Musk’s AI startup sues OpenAI and Apple over anticompetitive conduct

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Lawsuit accuses companies of ‘conspiracy to monopolize markets for smartphones and generative AI chatbots’

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI is suing OpenAI and Apple over allegations that they are engaging in anticompetitive conduct. The lawsuit, filed in a Texas court on Monday, accuses the companies of “a conspiracy to monopolize the markets for smartphones and generative AI chatbots”.

Musk had earlier this month threatened to sue Apple and OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, after claiming that Apple was “making it impossible” for any other AI companies to reach the top spot on its app store. Musk’s xAI makes the Grok chatbot, which has struggled to become as prominent as ChatGPT.

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Mexican drug lord ‘El Mayo’ pleads guilty to racketeering in New York

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Ismael Zambada was co-founder of Sinaloa cartel led by Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, now imprisoned in US

The Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges as well as running a criminal enterprise on Monday, more than a year since he was arrested in Texas after what has been described as a kidnapping.

“I recognize the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people in the United States and Mexico,” the 77-year-old Zambada said in court through a Spanish-language interpreter. “I apologize for all of it, and I take responsibility for my actions.”

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Screenwriter Paul Laverty arrested at Palestine protest in Edinburgh

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Ken Loach collaborator was allegedly wearing a T-shirt that referenced banned group Palestine Action

The award-winning Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty has been arrested in Edinburgh for wearing a T-shirt that allegedly referenced the proscribed protest group Palestine Action.

Laverty was attending a protest outside St Leonard’s police station in the city centre to support Moira McFarlane, a member of Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, who was due to be charged under section 13 of the Terrorist Act for wearing a T-shirt with the words: “Genocide in Palestine, time to take Action”.

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Woody Allen rebuts Ukrainian condemnation over Moscow film festival appearance

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The director said he did not ‘feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help’ after Ukraine calls the film-maker’s participation a ‘disgrace’

Woody Allen has denied claims that his participation in a Moscow film festival was “whitewashing” Russian atrocities, after condemnation of his appearance by Ukraine’s ministry of foreign affairs.

Allen said in a statement to the Guardian: “When it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, I believe strongly that Vladimir Putin is totally in the wrong. The war he has caused is appalling. But, whatever politicians have done, I don’t feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help.”

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Poland’s president vetoes legislation to prolong benefits for Ukrainian refugees

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Karol Nawrocki says only Ukrainians in work should receive child benefit payments in Poland

Poland’s president has vetoed legislation to prolong benefits received by Ukrainian refugees in Poland, following up on a campaign promise to tighten welfare payments amid a steady growth in anti-Ukrainian sentiment among Poles.

Karol Nawrocki, who took office earlier this month after winning an election in spring, said only Ukrainians in work should receive child benefit payments.

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Sole survivor of Australian deadly mushroom poisoning grieves loss of wife and friends – PBS

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  1. Sole survivor of Australian deadly mushroom poisoning grieves loss of wife and friends  PBS
  2. Sole survivor of Australian mushroom poisoning grieves loss of wife and friends  ABC News
  3. Mushroom murder: Family of toxic lunch victims face killer in court  BBC
  4. Sole survivor of Australian mushroom poisoning feels ‘half alive’ after the murder of his wife and friends  CNN
  5. Australia mushroom murderer Erin Patterson left me 'half alive,' lone surviving victim says  KSL.com
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Israel’s attack on hospital in Gaza may constitute a war crime on many fronts

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Double-tap strike suggests killing of civilians, rescue workers and journalists deliberate and not a mistake

Israel’s twin strike on the Nasser hospital in Gaza, which killed five journalists including staff working for the Associated Press, Reuters, NBC and Al Jazeera, is a potential violation of international law writ large.

The attack targeted a civilian building, specifically a hospital, in a reckless double-tap strike that killed civilians, with rescue workers and journalists among them. All categories that should be protected under international law.

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Kneecap cancel all US tour dates over clash with court hearing in London

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Band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh faces terrorism charge in UK for alleged display of Hezbollah flag mid-performance

The Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have cancelled their scheduled US tour dates in October, citing the proximity to a court hearing in London involving band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh’s alleged mid-performance display of a Hezbollah flag.

Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence in the UK in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah during a concert in London last November.

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UK gender pay gap underestimated for two decades, report says

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Findings suggest since 2004 ONS failed to properly account for fact it received more data from larger employers

The UK’s gender pay gap has been underestimated for more than 20 years, according to research that could raise fresh questions about the quality of data used to inform key pay decisions across the UK.

The findings, released in the British Journal of Industrial Relations on Monday, suggest that, since 2004, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) had failed to properly account for the fact that it received more data from larger employers, when it reported its annual survey of hours and earnings (Ashe).

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Top Senate Dem Says Gaza Famine is a ‘Shameful Black Mark on Humanity,’ Admits Party Failed to Act – Common Dreams

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  1. Top Senate Dem Says Gaza Famine is a 'Shameful Black Mark on Humanity,' Admits Party Failed to Act  Common Dreams
  2. Israel pushes back at ‘tailor-made’ UN-backed report claiming Gaza famine  Fox News
  3. Three more Gazans have died of malnutrition, Hamas-run health ministry says  The Times of Israel
  4. Arguing over hunger in Gaza ‘kind of obscene,’ UNICEF official says  Politico
  5. Headlines for August 26, 2025  Democracy Now!
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French government risks collapse after Bayrou calls high-stakes confidence vote – politico.eu

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  1. French government risks collapse after Bayrou calls high-stakes confidence vote  politico.eu
  2. French government risks collapse with budget confidence vote in September  CNN
  3. French Prime Minister Calls Special Parliamentary Session to Address Ballooning Debt  The New York Times
  4. French PM Bayrou says he will request confidence vote from parliament  Reuters
  5. France’s Government Risks Another Collapse, Weighing on Markets  Bloomberg.com
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Polish president’s veto threatens Ukraine’s Starlink access amid refugee aid dispute – Reuters

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  1. Polish president's veto threatens Ukraine's Starlink access amid refugee aid dispute  Reuters
  2. Poland’s president vetoes legislation to prolong benefits for Ukrainian refugees  The Guardian
  3. Ukraine updates: New Polish president vetoes refugee bill  dw.com
  4. Polish veto risks Ukraine’s crucial Starlink access amid refugee aid row  Al Jazeera
  5. Polish president vetoes law on support for Ukrainians  Українська правда
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Dinner or a shower? Elderly people fear tough choices when Australia’s new aged care changes are rolled out

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Advocates warn increased costs for basic assistance like showers and wound cleaning will push older people into aged care or hospital

Margaret Duckett is scared for her friends.

The 77-year-old pensioner is the recipient of a home care package – which allows her to get support with cleaning, gardening, transport, physiotherapy and podiatry – and some personal care, so she can continue living independently at her home in Sydney’s Riverview.

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Police apologize at grave of Japanese businessman who was wrongfully arrested and died after long detention – CBS News

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  1. Police apologize at grave of Japanese businessman who was wrongfully arrested and died after long detention  CBS News
  2. Police, prosecutors apologize at grave of wrongfully accused man  english.kyodonews.net
  3. Son seeks second look into what led to father’s false accusation  朝日新聞
  4. Authorities apologize to Ohkawara Kakohki ex-adviser's family  The Japan Times
  5. Tokyo authorities apologise at grave of wrongfully accused man  Yahoo News Canada
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First human case of flesh-eating screwworm parasite confirmed in US

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HHS told Reuters patient had returned from El Salvador but beef industry said person had traveled from Guatemala

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Sunday reported the first human case in the US of travel-associated New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, from an outbreak-affected country.

The case, investigated by the Maryland department of health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was confirmed by the CDC as New World screwworm on 4 August – and involved a patient who returned from travel to El Salvador, an HHS spokesperson, Andrew G Nixon, said in an email to Reuters.

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Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize. Here’s how it’s awarded. – The Washington Post

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  1. Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize. Here’s how it’s awarded.  The Washington Post
  2. Trump badly wants a Nobel Peace Prize. Most on the committee oppose him.  The Washington Post
  3. Trump wants a Nobel prize. Europe can exploit that to help Ukraine  The Economist
  4. Trump's Place Is in the ICC, Not the Nobel Prize Ceremony - Opinion  Haaretz
  5. Dennis Jett: Donald Trump's bitter disappointment  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Oil prices rise as traders weigh supply risks – Reuters

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  1. Oil prices rise as traders weigh supply risks  Reuters
  2. Parts of Russia face gasoline shortages after Ukraine struck refineries  Reuters
  3. Ukrainian Drone Strikes Deepen Russia’s Summer Fuel Crunch  Bloomberg.com
  4. Ukraine is stepping up attacks on Russian energy - and it’s working  CNN
  5. Ukraine hits Syzran oil refinery in Russia's Samara Oblast – video  Українська правда
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AP freelancer among 4 journalists killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital, health officials say – AP News

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  1. AP freelancer among 4 journalists killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital, health officials say  AP News
  2. Israel hits Gaza hospital, killing at least 20 people, including 5 journalists  Reuters
  3. More than a dozen people killed in Israeli strikes on hospital in southern Gaza, including journalists, officials say  CNN
  4. 20 Palestinians, including 4 journalists, killed in IDF strike on Gaza hospital  Axios
  5. Global News Podcast | Gaza: 20 reported dead in Israeli hospital attack  BBC
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