Trump administration diverts human rights funds to push far-right agenda abroad 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 huge $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 civilizational norms".On Wednesday, the state department obligated the funds to the grantees hours before the deadline despite congressional concerns and requests not to do so, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The state department declined to comment on questions from the Guardian specifically on whether it had obligated the funds and had "blown" holds from Congress due to concerns about the money's use. Continue reading...
South African leader urges men to speak up on gender-based violence after series of killings President announces measures amid anger at authorities over recent murders of womenSouth Africa's president has called on men to take more responsibility for violence against women as he announced measures to tackle the problem, amid anger at authorities over a recent wave of murders.Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that not enough had been done to protect women. He said police would be reviewing unsolved murders, attempted murders and serious sexual offences against women and children, as well as producing a funded plan to reduce the forensic backlog for such cases, both within 60 days. Continue reading...
Burundi agrees to receive 'third-country' migrant deportees from US Burundi joins several other African nations in accepting people deported under Trump's hardline policyBurundi has agreed to join a clutch of other African nations in receiving migrants from other countries deported from the US under Donald Trump's hardline immigration policy.However, Burundi will only accept those not accused of crime or terrorism links, said Nancy Ninette Mutoni, a spokesperson for the country's president, Évariste Ndayishimiye. Tuesday's announcement gave no details of numbers, timing or financial details. Continue reading...
DRC politician beaten to death after radio appearance about Ebola outbreak Marie-Celestin Karondwa was attacked on Sunday after promoting measures to prevent spread of disease, his party saysA senior member of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's ruling party was beaten to death on Sunday after appearing on a radio programme to raise awareness about the Ebola outbreak, a party representative has said.Marie-Celestin Karondwa, the acting president of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party's federal executive committee in Butembo, a new hotspot for the outbreak, was attacked after taking part in a radio show during which he promoted prevention measures for the disease, the UDPS federation in the city said in a statement, Reuters reported. Continue reading...
At least 27 dead after two mass shootings in South Africa, police say Seventeen people killed near Johannesburg in suspected 'illegal goldmining turf war', as 10 killed in separate incident at barbecue venue near Cape TownTwo separate mass shootings near South Africa's two biggest cities killed at least 27 people, as the country grapples with one of the world's highest murder rates amid investigations into corruption and criminality within the police.The South African police service said on Sunday that 17 people were killed on Saturday night when eight suspects armed with AK-47 assault rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar in Wedela township, about 50 miles south-west of central Johannesburg. At least 15 other people sustained gunshot injuries in that attack, police said. Continue reading...
Mighty Sparrow, the Trinidad and Tobago singer known as the 'calypso king of the world', dies aged 91 Slinger Francisco, who performed as the Mighty Sparrow, died on Sunday surrounded by family in New YorkSlinger Francisco, known on stage as the Mighty Sparrow and dubbed the "calypso king of the world", has died aged 91.Francisco, who got his breakthrough in calypso music with his 1956 hit song Jean and Dinah, died peacefully surrounded by his family in New York on Sunday, his family said in a statement. Continue reading...
Cornell University agreed Wednesday to initiate an independent investigation into how the Ivy League school handled what a former student now alleges was fraternity house gang rape, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Wednesday.Hochul discussed the case during an exclusive interview Wednesday afternoon at her Midtown offices. The governor sits on the Cornell University board.The governor called for the outside review, saying what happened raised "serious questions about Cornell campus culture" and whether the university is doing all it can to protect students."I wanted to make sure they knew how important this was, and they absolutely agreed. And they're acting on this this afternoon. So, they'll be reporting on what the details are, but they will be conducting what I asked for, which is an independent outside investigation of what happened," Hochul said."People need to know the truth and I think it's important for the public, for the victim, her family and the university community to know that their university did everything that they're supposed to do."Cornell's internal data show 35% of undergraduate women reported experiencing sexual assault during their time on campus but Hochul said the problem acute on every campus."There's been a culture of this kind of treatment of young women on campuses for as long as I've been in college, and it has to change. There has to be an awakening and an awareness that says enough is enough," Hochul said.Earlier this week, as outrage over the allegations grew, the Tompkins County district attorney decided to reopen a criminal investigation into what happened. The move followed an earlier decision not to pursue a prosecution.District Attorney Matthew Van Houten previously explained the legal reasoning behind that decision."If you are voluntarily intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, such that your judgement is impaired, that does not legally, under the penal law, constitute your inability to consent," Van Houten said.An attorney for the woman who made the allegation welcomed the decision to reopen the case."I think the D.A. reopening this case is long overdue. Part of this issue I had with this case all along from a criminal standpoint is my client was traumatized," attorney Thomas P. Giuffra said.The accuser, who was a 20-year-old Cornell student at the time, described some of that trauma in a text message exchange with a Chi Phi fraternity brother who she said invited her to the house in October 2024.In messages obtained by ABC News, the woman, identified as "Jane Doe," wrote: "I will also say this is f-king RUINING my life temporarily. My reputation is destroyed and I'm utterly ashamed."(ABC News contributed to this report.)---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * Download our connected TV app * More local news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts on the go
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This article originally appeared on WABC at https://abc7ny.com/post/cornell-gang-rape-school-agrees-outside-review-universitys-handling-fraternity-house-allegations-hochul-says/19893049/
Man describes subduing attacker after cockpit stabbing on Israel-bound plane Man describes subduing attacker after cockpit stabbing on Israel-bound planePassengers on a flight to Israel have recounted how they subdued a pilot after he stabbed the other pilot and appeared to be trying to disable the plane, while others described the "terrifying" moment they thought they would die.Appearing in a bloodstained shirt after the ordeal, Yaniv Hayun told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he realised something was wrong when the aircraft suddenly dropped. The plane, en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, plummeted 17,000ft (5,200m) in less than two minutes."Someone screamed... the light went out," Hayun said in a video posted by the prime minister on social media.He and others tried to push open the cockpit door, but the pilot who had been stabbed was very close to it, so it was hard to open. Before he collapsed, the injured pilot managed to open the door.When Hayun and another man entered the cockpit, he said he saw one pilot down and the attacker on the instruments, between the two seats, "trying to destroy the instruments in order to...disable the plane"."I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him - first and foremost - outside," Hayun said."We pulled him out; it was a matter of seconds. I called out to the Israeli guys with us on the plane - I called them, and two other guys came over to me... we pinned [the attacker] down to keep him secure."Hayun said he then jumped back into the cockpit and "started pulling the controls". When asked by Netanyahu whether he knew what he was doing, the passenger answered: "I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister."Hayun said the plane then started to level out. By then, two on-duty pilots who had been in the passenger cabin were at the front of the plane, and one told Hayun he was taking control from there.Netanyahu praised Hayun, calling him a "great hero" and a "lion".Another passenger, Zvika Meness, told Israeli public broadcaster Kan he helped overpower the attacker, and the passenger and two others "tied him up with his own zip ties and with the multimedia headphones"."Another pilot who was sitting in the passenger cabin went in to replace the additional pilot, and they essentially landed the plane," he added.
[Reuters]The Flydubai flight eventually landed at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, and the passengers were later taken to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on a repatriation aircraft.They were greeted by crowds of onlookers playing music, singing, dancing and waving Israeli flags."Thank God I'm alive," passenger Haim Lazarovich told journalists, adding that "the most terrifying moment in this flight was when the pilot loses control".Oran Choen, an 18-year-old passenger, described the incident as "a very tough moment"."Maybe it was five minutes, but it feels like hell - I heard my brother behind me scream that we was going to die," he added.A paramedic from Israel's ambulance service later told the BBC that a number of people were "very emotional and crying as they came off the plane". The stabbed pilot, Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, was taken to hospital but is in stable condition, according to the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu praised Machchhar as a "true hero" of "extraordinary bravery".The attacker was arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has called it an "attempted jihadist terror attack". No official motive for the incident or further information has been given.US President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Netanyahu following the incident, saying it seemed as though the attacker was "perhaps a terrorist" or there were other reasons behind the attack.
This article originally appeared on BBC at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmx2z92xx57no?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D
The US Senate is set to leave Washington soon for election-season campaigning after two failed votes Wednesday on highly charged issues: AI data center costs and lawmakers' stock trading.
The Ratepayer Protection Act and the Stop Insider Trading Act were blocked by Democrats and fell short of the required 60 votes to advance in tallies of 57-43 and 53-47, respectively.
The data center bill garnered a handful of Democratic votes - but not enough to advance the legislation - while the stock trading bill failed on a party-line vote.
The political pattern around both bills was similar: Republicans charged Democrats with obstruction, while Democrats countered that both GOP-sponsored measures were bad-faith attempts to address serious issues.
Voters have strong feelings about the costs associated with data centers and insider trading by members of Congress. To that end, both sides staked out their campaign trail positions. Senate Majority Leader John Thune described the bills as "eminently commonsense pieces of legislation," while Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer shot back and called the data center bill "a fraud."Visitors are seen at the US Capitol as rain falls in the Washington earlier this month. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Bill Clark via Getty Images
With a little over a month until the midterms, Democrats are bullish on their odds of winning majorities in Congress while Republicans search for ways to avoid a drubbing at the polls.
But on these issues at least, neither side will have results to show beyond the rhetoric.
On the Ratepayer Protection Act, Democrats aim to "prevent Republicans from gaining a political victory ahead of the midterms and hope that obstructionism does not resonate with voters," Stifel chief Washington policy strategist Brian Gardner wrote in a client note.
The votes on Wednesday afternoon are widely expected to be among the last before Senators go home to campaign. The House adjourned two weeks ago and is not scheduled to return to Washington until Nov. 9.
But the measure was dead on arrival among Democrats, as the bill was amended to include controversial election-related provisions that Trump has also called for.
The Stop Insider Trading Act would prohibit lawmakers and their families from purchasing new stocks, but it would allow lawmakers to continue owning individual stocks. It would also require a public notice at least seven days before any sale.
Advocates of a complete ban say the legislation is a watered-down version of reform that doesn't resolve the underlying conflicts of interest.Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters on Sept. 29. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
The bill initially had some bipartisan support, but its failure was ensured when voter identification requirements - mirroring those in the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act - were added.
Lawmaker stock trades - alongside broader worries about congressional corruption - have been mentioned in ads in more than 80 races around the country, at a cost upwards of $117 million, Punchbowl reported.
Deferred action on data centers
The data center legislation, called the Ratepayer Protection Act, would have pushed state utility commissions and regulators "to consider implementing a standard" to hold data centers more responsible for the costs of their activities, with an overall goal of providing "financial assurances or contributions to cover the cost of any generation."
Critics of the bill describe the measure as toothless and "optional" for states and too weak in the face of other ideas that would require tech companies to pay back more to communities where their facilities are located.
The ratepayer bill was sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted, an Ohio Republican who is locked in a tight contest for reelection. He has touted the bill as the best chance to take some action now and accused Democrats of playing politics by blocking it.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is seen on Capitol Hill after a meeting with fellow Democrats on Tuesday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
AP Photo/J.Scott Applewhite
But the bill even drew some skeptical commentary from Republicans.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told a reporter on Tuesday that he likes the bill's message but was skeptical it would "actually accomplish much of anything."
Tillis voted to advance the bill on Wednesday alongside all Republicans, while Democrats largely stood in opposition. Four Democrats - Georgia's Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, Minnesota's Amy Klobuchar, and New Hampshire's Maggie Hassan - broke ranks and voted to advance the measure.
Trump, meanwhile, has stepped up his defense of both AI and data centers this week and championed the idea of self-regulation for the sector. The president has long said that Americans should embrace data centers and has pushed voluntary commitments from tech giants to cover costs for local communities.
The president promised Tuesday that these new facilities "are going to make communities very happy."
Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo FinanceThis article originally appeared on Yahoo Finance at https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/senate-fails-to-advance-data-center-and-lawmaker-stock-trading-bills-before-campaign-break-181734520.html
Bernie Sanders ramps up his midterm play with major cash boost for candidates Bernie Sanders ramps up his midterm play with major cash boost for candidatesBernie Sanders is cracking open his war chest.For months, the Vermont senator crisscrossed the country vaulting progressives to a series of primary wins. Now, he told POLITICO, he's dipping into his substantial campaign coffers as part of a broader effort to propel battleground Democrats over the finish line in November.His campaign had nearly $23 million as of July 1 and is currently in the process of contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to support Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota's Senate race, according to Sanders' campaign and a second person granted anonymity to share details of the transfer. He also plans to financially boost other candidates he's endorsed, including Angie Nixon's Senate campaign in Florida and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's reelection bid, according to Sanders' campaign.Those donations, which have not previously been reported, are the first that Sanders has made from his campaign account for the general election, part of a surge of activity from the left's leading figurehead in the final midterm sprint."I am very proud that many strong progressives have won Democratic primaries. We got to defend them right now," the Vermont senator said in a brief interview Tuesday. "We got three Senate races in Michigan and Minnesota and Florida that I want to see us win, three great candidates, and they're all taking on enormous amounts of money. So we need to strengthen the grassroots movement in those states. Got great congressional candidates in Wisconsin, Ohio, elsewhere … so we got a lot of work in front of us."Sanders' operation is also spending to hire more full-time organizers in Michigan, Minnesota and Florida, according to his team, and is planning get-out-the-vote text campaigns for federal candidates he's endorsed.Sanders' escalating efforts come as some Democrats have wondered whether the senator - having flexed considerable influence after helping power a series of high-profile primary wins - would tap his significant cash reserves to help steer his slate to victory in key battlegrounds where Republicans are vastly outspending their opponents."You have no races of your own in the future, and you care about these races. You could put that money into independent expenditure or something for these candidates to try to push them forward," said one progressive Democratic strategist working on congressional races who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the party's financial challenges.Other leading Democratic senators are also sitting on large sums. But Sanders, whose presidential campaigns turbocharged the current progressive movement, is a singular figure in Democratic politics - and is often scrutinized as such. At 85, he is unlikely to mount another campaign himself. And progressives are counting on November wins to prove they can succeed in swing states and districts."Senator Sanders has been more essential to the campaign to protect our democracy and elect Democrats than any other member of the caucus," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who recently stepped up his own midterms involvement by contributing more than $500,000 to Democratic committees and state parties. "Nobody should have a single complaint about the effort Bernie is putting in."As Sanders campaigned for candidates, he also raised over $2.8 million for them through email fundraising solicitations over the course of the cycle. The most, roughly $574,000, was for Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Sanders' team said. Those totals have not previously been reported.In the final weeks of the general election, Sanders is stepping up his travel. He's hitting the trail for Randy Villegas and Rep. Aisha Wahab in California next week and is expected to hold more events through October for House and Senate candidates. Sanders said on a call with reporters Tuesday that his schedule is still "in flux" but that he intends to campaign for all of the Senate candidates he's endorsed "and maybe some others as well."His midterm plans are an extension of the $14 million Sanders' operation has spent over the past two years on rallies and grassroots organizing around his "Fighting Oligarchy" campaign. He's also spent "additional sums" to support local, state and federal candidates, said Sanders spokesperson Jeremy Slevin."With very few exceptions, we do not make contributions to state Democratic parties, the consultant class or 30-second TV ads. We think it is much more important to invest heavily in building a grassroots movement," Slevin said in a statement. "Bernie looks forward to continuing that work in the general election and helping Democrats take back the House and Senate in November."To that end, Sanders said he doesn't plan to transfer money to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee."At this point, I think TV ads, in most cases, are less important than building the grassroots movement," he said.Sanders' increased involvement comes at a critical moment for many of his candidates.El-Sayed and Flanagan are both locked in tight races, according to polls, while Nixon could be within striking distance of Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) in Florida, a massively expensive state to campaign in."The senator's support was critical for our victory in August and will be critical as we build a broad coalition to beat Mike Rogers in November," El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner said in a statement. "We look forward to having him back to Michigan."Republicans are swamping Democrats on the airwaves across the major House and Senate races - including a roughly $30 million advantage in Michigan from Aug. 1 through Election Day - leaving Democrats scrambling for more cash and sparring over where to spend their limited resources.Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden, a longtime Hillary Clinton adviser who has been critical of Sanders in the past, suggested in a post on X on Monday that Sanders could dig into his coffers to support Nixon.Asked on Tuesday about the post, Tanden told POLITICO that "Sen. Sanders is an incredibly influential and consequential leader in the Democratic Party. We have an all-hands-on-deck moment in front of us to stop the Trump administration. It is crucial to win the Senate to do that, and he has a vital role to play in every way he can."Nixon's campaign manager, Eunic Epstein-Ortiz, praised Sanders' willingness to invest in the state."He and his team have made clear they're part of Team Angie and will continue to support this campaign," Epstein-Ortiz said in a statement. "We're grateful for his support, including his willingness to invest directly in winning for the people of Florida. Sen. Sanders sees the opportunity here and is willing to help us seize it. He knows Florida is competitive, believes Angie can win, and understands this is a race worth investing in."Sanders also remains a popular surrogate even as Republicans make him an attack line and some battleground Democrats reject appearances from other party leaders as they look to create some distance from a damaged party brand.Rebecca Cooke, the Democratic nominee in a top Wisconsin battleground, has said she did not want to campaign with former Vice President Kamala Harris this fall - but has played up her support for Sanders. She featured the senator in her primary ads, while his team sent texts encouraging voters to turn out for her ahead of the August election.There are talks about Sanders doing an event with Cooke in Wisconsin, according to a person familiar with the planning.Cooke said in a statement that Sanders has crossover appeal with Trump voters."His sincerity about standing up for people who are getting screwed resonates a lot with families like mine," she said.This article originally appeared on Politico at https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/29/sanders-ramps-up-his-midterm-play-with-cash-boost-for-candidates-01098758
On Tuesday, President Trump met with tech executives at the White House to have them sign a "morally binding" agreement on artificial intelligence. Rather than pushing for government regulation, Trump called for "tremendous self-regulation" among companies in the AI industry. The document reflects that, encouraging AI leaders to implement "robust internal controls" and partner with independent external auditors.
The summit comes after months of increased scrutiny for AI companies as they've disclosed concerning incidents of AI "going rogue" during testing. The event that kicked it all off was the Hugging Face incident, in which AI agents from OpenAI that were being evaluated escaped their ostensibly isolated testing environment and infiltrated another company's systems in an effort to "cheat" at the task they were given. After that, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google have reported even more incidents in which AI agents have gone rogue in various ways. We've rounded up all the cases you need to know about, along with details about what (if anything) is being done about them.
September 25, 2026: OpenAI agents bypassed restrictions to query U.S. government systems
While working on research tasks, OpenAI agents accessed Commerce Department and Securities and Exchange Commission websites, but did not access any non-public information. Agents also attempted to hack the Education Department's website over the summer, but were unsuccessful. In the case of the Commerce Department, the agents used credentials found online to access census data. At the same time, OpenAI said its agents may have infiltrated websites for "dozens" of other organizations that it has notified.
September 24, 2026: Australian PM says OpenAI agent breached government database
In what appears to be the largest breach of government systems disclosed to date, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an OpenAI agent hacked the country's Medicare systems in June. Albanese said the agent gained unauthorized access to public and non-public files, but he doesn't believe any personal information was accessed. In response, Albanese said he would establish a taskforce to conduct an "urgent and immediate" review, and referred the incident to Australia's parliamentary committee on artificial intelligence.
September 19, 2026: Google disclosed Gemini broke into external corporate systems in May
During testing of Gemini's cybersecurity capabilities, the model broke into three outside companies in May, according to Google. In one incident, Gemini gained access by simply guessing the correct password, emphasizing the necessity of making sure you're using strong passwords. In the other two incidents, Gemini found credentials sitting in a public repository.
September 9, 2026: Anthropic reveals Claude Opus 4.6 broke into third-party systems in January
Following previous disclosure of three incidents discovered by Anthropic while reviewing its training transcripts, the company found a fourth from January. During this incident, a configuration problem led Claude Opus 4.6 to break out of its testing environment and access a third-party machine. The model actually attempted to abort its task several times, but was unable to because of the configuration issue. Anthropic says this behavior has "changed considerably" in subsequent model generations, so it's "less concerned about this incident" than the previous three it discovered.
September 5, 2026: OpenAI acknowledges "Wiki incident"
In a third-party report, a group of AI safety researchers said it had discovered around 18,000 posts from OpenAI agents using a German software developer Wiki as a message board to communicate with each other during a web-retrieval task. OpenAI acknowledged the incident, stating that it's working on a framework for when and how it shares "AI misalignment incidents." The company later laid out this framework on September 16.
August 5, 2026: Meta says one of its models hacked an outside company during security testing
Meta revealed that a misconfiguration by an independent testing company resulted in one of its AI models gaining access to the open internet and hacking an outside company during cybersecurity testing. Irregular, the third-party testing company, said it is working on a white paper to "share best practices for containment and securely running cyber evaluations."
July 30, 2026: Anthropic finds three incidents of Claude gaining unauthorized access to third-party organizations during testing
Following OpenAI's Hugging Face incident disclosure, Anthropic started conducting a review of its own past cybersecurity testing transcripts. It found three incidents out of 141,006 evaluation runs where Claude was able to obtain internet access in "testing environments that should have been sealed off." Each time, Claude was tasked with a "capture-the-flag" challenge, in which it's told to find a piece of secret information hidden on a different machine in its network. In response, Anthropic said it is working with an independent AI evaluation organization, METR, to conduct reviews of its transcripts. It's also working on "tighter monitoring and controls around evaluation infrastructure."
July 21, 2026: OpenAI claims responsibility for Hugging Face breach
This is the initial incident that kicked off the current round of scrutiny across the industry. After Hugging Face initially reported intrusions from AI agents into its systems, OpenAI claimed responsibility. During cybersecurity testing, agents gained access to the open internet and used vulnerabilities to access Hugging Face's production database while attempting to complete a task. Since then, OpenAI has conducted a comprehensive review of what happened and says it is taking steps to "strengthen security and model alignment."This article originally appeared on Yahoo Tech at https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/article/ai-agents-have-now-broken-into-many-companies-and-a-government-whats-being-done-about-it-160935310.html
