The UK’s data protection watchdog plans to fine Advanced Computer Software Group £6.09 million ($7.7 million) for failings that led to a 2022 ransomware attack affecting NHS healthcare services. Nearly 83,000 people had their data stolen, causing significant disruption, including NHS non-emergency phone operators reverting to pen-and-paper operations. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) emphasised that the penalty is provisional, pending Advanced’s response. The attack was attributed to LockBit, exploiting a customer account without multi-factor authentication (MFA) to breach the systems. Personal data of 82,946 individuals was stolen, including phone numbers, medical records, and sensitive information about access to the homes of vulnerable individuals. While Advanced found no evidence of this data being published online, the potential risk was severe. Information commissioner John Edwards stressed the importance of prioritising information security, highlighting the distress caused by losing control of sensitive data and the disruption to healthcare services.

NHS doctors are 'at breaking point,' with nearly a fifth reducing their hours and two in five declining extra work to avoid burnout, according to new research. A third of doctors are struggling with heavy workloads, forcing them to work extra hours regularly to meet care demands, says the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC’s findings reveal a troubling picture of UK doctors' working lives, morale, and wellbeing. The regulator warned that overworked doctors could jeopardise patient safety. 'UK health services are in a critical state, and those who work within them are at breaking point’, stated the GMC’s chief executive. Many doctors are cutting hours and refusing additional work to protect their wellbeing, with many taking time off due to stress. The survey of 4,288 doctors showed 19% had cut hours in the past year, with 41% refusing extra duties. Alarmingly, 47% plan to reduce their contracted hours next year. GPs are the most affected, with 28% reducing hours and 48% struggling. One GP expressed disillusionment, stating, 'I used to love my job. Now I absolutely hate it. I feel exhausted and dread going to work.'

Russia has reported ongoing fighting in the Kursk border region following a Ukrainian incursion. Its troops claim they have prevented pro-Kyiv forces from advancing deep into Russia, repelling aerial attacks overnight and destroying fifty armoured vehicles, including seven tanks. Ukraine has not confirmed the assault. Reports suggest Ukrainians occupied several settlements in Kursk. The incursion involved about 300 soldiers, eleven tanks, and over twenty armoured vehicles. Pro-Kyiv forces have made brief incursions into Russia since February 2022. A Russianspokeswoman has labelled Ukraine’s attack on Kursk a ‘terrorist act ‘against civilians. Five people were killed and 28 wounded, including six children. Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed a Russian missile, two drones, and a helicopter. Intense battles continue, with suggestions of a new front opening. Meanwhile, Mali has severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine: see world article below.

Diplomats have said that EU and South American negotiators will meet in Brasilia on 4 September for in-person talks, aiming to finalise the EU-Mercosur trade deal. This agreement, two decades in the making, has faced numerous delays due to a number of concerns expressed by each side. An EU diplomat expressed optimism about concluding the deal by the end of the year. The March visit to South America of Emmanuel Macron, who criticised the deal, paused negotiations until after the EU elections in June. Key issues remain, including European protection of food product names and Brazilian opposition to an EU anti-deforestation law. Farmers in France, Germany, and Belgium have protested against competition from cheaper South American imports. Both EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are committed to concluding the agreement.