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A nationwide public sector strike is planned for Tuesday, September 29, across France, affecting teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters and public transport workers. In Paris, a demonstration is set to march from Place de la République to Place de la Nation via Bastille. The RATP transport network is among services expected to be disrupted, and travellers should expect delays and cancellations.

Ukraine's Third Army Corps says it used ground robots fitted with grenade launchers to attack Russian shelters while infantry stayed out of direct contact. Operators reportedly controlled the machines from safe positions tens of kilometers away. The unit claims no side has used similar tactics before in this war, with United24 also covering the operation.

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.

Leading AI researchers are urging governments to urgently regulate self-improving artificial intelligence systems, warning that software capable of enhancing its own capabilities could pose risks that current oversight frameworks cannot address. The appeal, reported as an exclusive by the Wall Street Journal, comes as concerns grow over how quickly advanced AI models are evolving beyond existing safety measures.

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.

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, a research initiative to put machine learning infrastructure into space, using solar-powered satellites to run AI compute in orbit. The company published early findings on its blog, describing how constellations of small satellites could capture near-continuous solar energy and address terrestrial power and cooling limits for data centers. The plan is at an exploratory stage, with prototype launches proposed in the coming years.

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.

OSINT monitors report two jet-powered Ukrainian-made threat drones, described as UAVs, launched from Russia's Bryansk region and heading toward Ripka in Ukraine's Chernihiv region. The alert is part of ongoing drone-movement tracking during Russia's war in Ukraine, with air-raid warnings frequently following such launches across northern border areas.

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.

Researchers are applying semiconductor chipmaking techniques to build improved electric vehicle batteries, according to a report by SciTechDaily. The approach adapts lithography-based manufacturing methods from the chip industry to battery production, potentially improving battery performance. Details on which institutions are involved and the specific results have not been widely reported, but the cross-industry idea is drawing attention in technology and energy circles.

Researchers with the Max Planck Society and partners are tracking how the war in Ukraine has affected Ukrainian academics, documenting displacement, disrupted careers and the breakdown of free scholarly mobility during armed conflict. The work highlights how scientists' international movement and collaboration collapse under war, raising questions about how the global research community can support scholars in conflict zones.

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.

Researchers have reviewed the evidence and concluded there is no solid proof that daylight saving time affects mental health. The finding challenges widely repeated claims that clock changes trigger depression, anxiety or other psychological problems, and is likely to feed into ongoing debates in several countries about whether to keep or abolish the seasonal time shifts.

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.