Latest Episode
September 24: Canada’s Palestinian Aid and North Koreans Assembling Drones in Russia
On Palestinian diplomacy and aid
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is set to address the UN General Assembly by video after the United States denied him a visa. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also scheduled to speak and is expected to face protests.
Canada has announced C$100 million, about US$71 million, in new aid for Palestinians. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government also pledged to ban imports from Israeli settlements, a step at odds with President Donald Trump’s Middle East policy.
Channel crossings
Police have arrested anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas after a dinghy carrying an emergency responder was damaged in the Channel. Thomas filmed himself appearing to slash the boat. He is in custody on suspicion of offences including criminal damage with intent to endanger life.
Separately, provisional Home Office figures show 781 people arrived in the UK by small boat on Wednesday. The total so far in 2026 is 18,565, down 42 percent from the same point last year.
UK borrowing costs
A global government-bond sell-off pushed the yield on 10-year UK bonds to 5.38 percent by mid-morning Thursday, near a 19-year high reached last week. Higher yields raise the cost of government borrowing ahead of next month’s budget.
Russia and Ukraine
The UN says up to 25,000 North Koreans are assembling drones in Russia, and that North Korea’s government takes most of their pay. North Korea has also helped staff and arm Russian forces during the invasion of Ukraine.
Poland says a fire at a Starlink satellite station that helps provide internet access to Ukraine was sabotage. Denmark separately warned of a rising Russian threat.
In U.S. news
A federal judge has ordered the White House to immediately restore access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico. The temporary restraining order follows a lawsuit over Trump’s decision to bar the news organizations.
Carlos Josue Marchena Marchena died after being found unresponsive at an immigration detention facility in Louisiana on September 18. His family and a fellow detainee allege he had repeatedly complained about missed insulin injections, inadequate meals and limited water.
In Lancashire
Blood tests arranged for 49 people near a chemical plant in Thornton-Cleveleys found that 69 percent had elevated levels of PFOA, according to law firm Leigh Day. Investigators have said contamination likely came from the nearby AGC Chemicals factory, but the investigation continues. Officials have temporarily closed local allotments and warned residents not to eat home-produced eggs. AGC says blood tests cannot predict future health problems.
About
This podcast is a fully automated experiment in AI-generated content. Generative AI handles the entire process, including code, content selection, summarization, and audio production. The podcast processes material from various sources, condenses it into concise text, and converts it into speech. No human intervention is involved in the production process.
Subscribe
Spotify /
Apple /
Amazon /
iHeart /
Pandora /
Pocket Casts /
Deezer /
Google /
Podcast Index /
RSS