Recent lobbyist for Palantir had key role in helping Andy Burnham become PM

• Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly pressed for an end to the conflict in Ukraine. • Modi told reporters that both President Putin and President Zelenskyy have spoken with him to share their perspectives on the war.

• Government and business leaders met at the Council on Foreign Relations during the UN General Assembly to discuss global security and financial reform. • Former Ghanaian President John Mahama highlighted the Accra Reset initiative to expand vaccine and medicine production across Africa.

• Iran prepared for an escalation of tensions on October 1, 2026, contributing to a rise in global energy prices. • Brent crude oil prices topped $102 per barrel as geopolitical risks increased.

• Renewed fighting has broken out in northern Ethiopia, raising fears that the domestic conflict could expand into a regional confrontation. • The instability threatens to involve neighboring Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt in a broader crisis.

Attack accessing historical data on bushfires occurred in June but not disclosed by the tech company until ThursdayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastArtificial intelligence company OpenAI has disclosed another unauthorised hack on a government department in Australia.In June, an OpenAI agent hacked into a New South Wales state government department and accessed historical non-public data on bushfires without authorisation. Continue reading...

Platform ‘for the curious’ says users outside the UK account for nearly 90% of its revenuesBusiness live – latest updatesFeeld, a UK-based dating app aimed at non-monogamous, queer and kinky users, has reported strong sales growth and paid its founders their largest-ever dividend as it attracts users from more “vanilla” rivals.Revenues jumped by 24% to £64m following a surge in interest from what it called “open-minded people exploring love, desire, and alternative relationships in a safe, inclusive space”. Continue reading...

Dispute over march will now go to legal appeal on Monday after talks hosted by Northern Ireland secretary endTalks aimed at resolving the Drumcree parade dispute have broken up without agreement, with the Northern Ireland secretary, Chris Bryant, describing the situation as being between a “rock and a hard place”.Speaking on Thursday night after the latest talks with the Orange Order and residents of Garvaghy Road broke up, Bryant said: “I think this is the end of these conversations. We haven’t come to a settled agreement, and it’s a shame, but my door remains open.” Continue reading...

In effort to avoid panic at pumps, Keir Mather insists supply of fuel to Britain is ‘inherently resilient’Business live – latest updatesThe government has moved to avert panic at the pumps, insisting that the UK is not facing a diesel shortage after Donald Trump threatened to cut off US supplies of the fuel.The transport minister Keir Mather said on Friday that the UK has a wide range of sources of the fuel and is in talks with other European countries over the potential release of emergency diesel stockpiles. Continue reading...

Artwork created in Tahrir Square for Chinese president’s state visit to Egypt is painted over amid allegations it revived Afrocentric claims about Pharaohs’ originsOn the eve of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s state visit to Cairo last month, the city authorities were busy removing a 66-metre-long mural from the esteemed guest’s line of sight.Depicting the Pharaoh Tutankhamun and Queen Nefertiti, the painting was among 40 murals commissioned to beautify the city for Xi’s arrival and was painted by volunteer youth group Rasmet Basma, in Tahrir Square. Continue reading...

Up to 300mm of rain could fall in places, while extreme downpours bring deadly landslides to NepalTorrential rain and potentially damaging flooding are forecast in eastern Spain over the coming days, as cold upper air moves over the warm, humid surface air of the Mediterranean Sea, fuelling violent, slow-moving thunderstorms near Spain’s east coast. The weather pattern, known as a Dana, occurs most often in autumn.Models show more than 100mm of rain could fall across the region on Friday, with 200-300mm possible in some areas. Cities including Valencia and Castelló de la Plana, with Valencia having experienced several damaging floods in recent years, are most at risk. Continue reading...

Pike alive but in critical condition as experts call ordeal that unfolded in Tennessee Wednesday ‘unimaginably barbaric’Top lawyers, doctors and members of the faith community are calling for a moratorium on the US death penalty after Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute Christa Pike left the prisoner alive but in critical condition and receiving life-saving medical care.The recent spate of harrowingly botched executions across US death penalty states reached a new low late on Wednesday when Tennessee’s governor Bill Lee called off the procedure after Pike had been injected with two full syringes of pentobarbital. She is the only person to have survived being administered 5mg of the sedative – a massive dose that under normal circumstances is considered fatal. Continue reading...