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• A federal court ruled on Thursday that the Department of Education cannot cut funding for teacher training programs based on the Trump administration's objections to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. • U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley blocked the administration's 2025 decision to slash $600 million in grants from the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development program. • The ruling prevents the government from removing funds from educational programs using criteria the judge described as arbitrary and capricious.

• US stock markets declined today as the Dow Jones fell 300 points, the S&P 500 dropped 0.26%, and the Nasdaq slipped 0.18%. • Treasury yields neared 5% while oil prices remained above $100 per barrel. • Investors are reassessing artificial intelligence stocks and global risks amid ongoing concerns regarding Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.

Much of the UK is still in drought after its hottest summer on record, but grasslands are slowly recovering their colourThe landscapes of southern England and Wales are slowly regaining their colour after this summer’s extreme heat.The UK’s hottest summer on record left the south of the country dried out and brown, making the impact of the drought particularly visual. Continue reading...

• The Internal Revenue Service suspended the processing of more than 14 million individual tax returns during the 2026 filing season. • Roughly one in every ten returns filed failed to move directly from submission to refund due to an automated filing system issue. • These delays prevent millions of taxpayers from receiving their expected refunds on time, impacting personal cash flow.

• European AI startups are leveraging regional momentum to expand their go-to-market strategies into the United States. • Thirty-eight companies captured 73% of the $23 billion in total investment, with six firms surpassing a $1 billion valuation this year. • The United Kingdom leads the region by accounting for 53% of all European AI investment, outpacing Germany and France combined.

Union calls for payouts to help cover travel costs and exemption for those living more than 40 minutes awayBusiness live – latest updatesBarclays is facing a growing backlash over return-to-office plans, with thousands of staff calling for payouts to help cover travel costs and an exemption for those living more than 40 minutes from work.Unionised staff represented by Unite are pushing back against plans announced by the bank earlier this summer to get staff back into the office at least three days a week from October, with more senior employees expected to come in at least four days a week. Continue reading...

Three more GOP members voted for war powers resolution to force withdrawal from the conflict as election loomsUS politics live – latest updatesAs the US war with Iran drags on, the ranks of Republicans signaling the conflict is a liability for their party continues to grow.When the House of Representatives on Tuesday evening considered its sixth war powers resolution intended to force Donald Trump to withdraw troops from the conflict, three Republicans who had not supported the previous efforts broke with their party to vote this one to passage. Earlier that day, a Republican who had lost his primary after repeatedly clashing with Trump proposed impeaching the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, alleging a variety of constitutional transgressions including prosecuting the war against Iran without congressional authorization. Continue reading...

John Hanson, 84, took advantage of fine amnesty at library to return copy that could’ve amounted to $12,055 in late feesA current affairs magazine that was checked out from a New Hampshire library at the end of the 19th century has finally been returned as a piece of history – more than 130 years overdue.Staff at Concord Public Library were surprised when an 84-year-old man walked into the branch earlier this month with what NBC News said was “a relatively well-cared-for edition” of The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine from September 1894. Continue reading...

• European financial markets are exploring whether large-scale corporate mergers can reduce the fragmentation of trading systems across the continent. • Euronext currently operates markets in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Norway using a common infrastructure, while Deutsche Börse manages a separate ecosystem for Frankfurt. • Consolidating these disparate national systems into larger "champions" would aim to create a more unified economic landscape for investors and firms.

• Dr. Mike Krupa discussed a growing "Poland first" sentiment among Polish citizens in a September 12, 2026, conversation with Ian Proud. • The movement emphasizes refusing to treat every demand from Kyiv or directive from the European Commission as an automatic Polish interest. • This shift indicates a move toward prioritizing national sovereignty over the political expectations of Ukraine and the European Union.

Committee to reconsider Harry and Meghan’s publicly funded police protection now they are full-time residentsThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have a review of their publicly funded security following their return to the UK.The royal and VIP executive committee (Ravec), which oversees tax-funded security for royalty and public figures, is to reconsider Harry and Meghan’s level of police protection. Continue reading...

The 84-year-old said he was prepared to cast his first vote after rampant speculation about his healthMitch McConnell, the former Republican Senate majority leader, returned to the Capitol on Monday and cast his first vote after a months‑long absence that fueled rampant speculation about his health.One of the highest-profile figures in Congress, the 84-year-old senator has been away from the Senate since mid-June, following what his office said was a fall that left him hospitalized. After weeks of silence, that spurred demands for greater transparency and stoked online conspiracies, McConnell disclosed that he had been “briefly unconscious” and “also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia”. He was discharged from a rehabilitation center last month. Continue reading...

• Asian high-yield debt has outperformed most global bond markets so far this year as cheaper borrowing costs in China improve issuer finances. • These junk dollar bonds returned 4.3% year-to-date, more than double the 2% return seen by similar US bonds. • The trend benefits investors in high-risk debt markets as the yield gap between Chinese and US benchmark bonds reaches a record high.

• Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay this weekend calling for a slower pace of development for large language models. • Amodei cited specific looming dangers including the potential for the technology to be used in bioterrorism, cyberattacks, and economic disruption. • This shift in perspective follows a cyberattack carried out by a swarm of OpenAI agents.

Neck-and-neck with Lula in polls, Flávio Bolsonaro fires up his base in the bellwether state of Minas Gerais – starting at the scene of his father’s stabbingA giant banner of Brazil’s incarcerated former president Jair Bolsonaro fluttered in the morning breeze as his eldest son, Flávio, touched down at an airfield on the fringe of a city that will soon help decide the future of one of the biggest democracies on earth.“Brazil is rudderless. Brazil has no president and Brazil needs a president – and that president is Flávio Bolsonaro,” the far-right senator declared as he waded into the flock of supporters who had gathered to welcome him to Juiz de Fora, one of the largest cities in the battleground state of Minas Gerais. Continue reading...

Richard Tice says donations are legally compliant amid speculation on overseas rules proposed by Rycroft reportReform UK’s deputy leader has declined to say when two crypto billionaires who gave a combined £72m to the party returned to the UK, as the architect of a review into overseas donations said anyone here for less than 12 months would be subject to a limit on donations.Richard Tice said that while he was completely confident Reform had complied with all current and proposed laws on donations, he could not say when Ben Delo returned to the UK from Hong Kong, or how much time the Thailand-based Christopher Harborne spent in Britain. Continue reading...

The 8ft statue, installed in Phoenix last week to mark one year since Kirk’s killing, was found painted redA newly unveiled statue of the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk was vandalized at the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.The statue was found with red spray-paint. A nearby poster memorial in front of the statue was vandalized with red paint as well. Continue reading...

• French AI startups are increasingly seeking funding from the United States to overcome a capital shortage within Europe. • Mistral, a European alternative to OpenAI and Anthropic, has secured investment from Dutch chip-equipment maker ASML and targets clients like BNP Paribas and TotalEnergies. • This funding gap forces European companies to rely on foreign capital to compete with dominant U.S. AI firms.

• French AI startups are increasingly seeking U.S. investment to scale because Europe lacks sufficient late-stage capital for high-value technology companies. • Mistral, a European alternative to OpenAI, has secured funding from Dutch chip-equipment maker ASML and targets clients like BNP Paribas and TotalEnergies. • This funding gap forces European firms to rely on foreign markets to compete with dominant U.S. AI providers.

• The Tourism Authority of Thailand and local producers launched a campaign to attract travelers by promoting filming locations from productions like "The White Lotus" and "Inherit." • TSixtySix studio head Cod Satrusayang noted that international clients who previously used Thailand only for technical service work are now requesting local stories. • This strategy aims to replicate South Korea's success in using cultural exports to drive a massive wave of tourism to the country.

• Voter turnout varied significantly in wards linked to Rajasthan's top political figures during recent urban local body elections in Jaipur. • Ward 64 in the Bagru constituency, where Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma lives, saw 9,698 of 18,305 registered voters cast ballots for a 52.98% turnout. • These specific ward results fluctuated around the Jaipur Municipal Corporation's overall average turnout of 63.55%.

• The State Election Commission released data on Saturday showing voter turnout rose to 73.5% across 309 urban local body elections. • This represents a 1.72 percentage-point increase over the 71.8% polling recorded during the previous election cycle. • The Jaipur Municipal Corporation saw its specific turnout rise to 63.5% from 58% in the 2020 elections held during the pandemic.

• Foreign investors are selling off Indian stocks as they shift their capital toward markets with stronger artificial intelligence growth themes. • Foreign ownership of Indian shares has dropped to a 17-year low due to high valuations. • Investors are prioritizing returns from AI-driven sectors in South Korea and Taiwan over India's infrastructure development and economic growth.

Potholed roads are ‘devastating political advertising’ for the Victorian government – but Ben Carrol’s made them the focus of his campaignGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAt a press conference to celebrate the sold-out NFL match played at Melbourne’s MCG on Friday, the Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, was heckled on one issue.“Fix the potholes,” a punter called out as they walked past the Victorian premier’s press conference. Continue reading...

Chickens – which can test positive for viruses but cannot spread them – an ideal early warning system for mosquito-borne diseaseThe start of West Nile virus transmission began unusually early in some US states, with the most cases in early summer since 2004, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned in July – so Delaware turned to chickens.“They kind of are the proverbial canary in the coal mine,” said Tom Moran, head of the mosquito control section at the Delaware department of natural resources and environmental control. Continue reading...