Prices in the US rose by 3.4% in the year to August, with the cost of living pushed up by higher gasoline prices, official figures show.&nbsp;The overall inflation rate was unchanged from July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).&nbsp;It comes ahead of the Federal Reserve making its latest interest rate decision next week, with growing expectations they will be increased in a bid to slow the rate at which prices are rising.&nbsp;US household budgets have come under mounting pressure, especially at the fuel pumps, with a gallon of diesel hitting a new all-time high of more than $6 on average on Friday.&nbsp;The spike in fuel prices has been driven by higher global oil prices, caused by supply disruptions as a result of the US-Iran war. The price of benchmark Brent crude oil is hovering above $100 a barrel following recent escalations in the conflict.&nbsp;As well as directly driving up costs at the pumps, higher oil prices can also make transporting goods more expensive. Such costs can be passed down to consumers through steeper prices for food and other staples, pushing up the overall cost of living.&nbsp;The BLS said gasoline prices rose 3.9% last month alone, accounting for more than a third of inflation overall. Wages are also failing to keep up with the rising cost of living, with separate figures showing real average hourly earnings fell by 0.3% over the past year.&nbsp;There are increasing expectations that interest rates will be hiked given the current inflation picture, strong jobs market and President Donald Trump saying he does not think oil prices will come down until the war with Iran ends, which he expects to happen after November's elections.&nbsp;Fed chair Kevin Warsh has been tight-lipped on any future decisions, but his comments that the central bank's focus should be on slowing price rises has further fuelled expectations of a rise.&nbsp;According to data from CME Group, 85% of traders are now betting on rates being raised by a quarter percentage point next week.&nbsp;Skyler Weinand, chief investment officer at Regan Capital based in Dallas, said while inflation was in line with expectations, it was "still too hot and the Federal Reserve's hands are tied".&nbsp;"A rate hike next week is all but assured. Consumer prices are going in the wrong direction and remain significantly higher than the Fed's 2% target."&nbsp;Interest rates have been left on hold for five meetings in a row, at between 3.5% and 3.75%. Higher rates are a tool used by central banks aiming to slow the pace price rises.&nbsp;By pushing up the cost of borrowing for things such as mortgages, loans and credit cards, it is hoped consumers will spend less and the rate of price increases will slow. Increased rates can encourage people to save money by increasing their potential returns.&nbsp;Source: BBC

US inflation holds steady as diesel prices pass $6 a gallon

Anthropic says it has identified and disrupted attempts to use its AI model for "malicious activity" which could support the development of biological weapons.&nbsp;The findings, made in the firm's recent threat intelligence report, is the latest in a growing series of warnings from AI researchers and industry insiders about the technology's potential risks to humanity.&nbsp;The warnings have prompted calls to action, with US Senator Bernie Sanders demanding a pause on advanced AI development and a ban on artificial superintelligence.&nbsp;President Donald Trump has so far rejected such fears, saying on Thursday he was concerned "if we don't win AI, we're going to be put in a very bad position".&nbsp;The company published its latest threat intelligence report on Thursday.&nbsp;Such reports have become a regular feature across the AI industry as firms seek to demonstrate how they identify and disrupt attempts to misuse their models.&nbsp;This includes Google, which wrote on Tuesday that a person had attempted to use its AI tool, Gemini, to obtain a "complete, step-by-step technical guide for synthesizing weaponised biological agents".&nbsp;Claude, Anthropic's AI model was also used by actors linked to a Russia-based cyber espionage campaign and by an Iranian propaganda institution, according to its report.&nbsp;The cases of concern detected over the past eight months ranged from fake dating apps and hotel Wifi scams, to surveillance built to identify dissidents.&nbsp;Anthropic has also accused Chinese AI firms of trying to replicate Claude's capabilities.&nbsp;The lengthy report lists cases in which suspected state-sponsored groups, criminals, spyware vendors, state propaganda institutions and politically motivated individuals misused its technology.&nbsp;"Malicious use" of its Claude Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus models was disrupted between December 2025 and August 2026, it said.&nbsp;None of the misuse cases involved Claude Fable or the powerful Mythos-class models, with the exception of one instance of distillation - the process for training smaller AI models using larger, more expensive models.&nbsp;As well as detecting the use of its models for cyber and influence operations, surveillance, scams and fraud and weapon development, Anthropic said it had blocked scientists who used its AI in ways that could support biological weapons development.&nbsp;The report highlighted "five case studies of actors using our models in ways that could support biological weapons development".&nbsp;Biological misuse, it said, is "one of the most serious risks of frontier AI model". Without the correct safeguards, such capabilities "could have catastrophic consequences", Anthropic said.&nbsp;"The same information that can be used to develop a biological weapon could also be used to develop, for example, a vaccine or a cure for a disease," Anthropic said.&nbsp;Jacob Klein, the head of threat intelligence at Anthropic, told the New York Times it was "an incredibly nuanced situation".&nbsp;"You are not seeing someone in a comic book kind of way say, 'Hey, I want to build a biological weapon to kill everybody,'" he said.&nbsp;The report also noted six cases where Claude was used "to develop software for conventional weapons, including firearms, missiles, armed drones, bombs, and other munitions, as well as the targeting and control systems that operate them".&nbsp;The report indicated that cybercriminals and state-backed hackers have increasingly used its technology to assist their operations.&nbsp;Hacking group ShinyHunters, as well as China-based labs, were among those named in the report.&nbsp;The report also said that a hacking group whose work is consistent with the Russia-based Midnight Blizzard allegedly used AI to build a system that automatically detected when its malware was flagged by security defences and rewrote code until it evaded detection.&nbsp;The California-based company said it had incorporated its findings into its processes "to better prevent, detect, and disrupt these activities in the future".&nbsp;Anthropic said it had shared intelligence with authorities and industry partners where appropriate.&nbsp;The report - the company's first this year - comes after a top safety researcher at Anthropic warned AI is advancing so quickly he believes there is a greater than 10% chance it "could kill all humans" within the next decade.&nbsp;In an article published on 6 September, OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki called for the industry to implement "voluntary slowdowns" until safeguards are set.&nbsp;"I am concerned no one is prepared for the consequences of a continued rapid rise in machine intelligence," Pachocki said, adding that OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, will continue its work on building safeguards, though broader interventions are required.&nbsp;The warning prompted an open letter to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling for a new multinational treaty for the safe development of AI and a call for governments to collaborate about what a treaty based on the development of superintelligence should look like.&nbsp;In the US, Democratic lawmaker Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation to ban AI superintelligence and temporarily pause advanced AI development.&nbsp;"When scientists tell you there is a chance, a chance that it could have a cataclysmic impact on humanity, you've got be a moron not to say, slow it down," he said on Thursday on BBC's Newsnight.&nbsp;Source: BBC

Anthropic blocks possible attempt to use AI to make biological weapons

Had the World Athletics Ultimate Championship existed in his prime, Usain Bolt says he would have been first in line to compete, drawn not only by the chance to race the world's best but also ​by the richest prize pot in the sport's history.&nbsp;"I was having a conversation with Asafa (former world record-holder ‌Powell). We were actually talking about that same thing," Bolt said on Thursday. "We're like, 'jeez, we missed out with this cash prize.'"&nbsp;Winners of individual events pocket $150,000, while the winning relay teams share $80,000, meaning a sprinter contesting the 100, 200 and mixed 4x100 metres relay could leave Budapest with ​a tidy sum.&nbsp;"I won a few championships, and it still doesn't add up to all the cash, so ​it's big," said Bolt, the 100m and 200m world record-holder. "It's good for the sport, it incentivises ⁠athletes to do their best. Sorry I missed out on it."&nbsp;Bolt's comments strike at the heart of World Athletics' latest ​experiment. Seeking to attract younger audiences and keep pace in an increasingly crowded sports market, the governing body has launched the ​event as a high-stakes showcase built around elite head-to-head competition, big prize money and a faster, more engaging presentation.&nbsp;"We're really spotlighting the stars and creating new formats," World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said.&nbsp;STREAMLINED SCHEDULE&nbsp;The governing body has introduced a streamlined schedule designed to eliminate downtime, along with ​innovations including a black infield with theatrical lighting.&nbsp;"We want this championship to be an incubator for change," Coe said. "It's an ​event that has been created with and by the fans, with and by the athletes."&nbsp;Organisers also rolled out a red-carpet event on Thursday ‌to ⁠put athletes front and centre, part of a broader effort to showcase personalities beyond performances and help fans connect with the sport's stars.&nbsp;Reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles wore a rhinestoned black velvet Yves Saint Laurent suit, while pole vault world record-holder Mondo Duplantis, who also wrote and performed the event's anthem entitled "Gold," went for a more understated blue suit and shades.&nbsp;"You ​don't want to miss it. ​Something big could always happen ⁠when I step out on the track or anybody," said Duplantis. "It's going to be athletics displayed in a way that's never been seen before."&nbsp;One question hanging over the competition has been ​whether athletes need another major meet in a year that would traditionally have been ​free of a ⁠world championships or Olympic Games.&nbsp;"If you follow my career, you know that's what I'm about -- competing against the best," Bolt said. "With the Ultimate Championship, you know that 16 people who show up are the best in the world, I would look at it as ⁠big ​as the Olympics and the World Championships for sure."&nbsp;For 2008 Olympic 100m hurdles ​champion Dawn Harper-Nelson, who is a celebrity broadcaster for the event, the stakes extend beyond prize money and presentation.&nbsp;"It's bringing the attention to the sport ​that we begged for," she said. "You asked for it, and now the time has come."&nbsp;Source: Reuters&nbsp;

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marvels at prize money on eve of inaugural Ultimate Championship

Tangalle High Court today (11) granted bail to former police officer and former SLPP local council election candidate Sampath Manamperi, who had been remanded over allegations of possessing a live hand grenade. He was released on a cash bail of Rs. 10,000 and two sureties of Rs. 250,000 each. Manamperi was arrested over the possession of weapons and chemicals suspected to be used in the manufacture of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice”. Police later recovered a live grenade from a house in the Middeniya area following questioning under a detention order.

Sampath Manamperi granted bail in live grenade case

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to provide support for Sri Lanka Customs’ paperless Customs Declaration Processing System, scheduled to begin on 1 October 2026. Sri Lanka Customs officials briefed IMF representatives today (11) on the system, public awareness programmes and technical readiness. The IMF representatives commended the preparations and agreed to provide the necessary support for the system’s implementation.

IMF agrees to support paperless Customs system

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment has begun a programme to digitally transform its consular services. A Digital Transformation Committee held its first meeting today (11), focusing on digitising the Consular Affairs Division and consular sections at Sri Lankan diplomatic missions overseas. The programme will also focus on integrating government institutions with the consular system.

Foreign Ministry begins digital transformation of consular services

The Sri Lanka Navy rescued a 17-year-old who was found stranded on a sandbank off Talaimannar today (11). The teenager had reportedly travelled from South India by boat and was spotted during a naval patrol by SLNS Thammanna. He was provided with food, drinking water and temporary shelter before being handed over to Talaimannar Police.

Navy rescues teenager stranded off Talaimannar

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the Indian capital on Friday ahead of an 11-member BRICS summit set to be dominated by wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as economic challenges.&nbsp;Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were due to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Chinese President Xi Jinping was also expected to meet him on the sidelines of the two-day meeting, according to Indian diplomatic sources.&nbsp;Putin arrived at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi, where he was greeted by India's Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, according to footage broadcast by Russia's Ria Novosti news agency.&nbsp;For China's Xi, it will be his first visit to India since 2019 and marks the biggest step yet in a cautious thaw between the rival neighbours, six years after a deadly military clash along their disputed Himalayan border.&nbsp;Ties between the nuclear-armed Asian giants have been warming again recently, with flights, visas and high-level contacts gradually being restored.&nbsp;However, deep mistrust remains, with their contested frontier, a widening trade deficit and strategic rivalry still complicating ties.&nbsp;'Fault line'Posters of a beaming Modi line streets across New Delhi to welcome leaders, with heavy deployments of security forces across the capital and widespread traffic restrictions in central districts. Delhi police have urged people to be patient and cooperative.&nbsp;BRICS was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions dominated by Western powers.&nbsp;It has since expanded and now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- three countries with sharply differing positions on the war launched by the United States and Israel in February.&nbsp;"The Gulf conflict is going to be the central fault line this time during the BRICS summit," said Harsh V. Pant of India's Observer Research Foundation.&nbsp;"What was seen until last year as an achievement -- the expansion of BRICS -- today looks like a big constraint on BRICS," Pant said.&nbsp;It will be Pezeshkian's first visit to India as Iranian president, and will put the Middle East conflict firmly on the agenda.&nbsp;"The war in Iran will provide a stern test of the (expanded) group's cohesion," said Shilan Shah of Capital Economics, noting the failure of the BRICS foreign ministers to agree on a joint statement when they met in New Delhi in May.&nbsp;India maintains cordial relations with Iran and Israel, but is also careful to strike a delicate balance in its ties with Washington.&nbsp;India has navigated the energy crisis caused by the Iran war in part by turning to Russia, one of its most important strategic partners and its most controversial fuel supplier in recent years as the war against Ukraine drags on.&nbsp;Putin last visited India in December 2025, but he also met Modi in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, this month.&nbsp;Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Kyiv this month, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "grateful to India for its commitment to ending this unjust war".&nbsp;Source: FRANCE 24 with AFP

Putin and Xi in India for BRICS summit as Ukraine, Middle East wars loom

The Israeli military destroyed Hezbollah underground infrastructure at the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz ​said on Thursday, adding that the operation completed the consolidation of ‌a security zone in the area.&nbsp;Israeli forces would remain in the area to prevent the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militant group from re-establishing its presence and rebuilding its capabilities, the two officials said in ​a joint statement.&nbsp;The Ali al-Taher ridge, about 15 km (10 miles) from the Israeli ​border, has become one of the most contested areas of the war ⁠between Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah is believed to have built an underground command ​centre and weapons stores there, according to Lebanese security sources who spoke to Reuters ​in July.&nbsp;Lebanon's state news agency NNA said the Israeli military carried out a powerful blast at the ridge, with tremors and the sound of the explosion felt across Nabatieh and surrounding areas.&nbsp;The ​Israeli military said its forces had established "operational control" over the ridge, both above and ​below ground, before dismantling the infrastructure. The network extended for more than 2 km (1.24 miles) and ‌contained ⁠dozens of rockets, missiles and drones, as well as anti-tank missiles, mines and explosive devices, it said.&nbsp;The military said a central command complex belonging to Hezbollah's Badr unit was located within the underground infrastructure. The complex contained command centres, weapons storage rooms ​and living quarters that ​allowed fighters to ⁠remain underground for extended periods, it said.&nbsp;Israel has pushed into southern Lebanon and seized several strategic positions since the conflict erupted ​on March 2.&nbsp;The ridge has been one of Israel's main ​operational focuses ⁠and lies within an expanded, self-declared Israeli buffer zone in southern Lebanon.&nbsp;A U.S.-brokered framework agreed after a June ceasefire called for Israeli forces to gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon ⁠while Lebanese ​troops disarm Hezbollah. The process has stalled, however, ​with Hezbollah refusing to give up its weapons and Israel saying it will not withdraw until the group ​disarms.&nbsp;Source: Reuters

US inflation holds steady as diesel prices pass $6 a gallon

Anthropic blocks possible attempt to use AI to make biological weapons

Anthropic blocks possible atte ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marvels at prize money on eve of inaugural U ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marv ...

Sampath Manamperi granted bail in live grenade case

Sampath Manamperi granted bail ...

IMF agrees to support paperless Customs system

IMF agrees to support paperles ...

Foreign Ministry begins digital transformation of consular services

Foreign Ministry begins digita ...

Navy rescues teenager stranded off Talaimannar

Navy rescues teenager stranded ...

Putin and Xi in India for BRICS summit as Ukraine, Middle East wars lo ...

Putin and Xi in India for BRIC ...

Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah underground complex at Lebanon's Al ...

Israel says it destroyed Hezbo ...

Anthropic blocks possible attempt to use AI to make biological weapons

Anthropic blocks possible atte ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marvels at prize money on eve of inaugural U ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marv ...

Sampath Manamperi granted bail in live grenade case

Sampath Manamperi granted bail ...

IMF agrees to support paperless Customs system

IMF agrees to support paperles ...

Foreign Ministry begins digital transformation of consular services

Foreign Ministry begins digita ...

Navy rescues teenager stranded off Talaimannar

Navy rescues teenager stranded ...

Putin and Xi in India for BRICS summit as Ukraine, Middle East wars lo ...

Putin and Xi in India for BRIC ...

Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah underground complex at Lebanon's Al ...

Israel says it destroyed Hezbo ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Anthropic blocks possible attempt to use AI to make biological weapons

Anthropic blocks possible atte ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marvels at prize money on eve of inaugural U ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marv ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Sampath Manamperi granted bail in live grenade case

Sampath Manamperi granted bail ...

IMF agrees to support paperless Customs system

IMF agrees to support paperles ...

Foreign Ministry begins digital transformation of consular services

Foreign Ministry begins digita ...

Navy rescues teenager stranded off Talaimannar

Navy rescues teenager stranded ...