Tina Brown: When Trump Visits King Charles III
© Benjamin Cremel/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
© Benjamin Cremel/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Josh Wintersgill has been running a successful business selling products to help wheelchair users travel for six years, but its future hangs in the balance.
He's been using the government's Access to Work scheme to help with some of the additional costs of running his company and is afraid that he may lose it after his one-on-one support was slashed by 80%.
The Business Disability Forum (BDF) says businesses and their disabled employees are being "set up to fail," despite the government's ambitions to get 80% of disabled people into the workforce.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said it was reviewing all aspects of the scheme.
Josh needs physical support with most things throughout the day because of his disability. This includes travelling, overnight stays and packing and shipping customer orders. Without this support he says he would not be able to run his company.
The Access to Work grant was providing him with a support worker five days a week, but on reassessment, it was reduced to one day.
He said: "They're basically with me all the time. They help me in every facet of helping me do my job and without them, I can't do any of that."
Josh has appealed the decision and has not had any support since the start of July, when his grant ran out, despite no change in his personal circumstances.
Under the Access to Work scheme, companies and employees can apply for grants to help support disabled people in the workplace.
The programme can pay employees and businesses for the extra costs associated with being a disabled worker - things that go beyond what is legally required by employers to provide. It covers a range of things like paying for taxis, assistive technology and British Sign Language interpreters.
Disabled people have told the BBC their awards have been significantly reduced, completely taken away and in some cases left them forced to shut their businesses and turn down job offers.
Josh is currently managing by using his own money to keep the business afloat, but says things are "very tight" and he'll only be able to do this for the next few months.
"I'm not getting everything done that I used to get done," he says. "There's so much to do that it's just so hard to stay on top of it... it's just really frustrating."
Josh says Access to Work helped him get into work and set up his own business, but is fearful of what will happen if that is taken away.
"It's scary to think that I'm a disabled entrepreneur, helping disabled people and potentially being deprived of doing that."
"We have a system that's making it very difficult for you to remain in work," he adds.
Campaign group Access to Work Collective was set up in response to problems people were facing when applying or reapplying for grants. Its founder, Dr Shani Dhanda said since July they've amassed almost 4,000 members.
The group recently sent an open letter to the prime minister asking him to take "urgent" action to fix the "broken" scheme.
The lunchtime rush at the Sea Change in cafe in Sunderland is under way. The social enterprise employs 25 neurodiverse adults and uses Access to Work to support most of them.
Lexie O'Connor has been at the cafe since it opened in 2019. In between customers she explains how working at the cafe has given her confidence and a sense of pride and now trains others on how to work with neurodiverse and disabled staff.
Lexie's reapplication took 10 months to come through and when it did the hours for her one-to-one support worker had been greatly reduced, leaving the business to make up the shortfall.
"A lot of employers in that time physically would not be able to manage keeping people like myself employed," she said.
Lexie says she sees a lot of her colleagues worry about their job prospects because of the problems with Access to Work. The cafe has said it already had to let two members of staff go because support was cut.
"We're worrying so much about it, it's affecting the quality of work that we worked so hard to get to in the first place.
"I feel like places like Sea Change are trying their best, they are fighting for people like me."
Ministers have widely acknowledged Access to Work as a key driver in getting disabled people in work, but in an interview with the BBC, minister for social security and disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said the problem was the "huge numbers of people wanting it", adding they had been struggling "to keep up with the demand".
Spending on the programme increased by 41% in 2023-24 to £257.8m.
In February 2025 about 62,000 applications were waiting to be processed, with 33,000 people awaiting payment, according to the DWP.
A government consultation on Access to Work closed at the end of June with ministers currently reviewing what a new scheme could look like.
Angela Matthews, director of public policy and research at BDF called on the government to make access to work "more efficient and more resourced".
She told the BBC: "Disabled people are set up to fail and so are employers, because disabled people won't get what they need to be able to work and employers won't have the means or the support to provide an inclusive workplace for disabled people."
Member of BDF, Allianz UK, said despite the size of the insurance business, it had not been immune to the struggles with Access to Work.
Diana Salmon, head of occupational health and safety at the firm, says the biggest issue has been the long waits for awards to be processed. In some cases people are waiting longer than 10 months to start work.
Diana says: "It [the delays] could put people off applying to us... so we do our best but we can't afford really to pick up the high support costs."
She referenced a recent example of a new recruit who left the company shortly after starting the role because it took nearly a year to get specialist equipment in place so they could fully carry out the job.
"We want to provide an inclusive environment, but without timely Access to Work funding for colleagues with complex disabilities, they are potentially being excluded," Diana said.
Diana has herself used Access to Work in a previous job. The money paid for travel costs to visit her team in different locations, which she otherwise wouldn't have been able to do, but said she sees the value in the programme.
"It would be much more difficult for us to attract, recruit and to retain employees with disabilities [without the scheme]," she said.
In a statement the DWP said: "We inherited an Access to Work scheme that is failing both employees and employers, which is why - as part of our welfare reform - we consulted on how it could be improved.
"We are reviewing all aspects of the scheme and will develop future policy with disabled people and the organisations that represent them."
It added there had been "no change in Access to Work policy".
Celebrated children's writer Robert Munsch has been approved for medically assisted dying in Canada.
Munsch, whose 85 published books include The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and also has Parkinson's disease.
The author told the New York Times Magazine that he had not decided a date for his death, but said he would go "when I start having real trouble talking and communicating. Then I'll know."
Canada first legalised euthanasia in 2016 for people with terminal illnesses. In 2021, the law was changed to include those with serious and chronic physical conditions, even in non-life threatening circumstances.
Munsch has sold more than 80 million copies of his books in North America alone and they have been translated into at least 20 language - including Arabic, Spanish and Anishinaabemowin, an indigenous North American language.
In 1999, Munsch was made a member of the Order of Canada. A decade later, he received a star of Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.
In the interview with the New York Times Magazine, Munsch said his decision was influenced by watching his brother die from Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND).
Munsch said: "They kept him alive through all these interventions. I thought, let him die."
In Canada, people over 18 must meet several requirements to be eligible for assisted dying.
They include having a "serious and incurable illness", making a "voluntary request that is not the result of external pressure" and be in an "advanced state of irreversible decline in capability".
Two independent doctors or nurse practitioners must then assess the patient to confirm that all of the eligibility requirements are met.
Scholastic, Munsch's publisher, said in a statement on Instagram that his decision to speak publicly about medically assisted dying "reminds us, once again, why Robert's work continues to touch many generations".
Munsch's daugher, Julie, posted on Facebook that her father's decision to pursue medically assisted dying was made five years ago.
Julie called the New York Times Magazine interview "great", but added that "nowhere does it say my dad isn't doing well, nor that he's going to die anytime soon".
According to Canadian law, the person must be able to actively consent on the day of his death.
"I have to pick the moment when I can still ask for it," he said in the interview.
Medically assisted dying accounted for 4.7% of deaths in Canada in 2023 - the most recent official government statistics.
Some 96 per cent of the 15,300 people that underwent assisted dying in 2023 had a death deemed "reasonably forseeable", due to severe medical conditions like cancer.
The wheat fields outside Seqalbia, near the Syrian city of Hama, should be golden and heavy with grain.
Instead, Maher Haddad's 40 dunums (10 acres) are dry and empty, barely yielding a third of their usual harvest.
"This year was disastrous due to drought," said the 46-year-old farmer, reflecting on the land that cost him more to sow than it gave back.
His fields delivered only 190kg (418 lbs) of wheat per dunum - far below the 400-500kg he relies on in a normal year.
"We haven't recovered what we spent on agriculture; we've lost money. I can't finance next year and I can't cover the cost of food and drink," Mr Haddad told the BBC.
With two teenage daughters to feed, he is now borrowing money from relatives to survive.
Mr Haddad's struggle is echoed across Syria, where the worst drought in 36 years has slashed wheat harvests by 40% and is pushing a country - where nearly 90% of the population already lives in poverty - to the brink of a wider food crisis.
A report from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates Syria will face a wheat shortfall of 2.73m tonnes this year, the equivalent of annual dietary needs for 16.25 million people.
Without more food aid or the ability to import wheat, Syria's hunger crisis is set to worsen dramatically, warned Piro Tomaso Perri, FAO's senior programme officer for Syria.
"Food insecurity could reach unprecedented levels by late 2025 into mid-2026," he said, noting that more than 14 million Syrians - six in 10 people - are already struggling to eat enough. Of those, 9.1 million face acute hunger, including 1.3 million in severe conditions, while 5.5 million risk sliding into crisis without urgent intervention.
The same report showed rainfall has dropped by nearly 70%, crippling 75% of Syria's rain-fed farmland.
"This is the difference between families being able to stay in their communities or being forced to migrate," Mr Perri said. "For urban households, it means rising bread prices. For rural families, it means the collapse of their livelihoods."
Farming families are already selling livestock to supplement lost incomes from wheat, reducing their number of daily meals, and there has been a rise in malnutrition rates among children and pregnant women.
Yet, the implications of the drought stretch far beyond the thousands of kilometres of barren farmlands.
Wheat is a staple crop in Syria. It is the main ingredient for bread and pasta - two food staples that should be low cost foods to families. So with the lack of wheat supply, the cost goes up.
For 39-year-old widow Sanaa Mahamid, affording bread has become a massive struggle.
With six children between the ages of nine and 20, she relies on the wages of two sons, but their salaries are not enough to cover the family's basic expenses.
"Sometimes we borrow money just to buy bread," she said.
Last year, a bag of bread cost Sanna 500 Syrian pounds ($4.1; £3; €3.5), but now it is 4,500 Syrian pounds. To feed her family, Sanaa needs two bags a day - an expense of 9,000 pounds, before accounting for any other food.
"This is too much. This is just bread, and we still need other things," she said. "If the price of bread rises again, this will be a big problem. The most important thing is bread."
The crisis is a challenge for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as his administration works to rebuild Syria in the aftermath of the 14-year conflict and the removal of former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
International agencies, like the UN World Food Programme (WFP), are rushing to step in alongside the government to provide bread subsidies for those at risk of facing severe food insecurity.
But aid officials warn that subsidies are only a temporary fix, and that the long-term stability of Syria depends on whether farmers can stay on their land and sustain production.
"We're trying to keep people in the farming game," Marianne Ward, the WFP's country director for Syria, said. She has worked to give $8m (£6m; €6.9m) in direct payments to small farmers - about 150,000 people - who lost all of their crops.
"If you're not going to make money, you're going to leave the land. And then you're not going to have people who are going to be working in the agriculture sector which is essential for the economy," she said
But after more than a decade of war, Syria's agricultural sector was already battered by economic collapse, destroyed irrigation systems, and mined fields.
Dr Ali Aloush, the agriculture director for the Deir al-Zour region, Syria's breadbasket, said wheat fields needed to be irrigated four to six times per season, but that due to lack of rain, most farmers could not keep up.
"The farmer's primary concern is first securing water and water requires fuel. The fuel price skyrocketed. It reached to 11,000 to 12,000 Syrian pounds per litre," Dr Aloush said.
The high price of fuel and power cuts meant water pumps were out of reach, and many growers were already burdened with debt.
Dr Aloush says a priority for his department and the transitional government in Damascus is putting money into irrigation projects - like solar powered drips - that will make water more accessible to farmers.
But projects like that take time and money - luxuries wheat farmers do not currently have.
So for millions of Syrians across the country, there is only one thing to do in the coming months: pray for rain.
Additional reporting by Lana Antaki in Damascus
中国欧盟商会呼吁中国政府着手解决价格战等问题,并通过刺激消费来实现供需平衡。
据彭博社报道,作为欧洲在华最大商业游说团体的中国欧盟商会星期三(9月17日)发布声明称,虽然中国消费正在增长,但制造业产出增长更快,造成了供需失衡。
商会指出,“内卷、库存增加、利润率承压、资产利用率下降以及出口压力,都是这种不匹配的自然结果。”
商会并呼吁北京通过刺激消费来实现供需平衡。这一诉求也是外资企业长期的共同呼声。美国财政部长贝森特今年7月也曾敦促中国将经济再平衡纳入未来五年发展规划的核心。
中共政治局将在10月召开二十届四中全会,制定2026至2031年的发展计划。
此外,中国欧盟商会也建议中国建立更公平的贸易关系,让市场在资源配置中发挥更大作用,并减少因稀土出口管制引发的摩擦。
商会透露,虽然欧中双方在7月峰会上已同意建立快速审批机制,帮助企业获取关键矿产,但这一机制的实际效果“仍在评估中”。
商会还说,由于尚未出台长期的稀土采购方案,许多中小企业仍面临严重的供应链中断,而稀土正是汽车、智能手机和飞机等产业的关键原料。
中国常驻联合国日内瓦办事处和瑞士其他国际组织代表陈旭强烈谴责以色列袭击卡塔尔。
据中新社报道,星期二(9月16日),应伊斯兰合作组织要求,联合国人权理事会第60届会议就以色列袭击卡塔尔举行紧急辩论,中国政府代表团团长陈旭与会并发言。
陈旭说,以色列对卡塔尔发动袭击,公然侵犯卡塔尔领土主权和国家安全,违反国际法和《联合国宪章》,破坏和平努力,中方对此坚决反对和强烈谴责。尊重他国领土和主权完整是国际关系基本准则,但以色列对此视若无睹,动辄对周边国家开展军事行动。卡塔尔是加沙停火谈判的重要斡旋方,为推动停火、恢复和平作出了大量努力,得到国际社会高度肯定,以方行为是对停火谈判的蓄意破坏。
陈旭说,滥用武力不是解决问题的出路。中方强烈呼吁有关各方特别是以色列为平息战火、重启谈判多做积极努力,认真履行国际人权法、人道法义务,尊重周边国家人民生存权。中方愿同国际社会一道,为推动停火止战、缓和地区紧张局势发挥建设性作用。
以色列上周对多哈实施空袭,打击在当地开会的哈马斯政治领导人。这是以色列首次对美国盟友卡塔尔实施此类打击。空袭造成五名哈马斯成员和一名卡塔尔安全人员死亡,都非以军锁定的哈马斯高层目标。
据法新社报道,作为回应,卡塔尔星期一紧急召开阿拉伯和回教国家领导人会议,近60国与会,呼吁对以色列采取强硬行动。
但以色列总理内坦亚胡星期二说,卡塔尔与哈马斯存在关联,以色列对卡塔尔境内哈马斯官员的袭击行动完全正当。
《华盛顿邮报》星期二(9月16日)引述多名知情人士说,美国富国银行的银行家茅晨月曾被禁止离开中国数月。在中美官员谈判后,她已获准返回美国。
路透社星期三(17日)转述《华盛顿邮报》报道这项消息。
此前,中国外交部发言人郭嘉昆星7月21日在例行记者会上应询时说,茅晨月涉及中方在办的一起刑事案件,被执法部门依法采取限制出境措施。根据中国法律,案件正在调查中,茅晨月暂时不能离境,并有义务配合调查工作。
根据茅晨月在领英的个人资料,她已在富国银行任职超过10年。
茅晨月是出生于上海的美国公民,常驻亚特兰大,2012年起在富国银行任职,目前负责监督该行的国际保理业务,并为跨国客户提供跨境营运资本策略方面的咨询。
© Godofredo A. Vásquez/Associated Press
(德國之聲中文網)中國年度香山論壇自9月17日至19日在北京舉行,據主辦方此前公布消息,包含俄羅斯、美國、法國、德國等100多個國家的防務部門和軍隊領導,以及國際和地區組織代表確認出席。
五角大樓發言人表示,今年美國代表出席的是其駐華大使館的國防武官,層級比去年派出的國防部副助理部長要更低,但五角大樓高層認為,今年由國防武官出席是「合適的代表層級」。
香山論壇普遍被視為中國對另一場亞洲大型安全論壇「香格里拉對話」的回應。「香格里拉對話」每年5、6月在新加坡舉行,吸引美國及其盟國的部長級官員出席。外交人士稱,大多數西方國家仍傾向以「香格里拉對話」做為亞太地區的主要非官方安全會議,因此會降低在香山論壇派出的代表層級。
美國智庫蘭德公司(RAND)台灣政策倡議主任郭泓均(Raymond Kuo)接受DW訪問時也表示:「美國傾向香格里拉對話;中國則偏好香山論壇......雙方透過所派遣的人員層級,展現出這種特定的偏好。」
郭泓均指出,隨著美中競爭日益加劇,美中雙方派出的官員層級「某種程度上也反映出其他國家對這些平台的重視程度」。他認為,中國正試圖打造一套自己的獨立機制,並吸引其他國家參與其中,而各國也會尋找對自己有利的場域(forum shopping)。
據活動公告,本屆香山論壇以「共護國際秩序,共促和平發展」為主題,主要圍繞構建公正全球安全治理體系、增進亞太地區戰略互信與安全合作等議題。
這些內容也呼應北京近期主辦的一系列國際活動,包括本月初舉辦的上海合作組織(SCO)峰會以及紀念抗日戰爭勝利的「九三閱兵」。當時中國國家主席習近平分別與俄羅斯總統普丁、印度總理莫迪及北韓領導人金正恩見面。
外界預期,香山論壇上也會出現類似的安全合作,突顯中國和關鍵盟友之間的聯繫。
太平洋國際政策評議會(Pacific Council)資深研究員拉勒斯(Elizabeth Freund Larus)向DW表示:「習近平將強調與俄羅斯、北韓,甚至可能包括伊朗的團結,藉此營造一種可以與美國全球影響力抗衡的聯合陣線形象。」
中美軍事互動,鏡頭外才是關鍵
儘管香山論壇讓外界有機會一窺美中在軍事及外交方面的互動。但拉勒斯告訴DW,從美方選擇出席的代表人選就可以看出,「實際上的討論其實是在幕後進行,而不是在鏡頭前」。
淡江大學國際事務與戰略研究所副教授林穎佑也表示:「美國認為,如果要跟北京雙邊對話.沒有必要去進入中國的主場去進行討論。」
上週二(9日),美國國防部長海格塞斯(Pete Hegseth)與中國國防部長董軍舉行視訊會議,這是川普政府就任以來,雙邊國防領袖首次直接交流,強調保持軍事溝通管道暢通的重要性,並重申各自的核心國家利益。
美國國防部指出,海格塞斯告訴董軍:「美國並不尋求與中國發生衝突,也不尋求政權更迭」,但他直言美方在亞太地區擁有重要利益,並且會「維護這些利益」。
中方則稱此次是「應約」通話。董軍稱,中美兩軍的關係應基於平等、尊重與和平共處,並警告任何「以武助獨」、「以台製華」或外部干涉中國的行徑都將挫敗。 「我們始終專注發展自己,堅定捍衛自身正當權益,遏制、威懾、干涉中國是絕對行不通的。」
值得注意的是,中國近期在周圍水域動作頻頻。週二,隨著該國與菲律賓在南海的衝突升溫,中國海警再度向菲律賓公務船發射水炮。此前,雙方因為中國國務院批准在黃岩島(菲律賓稱帕納塔格礁 Panatag Shoal)設立「國家級自然保護區」,引發菲方強烈抗議。
除此之外,中國最新航母「福建號」上週穿越台灣海峽前往南海也引發關注,北京則宣稱是「航母建造過程中的正常安排,不針對任何目標。」
與此同時,美國和日本正在舉行大規模聯合軍演「堅毅之龍」(Resolute Dragon),該場軍演首度使用射程打擊能力可涉及中國的「堤豐」(Typhon,又譯颱風)中程飛彈系統。
儘管日本自衛隊強調該項飛彈系統在軍演期間「不會開火」,中國外交部16日仍要求美國和日本盡快撤除該系統。俄羅斯也批評此舉加劇了地區軍事緊張局勢。
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© Charlotte Hadden for The New York Times
中国驻新西兰大使馆披露,中国公民在新西兰机场遭遇无端滋扰盘问,个人电子产品被扣押,并就此事向惠灵顿提出严正交涉。
中国驻新西兰大使馆星期二(9月16日)在官方微信公众号上发文称,有中国公民在新西兰某机场过境时,遭新西兰安全情报部门无端滋扰盘问,并被扣押个人电子产品,至今仍有部分尚未归还。此前,也发生过数起中国公民入、过境时受无端滋扰事件。
中国驻新西兰使馆负责人已就此向新西兰外交部门有关负责人提出严正交涉,对有关部门无理行径表示强烈不满,并要求停止滋扰行为,尊重中国公民合法权益,为中国赴新西兰或过境的学生、游客和其他旅客提供安全、友好、非歧视环境。
使馆称,中国保留做出进一步反应的权利。
此外,使馆还提醒计划赴新西兰、经新西兰中转及在新学生、游客和其他旅客提高安全防范意识,出入新西兰国境前做好各项准备。如受到无端滋扰或歧视性对待、自身合法权益受到损害,请及时联系驻新西兰使领馆求助,中国驻新使领馆将全力提供领事保护与协助。
据法新社报道,新西兰方面回应此事时说,所有入境人员都必须遵守法律法规,尤其是“国家安全和边境安全”相关规定。
新西兰外交部说,“这些法律法规的执行不分国籍,均一视同仁”,并称相关情况已向中国使馆说明。
新西兰情报机构也表示,采取的任何措施均“符合法律规定”,并“接受严格的独立监督”。
政治立场亲蓝的台媒星期三(9月17日)报道,国民党前副主席、前台北市长郝龙斌决定参选国民党主席。
据《联合报》报道,“战斗蓝”发起人、前中广董事长赵少康与郝龙斌在星期二(16日)深夜长谈,两人最后盘点情势后协调确定,由郝龙斌出马竞选国民党主席。郝龙斌将在星期四(18日)领表登记。
郝龙斌早前表达有意参选,但强调要与赵少康协调最终由谁出马。赵少康星期天(14日)说,郝龙斌分别在星期天和星期一(15日)做民调,待民调结果出炉再做决定。
郝龙斌接受《联合报》采访时说,“我绝不会为党主席位子谋任何职位,也绝不会参选任何公职,也绝不会参选总统”。他表示,要带领国民党重返执政,不能有私心,他担任党主席会促成党内团结和谐及在野合作。
郝龙斌指出,国民党过去在2020年以及2024年大选,都因为党内猜疑党主席有可能参选总统的疑虑,造成各方不信任;他强调,现阶段是关键时刻,需要没有私心、让大家信任的党主席。
国民党主席选举在星期一开始领表,星期四至五(18日至19日)办理登记,10月18日投票,11月1日举办全代会交接。
美国国会议员要求中国科技巨头华为的子公司Futurewei解释,公司为何与美国晶片巨头英伟达在硅谷共用办公楼。此事也将英伟达卷入一项涉及中国间谍活动的调查。
据彭博社报道,由众议院中国问题特别委员会的共和党籍主席穆勒纳尔(John Moolenaar)和民主党籍首席成员克里希纳穆尔蒂(Raja Krishnamoorthi)共同起草的信件显示,Futurewei在加州圣克拉拉的英伟达总部,曾有长达十年的共同办公历史。
议员指出,在英伟达于2024年完全接管这一园区前,Futurewei曾持有园区三栋办公楼的主要租赁权。
信件写道:“这种同址办公使Futurewei能够前所未有地接触到美国最先进的半导体和人工智能技术”。议员还说,2018年曾有投诉称,华为被拒绝参加Facebook电信峰会后,Futurewei指示员工以虚假美国公司名义混入会议,这加剧了他们对间谍活动的担忧。
议员在信中要求Futurewei在9月28日前提交与圣克拉拉办公地点选择相关的全部文件和通信记录,并说明任何涉及英伟达的活动。
英伟达发言人说,公司确保“办公室、员工和知识产权的安全”,并强调即便园区内有其他租户,“我们依然保持独立的、仅限英伟达使用的园区”。
When Alan gave his Persian tabby cat, Smokey, its regular flea treatment last year, he thought nothing could go wrong.
The 45-year-old from Preston had used the same brand - Frontline Plus - for years without any trouble. But within hours of applying a new dose he'd bought online, his usually lively tabby was violently ill, vomiting and refusing food or water.
"I bought it from a major online site and the price seemed similar so I didn't suspect anything at the time," Alan told the BBC's Morning Live.
Alan's story comes after the government recently issued an urgent warning about fake veterinary products being sold online.
With vet bills up 60% in the last decade, more owners are turning to the internet to hunt for bargains.
The vet that Alan took Smokey to initially found nothing abnormal, but when his condition deteriorated, scans revealed a blockage in his intestines. Emergency surgery saved his life - at a cost of £3,000 - and tests later confirmed he had suffered a toxic reaction.
Alan returned to the vet with the packaging. At first glance, it looked genuine, labelled as "Gatti" - which Alan assumed might be an Italian version of the medication.
But when the manufacturer was contacted, they confirmed it was counterfeit and laboratory testing found it contained a chemical highly toxic to cats.
"We felt really guilty about the fact we had done this to him," Alan said. "But finding out it was fake medication, we were really angry.
"It's horrific and I had absolutely no idea there was such a thing as fake pet medication."
Helen Barnham works at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), a government team tasked with trying to stop the sale of counterfeit goods.
The team has issued more than 100 seizure notices for the selling of unauthorised animal medicines and supplements, preventing around 18,000 illegal items from reaching consumers.
"Criminals copy these products to make them look like the original and it's all to make money, they don't care about the damage or harm," she explained.
According to the IPO, the online seller who Alan bought the medication from managed to sell 211 batches of suspected counterfeit pet medications and supplements.
"If it's not from a vet or a trusted seller then please be vigilant," Barnham said.
Barnham is urging pet owners to check all pet medicines carefully before using them.
Even if a product looks authentic, there are often subtle clues something is wrong.
Nina Downing, Vet Nurse from PDSA, a vet charity, says she always recommends only giving your pet medicine which has been prescribed by a vet.
"When fulfilling a prescription online, source them from reputable companies that are on the Register of online retailers, brought to you by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate."
If the medication has any of the above warning signs, you should stop using the product immediately and contact your vet for medical advice.
You should also report it to your local trading standards office and notify the brand manufacturer, who may be able to verify if it's genuine.
One in four driving tests in Great Britain are being taken in automatic cars, according to new data, as drivers opt for more electric vehicles (EVs) and shy away from manual gearboxes.
Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show that 470,000 of the 1.8 million driving tests taken in England, Scotland, and Wales last year were done in automatics.
Insurer AA said the trend is being driven by the UK's ban on new the sale of new petrol and diesel cars coming in 2030, as EVs do not need manual gearboxes.
Emma Bush, the managing director of AA's driving school, said the need to know how to drive a manual car is becoming "irrelevant to many".
To obtain a full driving licence for Great Britain a driver must pass their test in a car with manual gears.
If the test is taken in an automatic car, the driver would get a Category B Auto licence, restricting them to driving to vehicles with automatic transmission only.
Northern Ireland issues its own driving licences.
Ms Bush said that drivers and learners are "becoming confident with the idea of their driving future being electric".
"As we head closer to 2030 and the ban on the sale of new combustion cars, more and more learners will want to learn in an electric vehicle as that's all they will plan to drive."
Following the general election last year, the Labour government pledged to restore the petrol and diesel ban to 2030, after previous prime minister Rishi Sunak pushed it back to 2035.
The lower day-to-day running costs of EVs and hybrids is also attractive to many, Ms Bush said.
EVs can be significantly more expensive than a petrol or diesel car or a hybrid upfront, but the gap is narrowing.
Additionally, EV owners can expect to save money on fuel and maintenance costs.
Sue Howe, the owner of Sue's Driving School in Swindon, told the BBC that automatics are "the way forward" as the car industry moves towards EVs.
For learner drivers, Ms Howe said, automatics can make the test easier, as "there's just a lot less to do".
Inexperienced drivers can "wreck a gearbox and a clutch", Ms Howe said, adding that nerves may cause them to stall or cut out the engine.
She also said the trend was good for road safety as "people are less tired" driving an automatic.
"It just makes life so much easier - it's less work for the driver to do so they can concentrate more time on the road."
Drivers attitudes to EVs have rapidly changed in just over a decade.
The number of driving tests taken in automatics was 87,844 in 2012/13, or 6.12% of all tests, according to the DVSA figures.
That figure jumped to 479,556 in 2024/25, the last period with complete data, or 26%.
The AA is predicting that 29% of all tests will be taken in automatics in 2025/26.
The figures from the DVSA also showed that more men are opting to take their tests in automatics.
In 2012/13, 23.2% of learners taking tests in automatics were men. Last year, that figure was 39.1%.
The pass rate for automatics last year was slightly lower than for manuals. However, the gap has narrowed since 2012.
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The man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk confessed to killing the right-wing activist in a message to his roommate, prosecutors have alleged, as they announced seven charges against him.
Tyler Robinson, 22, left a note under a keyboard for his roommate to discover, said Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray. He added that the roommate was Mr Robinson's romantic partner.
According to Mr Gray, the note said: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it."
The prosecutor also shared text messages between the roommates, including one in which the defendant allegedly said he shot Kirk because he had "had enough of his hatred".
The suspect is being held without bail in a special housing unit at the Utah County Jail. He made his first court appearance on Tuesday, appearing remotely as prosecutors read the seven charges against him.
The charges are aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent crime when children are present.
They also said they would seek the death penalty over the shooting of Kirk, who was killed by a single gunshot fired from a rooftop as he was speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Arrested last week after a 33-hour manhunt, Mr Robinson has not entered a plea or confessed to police. Mr Gray also stressed that the suspect is innocent until proven guilty and will face trial by jury.
He unveiled a trove of evidence at a news conference on Tuesday, including the defendant's alleged confession and DNA found on the trigger of the rifle suspected to have been used in the crime.
Describing the alleged hidden note at a news conference earlier on Tuesday, Mr Gray said Mr Robinson had sent a text message to his roommate reading: "Drop what you're doing, look under my keyboard."
After reading the apparent confession, the roommate, who has not been named and is co-operating with investigators, replied: "What?????????????? You're joking, right????"
Mr Gray cited further lengthy text message exchanges between Mr Robinson and his roommate, whom he described as his romantic partner. Authorities have said the roommate is transgender and transitioning from male to female.
In one exchange, the roommate asked Mr Robinson why he had killed Kirk.
"'I had enough of his hatred,'" Mr Gray cited the messages as saying. "'Some hate can't be negotiated out.'"
Mr Robinson also allegedly wrote: "To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you."
The roommate replied: "you weren't the one who did it right????"
Mr Robinson replied: "I am, I'm sorry."
Mr Gray also gave more detail about how Mr Robinson's parents became suspicious that their son may have been involved in Charlie Kirk's killing.
He said Mr Robinson's mother had seen a video of the suspect released a day after the shooting and told her husband it looked like their son. She confronted Mr Robinson over the phone about the resemblance, Mr Gray said, but he told her he had been home sick on the day of the shooting.
The father later confronted Mr Robinson, who responded by implying he might take his own life, the prosecutor said.
Mr Robinson was eventually persuaded to come to his parents' house and while there, allegedly hinted he was the attacker. He then said he wanted to "end it" rather than go to jail, Mr Gray said.
With the help of a family friend, who is a retired deputy sheriff, his parents convinced him to surrender to police and he was arrested late on Thursday - 33 hours after the shooting.
The suspect also allegedly told his parents that "there is too much evil and the guy spreads too much hate", in a reference to Kirk, according to the indictment.
Mr Robinson's mother told investigators her son had become more political in recent years, Mr Gray said, becoming more supportive of gay and transgender rights and entering a relationship with a transgender person.
But the prosecutor declined to answer when asked if Kirk had been targeted for his transgender views. "That is for a jury to decide," he said.
Mr Gray said Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings carried out by transgender individuals when the gunshot rang out. The bullet struck Kirk in the neck and he immediately slumped to the ground.
The bullet passed closely by other people, including nearby children and the person who asked Kirk the question, he said.
Mr Gray said the suspect's DNA had been found on the trigger of the rifle used in the shooting.
He also said Mr Robinson's father had suspected the weapon matched a bolt-action rifle that had once belonged to the suspect's grandfather. He contacted Mr Robinson after the shooting and asked him to send a photo of the rifle but he did not reply, Mr Gray said.
The suspect also detailed his movements after the shooting in messages sent to his roommate.
"I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down," he wrote, according to prosecutors.
"Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven't seen anything about them finding it," another message allegedly read.
"I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it."
Mr Robinson is also charged with witness tampering, prosecutors said, because he directed his partner to delete their messages and stay silent if questioned.
Thousands of families are attempting to flee Gaza City as the Israeli military confirms it has begun ground operations that are part of its large-scale assault aimed at occupying the city.
Lina al-Maghrebi, 32, a mother of three from the city's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood told the BBC she had resisted leaving her home - despite the danger - until she received a phone call from an Israeli officer ordering her to evacuate.
"I was forced to sell my jewellery to cover the cost of displacement and a tent," she said. "It took us ten hours to reach Khan Younis, and we paid 3,500 shekels (£735) for the ride. The line of cars and trucks seemed endless."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a "powerful operation" had been launched in Gaza City, which he described as Hamas's last major stronghold.
The Israeli military has designated al-Rashid coastal road as the only permitted route for civilians to use to evacuate. Many have described severe congestion, endless queues of cars and trucks, and long delays, with families stranded on the roadside while airstrikes continue overhead.
Nivin Imad al-Din, 38, a mother of five, said she fled south after Israeli warplanes dropped evacuation leaflets in her neighbourhood, though her husband refused to leave their home.
"I couldn't take my furniture with me because I couldn't afford the cost of a large truck," she explained. "Leaving everything behind was the hardest decision I've ever made."
The cost of displacement has surged far beyond the reach of most households. Residents said renting a small truck now costs around 3,000 shekels (£630), while a tent for five people sells for about 4,000 shekels (£840). With most families deprived of income since the war began, some are forced to walk for miles or remain in their homes despite the risks.
Overnight into Tuesday, Israeli warplanes carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Gaza City, with concentrated bombardment on the central al-Daraj neighbourhood, the Beach refugee camp in the west, and Sheikh Radwan in the north.
The attacks were accompanied by artillery fire, drone fire and helicopter gunship activity.
The Israel Defense Forces said it was "gradually" moving into Gaza City as part of the "next phase" of its offensive.
It said air and ground forces would be part of this next stage of the military's operation, with the number of troops increasing day-by-day.
Residents described the overnight strikes as "hell".
Ghazi al-Aloul, a displaced resident from northern Gaza, told the BBC he is now sleeping at the entrance of al-Quds Hospital in Tel al-Hawa, southwest Gaza.
"I did not choose this," he said. "I was forced after leaving the home where my family and I had been sheltering for nearly a month after fleeing the north".
"The bombardment has been insane for hours, and the army is threatening to demolish several residential buildings in the area."
Sami Abu Dalal, from al-Daraj in central Gaza, described the night as "extremely difficult".
"Whole residential blocks were levelled on top of their inhabitants, leaving many dead, missing, or injured," he said.
He said Israel was advancing on three fronts - and was accompanied by the use of booby-trapped vehicles, intense airstrikes, and heavy shelling. Meanwhile, Apache helicopters hovered over different parts of the city, firing continuously.
Israel's ramped up offensive comes as a United Nations commission of inquiry have released a report that says Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza - Israel categorically rejected the report.
重庆理工大学因将男性留学生临时安排在女生宿舍楼而引发争议。校方解释,这是因为男生宿舍家具尚未到位,并就此事给其他学生带来的不便深表歉意。
重庆理工大学星期二(9月16日)在官方微信公众号发布通报称,学校今年的留学生规模增加,招收了37个国家的近300名赴华留学生。星期一(15日)是学校2025级留学生报到日,自上午10时开始,陆续有留学生前来报到。
根据通报,因原定为2025级男留学生住宿点的16号学生公寓部分家具尚未到位,学校将当天陆续报到的男留学生30人临时安排于6号学生公寓2、3、4层暂住,此前这几层均为空置房。
通报称,考虑到6号公寓5至8层为女生宿舍,学校在此期间实行了严格的电梯管控、专人值班、分层管理等相关措施。截至星期二下午5时,学校已将6号公寓临时安排的男留学生全部安排入住到16号公寓。目前,学校教学秩序正常。
重庆理工大学在通报中就此事给其他学生造成的生活不便深表歉意,并称接下来将举一反三、立行立改,为持续营造安全有序的校园环境进一步做好相关工作,并真诚接受学校师生和社会各界的监督帮助。
据极目新闻等报道,有网民9月15日在社交媒体发文称,重庆理工大学两江校区第6栋女生宿舍安排了男性留学生入住,引发广泛关注,许多人对此表示不满,认为男女混居并不妥当。
中共湖南省委书记沈晓明与台湾在野国民党前主席洪秀柱等人会面时说,愿始终秉持“两岸一家亲”的理念,为推动两岸关系和平发展作出更大贡献。
据《湖南日报》消息,沈晓明星期一(9月15日)在长沙会见出席湘台经贸文化交流合作会的洪秀柱等嘉宾代表。
沈晓明说,中共总书记习近平9月3日在纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年大会上发表的讲话,极大激发了包括台湾同胞在内的全体中华儿女的爱国热情和民族自豪感。
他表示,湖南与台湾人文相亲、情谊深厚,愿始终秉持“两岸一家亲”的理念,持续深化经贸、文化、旅游、教育等领域合作,深入推进两岸青少年交流,为推动两岸关系和平发展作出更大贡献。
《湖南日报》提到,洪秀柱分享了出席九三阅兵的感受。她称两岸同胞都是中国人,应铭记抗战历史,共创美好未来;将坚持一个中国原则和“九二共识”,坚决反对“台独”,持续推动湘台各领域交流合作特别是青年交往互动,促进国家统一和民族复兴。
在参加阅兵前,洪秀柱在9月2日发布声明,表示抗战胜利是全民族的共同记忆,并强调她曾任国民党主席,有责任延续这段抗战精神。
中国欧盟商会星期二(9月16日)称,尽管中欧在7月达成协议以加快稀土运往欧盟,但由于北京继续严格管控出口,欧洲企业预计将面临更多停工并蒙受损失。
据路透社报道,中国欧盟商会主席彦辞(Jens Eskelund)向记者说:“无论7月24日中欧峰会达成了什么协议和承诺,我们的成员仍面临严重瓶颈。”
北京在美国总统特朗普宣布征收关税后,对部分稀土及稀土磁铁实施出口管制,导致欧洲及其他地区的汽车制造商面临生产延误和大规模停工。
晶片制造商也向北京寻求缓解措施。
中国提炼和加工了全球绝大多数稀土,这些稀土广泛应用于汽车制造、国防工业等领域。中国辩称有关出口限制是“非歧视性的”,并不针对任何特定国家。
在7月欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩与中国国家主席习近平举行的峰会上,中国同意为欧洲企业加快发放关键原材料的出口许可,但这未能满足欧盟提出的延长许可期限或取消对欧出口许可的要求。
峰会仅过去两个月,许可审批已开始放缓。中国欧盟商会称,收到的会员投诉与求助不断增多。
彦辞说:“我认为,公平地说,自峰会以来我们还没有看到实质性的变化。”中国欧盟商会预计会有更多公司因此停工。
台湾副总统萧美琴说,台湾8月出口产值首度超越韩国,是台湾产业长期努力的成果,并称政府希望打造均衡的产业环境,让台湾将进一步与世界接轨。
据台湾总统府新闻稿,萧美琴星期二(9月16日)接见“第21届台湾金根奖”获奖厂商,并称台湾金根奖获奖厂商都是立足台湾、布局全球,在各行各业成功的企业家,能在激烈的竞争中脱颖而出,非常不容易。
她说,当前全球贸易环境正经历许多变化,贸易体系也在改变,关税与产能过剩等问题带来新的挑战。同时,人工智能(AI)等新兴科技的崛起,以及新一代劳动力结构的转变,也对产业造成影响,使台湾产业环境充满更多不确定性。
萧美琴提到,前两周台湾股市屡创新高,8月出口产值更首度超越韩国,是台湾产业长期努力的成果,也对国际贸易深具贡献。面对各式挑战,台湾仍有部分产业需要政府进一步协助,因此经济部、国发会等相关部会也针对产业辅导与协助,提出各项韧性预算,希望未来在推动过程中能够得到大家的支持。
她指出,政府希望打造均衡台湾的产业环境,让北、中、南、东部,以及百工百业都能均衡发展。除了半导体与科技产业,生技、金融服务、医疗等领域也能借由AI等先进技术带来新机会,进一步与世界接轨。
萧美琴也感谢台湾金根奖获奖厂商长期以来对经济产业及科技发展的努力与贡献,期盼未来与政府一起努力均衡台湾、壮大台湾,相信强大的台湾定能对世界繁荣发展做出贡献。
韩国《朝鲜日报》星期一(9月15日)报道,根据韩台政府资料,今年韩国与台湾人均GDP预计分别为3万7430美元(4万7774新元)和3万8066美元,这是自2003年以来韩国首次落后台湾。
© Kenny Holston/The New York Times
© Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times
© Mark Vancleave/Associated Press