Blow

• AI and advanced exploit kits are ending the era of "security through obscurity," where systems were protected simply by keeping their architecture secret. • At least four espionage crews, likely linked to China, recently exploited a "patch-gap" in open source Chromium by attacking users before stable updates were pushed. • This trend threatens critical operational technologies and industrial control systems, which often rely on hidden designs rather than robust security.

Many fear chancellor is wrong man for the job at a time when Germany’s defences against far right are crumblingA cataclysm. A 9.0 earthquake. A five-alarm fire. A bitter rejection of Germany’s joyous reunification three decades ago, and a threat to the democratic postwar order.Sizing up the repercussions of last weekend’s win for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party in the former communist state of Saxony-Anhalt, German commentators expressed a sense of doom, panic and helplessness in the political establishment. Continue reading...

• Anthropic blocked several attempts this year to use its artificial intelligence to conduct research that could lead to the creation of biological weapons. • The company's internal AI misuse report, obtained by the New York Times, stated that it could not determine if the research served a legitimate or nefarious purpose. • This caution reflects the risk that valid biological inquiry used for vaccines can also be repurposed to create dangerous pathogens.

• Crude oil prices reached a 15-week high after Iran fired missiles in retaliation for the U.S. destroying five Iranian oil tankers. • The price of a barrel of oil surpassed $100 following the escalation between the two nations. • This volatility creates immediate cost pressures for global energy markets and transportation sectors.

• The far-right AfD party won a victory in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt on September 7. • The region has an unemployment rate of 8%, which is only slightly above the national average. • This result represents a political defeat for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and signals growing disillusion with mainstream politics across Europe.

• Experts from the Brookings Institution are analyzing the long-term global implications and policy requirements resulting from the war in Iran. • The conflict has highlighted a "jarring reckoning" regarding the fragility of economic security across Asia within a degraded geopolitical landscape. • This analysis matters as it identifies critical vulnerabilities in international trade and regional stability triggered by the escalation.

• A whistleblower report released Tuesday by a Democratic senator reveals that the US Postal Service is developing a sweeping new system for verifying mail-in ballots. • Internal agency officials have raised significant IT concerns regarding the project, with some describing the implementation process as a "sh*t show." • The report suggests these plans have been hidden from the public, raising transparency issues regarding the integrity of ballot processing.

• A whistleblower has alleged that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) repeatedly and secretly violated multiple court orders to support President Trump’s efforts to restrict mail-in voting. • The report claims the USPS disregarded judicial mandates while the Department of Justice sought legal relief from the Supreme Court. • These actions are significant as they suggest a coordinated attempt to undermine voting access ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

• A USPS whistleblower warned Sen. Richard Blumenthal that a "secretive" and "error-riddled" online portal for states could derail mail-in voting during the upcoming midterm elections. • The tool was reportedly developed in just three months to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump aimed at limiting mail-in voting. • The complaint alleges that "slapdash" development and a strict "zero percent failure" verification requirement could prevent millions of Americans from receiving their ballots on time.

• A whistleblower has warned that the U.S. Postal Service is rushing the development of an online system to implement President Trump's order to restrict mail-in voting. • The whistleblower claims the haste of the rollout could lead to systemic failures that might "derail" the upcoming midterm elections. • This development is critical as it highlights potential operational risks to voting accessibility and election integrity if the restrictions are legally upheld.

• A whistleblower has raised concerns that new USPS rules, stemming from a March executive order by Donald Trump, could jeopardize the timely delivery of mail-in ballots. • The order requires the USPS to send ballots only to voters appearing on citizenship lists developed by the Social Security Administration and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. • To comply with these rules, ballot envelopes must now feature specific barcodes, a technology the whistleblower claims remains untested.

• A whistleblower has warned that a complex system designed by the U.S. Postal Service to vet mail ballots is flawed and remains untested. • The system was developed following an executive order from Donald Trump, though the order is currently being contested and stymied in the courts. • This development is critical as it raises concerns over the reliability and security of mail-in voting processes during a high-stakes election period.

• A whistleblower has warned that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is rushing the implementation of a new system that could jeopardize the delivery of mail-in ballots. • According to Reuters reporter Jacob Bogage, the new system would significantly increase federal government involvement in the voting processes of cities, towns, and villages across the country. • This development is critical because any disruption or inefficiency in mail delivery during the midterm elections could disenfranchise voters and impact election integrity.

• A whistleblower warned Sen. Richard Blumenthal that the U.S. Postal Service is launching a rushed, error-prone computer system to comply with a March executive order from President Trump. • The order requires the USPS to send mail ballots only to voters verified on citizenship lists developed by the Social Security Administration and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. • This shift is critical because approximately one-third of all voters rely on mail-in voting, and the new system requires ballot envelopes to feature specific bar codes.

• A whistleblower alleges the USPS defied court orders to implement an "untested" portal designed to enforce President Trump's executive order limiting mail-in voting. • The directive requires states to submit eligible voter lists and use digital bar-coded envelopes, allowing the USPS to reject ballots that do not match these lists. • The Department of Homeland Security is also tasked with creating independent citizen voter lists to cross-reference against state data.

• A whistleblower report warns that the U.S. Postal Service is unable to effectively implement President Trump's orders to police and control mail balloting for the upcoming election. • The report describes the current attempt to manage these directives as "potentially catastrophic," suggesting the system is ill-equipped for the task. • This situation matters because it could inadvertently block millions of eligible citizens from successfully casting their votes by mail.

• A U.S. Postal Service whistleblower has warned that the development of a new mail ballot system is being handled in a "rushed" and "sloppy" manner. • The system is being implemented to comply with an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump. • The whistleblower contends that these failures could jeopardize the mail-in voting process, which is relied upon by approximately one-third of all voters.

US senator says that project, a key part of Trump’s voting restrictions, is ‘perilously rushed and potentially unlawful’A new system to screen millions of mail-in ballots for this November’s US midterm elections was thrown together so hastily, and tested so little, that a single scanning glitch could see entire batches of ballots turned away, a whistleblower has told Congress.The project – a key part of Donald Trump’s new restrictions on voting – is “perilously rushed and potentially unlawful”, according to the US senator Richard Blumenthal, who disclosed the warning in a letter to David Steiner, the postmaster general, on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Operator wins track access approval for up to 20 daily return trains through tunnel to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2030Virgin Trains has been granted track access by the rail regulator to run new services between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2030, in a step forward for its plans to break’s Eurostar’s passenger monopoly on the cross-Channel route.The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said it had granted approval for Sir Richard Branson’s company to run up to 20 new daily return services through the Channel tunnel. Continue reading...

• Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games. • The exclusion follows a high-grade right hamstring tear sustained on August 3 while playing for Southern Brave in England's "The Hundred." • This is a significant blow to the Indian squad, as Rodrigues is a key batting asset for the national team.

• Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games. • The decision follows a high-grade right hamstring tear Rodrigues sustained while playing in The Hundred. • The BCCI has officially named Pratika Rawal as the replacement for Rodrigues for the upcoming Asia Cup campaign.

Parliamentary committee continues investigation into KPMG audit leaks. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.KPMG has reached out to apologise to the man who exposed its audit leaks scandal before an inquiry into its failures today, while Labor MPs want the government to do more to protect whistleblowers. More coming up. Continue reading...

• Liverpool are reportedly pursuing a "cut-price" deal for Bradley Barcola, having allegedly agreed on personal terms with the player. • The move faces complications as Arsenal has emerged as competition for the winger, while Manchester United has seen a bid rejected for an unnamed defensive target. • Manchester City is simultaneously working to secure a replacement for midfielder Rodri to bolster their squad depth.

Napo members overwhelmingly back action after union had criticised prisons proposals as rushedProbation staff have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike, in a potentially serious complication to Andy Burnham’s plans to tweak an early release scheme for prisoners to try to exclude more serious offenders, among them the killers of PC Andrew Harper.While the vote by members of Napo was not directly connected to the early release plans, the probation officers’ union has previously criticised the proposals as rushed. The union said the 91% vote in favour of a strike would come as a blow to ministers as they put together the plan. Continue reading...

Prof Wyn Evans, who raised concerns over treatment of female staff at Institute of Astronomy, was subject to ‘baseless’ investigation, judge rulesA University of Cambridge whistleblower who alleged bullying of female staff inside the university’s Institute of Astronomy has won a tribunal against his employer.Prof Wyn Evans told a tribunal hearing in June that the Institute suffered from “a bad history of misogyny”. He claimed that one woman in the department had been “hounded out of a job”, another was “left a frightened woman”, and a third had faced “aggressive professors” at the institute. Continue reading...

• Hedge fund Situational Awareness has reportedly invested $400 million to $500 million in Source Foundry, a semiconductor startup valued at $5 billion. • Source Foundry aims to reinvent chip manufacturing by developing advanced lithography tools to address critical bottlenecks in the AI supply chain. • This aggressive bet comes shortly after Situational Awareness experienced what has been described as the "most catastrophic hedge fund blowup" of the year.

By dragging out talks, Tehran aims to damage the US president politically, but some fear a bruised and weakened Trump could only prolong the conflict Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 US embassy hostage crisis.For many inside Iran, inflicting meaningful revenge on Trump is a legitimate and self-standing war aim, reflected in the mood of those attending the funeral of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei where demands for retribution were ubiquitous. Continue reading...

Average 25% increase for letters such as marketing, bills and medical appointment notices from 5 OctoberRoyal Mail will increase the price of its wholesale postal service by as much as a third, in a multimillion-pound blow to the NHS and other large organisations.The postal company has warned customers who use its wholesale postal service for mail including marketing letters, household bills and medical appointment notices that it is raising prices by an average of 25% from 5 October. Continue reading...