Wednesday briefing: ​Do MPs have the will to stop mega-donors interfering in UK politics?

• Middle powers are focusing their influence on the United Nations and the prevention of mass atrocities to stabilize a multi-directional world. • Various UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions are currently targeting the revitalization of the UN system to make it more coherent.

• World leaders are returning to the United Nations for an assembly featuring potential high-level Security Council meetings on Ukraine, the Middle East, and artificial intelligence. • AI industry leaders recently called for a coordinated slowdown of technology development to prevent systems from improving on their own and escaping human control.

• President Donald Trump is considering new demands from Iran to end a conflict that has lasted seven months. • Trump returned from Camp David on Saturday before his scheduled address to the General Assembly on Tuesday.

• Iran issued a warning of severe retaliation against the United States and its allies after claiming to have intelligence about an impending attack. • Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stated that the country must continue fighting and negotiating to push back enemies and consolidate gains.

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on world leaders this Sunday to prioritize peace, dignity, justice, and humanity. • The appeal comes as leaders prepare to gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, which will be Guterres' final assembly as Secretary-General.

• The UAE is advancing international peace and stability efforts through a combination of diplomacy, dialogue, and humanitarian action. • The government is prioritizing conflict prevention and the protection of civilians to resolve existing global crises.

• A UN commission of inquiry recently accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza while the organization struggled to maintain its global influence. • Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has effectively pushed the UN into a bystander role during current international conflicts.

• Israeli security forces are preparing extensive operations in the West Bank following a deadly shooting attack at a local spring. • National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has demanded that the terrorist responsible for the attack be executed.

• World leaders are returning to the United Nations assembly to address ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. • The 80-year-old organization is currently facing a combined crisis of morale and finance alongside questions regarding its next leader.

• World leaders are gathering for the United Nations General Assembly to address ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. • Oxfam is using the event to urge global action on an "inequality emergency" involving climate change, artificial intelligence, and the crisis in Gaza.

While global billionaires and multinational companies have been lured to its shores, many islanders feel left behind and priced out, with food bank use increasingOn a late Friday afternoon on the Channel Island of Jersey, tourists and locals are flocking to St Helier’s waterfront where the town’s sprawling beach has emerged at low tide.In one direction, they face the calm waters of St Aubin’s Bay, ringed by a seaside promenade and punctuated with a tidal island hosting the 16th century Elizabeth Castle. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Government warned ‘skills revolution’ at risk amid slow start to project with target of 30,000 starts by end of parliamentLabour has been warned its “skills revolution” to tackle youth unemployment risks failure, after its flagship apprenticeship scheme enrolled only 160 young people in its first eight months.The shortfall, highlighted in a report by the Fabian Society, leaves the government well off track of achieving its ambition of 30,000 “foundation apprenticeship” starts by the end of this parliament. Continue reading...