Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

The European Union has awarded its top human rights prize to the International Criminal Court, placing its support for the tribunal in sharp contrast with a fresh US sanctions threat. The award comes two weeks after US President Donald Trump vowed to dismantle the court through new sanctions. The decision makes the ICC the recipient of the EU’s highest human rights honour at a time of mounting pressure from Washington.

Schools in several US states are banning caffeine pouches after concerns about their health effects and the difficulty of distinguishing them from nicotine products. Districts in New York, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Missouri have restricted the pouches on school grounds or included them in student conduct policies. The small sachets are placed between the lip and gum, where they release caffeine through the tissues in the mouth. They are marketed as a discreet way to increase energy and concentration, with some containing up to 200 milligrams of caffeine — roughly the amount in two cups of coffee. Unlike caffeinated drinks, the…

Donald Trump has criticised LeBron James after the basketball star appeared to practise his golf swing during the national anthem at an NBA match. Trump addressed the incident in a Truth Social post on Thursday, describing the Philadelphia 76ers player as a “TOTAL DISGRACE” and accusing him of disrespecting the United States. “While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country! I said right from the beginning that he’s a no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE,” Trump wrote. The comments followed footage from Tuesday night’s NBA opener between the 76ers and the New York Knicks. As the teams lined…

Emergency 911 calls to Oakland police have been unavailable since Wednesday night, with callers being redirected to the Alameda County Sheriff’s dispatch centre and Oakland’s fire dispatch centre. Oakland police reported the disruption on Thursday, October 22, as emergency services continued to handle calls through the alternative dispatch arrangements. The outage affects calls intended for the Oakland Police Department. Calls are instead being passed to dispatchers operated by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office or to Oakland’s fire service communications centre. No cause for the interruption was immediately given, and it was not clear when Oakland police dispatch services would be…

Donald Trump has been ordered to give a deposition by December 11 in his 10 billion US dollar defamation lawsuit against the BBC, after the broadcaster’s lawyers complained that the US president had delayed his appearance. Federal magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued the order on Thursday, warning that Trump could face sanctions, including the dismissal of his lawsuit, if he does not comply. The deadline may be altered only if the discovery period is extended beyond December 18. Charles Tobin, representing the BBC, told the court that “we still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff”, despite an agreed date…

Cybersecurity researchers in California have used an advanced artificial intelligence model to identify the PHP2Shell vulnerability, a longstanding flaw that could expose up to 70% of the world’s websites and web applications. The weakness affects PHP, a programming language used across the internet, including by government agencies and social media platforms. Researchers said the flaw had existed for at least a decade before they found a way to turn it into a potentially serious security threat. PHP is so widely embedded in online services that organisations may be using it without knowing it, according to Robert McMillan, a Wall Street…

Broadcasters and former colleagues gathered at St Bride’s Church in the City of London on Thursday for a memorial service honouring veteran journalist Dermot Murnaghan. Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid, Sky News political editor Beth Rigby and presenter Mark Austin were among those attending the service for Murnaghan, who died aged 68 on July 11 after a period of illness with prostate cancer. Other familiar faces from Sky News included Matt Barbet and Anna Jones, while Sky Sports presenter Jacquie Beltrao and former Sky News broadcaster Adam Boulton also paid their respects. Former 5 News presenter Sian Williams was…

Legora, the legal technology company co-founded by Max Junestrand, has raised $550 million in a Series E funding round at an $8.8 billion valuation, as it seeks to expand the use of AI across law firms. The round was led by Atreides Management. Junestrand said the company now has more than 2,400 customers and annual recurring revenue of more than $200 million, three years after it was founded. Legora develops software that helps lawyers work with documents and manage legal tasks. Rather than training its own general-purpose legal model, the company uses leading external models and directs different tasks to…

Federal prosecutors have rejected Pooh Shiesty’s complaints about his jail conditions, arguing that the rapper has access to entertainment, electronic communication and video visits while held alone for up to 23 hours a day. In a court filing, prosecutors said Shiesty had sent or received 12,342 emails and taken part in 231 video visits, totalling about 45 hours, since 1 July. They also said he had unlimited access to a tablet providing games, music, Netflix and the NFL Channel. His activity log was described as about 500 pages long, with roughly 30 entries on each page. Shiesty is asking a…

Americans travelling to mainland China have been warned they could face wrongful detention, intrusive surveillance and exit bans lasting for years under an updated US State Department travel advisory. The advisory, issued on October 19, kept China at Level 2, meaning travellers should “exercise increased caution”, but added a specific warning indicator for wrongful detention. It said local laws could be enforced arbitrarily and that restrictions on leaving the country might be imposed without a fair or transparent legal process. ([travel.state.gov](https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/china.html?c15=99&duration=2023-2023&utm_source=openai)) The department said routine professional, academic or personal activities that would not normally be treated as offences in Western…