World News
A decade after mercury ban, toxic skin bleachers still sold online
Regulators, companies and multinational entities have for years tried to coordinate efforts to take these products off shelves and websites
 "A decade after mercury ban, toxic skin bleachers still sold online")
Why Yemen's Houthi rebels have only grown stronger through years of war
Now, as Iran-backed Houthis advance on a key maritime chokepoint and strike Saudi oil facilities, rattling world markets, there is little that can be done to stop them that hasn't been tried before
 "Why Yemen's Houthi rebels have only grown stronger through years of war")
AWS unable to restore access to Bahrain, UAE cloud zone hit in Iran war
Amazon's cloud computing unit AWS said the damage in Bahrain spanned multiple so-called availability zones, which are clusters of one or more data centres in the same geographic region
 "AWS unable to restore access to Bahrain, UAE cloud zone hit in Iran war")
SpaceX targets September 22 for Starship test, eyes first orbital flight
Starship's 14th test flight would mark a major leap in the rocket's development over its last test in July
 "SpaceX targets September 22 for Starship test, eyes first orbital flight")
Saudi Arabia says it shot down Houthi drone near Mecca, Houthis deny claim
Riyadh says the drone was intercepted south of Mecca before entering restricted airspace, while the Houthis deny targeting the holy city as fighting with Saudi-backed forces intensifies
AI agents lied, stole and voted to 'kill' peers in simulated experiment
The results of a simulation called Emergence World 2, purport to show what happens when autonomous agents are confronted with black swan events, including phishing attacks and misinformation campaigns
 "AI agents lied, stole and voted to 'kill' peers in simulated experiment")
FBI thwarts Russian plot to kill a prominent dissident in Washington
Five people assumed to be living abroad were charged in the plot, according to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court
 "FBI thwarts Russian plot to kill a prominent dissident in Washington")
Iran war pushes cost of shipping US Gulf Coast oil to Asia to record
US oil continues to backstop the supply gaps left by the war
 "Iran war pushes cost of shipping US Gulf Coast oil to Asia to record")
Iran conflict cost US more than $38 billion: Congressional Budget Office
A Pentagon inspector general report Monday said the war has resulted in 'strategic inventory shortfalls'
 "Iran conflict cost US more than $38 billion: Congressional Budget Office")
New Zealand Parliament passes India FTA Bill, clears tariffs on 95% exports
The legislation passed by a vote of 93-29, with support from the opposition Labour Party
 "New Zealand Parliament passes India FTA Bill, clears tariffs on 95% exports")
Trump admin to send powerful bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion weapons sale
The $2.8 billion package includes 40,000 of the bombs, made up of 20,000 Mk84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, according to two US officials
 "Trump admin to send powerful bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion weapons sale")
Trump lashes out at SC for rejecting his push to restrict mail ballots
The court ruled late Monday in an emergency order that the restrictions would most likely lose in court, at least for this year's election
 "Trump lashes out at SC for rejecting his push to restrict mail ballots")
Zuckerberg says AI labs can self-regulate, rejects industry slowdown calls
Zuckerberg says AI labs have strong incentives to make models safe and aligned, pointing to Meta's delayed Muse release and support for independent evaluators as a recognised industry best practice
 "Zuckerberg says AI labs can self-regulate, rejects industry slowdown calls")
How AI risks are deepening divisions across Silicon Valley and Washington
The people building and governing AI increasingly fall into camps: Those who want to slow down and regulate development, those racing to speed it up and those in between or with shifting stances
 "How AI risks are deepening divisions across Silicon Valley and Washington")
India, others face 100% tariffs as US House advances Russia sanctions Bill
The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 cleared a procedural hurdle in the House of Representatives after 2 Democrats broke ranks with party and voted in favour with Republicans
 "India, others face 100% tariffs as US House advances Russia sanctions Bill")
Saudi cancels some oil cargoes after pipeline hit, Poland seeks alternative
Supply disruption supported oil prices, with Brent oil futures trading near $108 a barrel and cargo prices in Europe's physical market even higher, with key benchmark dated Brent at $122 per barrel
 "Saudi cancels some oil cargoes after pipeline hit, Poland seeks alternative")
Nato jets shoot down drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus
The drone was intercepted five kilometers from a hydroelectric power plant near Pratkunai in central Lithuania
 "Nato jets shoot down drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus")
10-year US Treasury yield rises to highest since 2007 as Fed looms
The yield on the global bond benchmark rose as much as five basis points to 5.04% on Tuesday, surpassing a peak from 2023 to hit the highest since 2007.
 "10-year US Treasury yield rises to highest since 2007 as Fed looms")
US energy chief says Saudi's oil pipeline should be back online within days
The 1,200-km (745-mile) East-West Pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula has served as the main route for global supplies of Middle Eastern oil for the past six months
 "US energy chief says Saudi's oil pipeline should be back online within days")
Houthi strikes on Saudi threaten Bab-el-Mandeb navigation, security: India
The Iran-backed Houthi militant group had attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, which is considered very crucial for the supply of crude oil.
 "Houthi strikes on Saudi threaten Bab-el-Mandeb navigation, security: India")