Even for a man who has long shown warmth to Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump’s move to invite the Russian leader to attend the G20 summit in Florida in December is jaw-dropping.
“We’ve invited President Putin to the G20,” proclaimed Marco Rubio, Trump’s Secretary of State, on Wednesday. “We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the President, but with other world leaders.”
Rubio’s framing of the news, which came after a meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on the fringes of the UN General Assembly, contained not an ounce of criticism for Russia’s brutal and continuing war with Ukraine. Lavrov could be seen smiling like the Cheshire Cat in video clips distributed on social media, which speaks volumes about the victory the US invitation represents for Russia and its president.
British tourist complains about Auschwitz cafe
A British TikToker has drawn widespread criticism after she complained about the prices at a café near the Auschwitz memorial.
What was said in the video
Lynne, who posts on the social media platform under the name FreeSpirit666, told her followers: “Here’s another tip if you’re going to Auschwitz. Take a drink with you […] I got a strawberry smoothie which tasted very watered down.”
- The video has now garnered 4.2m views since it was posted last week.
British people losing touch with the devastation of the Holocaust
Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, said that the video suggested that British people were losing touch with the horrors of the Holocaust.
Speaking to , he said: “Auschwitz is not a leisure destination to be reviewed on the value for money of its amenities.”
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Lynne’s response to criticism
Is it right that Auschwitz […] is making money from a death camp? It’s all a money-making scheme. It is a memorial, not an attraction […] People are saying I shouldn’t moan about the price of the food and drink but why are they selling it?
Lynne, who goes by FreeSpirit666 on Tiktok
Auschwitz museum’s response
An Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum spokesman said the café was operated by an external provider with prices clearly displayed.
They told : “For us, the essential point remains that people come to the Auschwitz Memorial to learn about the history of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp.”
How the brain ‘changes gear’ twice during your life
Adults will experience two important “gear changes” in their life, according to a new study.
The research
The findings are part of a project by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York, which revealed that the brain changes at 24, when it reaches maturity, and 60, when the biological effects of ageing start to intensify.
The wider project is called PsychAD and it is dedicated to producing a detailed map of the prefrontal cortex and tracking its change over time.
The brain changing process
The results of the study showed how the brain changed over time.
- The proportions of different brain cell types shifted rapidly during childhood and adolescence as the brain matured and its connections were reorganised.
- This then slowed drastically at about 24, and stayed relatively stable until late middle age.
- When the brain reaches 60, cells that protect and maintain it are more often dealing with inflammation and abnormal or faulty proteins.
- The brain’s internal clock also appeared to shift, with clear 24-hour patterns in younger adults becoming less organised after the age of 60.
Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 18 weeks: New target for NHS
Nearly a million people could soon get faster diagnoses, treatments and more expert help for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia as part of an overhaul of NHS care in England.
Which bear has put on the most weight? You decide
It is officially Fat Bear Week at the Katmai National Park in Alaska, with brown bears rapidly putting on weight before winter hibernation.
How the competition works
The event, which will run from 22-29 September, has been turned into a contest by the national park, where fans can vote online for which bear has become the heftiest.
The verdict is decided by comparing photos from early and late summer.
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A viral sensation
Fat Bear Week is returning for the 13th year, with the furry mammals bringing in 1.7 million votes from more than 100 countries last year.
Two of the favourites to win the competition are last years champion, Chunk, as well as challenger Walker.
Could drinking in the stands be coming back?
Andy Burnham has described laws which prevent drinking alcohol in view of the pitch at football stadiums as “discrimination” and suggested a change could be trialled.
PM says football fans ‘singled out’
The Prime Minister told reporters: “I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out.”
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) said the “outdated” legislation should be reviewed, while police chiefs have urged against relaxing the law and want to meet Burnham to “explain the challenges”.
Why the ban was brought in
The law was first brought in in 1985 for English and Welsh football grounds under Margaret Thatcher’s government.
- At the time, then-home secretary Leon Brittan said that alcohol was a “major contributory factor in violent and disorderly behaviour” at football matches.
Not an official policy
The BBC reported that Government sources said Burnham was giving an opinion he has long held, rather than making an official policy announcement.
The Government is not taking the PM’s comments as a sign that he is looking to change the law.
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Changes could make policing harder
A UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) spokesman said changes could pose “challenges” to policing.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” he added.
AI hacks Australian government – what to know
The Australian government has revealed that an autonomous AI agent hacked a government website in what may be the first known incident of its kind.
A research task gone wrong
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in New York yesterday that the AI agent, which was developed by OpenAI, was carrying out a research task on health and medical statistics when it accessed both public and non-public health data.
- Australia’s deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said that as part of its research, it approached the Medicare portal for information, but when it was denied, it hacked the portal to get the information anyway.
OpenAI slow to inform Australian government
Albanese said the AI company had taken “way too long” to inform the Australian government about what had happened, with it only being made aware on 10 September. The incident occurred in June.
OpenAI says it is still investigating, but found no evidence that patient records had been accessed and remains “committed to transparency”.
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Albanese calls for ‘urgent global guard-rails’
The announcement came less than a day after the Australian PM co-signed a joint statement with 21 other countries, including Germany, Spain and Canada, pressing for “urgent global guard-rails” on frontier AI models, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Channel migrants set to be processed in ex-Navy sea fort near Portsmouth
A former military sea fort could be converted into a processing site for small boat arrivals in Hampshire as migrants make more dangerous journeys across the English Channel to reach the UK.
What to know
The i Paper understands the Government has prepared contingency proposals to deal with arrivals further down the South Coast from Kent.
No final decision has been made by the Government on converting Fort Blockhouse in Gosport, near Portsmouth. It is also understood it would be a temporary facility.
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Anti-asylum protests
An aborted attempt to use Fort Blockhouse to land 50 asylum seekers sparked protests in the town on Tuesday. Police were forced to protect coaches carrying asylum seekers after hundreds of anti-migrant protesters massed at the site.
- Six arrests were made. Police are also “conducting enquiries” after far-right activist Daniel Thomas filmed himself slashing the side of a dinghy with a rescue crew member still on board.
Criticism of the plans
- Zoe Huggins, Conservative leader of Gosport Borough Council, described the fort as unsafe and logistically not viable.
- She said that access on and off the peninsula by two narrow roads created an “easy target” for protesters to blockade coaches transporting migrants, as happened in the Portsmouth riots earlier this month.
- Huggins said that they had heard about the plans through “informal channels”, adding: “It is outrageous that Government can review arrangements like this without talking to the local council.”
The Government response
A public planning inquiry into the proposals is due to be held after Gosport Borough Council and Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP for Gosport, called for greater transparency from ministers.
A Government spokesperson said: “The Border Security Command works around the clock to protect our border and will continue to detain, check and process every small boat arrival.”
The nine doomsday essentials you will be officially told to stockpile at home
People will be advised to stockpile a number of items to prepare for war or other emergencies as part of the UK government’s biggest public awareness campaign for decades.
Why you should make an emergency stockpile
While there is no new or imminent threat to Britain from war, the ongoing “grey-zone” activity by Russia, the biggest El Niño weather event for centuries and the risk of an AI-linked accidental power cut, have all raised concerns the British public should be better prepared.
Here are the nine items in the Government’s suggested emergency stockpile list.
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Torches, power banks and radios
Battery or wind-up torch
It is recommended to get a torch as they are safer than candles.
Portable power bank
For charging your mobile phone in a power cut.
Battery or wind-up radio
To get updates during a power breakdown – a car radio can be used, but in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.
Batteries, first aid kits and hand sanitiser
Spare batteries
For torches and radio and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on.
A first aid kit
This should contain items like waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer and antiseptic.
For hygiene purposes when the water is off.
Bottled water, non-perishable food and baby supplies
Bottled water
A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation for survival.
Non-perishable food
This shouldn’t need to be cooked. Remember food for your pets and a tin opener.
Baby supplies
Make sure you have nappies and baby formula.
Trump may hope to claim some success in negotiating a deal to end the conflict, with his efforts in Iran falling well short, but his move may provoke leaders in the liberal West and Europe. Supportive of Volodymyr Zelensky’s efforts to withstand Russian attack and eager to realign Washington behind Kyiv, they are likely to be sceptical of the American President’s desire to project himself as a peace-making statesman during a grand event on US soil designed to match his love of spectacle and a made-for-television moment.
Putin is the subject of a 2023 arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, where he faces war crimes charges related to his aggression in Ukraine. Zelensky and his European allies maintain that those acts are continuing, with Russia’s bombardment of the country now in its fifth year.
Trump has previously urged the G7 to readmit Russia, saying it was a mistake to expel Putin from what was then known as the G8 following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Trump now seems to be going one step further.
Echoing Kremlin talking points, the Trump White House is claiming that Putin deserves the chance to grace the corridors of international power.
Whether the Russian leader will accept the invitation to rub shoulders with Andy Burnham, among others, is unclear. The Kremlin has only said it will consider the invitation. But it reinvigorates long-standing questions about why Trump seems to be so beguiled by Putin.
For Burnham and many of his G20 colleagues, the US helming of this year’s summit was already fraught with risk.
While Trump’s team likes to say that the December meeting is being held in Miami, the venue is actually Doral, home to Trump National, the President’s private golf club, where world leaders are to gather and be accommodated.
The decision to host the event at one of the President’s private businesses raises huge ethical questions, despite Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that it was the G20 that first proposed the idea. He has also promised that the Trump family’s business will not make a penny out of the event.
G20 leaders seem to have gone along with this, but now Putin’s possible presence raises the stakes even further. Trump has also created another headache for Zelensky, with whom he has a tense relationship. Sensing the need to try to head off a propaganda win for the Russian leader, the Ukrainian president said on Wednesday that he, too, might travel to Doral.
Zelensky suggested that the meeting could represent the “best chance” yet for a face-to-face negotiation with Putin, telling German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that: “We have to come. We have to meet, to speak, and make decisions”.
But it is not yet clear whether Trump will invite Zelensky to the Sunshine State – Ukraine is not a member of the G20 – or whether Putin would agree to attend the meeting if the Ukrainian leader was present.
Earlier this week, the Kremlin insisted it was “too early” to arrange lower-level meetings between Russian and Ukrainian officials, which may serve as an indication of Putin’s determination to continue waging his war.
Trump, who falsely claimed in his UN speech on Monday to have resolved “eight wars”, has suggested that peace between Kyiv and Moscow “is going to happen… more quickly than people understand”.
But Trump’s special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, made only their first trip to Kyiv this month – compared to eight visits to Moscow since Trump returned to power.
Many of Ukraine’s allies in Europe worry that Trump will force Zelensky to yield territory as part of a peace settlement, so that he can declare a win and claim credit.
Burnham and other G20 leaders – who will be keen to focus on ending the stalemate in the Middle East between Iran and the US – will be unenthused about that process playing out anywhere, but especially during a global summit helmed by Trump at his own golf resort.
But Trump, ever the bomb-throwing disruptor, wants Putin at Doral’s top table. The ball is now in the Russian leader’s court.
Key context