BAC

Sudan has two rival power structures and no recognised government. The army-backed administration controls much of the formal state apparatus, while the Rapid Support Forces exercises authority across territory it holds. Washington's position is that neither side represents legitimate constitutional governance, leaving Sudan with authorities but no internationally recognised government.

Mac users are discussing how turning off Apple Intelligence in macOS can reclaim a notable amount of local disk space, reportedly used for on-device AI models and caches. A tool circulating online automates removing the associated files after the feature is disabled, and commenters are debating whether Apple makes it too hard to fully opt out of the AI features and free the storage they occupy.

President Trump has reversed his long-standing opposition to mail voting, urging Republicans to cast ballots by mail as polling suggests Democrats' chances of winning control of Congress are improving. The shift reflects growing concern within his party that its past attacks on mail ballots could depress Republican turnout in the upcoming midterm elections while Democratic enthusiasm rises.

Orange Business has been selected to provide the European Union's backbone network for trusted data exchange. The contract positions the French telecom firm's enterprise arm at the core of the EU's digital infrastructure, supporting secure cross-border data sharing between member states. The move is being noted as a significant win for European digital sovereignty efforts.

A Republican senator's attempt to set a perjury trap for special counsel Jack Smith has backfired, according to CNN coverage drawing heavy attention. The confrontation, aimed at ensnaring the prosecutor overseeing cases involving Donald Trump, instead appears to have misfired politically. Commentators are weighing in on why the strategy failed and what it means for Republican efforts targeting Smith.

Early odds for the 2026 Super Bowl have been updated, with the Los Angeles Rams installed as favorites following the Philadelphia Eagles' comeback, while the Buffalo Bills slid down the betting board. The shake-up is drawing attention from NFL fans and bettors assessing how the new season's early results might shape February's championship race.

China has halted diesel exports and India is holding refined product back from the market, while the United States continues draining the last of its Strategic Petroleum Reserve and presses allies to open their own reserves. The moves come despite the Strait of Hormuz remaining open and Saudi Arabia pumping at high levels, prompting skepticism among commentators about official explanations for the fuel squeeze and growing concern over global diesel supply.

The US government's new AI chatbot has pulled back from debunking false claims made by Donald Trump, raising concerns about political influence over official AI tools. Observers are questioning whether the change reflects editorial pressure and what it means for the neutrality of government-run information systems heading into a politically sensitive period.

Former Labour MP Emma Dent Coad has entered the Holborn and St Pancras by-election campaign by endorsing Green Party figure Zack Polanski, breaking ranks with her old party. Her intervention adds a high-profile left-wing voice to a contest in a seat long held by Labour and could signal further defections of sympathy towards the Greens among disaffected Labour voters.

A column argues that retaking control of Congress should be an easy win for the party out of power. It reflects ongoing debate in the United States over whether opposition parties are well positioned to win congressional majorities in upcoming elections, and why that advantage often fails to materialize.

Yemen's internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government has announced a military operation aimed at recapturing all territory held by the Houthi movement. The declaration marks an escalation in the country's long-running conflict and raises questions about the future of the truce and prospects for a negotiated settlement.

US Senator Bernie Sanders has endorsed Pope Leo's appeal to protect human-made art from the spread of artificial intelligence. The Pope has argued that creativity rooted in human experience must be defended as AI-generated images, music and writing flood cultural spaces. Sanders' support gives the Vatican's message an unexpected political echo in the United States, and the alignment of a progressive lawmaker with the pontiff on technology's reach into culture is drawing attention.

Actress Gillian Anderson has responded after facing backlash for telling theatregoers that fans sitting in the front row were 'distracting' and should stop doing so. Her comments, made around her West End stage work, prompted criticism from fans and theatre audiences. Anderson has now addressed the reaction, and the exchange is being widely discussed among celebrity and theatre followers.

Carlos Alcaraz returned to action at the Japan Open in Tokyo, winning on day two of the tournament. The day also marked the start of what Kei Nishikori has indicated will be the final event of his career, giving the home crowd a last chance to see the Japanese former world number three compete. Highlights from the day's matches are drawing strong attention from tennis fans worldwide.

A woman says her mother repeatedly tried to help her get to sleep while they were on vacation together, despite the help not being wanted. After the mother kept insisting, the woman sternly told her to stop, but now feels guilty about the way she spoke to her. The story has drawn attention as a relatable conflict between parental care and adult independence, with people debating whether she was right to set the boundary.

Pizza Bot has been introduced as an open-source tool that provides an inbox for background AI agents, allowing developers to manage messages and tasks handled by autonomous software. The project is being covered by technology outlets, and interest centres on how such infrastructure could help teams coordinate agent workflows and monitor their output in production environments.

Danielle Callegari, a professor at Dartmouth College, is discussing how food and agricultural imports shaped Italian identity, from the arrival of the tomato in Europe to the rise of the tobacco industry. The piece connects the history of everyday staples to the making of modern Italian culture and national self-image.

US Senator Bernie Sanders has publicly endorsed Pope Leo's warning about artificial intelligence's threat to human creativity, saying 'We cannot let Big Tech oligarchs destroy it.' The unusual alignment between the democratic socialist senator and the pontiff highlights growing political and religious concern over AI-generated content replacing human artists.

Malaysian badminton star Lee Zii Jia, a former world No. 2 and Olympic medal hopeful, is back in competition this week. Attention is focused on how the shuttler will rebuild his form and ranking, with fans and pundits asking what direction his career takes from here after a period away from top-level play.

Max Verstappen has won the first race of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with the Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia delivering a chaotic, rain-affected contest. Lewis Hamilton staged a strong recovery drive to surge back through the field. The unpredictable wet conditions and Hamilton's comeback are the main talking points as fans react to the season-opening drama.

Vertex Japan, a venture arm backed by Singapore state investor Temasek, has invested in Heartbeats, a startup that makes digital trading cards. The deal, reported exclusively by the Wall Street Journal, signals continued investor appetite for digital collectibles, with Vertex betting the format can appeal to fans of trading cards who want ownership that is easier to buy, sell and store online.