We’re purchasing EVs instead of holidaying in Europe – and what else we learned from Australia’s national accounts

• France, serving as the President of the Security Council for September, announced a work programme focused on addressing critical issues in Haiti, Iran, and Sudan. • The agenda was detailed by the French representative during a press conference held at the UN Headquarters.

• Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) convened for a summit in Bishkek, where they condemned sanctions and attacks targeting Iran. • The group asserted their "inalienable right" to develop, produce, and utilize atomic energy for peaceful purposes, arguing that restrictive measures are contrary to international law.

Guardian city editor Anna Isaac, investigative reporter Peter Geoghegan and broadcaster Michael Crick refused entryReform UK has banned at least three journalists who have reported critically on the party and Nigel Farage from its annual conference, which begins on Thursday.The Guardian’s city editor, Anna Isaac, the investigative reporter Peter Geoghegan and the broadcaster and biographer Michael Crick were told this week that their credentials to cover the event had been declined. Continue reading...

Landmark lawsuit claims tech company’s pay-setting system has breached privacy laws and pushed down earningsUber drivers have launched a landmark legal action against the ride-hailing company claiming they live in “constant fear” of a “soulless” algorithm it uses to set pay and allocate jobs.Drivers from the UK, the Netherlands and other countries have joined the compensation claim that could run into billions of dollars. It alleges an AI-powered pay-setting system breaches data protection laws and pushes down their earnings. Continue reading...

Teachers and parents have warned against AI use in schools over concerns of ‘cognitive surrender’New York City will ban students’ use of artificial intelligence in public schools through eighth grade, typically age 13 or 14. The prohibition is scheduled to be announced Wednesday and will go into effect next week.The change is part of a sweeping overhaul of the use of technology in the US’ largest school district, which enrolls roughly 900,000 students a year. In another policy shift, classrooms will keep students off laptops or tablets through the third grade, age nine or 10. The city’s public school technology policies are closely watched by the rest of the United States. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader dismisses criticism of his failure to register £5m gift as a sign of a ‘complainants’ society’Nigel Farage has compared his situation to that of Donald Trump being pursued by investigators for years, saying both of them are “outsiders” up against “the system”, as he admitted having become tetchy and aggrieved this summer.The Reform UK leader has been under huge scrutiny over his finances after failing to declare a £5m gift from the Thailand-based donor Christopher Harborne and further financial support from a friend, the fraudster George Cottrell, before the last election. Continue reading...

Top medical groups band together to ease confusion from Trump administration’s changing immunization adviceLeading US medical groups are urging people to get updated flu and Covid-19 vaccinations this fall, banding together Wednesday to issue shot guidelines – and highlight the science behind them – saying they hope to ease confusion caused by the Trump administration’s changing advice.Flu vaccinations are beginning and the latest coronavirus shots are starting to arrive after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this year’s updated versions last week. Winter also brings another vaccine-preventable risk called RSV. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Eyad Shadid launches civil case in district court after charges against him dropped, alleging he was ‘battered’ near Sydney’s town hall in FebruaryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Palestinian Australian man who alleges he was punched in the face when trying to stop police from harassing Muslim men praying during an anti–Isaac Herzog protest is suing New South Wales over “a series of false accusations”.Eyad Shadid has launched a civil case in the NSW district court, alleging he was assaulted, battered and falsely imprisoned by police near Sydney’s town hall. Continue reading...

US defense secretary faced backlash for attempting to mock Canada’s armed forces amid trade warA social media post by Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, body-shaming female members of a Canadian youth development program remained online on Wednesday despite a furious backlash on both sides of the border.On Monday night Hegseth posted on X a photograph of two people in uniform with a Canadian flag and the caption “this is real”, an apparent attempt at mocking the country’s armed forces amid the Trump administration’s trade spat with its northern neighbor. Continue reading...

Energy secretary Chris Wright denies US seeking to ‘take’ country’s oil, saying deal is ‘transformation’ of relationsThe US energy secretary, Chris Wright, has denied Washington is seeking to commandeer huge quantities of Venezuelan oil, amid growing criticism of Donald Trump’s energy deal with the country’s interim leaders.“Absolutely not,” Wright replied when asked by a CNBC journalist if the US was engaged in a “heavy-handed” attempt to “take” Venezuelan oil in violation of the South American country’s constitution. Continue reading...

Whether or not US president fits the definition of a Russian asset, his actions align closely with the Kremlin’s interests• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereCould Donald Trump be a Russian asset? The headline on a review in the Guardian of my new book Betrayal has provoked heated international debate. Written by the historian Lawrence Freedman, the piece generated thousands of comments from across Europe and beyond on social media. Many people responded with a single word: “Duh!”Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin is the biggest mystery in international politics. In 2017 I wrote a book called Collusion, which set out Moscow’s operation to support and cultivate Trump, going back decades. The US president, of course, denies links with Russia. But in his second term, his behaviour towards Putin has been as weird and perplexing as during his first. Continue reading...