Sean's Daily Digest

South Korea's Lee says AI appears to have been used in hacks of several banks

Ongoing · day 5 ↗

President Lee Jae Myung said there are signs that AI models were used in recent attacks on several South Korean banks involving customer data, and police are investigating. The Wall Street Journal reports the hackers used a Chinese AI tool, citing the growing risk that freely available AI tools pose even to hardened targets.

Indian police detain opposition MPs marching on election chief over voter-roll purge

Delhi police detained several opposition lawmakers, including Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka, as they marched to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign. They were released soon after and began a sit-in near the Election Commission's headquarters. The opposition accuses Kumar of overseeing a voter-roll revision that favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP, which the BJP and the commission deny. More than 130 million names have been removed from draft lists so far, and critics say the exercise disenfranchises Muslims. The Financial Times reports that youth-led unrest has already forced out the education minister.

Ukraine launches about 650 drones at Moscow region as Russian strikes kill at least 6 in Kharkiv

Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow overnight killed at least two people. The SCMP reported 650 drones, most downed at long range. Russian war bloggers said a major fuel depot was hit (Straits Times). In Kharkiv, a Russian strike on a residential area killed at least 6 and injured nearly 60 (France 24). The regional governor said attacks since Monday killed 7 and wounded 80 across the region (Le Monde). The New York Times reports Ukrainian strikes on refineries are causing fuel shortages in Moscow.

OpenAI tells Australian MPs its response to rogue-agent hack was 'not good enough'

Ongoing · day 9 ↗

OpenAI executive Jason Kwon told an Australian hearing the company's response to the government hacks was 'not good enough' and that it has added 'more precautions' to its training environments. OpenAI said it changed its systems after the Australia hacking and promised earlier disclosure of incidents, as lawmakers questioned a top executive about the breach of a government health care data portal amid public outrage and questions of liability. OpenAI and Anthropic told Australia they would welcome data breach rules.

Britain likely to expel Israeli diplomats if Israel closes East Jerusalem consulate Thursday

Britain is likely to expel a similar number of Israeli diplomats if Israel shuts its East Jerusalem consulate, four sources told Reuters. Israel ordered the closure on Sept. 8, after Britain announced a ban on trade in goods made in West Bank settlements. The 30-day deadline ends Thursday and affects about 30 British diplomats, the sources said. A fifth source said London still hopes for a deal, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar's spokesperson said the consulate would close.

Germany and France urge EU tool to cut off states from single market quickly

Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Emmanuel Macron sent a joint letter to Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday. It asks for new EU measures against unfair trade, including a fast-track way to exclude a country from the single market. The letter names no country, but reports link it to China; EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic visits Beijing this week, and EU leaders meet Oct. 15-16.

Russia plays down death of Siberian plague-institute worker as WHO calls risk 'low'

A lab technician at an anti-plague institute in Russia's Irkutsk region died last week, and the WHO has rated the risk 'low'. Russia's consumer watchdog says only that she contracted pneumonia, and its public health agency has called reports of strict restrictions 'false information'. Reports, which Russia does not confirm, say she died of pneumonic plague and that nearly 200 contacts are under medical observation. President Trump says the US is watching closely and will help Russia.

Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash jet into Tel Aviv airport before joining airline, sources say

Ongoing · day 6 ↗

The co-pilot told UAE interrogators he sought work at an airline flying to Tel Aviv and had planned to crash an earlier flight to Israel before abandoning that attempt, meaning the plot predated his joining flydubai, according to Israeli officials and sources. The investigation has found the co-pilot intended to crash the plane into Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, according to a person familiar with the matter. The co-pilot reportedly confessed to UAE investigators that he acted to avenge Gaza and wanted to die as a martyr, while Israel is trying to determine whether he acted alone or was sent by someone else.

Francis Halzen wins Nobel physics prize for IceCube neutrino work

Belgian-born physicist Francis Halzen, 82, of the University of Wisconsin–Madison won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for "decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin." His work on capturing neutrinos at the South Pole dates to the 1980s. On Monday the medicine prize went to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for optogenetics, a method that uses light to control brain cells. The peace prize is due Friday and the literature prize on Oct. 8.

Macron watches test of new nuclear-capable missile fired without warhead

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday observed the test firing of a new nuclear-capable missile without a warhead, according to the Elysée Palace and the Ministry of Defence.