Women hospitalised and three men charged with assault and choking after separate home invasions in Sydney

• Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres today to discuss ongoing global conflicts. • The conversation focused specifically on the need to mitigate the negative impacts of these conflicts on the Global South, referring to developing nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

• Diplomatic clashes during the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York highlighted how geopolitical instability threatens the global hospitality and aviation sectors. • Jordan’s monarch argued for diplomacy and international law as a counter to the unilateral military deterrence strategies emphasized by American and Israeli leadership.

• Washington and Beijing are exploring a new framework to manage their rivalry as Donald Trump considers his second-term diplomacy. • The U.S. is weighing the costs of prolonged confrontation, including trade uncertainty and China's control over critical minerals.

• The 81st United Nations General Assembly met in New York to address the breakdown of multilateralism and the paralysis of the Security Council. • The assembly focused on the structural stagnation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the lack of binding laws for disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence.

• The DID Press Agency reported that the security and political order of the Middle East is undergoing a significant transformation due to recent regional conflicts. • The agency cited the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation, direct confrontations between Iran and Israel, and Ansarullah's influence over Red Sea security as primary drivers of this change.

Migration agents and lawyers ‘selling false hope’ to people seeking to stay in Australia also in government’s sights as it seeks to reduce overseas arrivals“Visa hopping” international students, migration agents and lawyers trying to “game” the migration system will be targeted by the government, as Labor unveils a further crackdown.The changes announced on Friday mean international students will soon need to apply for a separate visa to transfer courses, on top of previously announced rules that prevent transferring to a lower grade course, such as switching from a bachelor or masters’ degree to a vocational program. Continue reading...

New York attorney general brought in by governor after recent questions raised over university’s 2024 investigationKathy Hochul, the New York governor, said Thursday she is appointing Letitia James, the state’s attorney general, as special prosecutor to investigate the alleged gang-rape at Cornell University.“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” Hochul said in a statement. “This action will ensure that the matter is fully and thoroughly investigated without conflict or bias, and handled independently with the rigor that this matter demands.” Continue reading...

Four astronauts pulled up at International Space Station after eight-hour express flight led by Jessica WatkinsFour astronauts pulled up at the International Space Station on Thursday after launching on an eight-hour express that set a US speed record, and that created further history with the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit.SpaceX launched commander Jessica Watkins and her crew for Nasa after a three-week delay to fix their Dragon capsule’s leaking fuel system. Thick clouds threatened all morning to halt the countdown but in the end, the skies cleared enough to allow for a safe liftoff. Continue reading...

Russia’s foreign ministry had called planned shows unacceptable due to rapper’s ‘glorification’ of Adolf HitlerTwo sold-out shows that Kanye West was due to play in Russia have been cancelled after weeks of confusion, organisers have confirmed.The US rapper, who now goes by the name Ye, had been due to perform at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on 10 and 11 October.Press Association contributed to this report Continue reading...

Rock band will still tour the UK, Europe and US over the next year but say decision to ‘fall dormant’ feels ‘liberating’The British rock band Enter Shikari have announced they will go on hiatus at the end of 2027, a decision that may result in the band’s “extinction”.The St Albans band, who formed in 1999 as Hybryd, are due to tour the UK in November, Europe and the US next year, and said they hoped to play some of their favourite places “one last time”. Continue reading...

After five years of work, 5,750 panels of toughened glass will help keep hundred of plants safe from Scottish winters – but more work needs to be doneIn the early autumn sunlight, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s extensive plant collection appears safe in their glass enclosures. But danger lurks from above for the tropical ferns, cycads and rare alpine heathers.Soon the September sunshine will give way to the storms and gales of the Scottish winter, which can bring hundreds of glass panels crashing to the greenhouse floor on the windiest days. Nobody is allowed inside when the wind is above 30mph. Continue reading...