Saudi Arabia says it destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday. The Iran-backed group denies targeting the holy city and reports downing a Saudi jet. Saudi Arabia says its air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday evening, drawing sharp condemnation over an alleged strike near the holiest site in Islam. The account came from Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen, who branded the attempted attack on the city a "disgraceful act". Mecca houses Islam's most sacred shrine and serves as the destination for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation described strikes aimed at Mecca and at Medina province, which contains the faith's second holiest site, as an "unacceptable and intolerable transgression". The Houthis flatly rejected the claim. The Iran-backed movement, which holds much of western Yemen, said Saudi authorities were peddling "fabrications and lies" and insisted it had never aimed anything at the holy city. Military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group's weapons were pointed only at economic and military targets. "There is no threat whatsoever from Yemen to the holy sites," he said. "Our operations target their oil facilities and military bases, and are far removed from the holy places." Sarea said the recent barrage of drones and missiles fired at the kingdom was a response to more than 450 Saudi air raids on Houthi-held territory over the previous week. He also claimed the group had brought down a Saudi fighter jet over Marib province, an assertion the coalition did not directly address. Maliki, for his part, warned that coalition forces would "not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures against the terrorist Houthi militia and its hostile and terrorist behaviour". The exchange unfolded as Saudi Arabia sent out a run of short security warnings on Tuesday flagging incoming projectiles over several western districts, among them Mecca and the port city of Jeddah, the kingdom's second largest. Adding to the sense of alarm, the US embassy in Saudi Arabia told Americans to "reconsider travel", noting that Houthi strikes had reached cities, infrastructure, airports, military installations, diplomatic premises and energy sites. Red Sea Gains The escalation follows a rapid Houthi advance along Yemen's Red Sea shoreline, where the group has pushed Saudi-backed pro-government fighters out of large areas. In the past week alone the rebels took the port of Mokha and Perim Island, which sits in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. That narrow passage forms the southern entrance to the trade corridor connecting Asia and Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. The Houthis said they had no quarrel with international shipping but repeated a threat to go after vessels belonging to Saudi Arabia. That threat carries added weight because the kingdom has leaned on Red Sea routes for its oil exports after the war between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf. Pipeline Damage Saudi Arabia's energy network has taken a further blow. Its East-West Pipeline, used to move crude from the Gulf to the Red Sea terminal at Yanbu, had to be shut down after it was heavily damaged in a strike the kingdom pinned on Iran-aligned militias operating in Iraq. Some analysts believe repairs could stretch beyond a month. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright offered a far more optimistic timeline on Tuesday, forecasting that crude would move through the line again within days. The crisis has drawn Riyadh's leadership into direct appeals to Washington. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto ruler, has personally urged President Donald Trump to order military strikes against the Houthis, according to two people familiar with the discussions who spoke to CBS News. Trump has so far kept the US military out of direct combat, instead offering to help with intelligence and targeting, those sources said. A senior figure in the Trump administration told the BBC the two governments remained in close contact, saying: "We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia." Houthi drone Mecca, Saudi Arabia Yemen war, Turki al-Maliki, Yahya Sarea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, Mohammed bin Salman Trump, East-West Pipeline, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

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Culture Minister Miki Zohar has demanded the Oscar-winning directors of 'Naza' lose Israeli citizenship, calling the Gaza documentary treasonous. Israel's culture minister has demanded that two Oscar-winning Israeli directors be stripped of their citizenship over a new documentary that alleges the Israeli army deliberately killed large numbers of civilians in Gaza. Miki Zohar accused the co-directors of "treason against the state" in remarks published on 14 September 2026. The film, titled *Naza*, was made by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Its name comes from a Hebrew military acronym for collateral damage. Running 80 minutes, the documentary is built around interviews with 24 unnamed Israeli military and intelligence officers, who describe artificial-intelligence targeting systems the army used to strike Gaza during the war that began with the Hamas-led assault on 7 October 2023. According to the film's official synopsis, it lays out "the systems behind Israel's calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza." One officer interviewed on camera says commanders once cleared a strike expected to kill 500 people in order to hit "one human target." The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called that account "completely false." In the offensive that followed the October 2023 attack, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, among them over 20,000 children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The United Nations regards those numbers as reliable. During the initial Hamas assault, roughly 1,200 people were killed and 251 were seized as hostages. Zohar set out his objections in a message on X and in a formal letter to Israel's Interior Ministry. He asked state authorities to examine how the filmmakers acquired their material, who stood behind the project, and whether obtaining or releasing it involved conduct that could count as helping an enemy in wartime. In the letter he wrote that the film's claims were untrue and twisted, and he rejected any suggestion that Israeli soldiers or the state had committed deliberate crimes. The minister pointed to Israel's Citizenship Law, which he said permits revoking citizenship for a "breach of allegiance to the State of Israel." That power has almost never been used. Abraham and Szor did not immediately respond to his call. From an Oscar to Venice The two directors are not new to controversy or to acclaim. Last year they won an Academy Award for *No Other Land*, which documented attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. *Naza* had its premiere the previous Thursday at the Venice Film Festival, where it drew a standing ovation lasting 25 minutes and took a special jury prize. The film has not yet been released to general audiences. It was produced with Britain's *Guardian* newspaper. Speaking in Venice, Abraham defended the work as carefully reported and dismissed efforts to undermine it as a refusal to confront what happened. "It's a war that has principally been killing civilians," he told the Associated Press. He said the film shows the pattern was "not some mistake" and "not an accident," but "something very, very systemic," adding that the picture is drawn "from the inside, with insider testimony." The army's response The IDF first said it flatly rejected the film's allegations. It later put out a further statement through its spokesperson, Brig-Gen Effie Defrin, who noted that *Naza* has not yet been shown in full. Judging from the promotional footage available so far, he said, the film presents a set of grave claims. The army's fuller response was still unfolding as the dispute drew wider attention. The clash places two of Israel's most prominent documentary makers at the centre of a fight over how the Gaza war is recorded and remembered. Their earlier film brought international recognition; their latest work has now brought a cabinet minister's demand that they be treated as enemies of the state. For now, the standoff rests on material the public cannot yet watch. The government is targeting a film that remains largely unseen, relying on trailers and festival screenings, while the directors insist their testimony will hold up once audiences can judge it for themselves. Whether Zohar's request leads to any formal action under the Citizenship Law remains unclear, given how seldom the measure has been invoked. Naza documentary, Miki Zohar, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Israel citizenship revocation, Gaza war, Venice Film Festival, IDF targeting systems

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Kia has unveiled the PV7 electric van in cargo and passenger forms, with an 800V system, up to 9 seats in Europe and a 96.2 kWh battery. Kia has unveiled the PV7, a large electric van that will be sold in both passenger and cargo forms across several markets, including Korea and Europe. The vehicle expands the company's push into the light commercial vehicle segment and follows the smaller PV5, which arrived in 2025. Kia says it will roll out as many as 23 variants of the PV7 over the coming years. The PV7 is built on the E-GMP.S architecture, the same service-focused platform that underpins the PV5. This structure is designed specifically for commercial use and differs from the standard E-GMP platform used in Kia's passenger cars. The van will come in standard and long wheelbase versions, though the company has so far detailed only the long wheelbase model. Size and payload The long wheelbase PV7 measures 5,350 mm in length, 1,995 mm in width and 1,990 mm in height, with a 3,500 mm wheelbase. That makes it considerably bigger than the long wheelbase PV5, which stands at 4,670 mm long with a 3,000 mm wheelbase. Cargo capacity reflects the larger footprint. The long wheelbase Cargo version with a standard roof offers 6.1 cubic metres of load space, rising to 8.0 cubic metres in the high-roof configuration. Payload is rated at 1,200 kg for the standard version and 1,165 kg for the long wheelbase model. By comparison, the PV5 carries between 605 kg and 800 kg. Kia has not disclosed the gross vehicle weight. The Passenger variant is aimed at personnel transport, shuttle and tourist services, rental fleets and family use. In Europe it will be available with up to nine seats, while the Korean market will offer up to 11. Buyers will be able to choose from several seating layouts, some with removable seats. Charging and range Unlike the PV5, which uses a 400-volt system, the PV7 adopts an 800-volt architecture. The main advantage is faster charging, which Kia describes as critical for commercial operators. Using a 350 kW charger, the van can go from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 25 minutes. The PV7 also carries front and rear charging ports. The front port supports both DC and AC charging, while the rear port handles AC only. Kia says the twin-port layout is meant to ease charging in tight spaces where access to a single point might be difficult. At launch the van will be front-wheel drive, with an all-wheel drive version to follow. The FWD model produces 200 kW, equivalent to 272 PS, along with 420 Nm of torque. Two battery packs will be offered, a 71.5 kWh unit and a 96.2 kWh unit. Fitted with the larger battery, the Cargo version has a WLTP range of around 460 km. Technology and fleet tools Inside, the PV7 uses Kia's Pleos Connect infotainment system, which supports over-the-air updates, an open app marketplace and the Gleo AI voice assistant. The cabin includes a 12.9-inch display and a 14.6-inch unit. For commercial buyers, Kia is bundling a dedicated Business Solutions package. It adds predictive diagnostics, a fleet management system and a dashboard that draws on connected vehicle data. The wide model range is made possible by Kia's Flexible Body System, a modular body design that allows the van to be reconfigured for different jobs. The planned 23 variants include three Cargo models covering standard, long and high-roof bodies, two Passenger versions, a Chassis Cab and a range of other customised builds. The PV7 sits between the PV5 and a still-larger model, the PV9, which Kia has scheduled for launch in 2029 as the next step in building out its commercial vehicle lineup. Kia PV7, Kia electric van, PV7 battery range, E-GMP.S platform, Kia commercial vehicle, PV7 cargo van, 800 volt electric van, Kia PV5

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Harry Brook reached his hundred off just 42 balls against Sri Lanka, the joint-second fastest T20I century by an England batter. Harry Brook reached a century off just 42 balls for England against Sri Lanka, recording the joint-second fastest hundred by an England batter in a men's Twenty20 international. The innings came in the first T20I between the two sides Brook's hundred stands among the quickest England has produced in the format, matching the second-fastest mark set by an Englishman in a T20I. His scoring rate carried the innings, with commentators describing the effort as sensational as he moved to three figures at close to a run every ball faced. The knock drew praise from former England captain Michael Vaughan, who said Brook is a batter capable of winning matches on his own. It is an assessment that reflected the tempo of an innings built on clean, aggressive strokeplay from the outset. England head coach Brendon McCullum also spoke about Brook, defending the batter and calling his cricket outstanding. McCullum said the team had dealt with recent matters surrounding the player, keeping the focus on his performances on the field. The match was the opening fixture of England's T20I series against Sri Lanka. Brook's rapid century set the tone for the contest and reinforced his standing as one of England's most destructive short-format batters. By reaching the milestone in 42 deliveries, Brook placed his name alongside the fastest hundreds an England player has struck in the format. The innings underlined the attacking approach England have adopted in white-ball cricket and the threat Brook poses at the top of an order built for quick runs. England continue their series against Sri Lanka, with Brook's early-series statement providing momentum. The strength of the innings, its speed and its impact left little doubt about the form the batter carried into the fixtures. Harry Brook, England cricket, Sri Lanka T20I, fastest T20I century, 42-ball hundred, Brendon McCullum, England men's cricket, T20 international

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Clearlake Capital now owns all of Chelsea after Todd Boehly, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss sold their stakes. Boehly steps down as chairman. Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and club director Mark Walter have sold their shares in the Premier League side to Clearlake Capital, the private equity firm that already held the majority stake. Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss has also cashed out his holding, leaving Clearlake in sole ownership of the London club. The deal means Clearlake - steered by co-founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano - now controls 100% of Chelsea. Boehly, Walter and Wyss had each held a 12.8% share, while Clearlake previously owned 61.5%. Boehly, an American investor, will step down as chairman, the post he had occupied since 2022. That year, a consortium purchased the club for £2.3bn from Roman Abramovich. The Russian businessman had been sanctioned by the UK government in March 2022 over alleged connections to President Vladimir Putin, an accusation he rejected. Signs of the split emerged earlier this year. BBC Sport reported in August that Boehly and Walter were weighing an exit, and multiple sources described talks that began within the ownership group after a falling-out that first surfaced in 2024. Each side, according to those accounts, looked at buying the other out. Boehly, who also co-owns Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, called his time at Stamford Bridge an "honour." He thanked the Premier League, the coaching staff and players, Chelsea's leadership and employees, and the club's supporters. "I have valued my partnership with Clearlake and the wider ownership group, and the collective decisions and investment we have made to support the immediate and long-term success of the club," he said, adding that he believed Chelsea was "well positioned for continued success under Clearlake's leadership." Eghbali and Feliciano paid tribute to the departing chairman, thanking him for his "time and contribution" and saying he would "always be a part of the Chelsea story and family." The pair said their priority would be to "continue investing in the club's infrastructure, sporting performance, player development and delivering long-term success for Chelsea and the club's supporters." Mixed results since 2022 The four years under the outgoing ownership have brought uneven form. Chelsea's best league placing in that stretch came last season's fourth-place finish in 2024-25, a campaign in which the team also lifted the Uefa Conference League and the Fifa Club World Cup. The club has churned through players at an unusual rate, with an early recruitment plan built around handing long contracts to young signings. On the pitch, the most recent Premier League season ended with Chelsea in 10th. Over the summer the club named Xabi Alonso as head coach. Stadium plans and no operational shake-up One source of friction between the two camps has been the club's stadium future. Chelsea are weighing whether to redevelop Stamford Bridge or build a new ground elsewhere, and sources say that question had strained relations between Boehly's side and Clearlake at points. Despite the change at the top, the club sought to reassure supporters that little else would shift. A Chelsea statement said there would be "no changes to the day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy" as a result of Clearlake taking full ownership. Walter, meanwhile, is a prominent figure in American sport and finance. He is co-owner and chief executive of Guggenheim Partners, the global finance company where Boehly launched his own career in the industry. Last month Walter sold the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that valued the NBA franchise at a record $12.5bn (£9.23bn), roughly a year after he had bought a majority stake in the team. Chelsea ownership, Clearlake Capital, Todd Boehly, Mark Walter, Behdad Eghbali, Jose Feliciano, Stamford Bridge, Premier League

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LDU Quito beat Palmeiras 3-2 in a five-goal CONMEBOL Libertadores clash, with the highlights climbing India's Google Trends. LDU Quito beat Palmeiras 3-2 in a five-goal CONMEBOL Libertadores tie, a result that quickly drew attention well beyond South America. Match highlights of the contest, carrying the scoreline LDU Quito 3 - 2 Palmeiras, were published by CazéTV and made available through OneFootball. The fixture pitted the Ecuadorian side Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito against the Brazilian club Palmeiras in the continent's premier club competition, the Copa Libertadores. LDU Quito came out on top by a single goal in a game that produced five in total. Interest in the match was not limited to the two clubs' home countries. The search term "ldu quito vs palmeiras" was trending on Google Trends in India, registering more than 100 searches and pointing to a wider international audience following the Libertadores tie. Coverage of the game centred on the highlights package rather than a full broadcast, with CazéTV's clip circulating as the main point of reference for the result. The video was posted shortly after the final whistle and picked up through OneFootball's platform, where it sat alongside other football content from across the region and Europe. The 3-2 outcome leaves LDU Quito with a narrow advantage over Palmeiras from this encounter. As one of the most storied names in Ecuadorian football facing one of Brazil's leading sides, the home victory stands out in a competition that regularly brings together the strongest clubs from across the continent. Beyond the final score, the specific timeline of the goals and the individual scorers were not detailed in the available material. What is confirmed is the result itself: a 3-2 win for LDU Quito over Palmeiras in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. LDU Quito, Palmeiras, Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL Libertadores, LDU Quito vs Palmeiras, Libertadores highlights, South American football

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The updated 2026 Bajaj Pulsar NS200 and N250 were spied testing with new 5-inch TFT clusters and WP Apex USD forks on the NS200. Bajaj Auto is preparing updated versions of the Pulsar NS200 and Pulsar N250, and both motorcycles have been spotted testing together in recent spy shots. The 2026 models pick up new TFT instrument clusters and, in the case of the NS200, WP Apex upside-down front forks. The two bikes are the latest to move through Bajaj's ongoing refresh of the Pulsar range. The company has already rolled out the updated Pulsar N160 4V and the next-generation Classic Pulsars, the Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 125. With those launches done, attention has now shifted to the NS200 and N250. The spy images show that Bajaj has left the styling of both motorcycles untouched. The bikes keep the same silhouette and design cues they have carried so far, with the changes concentrated on equipment rather than looks. The result is a more feature-heavy package sitting under a familiar shape. New 5-inch TFT and switchgear Both the NS200 and N250 were seen with revised switchgear, the same style fitted to Bajaj's other recent Pulsars. Its main purpose is to control the new TFT instrument cluster that replaces the older displays. On the right-hand cluster, the shots reveal hazard light and engine kill switches. The NS200 also gains adjustable levers. The screen itself is a 5-inch TFT unit, the same one already used on the Pulsar N160 4V and the next-generation Classic Pulsars. It brings a long feature list. The display supports document storage for the RC, driving licence and insurance, along with smartphone connectivity over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Riders also get music controls, third-party notifications and Google Maps mirroring. Traction control and riding modes are expected to feature on both bikes, including the NS200. The TFT screen is the interface used to switch between those modes. Depending on the variant, Bajaj may also add a lap timer to the cluster. WP Apex forks arrive on the NS200 The headline hardware change sits at the front of the NS200. The motorcycle was spied with WP Apex USD telescopic front forks, and the WP branding is clearly visible on the units. That makes the 2026 NS200 the first Bajaj and the first Pulsar to run WP Apex USD forks, in place of the current Endurance components. WP Apex suspension comes from WP Performance Systems, which sits under the KTM AG group. In India, this race-derived hardware has so far been reserved for KTM and Husqvarna machines, so its arrival on a Pulsar marks a notable move for the brand. It is not yet clear whether the updated N250 will also receive the WP Apex forks. The spy shots confirm the setup only on the NS200. Some equipment remains uncertain. It is not confirmed whether silent start and an auto engine start-stop system, driven by an integrated starter generator, will be part of the package on either bike. On the mechanical side, both motorcycles are expected to carry over their existing engines. There is, however, a slight chance that Bajaj could introduce engine upgrades on the 2026 NS200 and N250. For now, the updates seen in testing point to a technology-focused overhaul aimed at making the two Pulsars more modern without changing what they already are. Bajaj Pulsar NS200, Bajaj Pulsar N250, 2026 Pulsar update, WP Apex forks, Pulsar TFT screen, Bajaj Auto, Pulsar spy shots, WP Performance Systems

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Dr John Gibbs says the Thirlwall Inquiry into Lucy Letby's murders is grim reading and accepts consultants share blame for failing to alert police sooner. A senior doctor who tried to warn managers about Lucy Letby has said the final report of the Thirlwall Inquiry makes for "grim reading" and that hospital consultants share the blame for not going to police sooner. Dr John Gibbs, a consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, gave his reaction to the BBC in Liverpool. Gibbs worked on the neonatal unit throughout 2015 and 2016, the period when Letby murdered seven babies and tried to murder seven more. The 822-page report, written by Lady Justice Thirlwall and published on Tuesday, described "a complete failure to protect babies" on the unit and said police should have been told earlier than they were. The inquiry was set up after Letby, a former nurse, was convicted in 2023. Its findings state that hospital managers repeatedly brushed aside the concerns raised by doctors, and that executives had several chances to act while babies were still dying. Gibbs told the BBC he accepted a "collective" responsibility for some of the failings. "I wish we consultants had been brave enough to follow our suspicions and escalate things to the police earlier," he said. He added that he counted himself among those at fault: if his colleagues did not contact police, then he should have done so himself. The consultant, who joined the Chester hospital in 1994 and has since retired, said reading the document was never going to be easy. "I'd imagine it's an extremely difficult read for the parents of the babies concerned," he said. Recalling his own evidence to the inquiry, he repeated that the team had failed the babies and offered an apology to the bereaved families. Gibbs agreed with the report's conclusion that hospital bosses missed multiple opportunities that might have saved lives. He described the atmosphere in the 11 months after Letby was taken off the unit but before police were called as tense and highly stressful. During that time, he said, managers "were determined to ensure that we accepted Lucy Letby had been wrongly suspected of doing any harm." He also pointed to a specific clinical failure. In August 2015, blood test results indicated that a baby had been poisoned with insulin, but a doctor set them aside. Gibbs said one colleague missed the significance of the lab findings, yet he framed it as a shared error. Other doctors, including himself, covered the unit in the following weeks and had the chance to read the same notes before the baby was moved elsewhere. Letby is serving 15 whole-life terms for the murders and attempted murders. She has twice been refused permission to appeal against her convictions. The Criminal Cases Review Commission, the independent body that investigates possible miscarriages of justice, is currently examining her case. Since her conviction, the case has drawn public questions, including online conspiracy theories as well as challenges from academics and medical experts. Gibbs said he hoped the inquiry's recommendations would help stop similar deaths from happening again. Thirlwall Inquiry, Lucy Letby, Countess of Chester Hospital, Dr John Gibbs, neonatal unit deaths, Lady Justice Thirlwall, NHS baby murders, hospital managers failings

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A French reptile park saw 10 Nile crocodiles hatch without incubators after record summer heat kept their nest warm - a first the director calls a climate marker. Ten Nile crocodiles have hatched with no help from keepers at a reptile park in southeastern France, the first time the species has bred there without artificial incubation. Extended summer heat left the nest warm enough for the eggs to reach term on their own. The young reptiles emerged at La Ferme aux Crocodiles in Pierrelatte, which describes itself as Europe's largest wildlife park devoted to reptiles. Visitors noticed the 10 animals breaking out of their shells on Saturday and called over park staff. The facility usually depends on managed incubation to raise crocodile eggs. Samuel Martin, who directs the reserve, spoke to AFP on Wednesday, according to France 24. "For the first time, we had an incubation that took place entirely under natural conditions," he said. He described the event as an "unprecedented natural process" and, above all, "a marker of climate change." What began as a moment of delight for guests and the veterinary team soon turned into unease about the weather that had allowed it to happen. Why natural hatching is rare in captivity Wild Nile crocodiles bury their eggs in underground nests where they warm and develop. Parks and zoos instead place the eggs in incubators that hold steady temperature and humidity. For an embryo to form and hatch, a Nile crocodile egg needs to sit at 30°C to 32°C for roughly three months. At Pierrelatte, the sand surrounding the clutch soaked up warmth through each day and held it, keeping the nest at incubation range without any equipment. A summer of record heat France has been through three heatwaves this summer and a record 52 days of extreme temperatures, conditions made harsher by climate change. That sustained warmth suited the subtropical crocodile, giving it the setting to reproduce naturally far from its native range. All 10 hatchlings are healthy. They will stay under watch in the park's nursery before going on display to the public. The same heat that helped the crocodiles has raised worries about animals suited to cooler climates. Martin said creatures from "very hot countries are feeling comfortable," while "species from more temperate environments may have suffered more." The split effect means the weather that let a subtropical reptile thrive may have strained animals built for milder surroundings. Nile crocodile hatching, La Ferme aux Crocodiles, Pierrelatte France, France heatwave 2025, climate change wildlife, natural incubation crocodile, Samuel Martin, reptile park France

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Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has asked the Centre to review medical device pricing after a survey found markups as high as 2,800%. Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration has asked the Centre to step in after a state survey found that some intravenous sets carry a markup of roughly 2,800 percent between the price manufacturers charge hospitals and the amount printed on the label. FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said the gap points to a pricing and profit problem that needs a fresh look. Mundhe has written to the National Pharma Pricing Authority, which sits under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, requesting intervention. His letter follows a study by the Maharashtra State Price Monitoring Resource Unit, an arm of the state FDA, which examined how medical devices are priced across retail and trade channels. "A trade margin of 2,800 per cent is by any terms not acceptable, either as a consumer or as a hospital or as a regulator," Mundhe told NDTV in an interview. He said no industry is expected to run at a loss, but the pricing must be open to scrutiny. The survey looked at IV sets, syringes, nebuliser oxygen masks and a range of other equipment used in hospital inpatient departments. It recorded markups reaching as high as 29 times the cost of procurement on essential inpatient items. Among the examples cited, the Medifusion IV set made by Mediplus in Haryana was bought at Rs 11.05 but carried a maximum retail price of Rs 325, a margin of 2,841 percent. A comparable product from Lyvofusion showed a margin of 2,091 percent. The pattern extended to other devices. A standard 10 ml syringe from Lifelong Meditech in Delhi was priced at Rs 57.2 despite a purchase cost of Rs 6.75. An adult nebuliser mask kit made by Vinjoh Healthcare cost Rs 45 but reached patients at Rs 652. Mundhe said any correction should follow due process and involve talks with the industry, so the outcome works for everyone. Manufacturers would be asked what inputs and profit levels they expect, while the pricing authority and government would decide what margin should be permitted. "Basically there has to be a fair trade, fair margin of profit. But it cannot be opaque," he said. He added that a fair return is necessary for companies to stay in business, but that the pricing must remain honest and clear to buyers and regulators alike. Tukaram Mundhe, Maharashtra FDA, IV set pricing, medical device markup, NPPA, pharma profit, medical device MRP, drug pricing India

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Federal prosecutors in New York filed a civil forfeiture claim over $61 million in cryptocurrency, alleging it stems from black-market Iranian oil sold to China. "binance exchange" Federal prosecutors in New York are moving to take control of $61 million in cryptocurrency they say came from illegal sales of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and refined petroleum. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York filed a civil forfeiture complaint arguing the digital funds trace back to a laundering operation that ultimately served Iran's government and armed forces. According to the complaint, Tehran leaned on a web of cryptocurrency operators based in China and other countries to move more than $1.5 billion in oil revenue through concealed channels. Prosecutors say the money was earmarked for the Iranian government, its military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "Today we are seizing and seeking to forfeit more than $61 million of the Government of Iran's money, which otherwise would have promoted hostile military action and terrorist attacks against the U.S. and our allies," Deputy U.S. Attorney Sean S. Buckley said in a statement. Two Chinese firms named The filing identifies two Chinese companies, Blessed Trust and Hexa Whale, as central to the scheme. Prosecutors say the pair held trading accounts on the Binance exchange and used them to wash the proceeds of black-market oil deals, steering the cash toward Iran's government, its agents and its proxies to bankroll militant and other state activity. Blessed Trust presents itself as a wealth-management and virtual-asset custody business, the complaint says. In practice, prosecutors allege, it took in and passed along the tainted money while running "on-ramp" services that let clients swap traditional currency for digital tokens. Some of those conversions ran through cryptocurrency issuers based in the United States. Hexa Whale offered comparable services and worked alongside Blessed Trust and its associates. The complaint states that both firms tapped the American financial system to move tens of millions of dollars as part of the operation. Clients of the two companies include businesses operating in China's petroleum sector. A Binance spokesperson said the exchange rejects any involvement in sanctions breaches. "Binance has zero tolerance for sanctions violations or illicit activity, and Binance did not permit any transactions with sanctioned individuals," the spokesperson said, adding that the company would keep assisting investigators and would restrict, freeze or close accounts and file reports to authorities when it spots sanctions or illicit-finance risks. Hexa Whale and Blessed Trust could not be reached for comment. Tether to swap the tokens To hand the assets over to the government, Tether Ltd. plans to destroy the tokens sitting in the targeted wallet addresses and mint fresh tokens of equal value, which will then pass into U.S. custody, according to the complaint. Tether did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The action follows a broader push by Washington to choke off Iran's oil revenue. In April, U.S. officials imposed sanctions on a small independent Chinese refinery, known in the industry as a "teapot," and cautioned banks that they risk penalties for doing business with Chinese refiners that handle Iranian crude. The pressure comes as China remains the dominant destination for Iran's oil exports. Reporting has pointed to China taking in more than 80% of Iran's shipped oil in 2025, averaging about 1.4 million barrels a day. A Sept. 10 account also described Iran using a barter-style setup to dodge sanctions on its oil, trading crude for billions of dollars in Chinese goods. Iranian oil sanctions, crypto forfeiture, Binance, Tether, IRGC financing, cryptocurrency money laundering, Southern District of New York, Iran China oil trade

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Microsoft will host a Windows and Surface event on October 7 in San Francisco, with Satya Nadella and Nvidia's Jensen Huang attending to discuss local AI. Microsoft will hold a major Windows and Surface event in San Francisco on October 7, its first big Windows showcase in more than two years. The company says the gathering will center on a "conversation on how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC." The event begins at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will attend, alongside Pavan Davuluri, the executive who leads both Windows and Surface. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is also set to appear, an unusual guest for a Windows event and a signal of where the focus may land. Huang's presence points to RTX Spark PCs as a likely centerpiece of the presentation. If that holds, the event could also bring new details on pricing and availability for the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra. Beyond hardware, Microsoft is expected to spend time on quality improvements to Windows and to outline what comes next for the operating system. A surprise reveal of Windows 12 is not anticipated. The October 7 date ends a long gap between flagship Windows events. Microsoft last held a major one in May 2024, when it unveiled Arm-based Copilot Plus PCs and highlighted a renewed partnership with Qualcomm. Before that, the company used a June 2021 live stream to announce Windows 11. The San Francisco event puts local AI - processing handled on the device rather than in the cloud - at the heart of Microsoft's pitch for the future of the PC. Microsoft Windows event, Surface October 7, Satya Nadella, Pavan Davuluri, Jensen Huang, local AI PC, RTX Spark PC, Surface Laptop Ultra

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