RSA

The United States is marking 25 years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, with commemorations honoring the nearly 3,000 victims. Campus and community observances describe the country as being in mourning, reflecting on the lasting impact of the attacks on American society, security policy, and collective memory a quarter-century later.

Ambassador Mike Waltz says the United States held conversations with China regarding dealings connected to the Iran conflict. The comments point to diplomatic contact between Washington and Beijing over the war, though details of what was discussed have not been made public. The remarks come amid heightened attention to Iran and the international role of major powers in the conflict.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly dealing with unresolved questions about their security arrangements as the world marks the anniversary of Princess Diana's death. The story links the couple's ongoing concerns over protection, following their step back from royal duties, with renewed public attention to Diana's legacy and the circumstances surrounding her death in Paris.

SpaceX has completed a launch rehearsal of its Starship system at Starbase, Texas, in preparation for the upcoming Flight 14 test. The wet dress rehearsal, which fuels the rocket without launching it, is a key preflight milestone. Space enthusiasts and analysts are watching closely to see what improvements the next flight will demonstrate and when it might lift off.

SpaceX has completed its launch rehearsal for Starship Flight 14 and received the final FAA approval needed to proceed, with liftoff scheduled for Monday. The dress rehearsal, a full countdown and fueling test, is a standard final step before launch. Space watchers are tracking whether the flight will build on the progress of previous Starship test missions.

Greg Abel has broken Berkshire Hathaway's 14-quarter streak of net stock sales, reportedly buying a net $20 billion of equities last quarter. The reversal marks a sharp shift in the company's investing posture under its new leadership and is drawing attention to how Abel will deploy Berkshire's cash pile compared with Warren Buffett's long-running caution.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reaffirmed India's policy of 'zero tolerance against terrorism' ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 2016 surgical strikes across the Line of Control. His remarks come as India commemorates the operation launched in response to the Uri attack, with the anniversary prompting renewed focus on the government's national security record.

The European People's Party is sharpening its position on migration. At a large gathering of the party in southern France, Friedrich Merz and the CDU are pushing for stricter measures on migration, following the party's defeats in recent German state elections. An amendment proposal calling for tougher policies has been put forward for delegates to approve.

Daniel Gultsch, developer of the Android XMPP chat app Conversations, has announced the app is breaking up with Google Play and is now free. The move ends distribution through Google's app store, and the essay explains the reasoning behind leaving the platform and making the app available at no cost.

The United Nations has declared September 29 as the International Day for Universal Access to Information. The designation gives global recognition to the right of the public to seek and receive information, including from governments and public bodies. Observers see it as a boost for transparency, press freedom and open-government efforts, and it is expected to be marked annually with events promoting access-to-information laws worldwide.

The Warsaw Rights Forum has returned, convening human rights advocates at a moment when organisers and participants describe civic space as narrowing. The gathering is expected to focus on pressures facing civil society, from restrictions on assembly to shrinking room for independent voices, and to coordinate responses across the region.

The United Nations is preparing an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the 2001 World Conference against Racism held in Durban, South Africa. The anniversary commemoration is drawing attention because the original Durban conference remains controversial, particularly over debates about Israel and antisemitism at the 2001 gathering.

A new examination of chronic traumatic encephalopathy reviews what research has established about the brain disease linked to repeated head impacts, and where scientific certainty ends. The piece weighs confirmed findings against open questions about diagnosis, prevalence and long-term effects, reflecting ongoing debate among scientists, athletes and sports organisations over how much is truly known.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has set out a plan for universal free social care, urging the government to 'rip the plaster off' and confront the issue of how to fund and reform the system. The proposal would remove means-testing and charges for care, positioning Burnham as a voice for bolder reform in the Labour Party ahead of potential leadership discussion.

Scientists have observed that the amount of dust in Earth's atmosphere has declined, reversing a previous trend. NBC News reports the shift is described as mysterious, with the cause of the reversal not yet explained. Dust in the atmosphere affects climate, air quality and weather patterns, so researchers are paying close attention to what is driving the change.

SpaceX has completed the launch rehearsal for Starship Flight 14, the next test flight of its giant rocket system. The wet dress rehearsal puts the full launch sequence through its paces ahead of liftoff from Starbase, Texas. It is another step in SpaceX's rapid testing campaign for the Starship program, which is central to NASA's lunar landing plans and the company's deep-space ambitions.

Singapore is moving to penalize bus passengers who play music loudly or hold speakerphone conversations, with fines that could reach hundreds of dollars. The measure targets everyday commuting irritations that many riders complain about, and it is drawing wide attention as people debate whether fines are the right way to enforce courtesy on public transport.

Protesters gathered outside the ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas, in a demonstration against the facility and US immigration enforcement. Local outlet KSAT reported on the rally, which adds Pearsall to the list of Texas cities where immigration detention sites have drawn public protests. Details on the size of the crowd, the organisers and specific demands were not immediately reported.

Universal's film releases have generated substantial box office revenue in 2026, according to a report by Gizmodo. The piece highlights the studio's strong financial performance at the movie box office this year, though the specific titles and figures driving the total are not detailed in the available information.

Speculation is growing that Tesla may be preparing to launch an unsupervised version of its Full Self-Driving system, removing the need for a driver to monitor the car. The topic was raised alongside conversations with Ara, Tesla's Grok-powered AI assistant, which can interact with vehicle systems. Observers are weighing how close Tesla actually is to true driverless operation.

NBCUniversal is reportedly considering a move into video games as Comcast prepares to separate the media company into a standalone entity. The plan would mark a significant push into gaming for the studio behind major franchises, though no official announcement or details on timing and investment have been confirmed.

China has reaffirmed its support for Cuba as the two countries mark 66 years of diplomatic relations. Beijing reiterated its commitment to cooperation with Havana, in a statement reported by Chinese state media. The announcement underscores the enduring political alignment between the two Communist-ruled states, and comes amid continued US sanctions on Cuba and growing Chinese engagement across Latin America and the Caribbean.

A new cryptography paper describes a method for forging 1024-bit RSA signatures in a time close to the special number field sieve bound, narrowing the margin of safety for the key size. The work, published on the IACR eprint archive, is drawing attention from security researchers assessing whether 1024-bit RSA keys remain adequate for legacy systems.

A Washington Post opinion column argues that a foreign policy which rewards adversaries while taking allies for granted ultimately leaves a country isolated. The piece contends that siding with rivals over long-standing partners erodes trust, pushes friendly nations to hedge or look elsewhere, and weakens a state's own influence. The argument is resonating amid ongoing debates about alliance management and great-power competition.

Google and OpenAI are competing to make voice conversations with AI chatbots feel more natural and less awkward. A new comparison of Gemini Live and ChatGPT Voice, reported by Engadget, examines which assistant handles spoken interaction better, as both companies push to make talking to AI feel closer to a real human conversation.

Reports suggest Apple's rumored 20th anniversary iPhone 20 Pro could feature a seamless slab-of-glass design with no visible buttons or ports, marking two decades since the original iPhone launched in 2007. The concept has sparked wide speculation about how far Apple might go with a boundary-free industrial design for the milestone device.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty has made his first Major League start at shortstop, with the team emphasising defensive versatility across its infield. The move signals the Mets are exploring options to get Baty's bat in the lineup while adding flexibility at a key defensive position, a shift drawing attention from fans and baseball observers.

Daniel Gultsch, developer of the Android XMPP messaging app Conversations, has announced the app is no longer being distributed through Google Play, explaining the decision in a post titled 'Breaking Up with Google Play'. The move has drawn attention on Hacker News and across the fediverse, where users are debating the practicality of leaving major app stores and what it means for open-source, privacy-focused messaging apps.