Writing the summary…
Man sacked by Grand Theft Auto maker believes employees were put on ‘watch list’

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Oil's roundtrip back to $100. Why China could determine what happens next
The U.S. crude oil price on Thursday topped $102 per barrel for its highest close since May.

Christopher Harborne matches £36m Reform donation of Ben Delo
Party leader, Nigel Farage, says he is humbled by the contributions from cryptocurrency billionaires The cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne has given £36m to Reform UK, matching a donation from fellow billionaire Ben Delo . The pledges are jointly the largest donations made to a UK party and are likely to intensify calls for a cap on political donations. Continue reading...

Deepfakes are wrecking influencers’ credibility, one fake ad at a time
Influencers aren’t just battling competitors for brand deals. They’re now battling AI versions of themselves Earlier this year, Emily Schuman, the creator of the lifestyle blog Cupcakes and Cashmere, saw a photo of herself she didn’t recognize on Instagram. In a sponsored ad, Schuman, who has more than 500,000 Instagram followers, is holding up a vial of GLP-1 drugs, advertising the telehealth company Gala. There was just one problem: Schuman had never heard of Gala and had nothing to do with the ad. The ad was based on a digitally altered version of a selfie Schuman had taken in her car and posted on Instagram years earlier. Once her followers got wind, they flooded her inbox with questions about the sponsorship as it didn’t seem consistent with Schuman’s personal brand. Soon after, Schuman discovered this was just the beginning. There was also an Instagram post where an AI version of h
Tehran won’t surrender to the U.S., Iranian President Pezeshkian says, as India's Modi urges dialogue and peace
On his first visit to India, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he will not surrender to the U.S. and Israel, as New Delhi renewed its appeal for peace.

We know how to prevent black lung, so why are workers still dying?
Silicosis sufferers are getting younger as Trump and the coal mining industry push back on protections Silicosis is one of the oldest workplace hazards and public health experts have known for decades how to prevent it. Yet a new wave of workers, from Appalachian coalminers to Latino countertop fabrication workers, are developing and dying from the disease as industry fights new protections and regulators fail to defend the rules that could protect them. John Robinson’s grandfather developed black lung back when coalminers could spend decades in the mines before being diagnosed with the disease, often dying in their 60s, 70s and 80s. But Robinson, who mined for coal in south-west Virginia, was diagnosed when he was 47. He’s part of a trend that has grown over the past two decades in central Appalachia, where more coalminers are developing black lung disease at younger ages. Continue read

London Underground workers exposed to asbestos without protective masks, documents reveal
Hundreds of staff may have worked without legally required face-fitted masks over 20 years Hundreds of London Underground workers could have been exposed to asbestos for almost 20 years without protection required under safety regulations, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Under 2002 rules on controlling asbestos and other hazardous materials, employers are required to take a series of precautions, including ensuring exposed workers are given individually fitted face masks to prevent inhalation of toxic dust. Continue reading...