A US federal court has ruled that the Trump administration’s February restrictions against AI company Anthropic were unlawful. In a 59-page ruling issued Thursday, Judge Rita Lin said Anthropic had been publicly punished for criticizing the Pentagon. She ordered federal agencies named as defendants not to enforce President Donald Trump’s order barring use of Anthropic’s Claude AI model.

The judge also invalidated Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s designation of Anthropic as a “supply chain risk.” Lin said invoking national security did not give the government unrestricted power to punish or retaliate against critics. The dispute began after Anthropic refused to permit the US military to use Claude for fully autonomous lethal weapons or mass surveillance of American citizens.

Thursday’s ruling makes permanent a temporary injunction issued in March and takes effect immediately, though the US government may appeal. Anthropic welcomed the decision and said it remained focused on working constructively with the government on AI and national security. A separate Pentagon restriction issued under federal procurement rules remains in force and is being challenged in another Washington court.

Australia plans to remove 24 technical staff, scientists and support personnel from its research station on remote Macquarie Island because of psychosocial risks linked to a possible H5N1 bird flu outbreak. The island lies between Tasmania and Antarctica and is home to thousands of elephant seals. The evacuation is scheduled for September or early October aboard the RSV Nuyina icebreaker.

No H5N1 infections have yet been detected on Macquarie Island. However, officials say many elephant seals could die during the breeding season from September to November, as the mammals are highly vulnerable to the virus. Sean Sullivan, deputy secretary at Canberra’s climate change, energy, environment and water department, said the human risk from H5 bird flu is considered low.

Sullivan said authorities could not ignore the psychosocial effects of living near potentially large numbers of infected animals, particularly for expedition members working in an isolated and difficult environment. In June, officials reported that thousands of elephant seal pups had died from bird flu on the remote Heard and McDonald Islands. Authorities have reported 341 confirmed or probable H5 positive infections in Australia, with none detected in poultry or the agricultural production sector.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing that Lake Ontario be renamed “Lake America,” amid an escalating trade dispute with Canada. Speaking at the White House, Trump said the change would take effect immediately. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the move, saying the lake’s name would always remain Lake Ontario.

The lake, the smallest of the five Great Lakes by area, lies along the US-Canada border and is connected to Ontario province and New York state. Carney said the nearly 400-year-old name predates both countries and comes from an Indigenous word meaning “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.” He said on X that America was changing.

Trump’s order instructs the US Interior Department to update all entries for the lake in the federal geographic naming system within 30 days. It also directs all federal agencies to use “Lake America.” The order argues that the lake’s deepest point is on the US side and that the United States therefore claims most of its water volume.

US Senator Mark Kelly said President Trump is struggling to find a way out of the conflict with Iran. Speaking to ABC News, Kelly said ordinary Americans are paying the cost of the war as petrol and food prices rise. The source does not specify when or where the remarks were made beyond the ABC News interview.

Kelly said Trump faces limited options: escalating the conflict by sending ground troops, fully withdrawing from the war, or applying economic pressure while seeking to rebuild alliances with European partners. He warned that deploying ground forces could result in the deaths of thousands of Americans.

Calling the situation a crisis of Trump’s own making, Kelly said the president’s belief that he knows more than others had left him with few good choices. He also said bombing, which he stated has in some cases killed innocent Iranian children, was not a good plan. Kelly described economic measures and rebuilding alliances as comparatively better than sending ground forces.

Three journalists and senior officials at the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes have sued the Trump administration, alleging they were dismissed to undermine the publication’s editorial independence. Publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte filed the case against the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The case is due to be heard in a federal court in Washington, DC.

The plaintiffs received dismissal notices on August 21. Their lawsuit alleges that an interview in which Korte and Slavin discussed the importance of independent journalism at Stars and Stripes on CBS Sunday Morning was cited as one reason for action against them. They say the alleged censorship effort violates freedom of expression.

The Pentagon had previously said it planned to modernize the newspaper and focus its coverage on military operations, weapons, warfighting capability and troop welfare. Critics contend this could restrict its independence. The lawsuit also cites reporting on food and supply shortages and sailors’ mental stress during the prolonged deployment of USS Abraham, reports that President Donald Trump and Hegseth rejected as false.

A Bangladeshi national was killed in a major fire and explosion at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex in Russia’s Amur region, where 15 people were reported dead. Another Bangladeshi citizen remains missing and seven people were seriously injured, according to a senior official at the Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow on Thursday.

Embassy and local sources said the incident occurred during pipeline stability testing at the gas chemical complex, which was under the supervision of China’s Sinopec Engineering Group. A pipeline burst and caught fire suddenly, followed by a severe explosion after the pipeline’s check valve burned.

The deceased Bangladeshi was identified as Zakir Hossain, whose home was in Kishoreganj. The Bangladesh Embassy in Russia said it is maintaining constant contact with local authorities to identify Bangladeshi casualties, ensure treatment for the injured and take necessary steps to rescue the missing person.

The United States has designated UK-based pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action as a foreign terrorist organization. Washington also imposed sanctions on Italy-based Autistici/Inventati and the pro-Palestinian group Masar Badil. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott described the groups as violent far-left terrorist organizations, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States would use its full economic power to halt their financial activities.

Palestine Action says it seeks to end global cooperation with Israel and what it describes as Israel’s genocide and apartheid system. The group gained greater prominence after Israel’s military operation in Gaza began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. It has faced allegations of attacking Israeli arms companies and related facilities and damaging property. The organization has also been banned in the United Kingdom.

A Palestine Action co-founder criticized the US decision, saying it raised concerns about free expression and protest rights and sought to intensify pressure on anti-Israel movements. Human rights activists similarly warned that equating political activism and protest with terrorism could restrict peaceful protest. The US Treasury alleged Masar Badil acts as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, already designated by Washington.

An investigation found that a purported think tank called the Hanover Institute for Public Policy published large volumes of pro-Israel material in the United States in an apparent effort to influence AI chatbot responses. The source says the institute has no verifiable existence, office or known staff. Between August 6 and 14, its website published 124 reports totaling more than 560,000 words, including 73 reports of about 354,000 words over August 12 and 13.

The reports were framed as answers to questions users might ask AI systems, including allegations concerning genocide in Gaza, displacement of Palestinians and whether opposition to Zionism is antisemitism. Their wording sought to weaken allegations against Israel. The Guardian found that 20 reports stressed that no court had issued a final ruling on genocide or apartheid allegations, while 55 described casualty and aid figures as information from a party involved in the conflict.

Information linked the site to New York-based media company Pyro Inc., which registered work for the Israeli government under US foreign-agent law in a contract worth $1 million. Israel denied conducting an influence campaign, while Pyro co-founder Daniel Rosenberg said its work presented accurate, sourced information and countered misinformation.

An exhibition titled “Islamic Heritage of Russia: People and Traditions” has opened at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, presenting 1,100 years of Islamic history and heritage in Russia. The event was inaugurated in the presence of prominent figures from religious, diplomatic and cultural circles. Its stated aim is to highlight the history of Muslims in Russia and their contribution to shaping the country’s cultural identity.

The opening was attended by Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin, head of Russia’s Muslim Religious Board, as well as ambassadors and diplomats from Muslim countries, officials from the Republic of Tatarstan and Russian cultural figures. The exhibition features the history of Quran dissemination in Russia, writing culture, historical traditions, ornaments, handicrafts and fine arts of Muslim communities from different regions.

Running until September 27, the exhibition introduces visitors to Muslim cultures and traditions from the Volga region, the Caucasus and Siberia, according to Gaynutdin. Tatarstan Culture Minister Irada Ayupova praised the initiative, while Moscow official Konstantin Blasenov stressed Muslims’ role in the capital’s cultural landscape and cited city efforts to preserve their heritage. The programme is linked to events commemorating the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to a multibillion-dollar settlement over allegations brought by several US states that its platforms harmed children. Subject to court approval, the agreement would require Meta to introduce specific measures for teenage users, including daily usage limits and nighttime blocking.

Meta said it has agreed to pay $18 billion, although 30% of the amount depends on settlements involving TikTok and YouTube. The money would be distributed in annual instalments over 10 years and could fund states’ priorities, including initiatives to improve young people’s safety in online environments.

The states involved in the lawsuit would receive about 70% of the total fund, or roughly $12.7 billion, over 10 years. Meta said the remaining 30% would be released only if YouTube and TikTok introduce one-hour daily limits, night mode and age-verification systems, and each pays an equivalent share. Meta expects to record about $10 billion in legal costs in this year’s third quarter.

Forty-two of the 47 members of the US Senate Democratic caucus urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act over rising settler violence and mass arrests of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The letter, sent Wednesday and seen by Reuters, also called for stronger investigations into the deaths of nine US citizens killed by settlers or Israeli security forces since 2022.

Drafted by Senators Adam Schiff, Chuck Schumer and Cory Booker, the letter said violence had increased significantly in recent weeks. It cited Israeli security operations, arrests of many Palestinians and allegations that settlers had attacked mosques. Senators asked Netanyahu to give police and the military clear instructions to prevent violence and intervene when necessary regardless of those involved.

The lawmakers also called for an end to approvals for new Jewish settlements and illegal outposts in the West Bank, and for steps to remove existing outposts. Human rights groups say Israeli forces often fail to act quickly against settler violence, while Israeli officials say authorities, including the president and prime minister, have condemned violence against Palestinians.

President Donald Trump has sent a proposed civil nuclear technology assistance agreement with Saudi Arabia to the US Congress for final review, while making its implementation conditional on Saudi normalization of relations with Israel. A senior US administration official, speaking anonymously to Reuters on Tuesday, said the agreement will not proceed unless Riyadh joins the US-mediated Abraham Accords and formally recognizes Israel.

The 30-year agreement was finalized in July and would allow US technology companies to help develop Saudi civilian nuclear infrastructure and export technology. Westinghouse, jointly owned by Canada-based Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management, is expected to benefit from a project worth tens of billions of dollars involving construction of US AP1000 nuclear reactors. The proposal was sent to lawmakers on Monday and is expected to reach the relevant committee on Wednesday.

Congress will have 90 session days to review the agreement. It will take effect automatically if Congress passes no objection or resolution, while Trump could veto a congressional rejection. Saudi Arabia says it will not recognize Israel until an irreversible and clear path toward an independent Palestinian state is ensured. Democratic lawmakers and non-proliferation analysts have raised concerns over the absence of a direct legal ban on uranium enrichment.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow for secret meetings after a US military Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft arrived in the Russian capital. Neither Washington nor Moscow officially disclosed the purpose of the visit, Ratcliffe’s meeting partners, or the issues to be discussed. The trip comes as relations remain sharply strained over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Flight-tracking data indicated that a large US military aircraft travelled from the United States to Russia via Latvia on Tuesday before later leaving Moscow for Riga. Videos on social media showed a C-17 approaching Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport and a diplomatic motorcade on Moscow streets, though Ratcliffe’s presence in that convoy could not be independently verified.

A senior Ukrainian official told CBS that Kyiv had been informed of a high-level US delegation’s planned Moscow visit and was asked to pause attacks until it departed Russia. Former British military attaché John Foreman said the visit could concern de-escalation, while the release of detained US citizens might also be discussed. Ratcliffe previously played a significant role in talks securing Ksenia Karelina’s release.

US Senator Chris Van Hollen has alleged that President Donald Trump is personally benefiting from the Iran war. Citing a report by Democrats on the US Congressional Joint Economic Committee, Van Hollen said Trump could have earned as much as $15.5 million this year from assets in the oil and gas sector.

In an interview with MSNBC, the Democratic senator said it was clear that Trump was profiting from what he described as an illegal war launched alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Van Hollen characterized the conflict as meaningless and accused Trump of exploiting it for personal financial gain.

Van Hollen also alleged that Trump had turned the White House into a venue for private profit. He further claimed that Trump had taken in more than $1 billion since returning to power. The source presents these statements as allegations by Van Hollen and attributes the energy-income estimate to the Democratic report.

The US Secret Service has opened an investigation into a video aired by Iran’s state media that allegedly threatened Barron Trump, the youngest son of President Donald Trump. Spokesperson Nate Herring said the agency investigates any matter that could be considered a threat to people under its protection, while declining to provide further details for operational-security reasons.

According to Iran International, the nearly three-minute video was broadcast by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, or IRIB. It opened with a graphic asking where Barron Trump would be killed and claimed that the 20-year-old was under surveillance. It also presented information about his place of study, Trump Tower in New York, and security arrangements, while mentioning a $10 million reward linked to action targeting him.

Time said it could not independently verify the video’s claims, and the footage provided no evidence that Barron Trump was being monitored or that security had been breached. The report described the video as the latest in threats against Trump family members from Iran, following an earlier Tasnim News Agency video about Melania Trump’s purported security vulnerabilities.