Greggs to close four UK factories with potential for 740 job losses

• The United Nations concluded its 81st General Assembly amid rising geopolitical tensions that threaten global cooperation and peace. • The organization is currently facing a rupture of multilateralism, which is the process of multiple countries working together to solve shared problems.

• Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger appointed Douglas Mercado, a visiting lecturer in public and international affairs, to the advisory board of the state’s Office of New Americans in September 2026. • Mercado cited his decades of professional experience supporting refugees, internally displaced persons, and disaster-impacted communities as the basis for his appointment.

• Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned on September 29 that mass draft evasion and the potential collapse of the Israel Defense Forces are the greatest dangers facing the country. • The Israel Defense Forces reported that its troops physically prevented harm to a Palestinian family during a settler riot in the West Bank.

• Interconnected conflicts are expanding on both sides of the Red Sea while the United States continues to provide inconsistent policy signals. • The African Union estimates that the conflict leading to the 2022 Pretoria Agreement resulted in approximately 600,000 deaths.

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the United States and other partners must better understand India's concerns regarding cross-border terrorism. • The minister indicated that a lack of understanding on these specific security threats could negatively impact diplomatic relations.

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned a Tuesday airstrike that reportedly killed at least 50 people at a market in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. • The UN humanitarian office reported that Israeli fire hit near humanitarian convoys and UN facilities in Gaza several times in recent days.

Israeli media say incident, which raised fears of possible hijacking, stemmed from feud between plane’s two pilotsA commercial plane travelling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Israel has been forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, briefly raising concerns about a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble warplanes.Israeli media, citing security officials, said the incident on Wednesday stemmed from a feud between the plane’s two pilots, and everyone onboard was safe. The plane landed in Tabuk, a civilian and military base in the kingdom. Continue reading...

Kimya Holmes’ lawsuit over a news segment on a real-estate transaction invokes law that no longer existsA New Orleans state court judge filed a police complaint against a local CBS affiliate after it aired a segment scrutinizing a real-estate transaction in which she was involved, with the jurist invoking a section of law that no longer carries criminal penalties, according to the journalist who reported the story.The situation centering on New Orleans criminal court judge Kimya Holmes and investigative reporter David Hammer was only the latest in a series of high-profile matters pitting Louisiana journalists against members of the state’s court system. Continue reading...

Blast during search operation near border fuels political tensions amid attempts to revive diplomatic channelsSouth Korea has demanded an apology from North Korea over a landmine blast that injured three soldiers, saying they were hurt by North Korean mines on the southern side of the border.Kang Hyun-woo, the director of operations at South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff, demanded an apology and “responsible measures” from Pyongyang over the blast, which occurred on 21 September during a search operation south of the border. Continue reading...

Ex-Asda boss Andy Bond linked to plan, with buyout team understood to be negotiating with financial backerPoundland’s management team are in “advanced talks” to lead a rescue bid for the ailing cut-price retailer that could save more than 11,000 jobs.The former Asda boss Andy Bond, who ran Poundland for a number of years from 2016 then stepped up to its former parent Pepco before leaving in 2025, is understood to be part of the negotiations to take on the business. Continue reading...

Kyiv mayor says debris had also been found at the site of a western embassy in the capital Debris ⁠had been found ⁠at ⁠the premises ​of one of ⁠the western embassies ⁠in ​the ‌centre ‌of Ukraine’s capital, ‌Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said this morning, citing preliminary ‌information.Klitschko did not ​name the embassy, ⁠but said ​emergency services were ​heading ​to the ​site. Continue reading...