Fake US thinktank set up and funded by Israel sought to game AI for propaganda

• During a UN Security Council debate, India urged the international community to take immediate action to mitigate humanitarian fallout and food crises caused by ongoing global conflicts. • Indian Envoy P Harish emphasized the impact of trade disruptions on food security and detailed the domestic measures India has implemented to protect its own food supplies.

• India's Permanent Representative P Harish urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to take immediate action to mitigate the humanitarian fallout of global conflicts. • Speaking during a Tuesday open debate titled "Food Under Fire," Harish highlighted how modern conflicts create ripple effects that extend far beyond the immediate zones of hostility.

• UN Secretary-General informed the Security Council that 2025 recorded the highest number of armed conflicts since the Second World War. • The report highlighted record-breaking levels of acute hunger globally, marking a critical humanitarian crisis.

• A left-wing NGO reported that "Jewish terrorists" attacked its activists in the West Bank on August 25, while a Palestinian woman was reportedly detained after reporting settler violence at her home. • In a separate diplomatic clash, Sa'ar booted Dutch representatives from a US-backed Gaza coordination center, citing the implementation of "anti-Israel measures."

Death toll of nine likely to rise as floods and mudslide sweep away houses, roads, bridges and power projectsTorrential floods ⁠in the Himalayan border areas of ⁠Nepal and in ​Tibet in China have killed at least nine people and destroyed roads, bridges and power projects, as authorities in both countries braced for more casualties.Houses and roads were swept away ⁠in Nepal while officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties” with some missing in the county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between the neighbours. Continue reading...

Exposure to two compounds approved can result in ‘sudden death’ and range of other serious health risks, lawsuit warnsThe Trump administration has approved two new datacenter chemicals to which exposure can result in “sudden death” and a range of other serious health risks, like cancer, eye corrosion, neurological damage and reproductive harm, a new lawsuit warns.The two compounds approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for import and immediate use in facilities across the US are photoacid generators that also appear to be Pfas “forever chemicals”, though it is unclear because much of the EPA documents are redacted. Some Pfas are commonly used in the production of semiconductors. Continue reading...

The public health emergencies in 2022 and 2024 saw the virus reported in 145 countries, but in the new cases children appear particularly affectedA fresh outbreak of mpox in Guinea Bissau – the country’s first – means the virus formerly known as monkey pox is back in the headlines. So what has changed?Since 2022, there have been almost 190,000 lab-confirmed cases of mpox reported worldwide in 145 countries. Before then, outbreaks of mpox tended to be relatively small and in a handful of African countries, where the viral infection was known to be endemic. Continue reading...

Efforts to rebuild domestic food production face severe challenges and have come at deadly costAs Gaza’s population of 2.1 million has been hemmed into an ever smaller slice of the territory, farmers are using every last remaining patch of unspoiled earth, no matter how tiny, in their struggle to survive.With severe shortages of water, fertiliser and pesticide, and with more than 80% of greenhouses ruined, it has taken inventiveness and determination to clear land of debris and coax new seedlings into life. Moreover, venturing out into the open to tend to plants can be deadly. Continue reading...

Microsoft co-founder also expresses concern governments not prepared for technology’s impact in 6,000-word essayBusiness live – latest updatesBill Gates has called for “human reserved” jobs in certain sectors to prevent AI replacing them, and expressed concern that governments are not prepared for the impact the technology will have.In a 6,000 word essay titled The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make are critical, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder likened the need to spare roles from digital encroachment to how nature reserves operate to protect the environment. Continue reading...

Anita Perrottet tells an inquiry hearing that hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to her were for ‘strategic and marketing advice’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe sister-in-law of Dominic Perrottet has rejected the suggestion she had been put in an “impossible situation” and lied under oath to cover illegal donations to her husband, an inquiry has heard.Anita Perrottet, wife of Charles Perrottet, told the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to her were for “strategic and marketing advice”. Continue reading...

Paper products among hardest-hit sectors after trade negotiations broke down, with 25-50% tariffs estimatedAre you a Canadian boycotting US products? We’d like to hear from youUsing the bathroom or having a cry is about to become more expensive for North Americans as the US and Canada enter a full-fledged trade war that threatens to flush away decades of peaceful trading between the two nations.After trade negotiations broke down between the two countries last weekend, Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, vowed to match US tariffs “dollar for dollar” and unveiled a list of nearly 900 American goods that will face 25% to 50% tariffs starting on 8 September. Continue reading...