Amazon to launch Ring ‘neighbourhood watch’ app in UK amid US privacy fears

• The U.S. Army Rangers suffered 18 deaths during the "Black Hawk Down" incident in Mogadishu on October 3–4, 1993. • Images of soldiers' bodies being dragged through the streets led the Clinton administration to withdraw forces within months.

• The Pentagon's official watchdog released the first formal accounting of U.S. equipment and facility losses resulting from the war with Iran. • The report details extensive damage to American military bases and diplomatic facilities located across eight different countries in the Middle East.

• UN agencies provided updates on several global crises during a press briefing in Geneva on September 15, 2026. • The briefing covered Ebola updates from WHO and OCHA, school conditions for children in Ukraine via UNICEF, and the recovery of human remains in Gaza by OHCHR.

Ministers given emergency briefing about changes to algorithm decisions just three days before tool rolloutGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSenior department of health officials were in turmoil before the rollout of an algorithm to determine funding packages for older Australians, after discovering legislation had been drafted so rigidly that the tool could not legally be overridden by aged care assessors.Emails published under freedom of information (FoI) by the department of health, disability and ageing show that, despite assessors long receiving reassurance from the department that they would have powers to change incorrect algorithm decisions, officials realised at the 11th hour this would violate proposed regulations. Continue reading...

Safety crisis makes it more likely that governments will be spurred into action, says Yoshua BengioConcerns over AI safety are reaching a point where governments realise they must act to protect the public, similarly to in the Covid pandemic, according to one of the “godfathers” of the technology.Yoshua Bengio said recent events, including a “swarm” of OpenAI agents hacking a startup and tech insider warnings of an existential threat, were cutting through – making government action more likely. Continue reading...

Guardian Australia analysis adds to concerns over the federal scheme, which is to be the subject of a Senate inquiryFederal Labor seats have received over 90% of funds already awarded in the first five months of a controversial multi-million dollar grants program, adding to concerns over the scheme’s selection process.The $568m community grants scheme will be the subject of a Senate inquiry after a report by the Centre for Public Integrity last week revealed the scheme favoured projects in notionally Labor-held electorates, including a $6m grant for a golf club in Anthony Albanese’s electorate. Continue reading...

Armed group appears to reach agreement with Trump administration over safety of Red Sea shippingOfficials from the US met Houthi leaders over the weekend at the country’s embassy in Muscat, Oman, it has been confirmed, leading to the US decision not to intervene to help Saudi Arabia drive back a Houthi advance inside Yemen.The Houthis reassured the US that the ceasefire agreement between the two sides struck in 2025 still held and the movement had no intention of attacking US shipping in the Red Sea. Only Saudi-linked shipping was regarded as a target owing to its blockade of Yemen, the Houthis confirmed. Continue reading...

Ursula von der Leyen announces draft law to stop apps ‘depriving children of their childhood’The EU will move forward with plans for an under 13s social media ban, the head of the European Commission has confirmed.Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that social media apps were “depriving children of their childhood” and that big tech platforms needed to prove the safety of their products. Continue reading...

National Education Union welcomes news that schools will not have to partly fund increase from their own budgetsThe UK’s biggest education union is claiming a major victory after the government bowed to pressure and agreed to fully fund a forthcoming pay increase for teachers in England in a sudden U-turn on previous policy.Members of the National Education Union (NEU) were due to vote in a ballot for strike action next month over the government’s recent pay offer which provided for a 3.5% increase from this month, with an additional 3% from next September. Continue reading...

NBC4 colleagues Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw were working to report on a collision between a bus and an SUVMore details are emerging after a local news helicopter crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday evening, killing two people on board and one person on the ground.Eliana Moreno, an aerial photojournalist, and pilot George Marciniw were identified as two of the victims. Continue reading...

NSW Institute for Paediatric Trauma will help doctors, researchers and specialists prepare for trauma casesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastA new institute dedicated to improving emergency medical care for severely injured children will be established in New South Wales following recent high-profile trauma events in the state.Based at the Sydney Children’s hospital in Randwick, the NSW Institute for Paediatric Trauma will bring together clinicians, researchers and specialists to deliver advanced training and simulations across the health system. Continue reading...