Prosecutors have charged New Taipei City Council candidate Chang Chao-long with election law violations over red envelopes and radish cakes given to voters. The New Taipei District Prosecutors' Office has indicted city council candidate Chang Chao-long (張昭隆), accusing him of breaking election law by handing cash-filled red envelopes and radish cakes to voters ahead of Taiwan's November polls. Chang is running as an independent for a seat on the New Taipei City Council and previously served as a deputy spokesperson for the Taiwan People's Party's New Taipei chapter. According to prosecutors, Chang turned up at dinners organised for elderly residents between July 7 and Aug. 5, appearing at five community development associations within the district he hopes to represent. The gatherings were spread across the Linkou (林口), Wugu (五股) and Taishan (泰山) districts and two further locations. At those events, investigators say, Chang gave out red envelopes each holding US$1 along with Hong Kong-style radish cakes worth NT$120 apiece. Prosecutors argue the combined worth of the money and the food went beyond what would pass as an ordinary social courtesy or standard campaign giveaway, and could instead amount to buying votes. The case moved quickly this month. On Sept. 10, prosecutors joined police and investigators to carry out searches, and they called in Chang together with 74 other people for questioning. Chang was then held in detention and barred from contact with the outside. Prosecutors say the alleged conduct may breach the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), the statute that governs how candidates campaign and prohibits offering benefits in return for support at the ballot box. The indictment sets the stage for a trial as the district heads toward its November council vote. Chang Chao-long, New Taipei City Council, Taiwan election law, vote buying Taiwan, Public Officials Election and Recall Act, Taiwan People's Party, November elections Taiwan, New Taipei prosecutors

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Swedish singer Zara Larsson called the White House "losers" for using her song "Midnight Sun" in an ICE deportation TikTok. By Friday the video had gone silent. A White House TikTok video celebrating ICE-led deportations fell silent on Friday, a day after Swedish singer Zara Larsson publicly condemned the administration for setting the footage to her song "Midnight Sun." By Friday morning the audio in the post was gone, replaced by the message "This sound is unavailable." Larsson, a 28-year-old artist from Stockholm, aired her anger on Thursday in a TikTok addressed to her 12.5 million followers. She flashed an "L" sign with her thumb and index finger and called the White House "losers" for pairing a track she says celebrates the joy of Scandinavian nature with a montage of mass deportations. "It's just so f---ing uncool," she said. "You guys are such f---ing losers." It was not immediately clear who removed the sound from the White House post. TikTok may have acted to protect Larsson's work, or the administration may have muted the video itself. Representatives for the platform and for the White House could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday. Larsson said her objection was not about taking a political side. "If you want to talk about politics and immigration politics, fine," she said. "But that's really not what this is. This video is so dehumanizing." The White House clip appeared to show agents arresting men, presenting them as undocumented immigrants. Larsson said she was struck that several of the detainees were dressed in neon protective clothing of the kind worn on construction sites and highways. "These people in this video, they're real people. There's a f---ing guy in there with construction wear," she said. "He's working and a vast majority of these people who are undocumented are regular people with jobs. They're just trying to have a better future. I don't understand. I don't understand why you would do this video." The singer tied her reaction to her own upbringing, saying she is acutely aware of how much of her success rests on where she was born. "I consider myself so lucky with the life that I've been dealt. The fact that I'm born in Sweden, I have healthcare, I've had an education, I've had all these opportunities just laid out in front of me," she said. "I can travel, I get to do all of these amazing things - that's luck. That's luck." She added that others "are not that lucky, and they want to have a better life for their families or for themselves and their children." The clash fits a pattern for Larsson, who has often used her platform to speak out. She has been a longtime critic of Chris Brown over his history of domestic violence, telling Cosmopolitan earlier this year that she has removed certain artists from her listening. "There are so many artists I have blocked on Spotify, and all of them are, like, abusers," she said. "You certainly wouldn't find, like, a Chris Brown song." Her outspokenness has also carried a cost. Larsson said this year that she lost a $3 million brand deal after making a dark joke to support a fan who revealed she had gotten an abortion following one of the singer's shows. The dispute drew wide attention online, with "zara" ranking among the day's most-searched terms on Google Trends in India, where searches passed 100. As of Friday, neither TikTok nor the White House had explained why the audio was pulled or whether the video would be restored. Zara Larsson, White House TikTok, Midnight Sun song, ICE deportations, immigration, Chris Brown, sound unavailable, TikTok controversy

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CA visitor returning to Bangalore after nearly 20 years found short drives taking two hours, Metro-dug roads, balmy weather and a drought worrying Dharwad farmers. A social commentator returning to Bangalore after almost 20 years found a city where covering just a few kilometres by car or cab can take up to two hours, and where half the roads have been dug up for a Metro meant to ease the very congestion it is now worsening. Catching an early morning flight, she said, means leaving home by 4 am to reach the airport by 6 am. The trip paired a conference in Hubli with several days set aside in Bangalore to meet friends the writer had not seen in a long time. The leafy neighbourhoods and parks she remembered had given way to towering high-rise apartment blocks. The trees still stand, she wrote, but survive as a dwarfed and apologetic presence in what she called a new concrete jungle. The roads themselves are narrow and winding, choked with cars, two-wheelers, buses, trucks and delivery vans. The logistics of simply meeting friends at a club or restaurant, she said, cancel out the pleasure of the outing. The experience left her resolved never again to complain about the Delhi-Noida or Delhi-Gurgaon traffic she is used to in the north. Balmy weather, but a dry spell The one thing unchanged, she wrote, is Bangalore's balmy weather. Over roughly 10 days in the region she needed neither a fan nor an air-conditioner. That comfort sits against a harsher backdrop: the area is in the grip of a severe dry spell, and farmers in Dharwad are worried about the prevailing drought. The visit also delivered a full plate of South Indian hospitality. Lunch was a sadya, served with dozens of small helpings of pickles, chutneys, papads and avial alongside rice, sambar and rasam, topped off with payasam and aromatic filter coffee. The lectures that followed, she admitted, were a struggle to stay awake through. BRICS empties out Delhi Back in the National Capital Region, a different disruption awaited. The BRICS conference led authorities to cordon off large areas of Delhi for delegates, sending ordinary traffic on long diversions for anyone forced to enter the city. Office-goers were encouraged to work from home and schools were shut, handing children and parents a long weekend. From Noida, the writer described unusually quiet streets and welcomed the calm, while noting the concentration of hospitals across the NCR as reassurance for anyone facing a medical emergency during the shutdown. 'Hanuman Ansh' fills every hall The column turned finally to a film breaking box office records. Made on a shoestring budget of about Rs 2 crore, 'Hanuman Ansh' has taken in almost a hundred times that amount and is now being dubbed into Tamil and other languages. Demand has been so high that halls have no free seats, with viewers staying on for two consecutive screenings. The writer's interest in the film is personal as well as curious. Her husband's family were devoted followers of Neem Karoli Baba, the saint whose admirers are said to range from Steve Jobs to Virat Kohli. Babaji was a regular visitor to their home, and trips up to Almora always included a mandatory stop at Kainchi. She described a figure who never dispensed sermons. He would recline on a takhat, clad in nothing but a rough blanket, accepting no gifts or offerings, and would sometimes shoo a visitor away for reasons known only to him. Neem Karoli Baba died in September 1973, the same year the couple's first child was born that December. He had told her mother-in-law, "Main tere ghar aaunga" - I will come to your house - leaving the family to believe that their first grandson was his reincarnation. For them, the writer said, he remains the protector of the family. Bangalore traffic, Bangalore Metro construction, Dharwad drought, BRICS Delhi, Hanuman Ansh box office, Neem Karoli Baba, Bangalore weather

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BCCI has arranged separate accommodation for its full-strength men's cricket team at the Asian Games in Japan, secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has arranged separate accommodation for its men's cricket team at the Asian Games in Japan, secretary Devajit Saikia has confirmed. The decision came as reports of a crisis over housing arrangements emerged from the Games. Saikia said the board acted because the men's contingent exceeds the number of members permitted by the organisers. "BCCI has arranged its own arrangement for the men's team since the contingent is much bigger than the permissible number of members because of the size of the support staff. We don't want to segregate the men's team during the tournament," he said. The women's team, by contrast, is staying in the facilities provided by the local organising committee. Saikia explained that its contingent falls within the cap of 20 members, so no separate booking was needed. Despite the housing move, Saikia backed the organisers on match-day facilities, even as other Asian cricket boards raised objections about the quality of the ground. "We fully trust the organising committee to give the best facilities. This is a big event and I am sure they will do what is required," he said. He added that he would reach Japan on October 1 and could only give a clear assessment of the situation after arriving. Full-strength squad with Bumrah and Iyer The BCCI's choice to send a full-strength Twenty20 international side has drawn contrasting views within Indian cricket. The tournament overlaps with the start of preparations for next year's ODI World Cup, and India are scheduled to play a home ODI series against the West Indies during the same window. At least seven first-choice ODI players are travelling to the Asian Games. The approach marks a change from the previous edition. India won gold at the 2023 Asian Games with a second-string team, with the leading players held back to prepare for the 2023 ODI World Cup. This time the squad includes fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and regular captain Shreyas Iyer. Saikia defended the selection by pointing to the weight the board attaches to an Asian Games gold. "We are eyeing a gold medal which is very important. We all know India can field three strong teams at a time. We see Asian Games as a very important assignment which can't be given secondary treatment. That's why our full-strength team including Bumrah and regular captain Iyer is going. An Asian Games gold is as important as any other big tournament," he said. Asked about the different strategy used in 2023, Saikia declined to weigh in. "I wasn't the secretary when the last Asian Games happened. So, I can't comment on it," he said. T20I against Japan on September 22 The BCCI has also announced a Twenty20 international against Japan on September 22 to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Saikia said the fixture was the initiative of ICC chairman Jay Shah, who wants to expand the game's reach. "It's the initiative of ICC chairman Jay Shah who wants to take cricket to every nook and corner of the world. He made me sit with my Japanese counterpart during the last ICC meet in Edinburgh in July this year. Japan is a country where cricket is growing gradually. Mr. Shah took this initiative and we agreed to the idea," Saikia said. With the men's team housed separately and its stars committed to the campaign, the BCCI is treating the Games as a priority assignment while keeping one eye on its packed international calendar at home. BCCI, Asian Games cricket, Devajit Saikia, India men's cricket team, Jasprit Bumrah, India vs Japan T20I, Jay Shah, T20I team

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Chelsea lost 3-0 at Brentford on Friday with striker Joao Pedro sidelined by a knee injury, extending Xabi Alonso's defensive troubles. Chelsea slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Friday, undone by both a leaky defence and an attack that misfired without injured striker Joao Pedro. The result, at the Brentford Community Stadium, left Xabi Alonso still searching for answers in his opening weeks as manager. Joao Pedro, the Brazilian forward, missed the match with a knee injury. His absence stripped Alonso's side of its main creative spark up front, a role he had shared with Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers, the midfielder who arrived in the summer as a club-record £117m signing from Aston Villa. Danny Welbeck came in for the injured striker but struggled to shape the game. The contest stayed level until the 61st minute, when Jaidon Anthony put the hosts in front. Chelsea then fell apart, shipping three goals in all as Brentford extended their unbeaten start to the season. A defence that keeps leaking Chelsea have now conceded 12 goals, more than any other team in the Premier League, though they have played one match more than the rest of the division. The pattern has become a defining feature of Alonso's tenure. He is only the sixth manager in Premier League history to let in two or more goals in each of his first five games in charge. Early in the campaign, Chelsea had papered over those problems by simply outscoring opponents, relying on the flair of their forwards. At Brentford, that safety net vanished. Some of the defensive frailties were inherited, but Alonso has yet to impose a settled tactical shape on the team. The manager has kept changing his approach, trying different systems and handing out 11 debuts so far. Two more came on Friday. Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli became the first 16-year-old to feature for Chelsea in the Premier League, while 36-year-old Jordan Henderson, a summer signing, made his debut against a club he once played for. Welbeck struggles for service Chelsea turned to the transfer market for a Brighton forward for the second summer running, signing Welbeck to link up again with Joao Pedro and add depth in attack. But the 35-year-old saw little of the ball. He was neat when he did receive it, yet managed just 17 touches before being withdrawn in the 71st minute. The difference between the two forwards was stark. Joao Pedro can carve out chances on his own, while Welbeck found it hard to influence proceedings with so little supply. The Brazilian had gone into the weekend leading the Premier League for goal involvements, with three goals and three assists in four appearances. Beyond the numbers, he had knitted the front line together, dovetailing with Palmer and Rogers. Rogers, by contrast, turned in what was arguably his flattest display since joining from Villa. He was eventually pushed into a central striking role, a switch forced by the absence of Emmanuel Emegha, who is also injured and has still not made his Chelsea debut. The evening followed a familiar script: the attack failed to click, and once Brentford edged ahead, the rest of the team unravelled behind them. What had been a tight, even match tilted sharply the moment the hosts scored. Chelsea now face an enforced pause. The extended international break gives Alonso and his players three weeks to reflect on the loss before their next fixture. For the manager, the priority is clear enough. Stopping the flow of goals against his side has become the most pressing task of his young Chelsea reign. Chelsea, Brentford, Xabi Alonso, Joao Pedro, Premier League, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer

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Snap Inc boss Evan Spiegel told the BBC the company would be "willing to implement" default time limits for teenage users, after pressure from Meta. Snap Inc, the company behind Snapchat, would be "willing to implement" limits on how much time teenagers spend on the app, chief executive Evan Spiegel has said. Speaking to the BBC at the firm's California headquarters, Spiegel said a maximum daily allowance for young users could be "an important step forward for the industry." His remarks followed a public call from Meta for rival platforms to adopt the same changes the Facebook and Instagram owner agreed to in a recent legal settlement with US states. Spiegel did not set a date for any action, saying the idea had been discussed inside the company but that he had nothing further to announce. Asked specifically about a default time limit for teenage users, Spiegel replied: "I think that's a really good example of something that we'd be willing to implement." He added: "That's something we've talked about internally. I don't have more to share today." Spiegel framed the move as a way of setting shared standards. "I think it is an important step forward in the industry in terms of really identifying industry norms, and I think that would be beneficial overall," he told the BBC. "We've looked really thoughtfully at the terms." He said Snap wanted "to figure out how we can be part of the solution." Meta's $12.7bn settlement The pressure on Snap stems from a settlement Meta reached with attorneys general for most US states. Those officials alleged the company deliberately built its apps to be addictive to young people. Under the deal, Meta agreed to pay $12.7bn and to introduce a two-hour daily limit for teenage users by default across its platforms. The package also includes muted notifications during school hours and blocks at night. Meta has denied any wrongdoing. The payment will be spread over a 10-year period. As part of the August agreement, the company said it would bring in even tighter time limits and pay a further $5.3bn if YouTube and TikTok adopt the same measures. Meta has been urging competitors to follow its lead. Last month a company spokesperson said it hoped Snap would make similar changes to its platform. When the BBC asked other firms whether they would act, Google, which owns YouTube, said it had no comment. TikTok did not respond to the request. All four companies - Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap - have faced a wave of lawsuits claiming their apps have contributed to a mental health crisis among young people. Snap has separately been accused of enabling illegal drug sales. Spiegel pointed to existing controls on Snapchat as evidence the company is already acting. He noted its Family Center feature, which lets parents monitor aspects of how their teenagers use the app. New Specs glasses at $2,195 Spiegel spoke to the BBC as Snap unveiled a range of new features for its forthcoming Specs smart glasses, which the company said would be able to connect to Apple iPhone and Mac devices. He said the eyewear would use artificial intelligence to suggest activities based on what it learns about a wearer's goals, relationships and routines. "Rather than the way that people use chatbots today where you constantly have to ask for stuff, Specs can understand what's important to you, and then offer recommendations or offer next steps," he said. Like other smart glasses, Specs will overlay digital elements onto the real world using AI. The technology will carry a high price, retailing at $2,195 in the United States and £1,995 in the United Kingdom. Snapchat, Evan Spiegel, Snap Inc, teen time limits, Meta settlement, youth mental health, Snap Specs glasses, social media regulation

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The Trump administration has asked Congress to clear a $24.3bn sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia amid its war with Yemen's Houthis. The administration of United States President Donald Trump has requested that Congress approve the sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in a deal valued at roughly $24.3bn. The State Department announced the request on Thursday, describing the aircraft as the most advanced fighters in the American arsenal. In its statement, the department said the transaction would advance Washington's foreign policy and national security goals by strengthening the defenses of a major non-NATO partner it called a stabilising force for politics and the economy across the Gulf. Officials added that the transfer would leave the region's military balance unchanged, echoing a long-held American commitment to preserving Israel's qualitative edge over any potential adversary. The request still requires the approval of lawmakers before it can proceed. It arrives at a moment of escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in neighbouring Yemen, where Riyadh has been pressing Washington for greater involvement. Houthi claim over Marib One day before the announcement, on Wednesday, the Houthis said they had brought down a Saudi F-15 fighter over Marib, a city central to the fight between the group and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. The Houthis distributed footage showing fighters standing near the smouldering remains of what looked like an American-built F-15 bearing Saudi markings. According to the group, the aircraft was struck by a surface-to-air missile it described as locally produced. If confirmed, such a capability would represent a significant shift in the Houthis' capacity to fight in the region. Saudi forces have so far held broad control of the skies over Yemen and have leaned heavily on air strikes across the border. Fighting between the two sides grew more intense on Thursday, with reports of at least five people killed, among them three children. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly asked the United States to take a more hands-on role in its campaign against the Houthis, but those requests have gone unmet. Washington has stated that it will not directly enter the fight involving the Iran-backed Houthis, Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government backed by the kingdom. Espionage worries and congressional pushback The proposed sale carries security concerns of its own. Washington fears the jets could expose sensitive technology to Chinese espionage. The New York Times reported this week that American intelligence analysts have flagged the risk that Beijing might gain access to F-35 systems through its ties with Riyadh. That prospect has already drawn opposition on Capitol Hill. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, argued that the deal should not move forward while intelligence agencies warn it could place what he called the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party. Saudi Arabia has pursued the F-35 for years. Israel, the only nation in the region currently operating the jet, has raised objections to selling it to Riyadh, even as efforts continue to encourage the kingdom to normalise relations with the Israeli government. Riyadh has also been building defense ties beyond Washington. Last month it signed a mutual defense pact known as the Mecca Agreement with Pakistan and Turkiye, an indication that the countries are looking to secure their own arrangements with less reliance on the United States. Turkiye offers a cautionary example for aspiring F-35 buyers. A NATO member that helped develop the aircraft in a multinational programme, it has been shut out from receiving the jet since 2019, after it acquired anti-aircraft missiles. F-35 Saudi Arabia, Trump arms sale, Saudi Arabia Houthis, F-35 fighter jets, US Saudi defense deal, Yemen war, Congress arms sale, Middle East arms

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Spanish police fired warning shots while relocating thousands of migrants from Ceuta's beaches to a new tented port camp on Friday amid chaotic scenes. Spanish police began transferring hundreds of migrants in Ceuta to a newly built tented camp in the port district of the enclave on Friday, and gunfire was heard as officers tried to hold back crowds fighting for a spot. Reports said police discharged their weapons into the air during the confusion. The move started at around 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT), with more than 3,000 people relocated over the course of the operation, according to the Spanish state news agency Efe. The migrants had spent weeks sleeping on the enclave's beaches before authorities set up the new site, which can hold up to 1,700 people. Several hundred had reached the camp by the time the transfers were under way. More than 170 officers took part in the operation, among them drone specialists, Efe reported. As the migrants were moved along a designated route of about two kilometres (1.2 miles) to the port, some pushed past the police line. Footage from the scene showed young men sprinting through the pre-dawn darkness as officers scrambled to keep order. Efe said the disorder was contained within a short time and the transfer resumed. Ceuta, a Spanish territory bordering Morocco, covers just 18.5 square kilometres (7.2 square miles). It was overwhelmed in late July when 72,000 people crossed from Morocco. Most have since gone back. Local officials put the number still in the enclave at 13,000, though the central government in Madrid says the true figure is lower. Authorities say the camp is meant to bring the migrants together in one place where they can be registered and looked after while officials rule on each person's legal status individually. Anger among Ceuta residents The arrivals have unsettled the local population. Some residents have voiced fears for their safety, torn down makeshift shelters and stopped aid from reaching the migrants. Speaking to members of the European Parliament earlier this month, Ceuta's conservative mayor, Juan Jesus Vivas, said the crisis had turned the enclave into a "pressure cooker". "The city is completely different than it was before this event, Ceutans have lost their joy and their lifestyles have been completely shaken up," he told lawmakers. Political pressure on Sanchez The disorder at the beaches and the port has added to the difficulties facing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has drawn heavy criticism over his response to the influx. Opposition figures have alleged that his government knew the surge was coming. Sanchez has maintained the events could not have been foreseen. But official documents indicate that Spanish intelligence services flagged online appeals for a mass crossing into Ceuta the day before it took place. Ester Munoz of the conservative People's Party accused the administration of being "directly responsible for the invasion of Ceuta and for those who died". Sanchez has pointed instead at trafficking networks and at false claims and rumours circulating on social media. He described the situation as "a humanitarian crisis and also an administrative challenge within the city itself". The episode has also complicated Spain's foreign relations. Sanchez is in dispute with Italy, and the two governments extended temporary border checks against each other earlier in the week. At the same time, he is working to preserve Spain's bilateral ties with Morocco, whose frontier with Ceuta was the point of the July crossings. Ceuta migrants, Spain migration, Pedro Sanchez, Ceuta port camp, Morocco border crossing, Juan Jesus Vivas, migrant relocation Spain

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The Thirlwall inquiry's final report finds the Countess of Chester Hospital and the wider NHS failed to stop Lucy Letby, prompting reform pledges from Yvette Cooper. The public inquiry into the Lucy Letby case has concluded that failures ran far beyond a single hospital, finding that the culture of England's health system helped create the conditions that allowed criminality on a neonatal unit to go unchecked. The Thirlwall inquiry's final report, published on 15 September 2026, described a "complete failure" to protect the babies in Letby's care. Lady Justice Thirlwall, the inquiry chair, reserved her sharpest criticism for the Countess of Chester Hospital and its management. But roughly a third of the report examined the role of the wider NHS. Across more than 200 pages, Thirlwall set out how systemic weaknesses in regulation, employment practices and the ability to learn from past scandals left staff unable to raise the alarm effectively. Letby was convicted in 2023 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more, and is serving 15 whole-life prison terms. She has twice been refused permission to appeal. Responding to the report in the House of Commons, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said she "will not hesitate" to hold the system to account at every level. "This must be a turning point for the NHS," she told MPs. Cooper promised to establish a hub to monitor progress on the inquiry's recommendations and pointed to a newly created maternity and neonatal commissioner post as evidence of her commitment to raising standards. 'Blame engineering' and an exercise in spin The inquiry found that NHS managers have become preoccupied with avoiding blame, producing what it called an "over-focus on process and reputation management". One witness described the behaviour as "blame engineering". Thirlwall identified this as a defining feature of how senior figures at the Countess of Chester handled concerns about Letby, at one point describing their approach as an "exercise in spin". That culture, the report said, makes it far harder for staff to speak up - a problem repeatedly flagged in inquiries into other health scandals. Over the past decade, the NHS has tried to address the issue through the Freedom to Speak Up programme, which gives each organisation a "guardian" responsible for supporting staff who want to raise concerns. But the inquiry found that in a number of places the scheme had become a "box ticking" exercise. The result, according to Thirlwall, is a "toxic negativity" around whistleblowing, with staff discouraged from voicing problems. That conclusion is echoed by the most recent NHS staff survey, which recorded declining confidence among employees about speaking out. The 'donkey sanctuary' The report also identified a consistent failure within the NHS to deal with poor performance. The inquiry heard that failing managers are often moved to new roles - sometimes with the active help of NHS England - in a process described as "rehabilitation". Tony Chambers, the former chief executive of the Countess of Chester, referred to this practice as "the donkey sanctuary". Thirlwall noted that some managers who fail in their posts receive pay-offs and move elsewhere "with few questions asked", as NHS trusts seek to avoid the threat of employment tribunals. While the report acknowledged that the NHS employs many excellent managers, it concluded that profound change is needed in how the health service handles those who fall short. Cooper framed the government's response as the beginning of a broader effort to rebuild accountability across the health service. The tracking hub and the new commissioner role are intended to ensure that the inquiry's recommendations are implemented rather than shelved - a direct answer to Thirlwall's finding that the NHS and government repeatedly struggle to absorb the lessons of previous failures. The inquiry's verdict places the Letby case within a wider pattern of institutional weakness, arguing that the tragedy at the Countess of Chester was enabled not only by local management but by a health system whose instincts favoured process and reputation over patient safety. Whether the government's reforms mark the turning point Cooper described will depend on how far those systemic habits can be changed. Thirlwall inquiry, Lucy Letby, Countess of Chester Hospital, NHS neonatal care, Yvette Cooper, NHS whistleblowing, maternity commissioner, NHS management failures

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Leaders at Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and X are publicly calling to "pace the frontier" of advanced AI development. Several leading US artificial intelligence companies are publicly suggesting it is time to slow the race toward superintelligence. Leaders at Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and X have all signalled support for the idea of "pacing the frontier" of the most advanced AI development, marking a shift in tone for an industry long associated with the mantra "move fast and break things." The change follows a summer in which rogue AI agents moved from hypothetical worry to reality, and in which researchers warned that AI could pose an existential threat to humanity. Against that backdrop, executives who once pushed for speed are now, at minimum, endorsing the language of restraint. How far that endorsement goes remains unclear. The companies making these statements are the same firms building the frontier systems in question, and there is no confirmation that any of them has actually slowed its work. For now, the shift is rhetorical. The stance also sits awkwardly against another argument these companies have advanced: that the United States must "beat China" to superintelligence. That framing has been used to justify moving faster, not slower, and it could undercut any push to ease off. Regulation is the other open question. AI firms have said for years that they want oversight, yet no framework has stepped in to govern how quickly these systems are developed or deployed. Whether policymakers act, or whether the companies police themselves, is still undecided. The coming months will test which impulse wins out. Executives are voicing caution in public, but the competitive pressure to build ever more capable systems has not gone away. Whether "pacing the frontier" becomes real practice or stays a talking point is the question now hanging over the industry. superintelligence, AI slowdown, Anthropic, OpenAI, AI regulation, rogue AI agents, pace the frontier, artificial intelligence safety

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Delhi police arrested two staff at an Anand Vihar restaurant accused of extorting ₹25,000 from a man lured there by a woman he met on WhatsApp. Delhi police have arrested two restaurant employees accused of extorting ₹25,000 from a 28-year-old man who was drawn to an eatery in east Delhi's Anand Vihar by a woman he had contacted on WhatsApp. Officers named the arrested men as Mohammad Arshadullah Alam, 28, and Aman Gujja, 28, both of whom worked at the restaurant. The complainant, Ramkrishan, told investigators that a woman he did not know reached out to him over WhatsApp and asked him to meet her at Karkardooma metro station. From there, according to police, she led him to Kesar Fine Dining in Anand Vihar. The Anand Vihar police station learned of the incident on September 14, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Rajendra Prasad Meena. Once inside the restaurant, staff handed the man a bill of roughly ₹21,000, police said. When he balked at paying, he was threatened and beaten. His statement to police says he handed over ₹8,000 in cash and transferred ₹6,000 by UPI to an account registered under the name Arun Kumar Sharma. The men then allegedly seized his ATM card, obtained his PIN and pulled out a further ₹11,000. The accused also warned the man not to go to the police and pressed him for an additional ₹25,000, officers said. A case was filed under Sections 308 and 3 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Anand Vihar police station. Police said CCTV footage and identification by the complainant led them to the two suspects, who were taken into custody the same day the case was reported. Under questioning, Aman said he worked as a bouncer at the venue, while Alam described himself as an organiser. Both are alleged to have taken part in assaulting and extorting the man. Investigators said the woman who lured the victim escaped before police reached the scene and remains untraced. Her phone records are being checked as officers work to locate her. According to the DCP, the pair operated alongside the woman, who approached potential targets on WhatsApp and steered them to the restaurant, where they were presented with padded bills and intimidated or attacked if they refused to pay. The DCP said the inquiry is still open, with checks under way into the suspects' financial dealings and the cash withdrawals. When contacted on the mobile number listed for Kesar Fine Dining online, the phone was switched off. Delhi extortion, Anand Vihar restaurant, WhatsApp scam, Kesar Fine Dining, Delhi police, inflated restaurant bill, BNS Section 308, east Delhi crime

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Hyundai Exter CNG starts around Rs 7 lakh, offers 27.1 km/kg, 185 mm ground clearance and a twin-cylinder Hy-CNG Duo setup that protects boot space. Hyundai is pitching the Exter compact SUV at buyers who would otherwise shop for an affordable CNG hatchback. The CNG variant of the Exter starts at around Rs 7 lakh (ex-showroom), while petrol versions begin at roughly Rs 5.8 lakh. That places it a step above conventional CNG hatchbacks on price, but with the added space, features and road presence of a small SUV. The Exter CNG runs Hyundai's Hy-CNG Duo system, a twin-cylinder arrangement, paired with a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine and a five-speed manual gearbox. Hyundai claims a fuel efficiency of 27.1 km/kg on CNG. With about 9 kg of usable CNG capacity, that points to a theoretical range of close to 240 km on gas alone, though actual figures depend on how the car is driven and how much gas is filled. For a typical city commute of 40 to 50 km on a working day, that range works out to roughly one CNG refill a week. Combined with the relatively accessible purchase price, the low fuel cost is aimed squarely at buyers who drive regular urban routes and want to keep running costs down. Twin Cylinders Under the Boot Floor The Hy-CNG Duo layout is central to Hyundai's pitch. Instead of a single large cylinder taking up the luggage compartment, the Exter uses two smaller cylinders positioned beneath the boot floor. Factory-fitted CNG cars have long been criticised for surrendering most of their boot to the gas tank. By tucking the cylinders below the floor, the Exter keeps a more usable luggage area above them, which matters for families carrying everyday bags or packing for a weekend trip. Ground Clearance and an Upright Stance Where the Exter separates itself from a hatchback is in size and stance. It offers 185 mm of ground clearance, useful on broken roads, awkward speed breakers and the uneven surfaces drivers encounter daily. Its taller body and higher seating position give a different feel from a conventional small car. For someone stepping up from an entry-level hatchback, those SUV traits can weigh as heavily in the decision as fuel economy. A Four-Cylinder Engine The engine choice is another point Hyundai highlights. Three-cylinder units have become common among affordable cars, including several CNG rivals. The Exter's 1.2-litre unit is a four-cylinder, a configuration that generally delivers smoother power and better refinement, especially at idle and low engine speeds. That is most noticeable in stop-and-go traffic. The engine is bi-fuel, so owners can switch between petrol and CNG as needed. Taken together, the Exter CNG asks buyers to spend a little more upfront than a smaller CNG hatchback. In return, it bundles the running-cost advantage of CNG with higher ground clearance, SUV-inspired proportions, a four-cylinder engine and the twin-cylinder packaging that preserves boot space - attributes that cannot easily be retrofitted later. Hyundai Exter CNG, Exter CNG price, Hy-CNG Duo, CNG SUV India, Exter fuel efficiency, compact SUV CNG, affordable CNG car, Hyundai Exter mileage

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