US sanctions three individuals and two charities over alleged Hamas financing

• Security Council members held an informal interactive dialogue on September 2 to discuss using artificial intelligence for conflict resolution. • The meeting, titled “From Early Warning to Durable Peace: Leveraging AI in Conflict Resolution,” was organized by Bahrain, France, Greece, and Latvia.

• The UN Security Council will hold its annual open debate on women, peace and security in October. • Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis is expected to chair the session titled “Women, peace and security in the next quarter-century: fulfilling the promise through implementation”.

• Britain held emergency discussions with European allies on October 2, 2026, to address a developing diesel confrontation. • Governments are currently deciding whether to release strategic stocks of fuel to stabilize the market.

Kenan ‘Ken’ Urker, 34, who died of apparent drug overdose, was partner of woman convicted of murder of mother The on-and-off partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who spent time in prison for her role in the murder of her abusive mother, was found dead inside his Louisiana home on his 34th birthday on Thursday in what authorities described as an apparent drug overdose.The sheriff’s office in Lafourche parish, Louisiana, confirmed Kenan “Ken” Urker – the father of Blanchard’s daughter – was discovered on Thursday after relatives asked police to conduct a welfare check at his residence. Continue reading...

Judge unseals bodycam footage from officers who responded to 911 from McDonald’s in PennsylvaniaPolice bodycam footage released Friday shows the moment officers located and arrested Luigi Mangione at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s in connection with the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan.In one video, officers ask Mangione to lower the face mask he was wearing to hide his identity. Continue reading...

Kevin Warsh’s predecessor had been investigated over cost overruns related to central bank renovation projectThe US ⁠justice department is not reopening a criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell ⁠for cost overruns ⁠related ​to the central bank’s building renovation project, a department spokesperson said on Friday.Attorney general Todd ⁠Blanche – in comments to Bloomberg News, which first reported the development – said he has not ruled out ⁠continuing to look into the project’s oversight and potentially take ​action if evidence of ‌wrongdoing came to ‌light. Continue reading...

President leads huge rally in Rio before election on Sunday seen as most important for decadesThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has claimed he is the only thing standing in the way of far-right “fascists” reclaiming power, as he led a huge rally through the streets of Rio ahead of Sunday’s crunch election.Speaking on the eve of the demonstration, the 80-year-old leftwinger said he had decided to seek a historic fourth term because he believed only he could prevent the family of his rightwing rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, returning to government. Continue reading...

Convicted offender among 20,000 people removed from list after state supreme court ruling on Sora registration lawLarry Nassar, the former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics physician convicted of sexually abusing girls and women over a period of decades while claiming to provide medical treatment, has been removed from Michigan’s sex offender registry thanks to a legal technicality.Thousands of other offenders were also taken off that list after a court ruling involving how the state’s registration law can be applied.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Dozens of residents testify to legislature’s redistricting committee in heated hearing, the last of eight Hundreds of people gathered across from the Mississippi state capitol building on Thursday evening to rally against the aggressive Republican efforts to draw maps that favor their own party.Shortly after the US supreme court’s decision in Louisiana v Callais, which severely weakened section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Tate Reeves, the Mississippi governor, moved in lockstep with other Republican governors and lawmakers to call for a special session to redraw maps. However, before that special session could occur, Reeves canceled it and wrote on X that he expected “lawmakers to redraw congressional lines BETWEEN NOW and 2027 elections!” Continue reading...

Hōlei sea arch, formed 550 years ago by erosion from ocean waves, no longer standing, National Park Service confirmsA famed centuries-old sea arch on Hawaii’s remote and rugged coastline has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, the National Park Service confirmed on Friday, following a stretch of rough storms in the region in recent weeks.The beloved landmark, Hōlei sea arch, stood at around 90ft high for over half a millennium in Hawaii’s Volcanoes national park, located on the dramatic southern coast of the Big Island. It was naturally formed around 550 years ago due to differential erosion by ocean waves. Continue reading...

The epicentre was at Leongatha, 130km south-east of Melbourne, with residents reporting houses shaking just after 2amGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Victoria in the early hours of Saturday morning, shaking Melbourne and waking people across the whole region.Geoscience Australia said it detected an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 at 2.01am near Leongatha, 130km south-east of Melbourne, with the tremors felt across the city’s eastern suburbs. Continue reading...