Top Trump figures push to direct human rights funding to rightwing causes 30. September 2026 (14:00) Support for white Afrikaners, anti-communism and others reveals how US redefining what qualifies as human rightsWith hours left before the funding expires, the Trump administration is pushing to direct more than $175m of the state department’s flagship human rights fund to a slate of awards that includes a massive $40m grant for an anti-communism fund, support for a group advancing white Afrikaner rights in South Africa, a campaign against Brazil’s supreme court, and programs that would reward ideological allies in Europe who protect “western civilisational norms”.Critics have focused on 43 awards of a combined $176.9m that will bolster rightwing and conservative causes around the world while likely angering US allies over interference in internal politics. The Guardian has seen a sample of the controversial grants, which makes up most of the $205m in funding that Congress has appropriated for the entire human rights and democracy fund (HRDF). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK banks are Europe’s biggest coal financiers, report finds 30. September 2026 (13:58) Study says UK-based banks provided $8.3bn in coal financing in four years, with Barclays and HSBC leading riseUK banks are Europe’s biggest financial backers of the global coal industry, providing billions of pounds in funding for the climate-wrecking fossil fuel in the past four years, according to a report.The study found UK-based banks had provided $8.3bn (£6.2bn) in coal financing since Cop26 in Glasgow in 2021, when global leaders pledged to “phase down” coal use. This compared with $4.9bn from German banks and $3.4bn from French banks over the same period. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
AI tool that copied actor’s ‘lustrous’ voice violated his rights, Tokyo court rules 30. September 2026 (13:09) Kenjiro Tsuda wins case against TikTok account in landmark Japanese verdict to protect publicity rightsA court in Japan has ruled that the human voice has legal protection after a landmark case involving a well-known actor and a TikTok account that he claimed had cloned his “lustrous” baritone voice in its AI-generated videos.Tokyo district court said on Wednesday that voices should enjoy the same protection as publicity rights, at the end of a closely watched legal action brought against TikTok by Kenjiro Tsuda – best known for voicing the character Kento Nanami in the anime Jujutsu Kaisen. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iranian singer’s 74 lashes for performing without a hijab ‘a form of torture’, say rights groups 30. September 2026 (13:09) Iranian court upholds sentence against 29-year-old star Parastoo Ahmadi and other musicians in crackdown on women flouting hijab lawAn Iranian court’s decision to uphold a sentence of 74 lashes against the popular singer Parastoo Ahmadi for performing without a hijab has sparked outrage among rights groups, who described it as “a form of torture”.In June, Ahmadi, 29, and eight members of her production team, including musicians, were sentenced by a court in the city of Qom over a concert that was streamed online in 2024, which went viral and racked up millions of views. The court said the group had violated the country’s “legal and cultural norms” and called the performance “obscene and vulgar”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California rushes to prepare for massive ‘Kelvin’ wave and predicted sea level rise 30. September 2026 (13:00) Wave nearing southern California expected to reach San Francisco Bay Area by October as it crawls toward AlaskaCommunities across California are rushing to prepare for the imminent arrival of the so-called “Kelvin wave”, a massive underwater band of warm water threatening to inundate swaths of the vast North American shoreline.The wave is nearing southern California and expected to reach the San Francisco Bay Area by early October, as it crawls toward Alaska. Waters could rise by a foot along the California coast, according to scientists, who have warned that this could dramatically double the 8-12in rise in sea levels already caused by climate change over the last century. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
We need ‘right to intervene’ in AI amid growing threat, says Bank of England boss 30. September 2026 (12:41) Andrew Bailey’s comments come as fears grow that rogue models could take financial system hostageBusiness live – latest updatesThe governor of the Bank of England has said authorities must retain the “right to intervene” in the AI industry amid growing fears that rogue models could take the financial system hostage.Andrew Bailey said the risks posed by the rapid advancement of frontier AI models – a number of which have gone rogue in recent months – were “real and increasingly significant” and reduced the ability of society to supervise and intervene when things went wrong. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Insects play critical role in ecosystems beyond just providing food, new research shows 30. September 2026 (12:00) Insects provide protection, sanitation and even shelter to vertebrates, making them a priority for conservation effortsFor many vertebrates, insects are more than a food source. As “little things that run the world”, insects provide critical functions such as protection, sanitation and shelter across ecosystems, according to a new study.The study, published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity on Wednesday, sheds light on the various ways insects support vertebrates, ranging from birds and bats to reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump campaign ads paid with public money violate federal law, critics say 30. September 2026 (12:00) White House has labeled ads ‘public service announcements’ and has responded defiantly to criticismFederal regulators have been urged to stop the broadcast of White House advertisements promoting Donald Trump that critics say amounts to government propaganda and violate laws against using public money to promote partisan causes.Public Citizen, an advocacy group, called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to intervene and block further airing of three ads it said were “designed to boost the image and character of Donald Trump” as part of the Republicans’ campaign for November’s midterm elections. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
As AI images become common, the threat to elections draws alarm: ‘How will voters know what’s true?’ 30. September 2026 (12:00) Deepfakes and misinformation driven by artificial intelligence have become a point of deep concern for legislators, advocates and the publicAn image of College Park, Georgia mayor Bianca Motley Broom kissing a man – who was not her husband – in a bar spread far and wide on Facebook. The fact that it’s fake is spreading faster, now, but only after it had been seen by thousands of people.“I think this is a sad commentary about where we are in our democracy, and where we are in our political discourse,” Motley Broom said. “It also seeks to reinforce really tired stereotypes about women in leadership.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Greggs announces plans to shut four UK factories that could cost 740 jobs 30. September 2026 (11:32) Bakery chain, whose sales are up 7.7%, says move is necessary to provide growth in ‘most cost-efficient manner’Business live – latest updatesGreggs has announced plans to close four of its factories, in a move that could result in 740 job losses over the next two and a half years.The bakery chain said it was consulting on the closures, which would initially cost £60m when including disruption costs and redundancy payments but then could create £20m of savings each year by 2028. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
