NISA

Global spending on nuclear arsenals is accelerating, with major powers investing heavily in modernising warheads, delivery systems and command infrastructure. Reporting highlights a quiet but broad competition, as states upgrade legacy systems and develop new capabilities largely outside public debate. Analysts warn the trend raises arms-race risks at a time of strained arms-control frameworks and heightened geopolitical tension.

Thirty-eight international organisations have backed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's sanctions regime targeting International Criminal Court officials and those assisting the court. The suit was originally filed by four US organisations, which argue the sanctions are unlawful. The broad international support highlights growing opposition to measures that critics say hinder war crimes accountability.

A coalition of civil society organisations has issued a joint statement for International Safe Abortion Day 2026, declaring that safe abortion is essential healthcare and issuing a call to action. The statement urges governments and health systems to treat abortion access as a fundamental part of medical care and human rights, adding to ongoing global advocacy around reproductive rights.

Bruegel argues that well-designed climate policies can accelerate the decarbonisation of manufacturing across the Western Balkans, rather than hindering industry. The analysis suggests the region could align its industrial base with EU climate standards, turning regulation into a driver of modernisation. The discussion feeds into wider European debates on how enlargement countries should meet green transition requirements while keeping their economies competitive.

In Japan, debate is growing over whether an ordinary company employee can build assets of 100 million yen, using the new NISA investment scheme. One widely shared calculation suggests that investing 100,000 yen a month under the new NISA could put savers on the path to becoming 'okuri-nin' — yen millionaires — with the timeline depending on investment returns.

Teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters and other public sector unions in France are preparing hundreds of strikes, with tens of thousands of people expected to march in Paris. Unions including the CGT and FO are behind the mobilisation, scheduled around September 29, in a broad show of strength by public employees over pay and working conditions.

Nine years after the Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people in west London, the Crown Prosecution Service has revealed the first organisations to face criminal charges over the 2017 disaster. The announcement follows a lengthy police investigation and public inquiry into the fire and the failures that led to it. Campaigners and bereaved families have long called for corporate accountability, criticising years of delay.

Primary Ethics, an independent not-for-profit that provides a free philosophical ethics curriculum to New South Wales school students from Kindergarten to Year 8, is advertising for an area manager. The organisation delivers age-appropriate ethics classes in primary schools, and the vacancy has been shared among people interested in education and volunteering roles.

Banking industry analysis is examining how tokenisation — the conversion of assets such as bonds, funds and deposits into digital tokens on blockchain-based infrastructure — is changing global finance. Commentary from The Banker suggests tokenised assets could streamline settlement, cut costs and open markets to new participants, while banks and regulators weigh how to adapt custody, compliance and payment systems to this shift.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office says its investigation, codenamed Troja, has uncovered a criminal organisation suspected of selling more than one million used mobile phones as if they were new. The scheme allegedly deceived consumers across the EU and may involve fraud and customs offences. Prosecutors say the case highlights growing cross-border consumer fraud in the electronics trade, and further details are expected as the inquiry advances.