Donald Trump praises ‘natural businessman’ Andy Burnham after first meeting

• Diplomats from across the globe described the current state of the world as messy and unpredictable during interviews leading up to the annual United Nations meeting. • Current and former ministers and ambassadors highlighted a stark picture of crises facing the international community and the 193 member states.

• World leaders are gathering at the United Nations to address escalating global wars and economic uncertainty. • The Middle East conflict has expanded to involve regional nations and resulted in the closure of a vital waterway.

• CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a surprise official visit to Cairo to meet with President El-Sisi and the head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate. • The meetings focused on international maritime security and geopolitical challenges across the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.

• World leaders gathered in New York for the 81st UN General Assembly session to discuss climate change, artificial intelligence safety, and the wars between Russia-Ukraine and Iran-US. • The White House press pool will not send a camera to replace CNN for President Donald Trump's trip due to ongoing conflict between the administration and the media.

• The United Nations is shifting its strategy in the Sahel region toward diplomacy and humanitarian aid as the 81st UN General Assembly begins. • The UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) now operates as a special political mission focused on mediation and conflict prevention rather than a peacekeeping operation with troops.

• Prime ministers from Australia and Iceland addressed the global climate crisis ahead of a United Nations meeting. • These leaders discussed the specific environmental impacts on their nations while other world leaders avoided the issue due to inflation and war.

• World leaders are gathering in New York for the 81st annual United Nations General Assembly to address widening global conflicts and a trust deficit. • Some actors are controlling fuel and food supplies to create scarcity and increase costs on a global scale.

US president may have upstaged the ghost of Soviet leader Khrushchev by musing destruction of fellow member stateDonald Trump has a habit of discomfiting delegates to the United Nations general assembly. But this year, he may have upstaged the ghost of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev by openly contemplating the annihilation of a fellow UN member state.Eleven minutes into a 40-minute address, the US president announced he had “a big decision to make” over Iran, which has staged a much more determined resistance than Trump anticipated when he decided to go to war against the country in February. Continue reading...

Lian Yunzhi solves puzzle on several occasions in average time of under 4.5 seconds, according to state mediaA six-year-old Chinese girl has set a new women’s world record for solving a Rubik’s Cube in just over four seconds, state media reported.“Speedcuber” Lian Yunzhi broke the women’s 3x3 average world record twice this month at two World Cube Association certified competitions in Wuhan and Guangzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV on Monday. Continue reading...

Counter-terrorism police say ‘long-running investigation’ disrupted alleged plot days after two men arrested on eve of the holy day Yom KippurPolice believe they have stopped an imminent plot to attack Jewish communities in the Manchester area.The announcement on Tuesday follows the arrest of two men on Sunday at 2.45pm in Manchester and comes during the Jewish holy month. Continue reading...

Entire £233m budget for 2026 allocated in less than a day, leaving thousands of farmers disappointedThousands of farmers have been left empty-handed with the government’s 2026 nature funding spent in just six hours.The £233m sustainable farming incentive (SFI) scheme opened for applications from farmers at 10am on Tuesday. Continue reading...