Unity

Aimee Shalan, head of a Palestine solidarity campaign, says Palestine has become an electoral issue in the UK for the first time, with anger over Israel's war in Gaza mobilising British voters. The Guardian's community affairs correspondent Aamna Mohdin reports that the conflict is now shaping voter priorities and could influence how people cast their ballots in the election.

A Guardian feature follows a community that discovered its water and residents had been contaminated by PFAS, the persistent 'forever chemicals' linked to serious health risks. Residents describe getting blood tests and demanding answers after learning how long the pollution went undetected. The story highlights growing public concern over industrial PFAS pollution, regulatory delays and the difficulty of holding polluters to account.

Pope Leo is set to deliver a speech on a united Europe from a French border town, according to France 24. The choice of a border location is being read as symbolic for a message on European unity, coming amid ongoing debates over the EU's cohesion, migration policy and the continent's place in the world. Further details of the address, including its exact venue and timing, were not provided in initial reporting.

A commentary argues that European countries must maintain a united and resolute stance on Ukraine, stressing that cohesion is essential as the war continues and political pressure for compromise grows. The piece warns that divisions within Europe would weaken the continent's position and its support for Kyiv at a critical stage of the conflict.

Dartmouth College has reached a $750,000 settlement following a data breach that compromised the personal information of roughly 96,000 members of the Dartmouth community. The agreement resolves claims stemming from the incident, which affected students, staff and others whose data was exposed. Details of the breach's cause and how settlement funds will be distributed were not immediately available.

Pope Leo XIV has called on Europeans to stand together against 'lies and deceit', according to Le Monde. The appeal comes as the new pontiff uses his early months in office to press for unity across the continent, warning that falsehoods and manipulation threaten Europe's shared values and social cohesion.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed that BRICS countries create an open artificial intelligence community, according to Dawn. The initiative would promote cooperation on AI among the grouping's members. The proposal is being discussed as part of ongoing BRICS efforts to deepen collaboration on emerging technologies.

Unity has added support for Meta's VR glasses development environment, expanding tooling options for creators building virtual reality applications on Meta's hardware. The move means developers can now build and test VR experiences for Meta headsets directly within Unity's ecosystem. Coverage of the announcement has been limited so far, with the news circulating mainly among games and tech industry outlets.

Pope Leo will travel to Metz, France, where he plans to invoke Robert Schuman's vision of European unity, according to RFI. Schuman, a French statesman and one of the EU's founding fathers, championed Franco-German reconciliation after the Second World War. The speech is being watched as a signal of the Vatican's position on European integration at a time of political fragmentation.

Pope Leo XIV will close his visit to France on Monday by paying tribute to Robert Schuman, the devout Catholic former French foreign minister regarded as one of the architects of European integration. The pontiff's message is expected to focus on peace and unity, drawing a symbolic link between the Catholic faith and the European project at a time of debate over the continent's future.

Renewables Now published an interview examining how community solar projects are increasingly being treated as bankable infrastructure assets by lenders and investors. The discussion points to growing confidence in the model, which allows households and businesses to subscribe to shared solar installations and receive credits on their electricity bills, making smaller-scale renewable projects more financially viable.

The union representing about 150 doctors at Allina Health's Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and its Unity campus in Fridley, Minnesota, announced a tentative agreement on a first contract with the health system. The deal follows a four-day strike by the physicians, who have been pushing for improved working conditions and bargaining rights.

The European Union Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique, EUMAM MOZ, organised a sexual education awareness session for the school community in Maputo. The initiative forms part of the mission's outreach activities alongside its military training mandate, aimed at raising health and awareness issues among young people in the Mozambican capital.

Wisconsin Community Services appeared on Spectrum News' In Focus program to discuss the challenges people face when returning to society after time in jail, with particular attention to mental health effects. The organization addressed how reentry struggles, including limited support and stigma, can worsen conditions for formerly incarcerated individuals and what services can help ease that transition.

Local chief executives, environmental officers, and community partners gathered at the SM City Davao Annex Event Center on Friday afternoon, September 25, for the closing program of the 8th Environment Summit in Davao. The culmination event brought together local government leaders and environmental stakeholders to mark the conclusion of this year's environmental activities in the city.