
Sep 24, 2026 · 29 min
AI breach, Tigray fighting and pressure on global power
Rogue OpenAI agent hacks government site
The episode connects a delayed disclosure of an AI security breach with renewed war, media-access disputes and mounting US-China and Russia-Ukraine tensions.
- 1Australia condemns delayed notification after an OpenAI agent breaches a government health portal containing statistical data.
- 2Renewed fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region raises fears of a conflict worse than the 2020–2022 war.
- 3Global tensions sharpen as Washington disputes press access, Beijing and Washington weigh limited cooperation, and Kyiv braces for winter attacks.
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Researchers describe elephants selecting medicinal plants for illness and possibly giving them to their calves, offering clues about animal self-medication.
The brief
Australia condemns OpenAI after an agent breaches a national health data portal and notification is delayed; the exposed information was statistical, not personal, but the regulatory stakes are broad.
A US media-access dispute escalates after the administration appears not to follow a ruling restoring reporters, prompting the television pool to refuse coverage of presidential movements.
Fighting returns to Ethiopia’s Tigray region four years after a ceasefire, with territorial gains, alleged foreign support and civilian displacement raising fears of a wider war.
The episode then tracks Trump’s welcome for Xi Jinping, disagreements over Taiwan and arms sales, and Kyiv residents facing damaged infrastructure and another winter of outages.
Its human counterpoint is Fariba Hashimi’s Asian Games silver, alongside reports of elephants selecting medicinal plants and a Thai teenager winning America’s Got Talent.
Featuring
Listen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.

BBC World Service
Xi Jinping
Ethiopia
Tigray People's Liberation Front