Hi there. It's Wednesday, September 14 and you're reading The Loop.
Here are some of the top stories that you might have missed while Queen Elizabeth II's coffin arrived at Buckingham Palace in London overnight.
Ukraine has called for more support, as it recaptures more territory
Ukraine's President says the West must speed up deliveries of weapons systems, as his country aims to recapture more territory from Russian forces.
Since Moscow abandoned its main bastion in north-eastern Ukraine on Saturday — marking its worst defeat since the early days of the war — Ukrainian troops have recaptured dozens of towns in a stunning shift in momentum.
In a video address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on his allies to "strengthen cooperation to defeat Russian terror".
Ukrainian forces have also posted images on social media which appear to show them with abandoned Russian military equipment.
A Twitter whistleblower said China and India had agents working for the company
One of Twitter's former security chiefs has told the United States Congress that there was "at least one agent" from China's intelligence service on Twitter's payroll and that the company knowingly allowed India to add agents to the company roster as well, potentially giving those nations access to sensitive data about users.
Whistleblower Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, a respected cybersecurity expert, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to lay out his allegations against his former employer.
Mr Zatko told politicians that Twitter was plagued by weak cyber defences which made it vulnerable to exploitation by "teenagers, thieves and spies" and put the privacy of social media users at risk.
"I am here today because Twitter leadership is misleading the public, lawmakers, regulators and even its own board of directors," Mr Zatko said.
"They don't know what data they have, where it lives and where it came from and so, unsurprisingly, they can't protect it.
"It doesn't matter who has keys if there are no locks."
"Twitter leadership ignored its engineers," Mr Zatko said, in part because "their executive incentives led them to prioritise profit over security".
In a statement, Twitter said its hiring process was "independent of any foreign influence" and access to data was managed through a host of measures, including background checks, access controls, and monitoring and detection systems and processes.
French cinema legend Jean-Luc Godard has died, aged 91
French-Swiss director Jean-Luc Godard, who broke with the established conventions of French cinema and helped kickstart a new way of filmmaking, has died.
He was 91.
Godard rose to fame as a pioneer of French cinema's new wave and was one of the most prolific of his generation, producing dozens of short and full-length films over more than half a century from the late 1950s.
His debut feature Breathless was released in 1960.
In his tribute, French President Emmanuel Macron said Godard was a "national treasure" and a "genius".
Emergency pandemic payments to be debated at national cabinet today
Federal, state and territory leaders will consider extending emergency pandemic leave payments at today's meeting of national cabinet, amid a push from some doctors, states and territories to extend them.
The scheme is set to expire at the end of the month.
Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT are all calling for payments to COVID-positive workers forced to isolate without sick leave to continue.
The payments of up to $750 are due to wind up on September 30, after being reduced earlier this month to match shortened isolation periods.
The Greens and the Australian Council of Trade Unions are backing calls for the payments to continue as long as isolation is required.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has indicated his support for extending them as well.
"My own view is that while governments place imposed restrictions, then governments therefore have responsibility as a result of those decisions," he said on Tuesday.
ABC/wires
