Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Mitch McConnell has not been seen in public for more than 80 days, prompting a senior Kentucky Republican to say he “expects” the veteran senator to return to Washington when the Senate reconvenes later this month. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said he had not spoken to Mr McConnell personally but had been in contact with members of his staff. “I have not talked to Leader McConnell,” Mr Comer told reporters on Capitol Hill. “I’ve talked to staff, many of whom are from my district originally, and they have all said it’s their goal for Senator McConnell…

Federal prosecutors have charged US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro with allegedly lying to investigators about the shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis. A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment on Wednesday, although the case remains under seal and the precise charges have not been made public. Castro is accused of making false statements to federal investigators about the incident in January. The development comes days after Castro was released from a Texas jail following a dispute over his extradition to Minnesota, where he faces separate state charges connected to the same shooting. Authorities…

OpenAI has unveiled Astra, a new artificial intelligence model it describes as its most capable yet, while acknowledging that increasingly autonomous systems are becoming harder to monitor and control. The San Francisco-based company said Astra was faster and able to handle a wider range of tasks than previous models, including tax preparation, game development, architectural rendering, legal memo formatting and apartment searches. OpenAI claimed the model could reduce the time needed for some computer-based work sharply. Researching a cat sitter, for example, took Astra five minutes and 27 seconds in its testing, compared with 30 minutes for a human, while…

Phoebe Waller-Bridge commanded attention at the Venice Film Festival premiere of Martin McDonagh’s new film Wild Horse Nine, making a rare red-carpet appearance alongside the acclaimed director. The 41-year-old actress and writer arrived in a custom Celine ensemble, pairing wide-legged trousers with a dramatic white cape. McDonagh, 56, kept his look understated in a black suit by the same fashion house. Waller-Bridge also appeared to display a large diamond ring on her left hand as the couple posed for photographers, although neither has publicly confirmed any change in their relationship status. The pair have been together since 2017 and prompted…

OpenAI has launched GPT-6 Astra, a new flagship model it describes as a major advance in software engineering, cybersecurity, scientific research and computer use, while claiming it may mark the beginning of the artificial general intelligence era. Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president, told reporters that he believed “it’s not unreasonable to feel that we are now in the AGI era”. He said that, looking back in several years, people might identify the release of Astra as the point at which AGI was created. The model is initially being made available to enterprise cybersecurity customers using OpenAI’s Daybreak platform. The company said…

A 19-year-old man from Fox River Grove, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol after a high-speed crash killed two teenage siblings in McHenry. Jason Land entered his guilty pleas on Wednesday, more than a year after the collision at the intersection of Richmond Road and McCullom Lake Road on 28 July 2025. Prosecutors said Land was driving a 2012 Audi A4 south along Richmond Road at close to 100mph at about 12.20am when it struck a Nissan Sentra carrying 18-year-old Perla Tejeda and her 14-year-old brother. The Nissan was travelling through…

Gloria Steinem, the American journalist and feminist activist who became one of the defining figures of the women’s liberation movement, has died aged 92. Steinem died on Wednesday, September 2, at her home in New York City, surrounded by people close to her, according to a statement shared by her foundation. No cause of death has been disclosed. ([vogue.com](https://www.vogue.com/article/gloria-steinem-obituary?utm_source=openai)) “Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the statement said. Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1934, Steinem rose to prominence as a writer before becoming a leading organiser and campaigner on…

FIFA has accused UEFA of launching a smear campaign against its president Gianni Infantino, with the claim forming the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute between the two governing bodies. In a formal statement, FIFA said it believed a campaign to undermine Infantino’s reputation had been orchestrated by UEFA, the European confederation led by Aleksander Čeferin. The organisation did not provide further detail beyond describing the allegations as a tactic aimed at destabilising leadership at FIFA. UEFA swiftly rejected the accusations, insisting it does not engage in smear campaigns and urging a return to constructive dialogue between the two bodies.…

Rising veterinary care costs are prompting many US pet owners to delay or reject treatment, but animal health professionals warn that postponing an appointment can turn a manageable problem into a far more serious and expensive emergency. A PetSmart Charities-Gallup survey found that 52% of dog and cat owners had skipped or declined necessary veterinary care. Among those who had refused treatment, 71% said they either could not afford it or did not believe the recommended care justified the cost. The research, based on responses from 2,498 US pet owners collected between November 2024 and January 2025, found that the…

GPs could be trained to help terminally ill patients end their own lives under plans drawn up for England and Wales, a Department of Health and Social Care impact assessment has revealed. The proposed training would include a 90-minute online course followed by a 60-minute interactive session for healthcare workers needing general awareness of a voluntary assisted dying service. However, the document also sets out a more intensive pathway for doctors who become involved in delivering the service. That could include a full day of face-to-face training, while those taking on the role of co-ordinating doctor would require an advanced…