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• Many household smoke alarms use americium, a radioactive element created in nuclear reactors, to detect smoke. • These devices typically contain about 0.3 micrograms of the element and can be purchased for around ten dollars. • The use of this synthetic element provides a detection method that works better than any other available alternative.

• Researchers developed the first 3D map of an ovary to study how and when oocytes, which are immature eggs, are activated. • The study findings were published in the journal Nature Aging. • This mapping provides a deeper understanding of the hidden systems controlling egg activation to improve human reproductive health.

• The graphite refractory brick market is projected to grow through 2035 due to increased silicon carbide (SiC) wafer production and the need to replace old furnace components. • Asia-Pacific is the largest and fastest-growing region because of semiconductor factory construction in China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. • China's export licensing on high-purity graphite is forcing supply chains to shift, which is accelerating production capacity in India and Southeast Asia.

• Arsenal lost to Brighton and Aston Villa defeated Tottenham during Premier League matchweek five. • Nottingham Forest failed to score in their first three league games of a season for the first time in club history. • Tottenham has won fewer home games and earned fewer home points since last season than any other team remaining in the league.

• California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to strengthen the state's artificial intelligence safety and security laws. • A group of experts must create a formal guide for these safety improvements within the next two months. • The state is implementing legislation to ban deceptive AI-generated election content and sexually explicit deepfakes while requiring transparency for AI training data.

• Congress is asserting its full constitutional authority to prosecute noncitizens who vote in elections. • Federal prosecutors are defeating legal defenses based on states' rights to determine voter eligibility. • This legal shift increases the risk of federal criminal prosecution for noncitizens who cast ballots regardless of state-level rules.

Acts of ‘familicide’ have increased dramatically this year – in the US, the killer is more likely to have easy access to a gunThe US is often known globally for its shocking levels of violence, but acts of “family annihilation” or “familicide” rank among the most disturbing of crimes.They occur when an assailant kills four or more of their own family members and often see the killer also kill themselves. These types of crime have increased dramatically this year, according to data from Northeastern University. Continue reading...

Steven Kolb of the Council of Fashion Designers of America was filmed during an altercation at New York fashion weekThe chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Steven Kolb, has resigned from his role, days after he was filmed physically restraining two animal rights activists during an altercation at New York fashion week.“After 20 years leading the CFDA, I have made the difficult decision to step down as CEO and president,” Kolb said in a statement. “I am enormously proud of what we have built together and believe this is the right moment for both me and the organisation to begin a new chapter.” Continue reading...

Crypto billionaires’ £72m will be used to hire campaign managers and professional staff in target constituenciesFor Nigel Farage, the £72m lavished last week on his party by the crypto billionaire donors Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne finally places Reform UK on a level playing field with its political rivals.The donations are the largest received by a UK political party since declarations became required in 2001 and led to warnings Farage was aiming to “buy” his way to power, with a row still raging over whether they are legal. Continue reading...

• President Trump signed the Graham Russia-Iran Act on September 18, 2026, to impose tariffs on top buyers of Russian energy. • The new law allows the U.S. government to apply tariffs of up to 100% against targeted energy importers. • French companies face unpredictable financial exposure because the White House can use waiver powers to spare some partners while penalizing others.

• The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 1.66% during a week in September 2026. • Escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran drove up the prices of oil and European natural gas. • Rising energy costs are increasing inflation concerns and pushing government bond yields higher for European investors.

Exclusive: In her first media interview since fleeing Russia, Rita Flores describes her three years of being run by the FSBFirst came the blackmail and death threats to secure cooperation, then came a series of tasks, each more sinister than the last: to inform on fellow activists, to elicit personal information from protest-minded artists and – eventually – to help with a plot to kidnap and murder a Kremlin enemy.That is how Rita Flores, a 29-year-old Russian artist, activist and former member of the Pussy Riot collective, described her recruitment and three-year handling by officers from Russia’s FSB security service, a cooperation she only broke when she fled the country last month. Continue reading...

• The US dollar rose 0.52% against the Hungarian forint today, reaching a trading value of Ft317,755. • This increase follows a Federal Reserve interest rate hike and a rise in US Treasury yields. • Traders face a 62% probability of further upward movement, meaning the dollar may continue to strengthen against the forint.

• The global emulsion-stabilizing dispersants market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5% to 7% through 2035. • East Asia, specifically China, South Korea, and Taiwan, currently accounts for an estimated 60% to 70% of global consumption. • This growth is driven by the need for high-purity dispersants in semiconductor packaging, conductive inks, and thermal interface materials for electronics.

• President Trump signed H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, to expand trade restrictions and sanctions against Russia. • The law prohibits U.S. investment in Russia and targets senior officials, state-linked banks, the energy sector, and the "shadow fleet" used to evade sanctions. • These measures increase financial and operational pressure on Russian state entities and the networks they use to bypass international trade laws.

• Several countries, including Australia and Denmark, are implementing new restrictions to limit children's access to social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. • Denmark announced it will ban social media for children under 15 starting in November 2025, though parents may grant access to some platforms for children as young as 13. • These regulations create new compliance requirements for tech companies and change how minors interact with digital platforms.

• Archaeologists discovered 55 Ice Age artifacts buried beneath volcanic ash in Oregon caves. • The findings date back more than 15,000 years, making them four times older than the Great Pyramid of Egypt. • One artifact contains blood traces from an extinct animal, providing evidence of ancient human interaction with vanished species.

Exclusive: Official UK security assessment found Microsoft cloud platform storing files was at potential risk from hostile hackersVast troves of highly sensitive police data are lying on Microsoft cloud platforms which an official UK security assessment deemed as being vulnerable to “compromise” by foreign actors and the US government, a Guardian investigation can reveal.The files include criminal records, victim statements, internal emails and sensitive information held by more than 40 police forces across the UK. Continue reading...

Cole, described as an ‘extraordinary talent’, also appeared in Waiting for God, Tenko and had an extensive theatre careerThe actor Stephanie Cole, best known for roles in Coronation Street, Waiting for God and Open All Hours, has died aged 84.She also appeared in the prisoner-of-war drama Tenko, A Bit of a Do and Doc Martin. Continue reading...

• Unsealed court filings reveal that a Microsoft executive privately described OpenAI's data scraping practices as the largest theft of labor in human history. • The documents show both companies scraped paywalled content from The New York Times to build datasets while internally warning that these actions would gut publishers. • This internal admission complicates the legal battle over whether training large language models constitutes fair use, a rule allowing copyrighted work to be used without permission for specific purposes.

Andy Burnham’s focus on immediate domestic problems leads some to fear issue has dropped off government’s radar Towards the end of Keir Starmer’s time in office, his senior ministers, alarmed by the latest developments in artificial intelligence, began drawing up plans for a new AI safety law.They ordered a review of existing legislation to see what powers they already had, according to those briefed on the plans, and were exploring whether they could force the world’s most advanced technology companies to submit their products for safety testing before launching them. Continue reading...