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A nationwide public sector strike is planned for Tuesday, September 29, in France, involving teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters, and public transport staff. In Paris, a demonstration is set to march from Place de la République to Place de la Nation via Bastille. Travelers should expect disruptions, with RATP services likely affected, and check updated schedules before setting out.

Israel's Supreme Court is expected to decide this week whether Arab parties can be barred from running in the upcoming elections. The attempt to exclude them has triggered anger and uncertainty among Arab citizens and their representatives, adding a contentious dimension to an already heated election campaign in Israel.

Ukraine is reported to be sending unmanned ground vehicles fitted with grenade launchers to attack Russian positions, replacing infantry in certain assaults. The deployment reflects Kyiv's growing reliance on robotic systems to conserve manpower and reduce casualties at the front. The development adds to ongoing discussion about how drones and ground robots are reshaping combat tactics in the war.

At the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Niger thanked Algeria, Sweden highlighted its commitment to women's rights, and China addressed the situations in Gaza and Cuba. The remarks came during the annual general debate, where member states set out their foreign policy priorities. Niger's gratitude to Algeria points to regional diplomacy in the Sahel, while China's statements underscore its positions on the Gaza conflict and Cuba.

Leading artificial intelligence researchers are calling for urgent government oversight of self-improving AI systems, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive. The researchers warn that systems capable of enhancing their own capabilities could pose risks that current safety measures and regulations are not equipped to handle, urging policymakers to act before the technology advances further.

Researchers have published a ranking of the risks posed by increasingly capable smart systems, placing potential catastrophes such as nuclear war, bioweapons development, and loss of control over advanced AI among the most severe threats. The work compares how experts weigh these scenarios and is drawing attention to how the field prioritises safety research as systems grow more powerful.

Google has announced Project Suncatcher, an initiative to place machine learning infrastructure in space, with details published on the company's research blog. The announcement is drawing attention among technologists debating the feasibility and costs of running data centers off Earth, powered by solar energy in orbit. Discussions center on how satellite-based compute could scale and whether the idea is realistic.

Researchers at Graz University of Technology have shown that file notifications in Linux, Android, Windows and macOS can be exploited to spy on users. By monitoring these notifications, an attacker could infer typing behaviour and which websites a person visits. Commenters discussing the findings note that Linux appears to come off as more secure than the other systems in the comparison.

Ukraine's air defence monitoring reported a fresh aerial attack alert overnight, with drones and possible jet targets detected in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy regions. One UAV was tracked in the Kyiv region, four in Chernihiv near Senkivka and Semenivka, and two UAVs or jets in Cherkasy near Katyuzhanka and Kamyanka. Such alerts have become routine as Russia continues nightly drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Researchers have reported detecting a direct radio signal from a planet outside the solar system for the first time. The announcement is being widely shared as a potential milestone in the study of exoplanets, since radio emissions have previously been observed mainly from stars and other cosmic objects rather than from planets themselves. Details about which planet was involved and how the signal was confirmed have not yet been widely reported.

Open-source monitoring reports two jet-powered Ukrainian drone aircraft launched from Russia's Bryansk region heading toward Ripka in Ukraine's Chernihiv region. The alert, part of regular drone movement tracking during the war, signals continued cross-border UAV activity in northern Ukraine as air defense and observers watch the direction of flight overnight.

Researchers have concluded that there is no solid evidence linking daylight saving time to effects on mental health, the Guardian reports. The finding pushes back against widespread claims that the clock changes trigger depression, anxiety or other psychiatric problems, and may inform ongoing debates in several countries about whether to abolish seasonal time changes altogether.

A Brookings Institution researcher argues that the current AI buildout will amount to the largest infrastructure investment bet in United States history, surpassing previous eras of massive spending on railroads, highways, and telecommunications. The claim underscores the enormous scale of capital flowing into data centers, chips, and energy capacity to support artificial intelligence development.

An Australian artificial intelligence researcher says people in Silicon Valley 'genuinely believe' their warnings about advanced AI, according to an interview reported by Politico. The comments highlight how seriously some technology leaders take the perceived risks of powerful AI systems, a debate that continues to divide researchers, companies and policymakers worldwide.

Bob Mackie, the American fashion and costume designer famed for dressing stars such as Cher, Carol Burnett and Madonna, has died at the age of 87, according to ABC News. Mackie built a decades-long career known for glamorous sequined gowns and stage costumes, earning multiple Emmy Awards and an Oscar nomination. Tributes and remembrances of his most iconic looks are circulating widely.

The EU is introducing two mandatory labels to make it easier for consumers to understand their rights when products like washing machines break down shortly after purchase. The labels are meant to clearly distinguish statutory warranty rights from voluntary commercial guarantees, so shoppers no longer have to guess what coverage applies when goods fail within weeks of buying them.

New research highlights that people living with severe mental illness die more than 10 years earlier than the general population. Researchers point to contributing factors behind the gap, which is widely attributed in the field to physical health conditions going undertreated, higher rates of smoking and cardiovascular disease, medication side effects, and poorer access to healthcare. The finding has renewed calls to close the life-expectancy gap for this group.

The legal dispute over the US government's classification of AI company Anthropic as a supply-chain security risk remains unresolved, but a court has sided with the government for now, ruling the designation not unlawful. The Pentagon-related case centres on whether Anthropic can be treated as a supply-chain risk, and the latest decision means the classification stands while proceedings continue.

Archaeologists in Chile have uncovered 13,000-year-old butchered animal bones, offering new evidence that humans were present in South America far earlier than once believed. The cut marks on the remains suggest early peoples hunted or scavenged there, adding to a growing body of finds that challenge the traditional timeline of when the first Americans arrived and how quickly they spread across the continent.

A dengue fever researcher is speaking about the ongoing dengue outbreak in Florida, explaining how the virus is being transmitted and what the risk of further spread looks like. The comments come as Florida has recorded locally acquired dengue cases, raising public health concerns in the region. The researcher's remarks are drawing attention to mosquito-borne disease risks in the United States.

An AI researcher is warning that the most serious threat from artificial intelligence is not sci-fi scenarios of robot armies, but the gradual erosion of democratic institutions. The argument is that AI-driven misinformation, surveillance and concentration of power could undermine elections and public debate long before any physical danger materialises. The warning adds to a growing debate about whether AI policy should focus on existential risks or on protecting civic and democratic life.

Cattle ranchers are warning that a tougher immigration crackdown could drive beef prices even higher, as farms already face labor shortages and rising costs. They say tighter enforcement risks reducing the workforce available for ranch operations, adding pressure to production and consumer prices at a time when beef costs are already elevated.

The Yuelu Conference 2026 took place in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, on September 23–24, bringing together artificial intelligence companies, robotics developers, researchers and investors. The event featured an opening ceremony and ten themed "AI+" forums, positioning Changsha as a growing hub for China's AI and robotics industries.

Archaeologists in Chile have unearthed 13,000-year-old bones of a gomphothere, an extinct long-tusked relative of elephants, bearing clear cut marks from butchering. The find adds to evidence that humans were present in South America far earlier than the traditional Clovis timeline, supporting theories of an earlier peopling of the Americas. Researchers say the discovery strengthens the case for pre-Clovis settlement across the continent.