojournalist and an audio technician. The network’s reporter and producer were excluded.

The White House has not resumed the regular television press pool, which supplies video footage of presidential events to the major US networks.

The networks have said they will not restart the pool until CNN is allowed to participate again.

As Sharif arrived at the UN headquarters, news agency ANI confronted him with a direct question, “Prime Minister, when will you stop harbouring terrorists?”

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday declined to respond to questions about Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and allegations that Pakistan harbours terrorists, during his visit to the United Nations headquarters for the 81st UN General Assembly.

As Sharif arrived at the UN headquarters, news agency ANI confronted him with a direct question, “Prime Minister, when will you stop harbouring terrorists?” The Pakistani premier did not respond and continued into the UN premises.

#WATCH | New York, US: “When will you prosecute Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed?” ANI questions Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif again as he leaves the UN headquarters. Pakistani PM refuses to answer. https://t.co/hqzw9w3lDM

— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2026

Sharif faced another question on Saeed while leaving the UN headquarters later in the day. Asked, “When will you prosecute Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed?”, he again chose not to answer.

Who Is Hafiz Saeed?

Saeed, a Pakistan-based founder of the proscribed LeT, is designated as a terrorist under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. He is also wanted as an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also named Saeed as Accused No. 8 in its supplementary chargesheet in the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack case. The agency has alleged that Pakistan-based operatives of the banned LeT were involved in the conspiracy behind the attack.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/when-will-you-prosecute-hafiz-saeed-pakistan-pm-silent-as-indian-reporter-questions-him-on-let-chief-at-un-ws-l-10351743.html

 

Adolf Hitler ordered the deaths of millions, but the only person the dictator may have killed with his own hands could have been his niece he was rumored to be having an affair with, according to newly unearthed clues.

Hitler’s 23-year-old niece Angela “Geli” Raubal was found shot dead inside his Munich apartment on September 19, 1931. Hitler’s own gun was found at the scene, but the death was deemed a suicide as the future dictator was in Nuremberg at the time.

But that alibi may be bogus, one scholar claims.

German historian Harald Sandner told The Telegraph he uncovered a “crushing mass” of evidence that the body was actually discovered on Sept. 18 — when Hitler was still in town.

Sandner uncovered official records that listed Raubal’s body as having been found 24 hours earlier than previously thought.

“Since the body was already indisputably in the flat at that point, the actual time of death must logically have been much earlier – either in the early hours of Sept. 18 or even as early as the night before,” Sandner told the outlet.

Hitler reportedly had the motive and means.

The dictator’s own gun was found near her body, and the pair reportedly had a nasty argument when they were last together.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/us-news/hitler-may-have-murdered-his-23-year-old-niece-new-evidence-suggests/

It is a given that many media and political descriptions of Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the United Nations will call it fiery and defiant.

And so it was — and so it had to be.

Both the content and the sometimes-harsh tone were essential if he was to capture the moment and the point of his appearance.

Once again and always, Israel is in a fight for its existence, and finds itself being abandoned by former allies in Europe and increasingly isolated on the world stage.

Given those circumstances, nobody of sane and fair mind could seriously expect the Jewish state’s leader to come to a hostile United Nations bearing a bouquet of olive branches.

Not to mention the fact that New York is now led by a mayor who is hostile to him personally and to Israel’s existence as the Jewish homeland.

Had he delivered a subservient and apologetic tone on either front, Netanyahu would have been deserving of a serious head-shrinking examination.

Skills on full display

And he would have faced hostile crowds when he returned home to Tel Aviv, as well as almost certain defeat in next month’s elections.

And so the timing of the address dictated that it inevitably would be a plea to Israeli voters as well as a forceful message of defiance to the nations of the world — and Mayor Mamdani.

My view is that Netanyahu achieved a smashing success on all fronts.

Not that he necessarily changed a single mind anywhere, but that he made the best possible case for himself and his tiny and beleaguered country.

As for the huge number of delegates who noisily walked out as Netanyahu took the podium, he called them “moral cowards.”

True that, but they are also fools, for they missed a master class in how to simultaneously fight for your political future and your country.

There are good reasons why Netanyahu has been prime minister for more years than any of Israel’s previous leaders.

He’s a skilled tactician and has earned the gravitas that his long list of failed opponents have never been able to match.

He’s also a brilliant speaker — no teleprompter needed Thursday — and has a clear-eyed view of his nation’s place in the world and its strengths and weaknesses.

His theme, the very heart of the address, was that Israel must win every war it faces “because we have no other choice.”

Defeat would mean total destruction and even elimination, the goal of Israel’s enemies now and throughout human history.

He came to that survival of the fittest theme with a tender story about his late brother, Yonatan.

The prime minister said his brother used those exact words during the Six-Day War in 1967 and echoed them when they met not long before Yonatan was killed in 1976 while heroically leading the rescue of more than 100 Israeli hostages whose plane had been hijacked by terrorists and sat on the ground in the airport in Entebbe, Uganda.

From there, he cited Israel’s military prowess going back to earlier wars for its modern creation and against Arab neighbors, and its current role in fighting alongside the United States against a despotic Iran.

From his unique vantage point, it is a long “battle against barbarians.”

He also directly took on the false claims that Israel was guilty of committing “genocide” in Gaza and declared that the Israel Defense Forces are “the most moral army in the world.”

Its opponents, he said, hate Israel and hate America.

Saluted Trump

That is not to say that all criticism of him and the Jewish nation qualify as antisemitic, but there is no better example of his point than Iran’s long game of conquest.

Ever since the Islamic revolution nearly 50 years ago, the mad mullahs and their thuggish agents and brutal armies have called Israel the “Little Satan” and America the “Great Satan” — and vowed to eliminate both.

They have oppressed and slaughtered their own people, with tens of thousands executed and even tortured for daring to protest the government’s inept handling of the economy and even delivering the basics, such as electricity and clean drinking water.

Donald Trump is the first American president to treat the Iranian brutality at home and threats abroad with the seriousness they deserve, especially since Iran embarked on its quest for nuclear weapons decades ago.

Netanyahu saluted Trump for their partnership in the effort, even though Trump has lately been putting some distance between them as the president fights for his own standing and his Republican Party in the November midterms.

The irony is that both men face political peril in part because of their alliance against Iran and its brutal proxies, and that peril explains Netanyahu’s defiant speech.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/opinion/michael-goodwin-netanyahu-entered-a-hostile-environment-and-met-the-moment-with-a-speech-that-can-only-be-called-a-success/

Russia could potentially send ground troops and weapons to conduct a limited attack on a NATO country within the coming months, Denmark’s intelligence agency warned on Thursday.

The Danish Defense Intelligence Service issued the bluntest warning from a NATO ally yet about a “low but growing risk” that Russia could deploy a small number of troops into a neighboring country or fire long-range weapons on infrastructure that supports Ukraine.

“A limited military attack would be a ‌desperate ⁠move on Russia’s part and, like the intensified hybrid attacks, could potentially take place in the coming months,” the spy agency, called the FE, warned.

FE chief Thomas ​Ahrenkiel said Moscow could try to use the excuse of protecting Russian minorities in other countries as a reason to deploy its troops, who may operate without wearing the Kremlin’s insignia.

It used similar tactics in Russian-special parts of Ukraine in the years before launching the 2022 all-out invasion.

Moscow could even try to mastermind a false-flag operation that would see its soldiers use Ukrainian-made drones to attack a NATO member.

“The aim ​is not to take over the country, but to divide NATO,” ​Ahrenkiel said.

Along with direct military operations, the FE warned that Russia is likely to intensify its hybrid war against the West.

Moscow has already been accused of cutting critical undersea cables in Europe and an attempted drone attack on Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport, prompting European ⁠Union members to call for new sanctions against Russia.

The Danish intelligence said that the coming Russian hybrid attacks would result in “greater consequences for the countries targeted than in the ​past.”

The hybrid attacks could also go beyond just targeting infrastructure and “carry a high risk of casualties,” the the FE warned.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/world-news/russia-preparing-a-limited-strike-on-nato-to-disrupt-ukraine-support-intel-report-claims/

FLORIDA police were called to help find Milania Giudice after she ran away from her family at the airport.

The 20-year-old daughter of Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice suddenly took off at Tampa International Airport on Wednesday, law enforcement sources exclusively told The U.S. Sun.

The source said cops were called after “multiple females said they needed police ASAP” around 2:20 pm.

The insider said Tampa-based college student Milania had run away from her group, which included mom Teresa, older sister Gia, and a counselor.

Milania was described to police as a “20-year-old white female, wearing a tan hat [and] yellow sweatsuit, with brown hair.”

She was also said to be traveling with a “cat in a pink animal carrier.”

Police were told Milania had been “just released from the hospital.”

According to a police report, eight officers responded to the frantic call, and Teresa had been last to have had eyes on Milania.

Thankfully, Milania was located about 12 minutes after police were called.

The issue was ultimately resolved, and the group got on a flight together, the source said.

No arrests were made.

Milania initially sparked concern by posting and then quickly deleting a disturbing Instagram video on Wednesday afternoon.

In the video, Teresa and Gia walk around an airport with multiple police officers surrounding them.

“This is what we do now!” a woman believed to be Milania screams over and over again in the clip.

“I love you,” a concerned Teresa answers. “I love you.”

“Let her do what she wants,” a worried Gia responds.

“Shut the f**k up!” Milania screams, before the video cuts out.

Neither Milania, Gia nor Teresa have spoken out about the incident.

Milania has had a very difficult year.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tv/17052531/milania-giudice-police-called-airport-hospital-run-away/

Australia made a dramatic revelation on Wednesday during the United Nations General Assembly.

Rogue AI agents had hacked one of its government bodies – the first known incident of its kind in the world. Private data, but not sensitive information, was taken from Medicare, Australia’s universal healthcare scheme.

The breach happened in June, but OpenAI says it only became aware of it in August – and then took until 10 September to alert Australia’s government, by sending an email to an address used by researchers and academics to alert authorities to concerns of vulnerabilities.

While worrying, the timing of the incident is somewhat of a gift for Australia.

A middle power that doesn’t usually get as much of a platform as its influential allies, the country wants to be seen as punching above its weight on one of the most defining issues of our time – big tech regulation.

In the past year alone, it has implemented the world’s strictest social media ban, announced what it says are the world’s strongest algorithm controls, floated the possibility of “world-leading” limits on smart glasses, and is now the first government to confront AI firms over a rogue attack on its data.

It’s entirely possible other governments have been the victim of rogue AI agents.

Former Australian government cybersecurity adviser Alastair MacGibbon told the BBC he’d heard whispers that several others have been notified of similar recent breaches by OpenAI agents.

“Some have chosen to not be public – that’s every government’s choice on how it wants to handle these things,” the CyberCX chief strategy officer said. “The [Australian] government chose a time to release this to gain maximum publicity which is their wont to do.”

Revealing a data breach can of course be a risky strategy for governments – it leaves them vulnerable to criticism that their security systems aren’t up to scratch. But the fact that no sensitive information was leaked put Australia in a stronger position to use the incident.

“Nobody has died,” says the University of Queensland’s associate professor Michael Noetel, who studies AI risks. “This is another canary in the coal mine. This sort of loss-of-control incident, even though it’s minor now, is what CEOs are worried about getting worse over time.”

Though Australia has made a name for itself by taking a stand against social media companies, taking up the AI mantle now is another way for Australia to rein in big tech, says Tama Leaver, professor of internet studies at Curtin University in Perth.

“It’s impossible to say for sure, but it seems incredibly likely that this was very carefully planned.”

The fact that leaders were all together in New York this week has probably helped.

Albanese says he had a “frank” discussion with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to express Australia’s “extreme concern” about what happened. Altman acknowledged “issues with protocols” at OpenAI, he said.

The Australian leader also posed with Donald Trump for a selfie – and the two may have had face-to-face talks. But Australia risks the ire of the US president, who wants to encourage AI, “not rein it in”, and even rename it “super intelligence”.

Earlier this week, Albanese had to deflect criticism from the Trump administration over his government’s proposal to give users the ability to opt out of social media algorithms. The US said it amounted to “censorship of protected speech”.

Back home, Australia’s very own eSafety commission is currently arming itself with lawyers, preparing to take on social media platforms objecting to its social media law for under 16s.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr3eqk15ld14o

FBI data allegedly stolen by the hacking group ShinyHunters carries granular detail about scores of bureau officials’ ​job assignments, including sensitive work against Chinese spies, Russian intelligence, drug cartels, and more, Reuters has found.
The 5,000-line spreadsheet – said by the hackers to represent only a small piece of ‌their claimed two- to three-terabyte trove – includes names, addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, and emergency contact details for what they claimed were thousands of FBI employees. It also includes details of assignments to specific field offices and, in some cases, to units engaged in high-stakes intelligence, security, or counterespionage work.

In a statement, the FBI said it was aware of “a cyber-criminal enterprise group claiming a compromise of the FBIJobs.gov portal and alleged impact to FBI employee personally identifiable information.” The bureau ​said the cause of the breach was still undetermined, but that it was “actively and aggressively investigating the matter.”
The hackers said on Tuesday that they had breached the FBI, stealing data on a ​large number of current and former FBI employees. ShinyHunters said it is holding the data hostage until the bureau rescinds an unflattering statement, opens new tab about the group issued ⁠in May.
Former FBI counterintelligence operative Eric O’Neill said the data allegedly stolen by ShinyHunters was “a foreign intelligence service goldmine.”

“China would be incredibly interested to know the individuals who are working against it,” said O’Neill, who founded ​the cybersecurity company Nexasure AI after his stint at the bureau. He predicted that other hostile intelligence services would be eager to get their hands on the data, along with disgruntled extremists in the United States.
“If I ​were on that list I would be very concerned,” he said.
ShinyHunters said in a statement Wednesday that it was trying to keep the personnel information from circulating widely in the meantime.
“If the 5,000 sample data records leak, it’s not because of us,” the group said.
Although Reuters has not been able to authenticate the entire spreadsheet, it has been able to individually verify the details of more than 22 people by cross-referencing information in the hacked data with credit records and previous data leaks ​carried by the dark web intelligence platform District 4 Labs.

COUNTERTERRORISM, COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND SURVEILLANCE
Some of the assignment details in the ShinyHunters’ data are indistinguishable from what employees themselves might say publicly, noting agents at field offices in ​Baltimore or Newark, New Jersey, for example.
But in some cases, the data referred to FBI units or initiatives that were sensitive or whose existence has not previously been disclosed.
The data names 14 staffers focused on China-related matters, including members ‌of the “China criminal ⁠enterprise unit,” the “China tech transfer analysis unit,” and the “China intelligence section.”
Nine others are listed as serving in Russia-related roles, including two in the “Russia Operations Section” and one working on “Russia Critical Infra and Tech Threat.” Three people are listed as working in Iran- or Hezbollah-focused intelligence roles.

Eighteen others are listed as working with “data intercept” or “telecom intercept” technologies, or in the FBI’s “clandestine technical operations” unit, or its “covert access section,” or in video, audio, or electronic surveillance roles.
A further 11 FBI staffers are listed as working in HUMINT, or human intelligence, jobs, including several listed as working in the “Humint program management section.”
Trevor Hilligoss, a former Army investigator who worked with the FBI, said ​the information tying specific named people to human intelligence ​work was particularly troubling.
“You don’t have to look ⁠far to find examples of undercover agents being harmed when their cover is blown,” he said.
Hilligoss, now the chief intelligence officer for cybersecurity company SpyCloud, said his concerns were heightened by the inclusion of emergency contacts – often spouses or children – “who may have less operational security knowledge than their relative that works in a sensitive ​field.”
Reuters could not verify that all the job assignments were authentic or up-to-date, but it was able to match the career details or titles of eight ​people whose data was leaked ⁠to information in court filings, news articles, or public profiles on LinkedIn or to online posts on sites such as Instagram.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/hacked-fbi-data-has-sensitive-information-about-employees-intelligence-roles-2026-09-23/