Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

The Senate hearing involving FBI director Kash Patel took an unexpected turn as he was pressed to defend the bureau’s decision to loosen its hiring requirements. The exchange left Republican and Democratic lawmakers in disbelief, with Patel facing questions over the changes to the agency’s recruitment standards. The hearing centred on the FBI’s revised approach to hiring, though no further details of the requirements were given.

The World Bank has named Nobel laureate Michael Kremer as its next chief economist. The appointment will see Mr Kremer take on the senior economics role at the international financial institution.

Cooler weather is settling across Chicago and the wider Chicagoland area after showers and thunderstorms moved through parts of central Illinois, with rain expected to affect southern counties on Wednesday morning. Temperatures will fall into the low 20s Celsius, with the coolest conditions in northern parts of the region. The National Weather Service forecast a mostly cloudy day in Chicago, with a high of about 22C and a chance of further showers. Rain is expected to remain limited across northern counties on Wednesday and Thursday, although another spell of showers is likely to develop on Thursday morning, particularly towards the…

A selection of cartoons offers the day’s news as interpreted by artists, illustrators and cartoonists. The collection presents their visual takes on the events and issues making the headlines.

Charlie Kirk’s family has filed a wrongful death notice accusing Utah Valley University and state officials of failing to prevent his assassination at a campus event, paving the way for a possible lawsuit. Lawyers for the family claim a series of “reckless decisions” left the conservative activist exposed to a rooftop gunman at the university in Orem, Utah. Kirk was shot dead on September 10, 2025, while debating students in an outdoor courtyard attended by about 3,000 people. The notice names Utah Valley University, its former president Astrid Tuminez, the university’s police department and then-chief Jeffrey Long, as well as…

The search for missing three-year-old Noah Woods has entered its second day, with police cordoning off a pond and surrounding woodland in Brantham, Suffolk, as hundreds of volunteers join the effort to find him. Noah, who is non-verbal and partially deaf and is being assessed for autism, disappeared at about 3pm on Tuesday after visiting a playground in Merriam Close, near his home. He is believed to have become separated from a relative before running down an alleyway towards a new-build housing estate. The route leads towards Decoy Pond and a railway line. Police sealed off Decoy Pond and a…

GEA Group is turning sustainability into a central business strategy, combining investment in low-emission food technology with a drive to cut the energy and resource use of its industrial machinery. The German engineering company has taken a roughly 5.5% stake in Finnish start-up Solar Foods after investing €8 million earlier this year. The deal makes GEA a strategic partner to the company, which is developing a protein powder made from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Known as Solein, the mustard-yellow powder is being developed for use in protein shakes and bars, pasta and meat alternatives. Solar Foods says the product could…

Three people were taken to hospital after two motorcycles collided on Interstate 85 northbound near Shallowford Road in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Wednesday, September 16. DeKalb County Fire Rescue said two of those involved had been travelling on one motorcycle, while the third person was riding the other bike. Two of the injured people were taken to hospitals in Gwinnett County. The third was transported to Grady Hospital with serious injuries. One of the motorcycles caught fire in the collision, while the second sustained visible damage, according to emergency crews. The circumstances of the crash have not been disclosed. Officials…

A Victorian pub has apologised and cancelled a speaking event that was due to be headlined by disgraced former AFL player Ben Cousins. The event had been scheduled to feature Cousins as its main speaker. No further details were provided about the decision.

India has summoned Pakistan’s senior diplomat in New Delhi after accusing a Pakistani naval vessel of colliding with an Indian warship in international waters in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the incident occurred on Tuesday and described the conduct of the Pakistan Navy as “unacceptable and unprofessional”. India lodged its protest with Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. It said the collision breached a 1991 bilateral agreement requiring naval ships and submarines from both countries to remain at least three nautical miles apart in international waters. The diplomat was asked…