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)
‘Robust little’ vessel begins treacherous 22,000km journey around Antarctica in the name of climate science 25. September 2026 (17:00) Powered by sun and wind, the uncrewed vehicle will collect data to help Australian scientists better understand how oceans absorb emissionsA small uncrewed vessel has embarked on a lap around Antarctica and may not return for months.The seven-metre craft, which looks like a large kayak in hi-vis orange, is expected to travel about 22,000km through inhospitable waters, propelled by powerful westerly winds and energy from the sun. The journey is seven times the distance between Sydney and Perth. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
