Alberta’s self-image as world’s only rat-free region shattered by discovery of rat 25. September 2026 (18:34) Province’s rat patrol called in to investigate as town of Bowden announces discovery of dead verminFor more than seven decades, residents of Alberta have shared something in common with Antarctica and the high Arctic: all locations are officially free of rats.But on Thursday the Canadian province’s reputation as a firewall against rodent infestation took a hit when the town of Bowden announced the discovery of a dead rat and called on the province’s “rat patrol” to investigate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Novelist accused of using AI to write book removed from French prize list 25. September 2026 (18:14) Thélyson Orélien had been in the running to win a top literary prize before the AI claim emerged on social mediaThe organisers of France’s most prestigious literary prize said they had removed a critically acclaimed novel by a Canadian-Haitian writer from the longlist after an anonymous online account claimed the book was “almost entirely” written by AI.The Académie Goncourt, a Paris-based literary organisation, said on Friday its decision to withdraw Thélyson Orélien’s novel C’était ça ou mourir (It Was That or Die) was “driven by the desire to preserve the integrity of the Goncourt prize and the academy itself, whose central role is to promote and honour literature written by women and men”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pope Leo warns of AI threat to humanity at start of three-day France visit 25. September 2026 (18:01) Pontiff says artificial intelligence must remain at service of people in first official papal visit to country in 18 yearsPope Leo has warned against losing humanity in a “paradise of machines” as he addressed global concerns over the dangers of artificial intelligence at the start of a three-day visit to France.“If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for people to be educated in ethical discernment, capable of seeing what is morally right,” he said in a speech at the Élysée. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
No snap election before 2029, Andy Burnham says 25. September 2026 (18:00) Prime minister quashes speculation that Labour’s revival in the polls could prompt early contestAndy Burnham has said he will not call a snap general election before 2029, after days of speculation that Labour’s revival in the polls could tempt him to call an early contest.The prime minister was repeatedly questioned on the prospect during a round of broadcast interviews to regional media on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US supreme court lifts restrictions on controversial voter database 25. September 2026 (17:52) Trump and officials claimed it combats voting by noncitizens but critics said it could disenfranchise eligible votersThe US supreme court has lifted restrictions on a controversial federal database of voters as Donald Trump seeks to impose tougher restrictions on voting ahead of November’s midterm elections.While the president and his officials have claimed the expanded database aims to combat voting by noncitizens, critics contend it could disenfranchise eligible voters. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump faces tough choices as Iran dangles deal to reopen Hormuz before US midterms 25. September 2026 (17:43) Iran’s seven-day timetable would restart nuclear talks, but will the US be willing to deliver on terms that include reining in Israel in Lebanon?Iran’s seven-day timetable to reopen the strait of Hormuz and start talks on its nuclear programme has been pitched as a deal that could rapidly extricate Donald Trump from a political crisis but requires the US president to make difficult concessions.In the five days left before the proposed reopening of the strait, which is expected to relieve pressure on global energy markets, Trump would need to lift Iranian asset freezes, permit Iran to export its oil and, probably most difficult of all, order Benjamin Netanyahu to end Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, thus achieving the “ceasefire on all fronts”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Republican Florida congressman introduces bill requiring warrants for Flock Safety cameras 25. September 2026 (17:39) Greg Steube’s Flafo Act would require federal agencies to obtain warrants before accessing or sharing data from networked license plate readersA Florida Republican has introduced a bill that would bar US federal agencies from using Flock Safety’s licence plate cameras and similar systems without a warrant, amid a nationwide backlash against the surveillance company.Greg Steube’s Facilitating Liberty and Accountability for Flock Observations (Flafo) Act, introduced on Friday, would require a judicial warrant before federal agencies could buy, operate, access or share data with networked licence plate readers. It would also make US Department of Justice grants to local police conditional on their adopting similar rules. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Couple jailed for at least 21 years for murder of vulnerable man in their care 25. September 2026 (17:15) Kenneth Newton and Melanie James filmed themselves mocking and abusing Rubin Blount, 28, who weighed 40kg when he diedA couple convicted of murder after inflicting “deliberate cruelty” on a vulnerable 28-year-old man in their care, who at the time of his death weighed just 40kg (6st 4lb), have been jailed for life.Rubin Blount was made to stand for long periods of time, left to lie in his own urine and forced to eat out of bins by his stepbrother Kenneth Newton and Newton’s partner, Melanie James, at a property in Tamworth, Staffordshire, Stafford crown court heard. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
OpenAI hack on Australian government reveals anxiety at heart of global artificial intelligence dilemma 25. September 2026 (17:12) As the UN warns traditional safeguards are ‘unravelling’, Donald Trump says he will encourage, not restrain, the AI raceWhen the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, sat down for an interview in the heart of Silicon Valley at the weekend he had known for two days that his was the first government known to have been attacked by a rogue AI agent.He didn’t reveal the attack then, but he sounded a warning about the march of AI: “the risk is that AI develops in a way in which humans are no longer in control of what AI is producing.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Major milestone’: TfL to launch new public bus operator in London 25. September 2026 (17:04) Buses for London aims for ‘greener, safer and better-value’ service but private operators say move will not fix problemsLondon buses in decline? Why public transport is slowing to a crawl – visualisedA publicly owned company, Buses for London, will start running services in the capital next year, Transport for London has announced.TfL said the launch was a “major milestone” in its plans to improve buses for drivers and passengers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
