CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue to restore White House access
The three news organizations, which were banned from White House grounds by President Trump, are arguing that the ban is unconstitutional.
22nd September 2026 02:23
The Guardian
Solar and wind generation meet record 80% of power demand on Australia’s national grid
Rooftop solar alone generates more than half of all power used, as clear sunny days and low demand drive record-breaking surge
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Sunshine and wind met 80.4% of demand on Australia’s main power grid on Saturday, setting a new high bar for renewable electricity.
Solar panels on rooftops provided more than half of the power used in the national electricity market, the grid that supplies the eastern states, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, for 30 minutes around lunchtime. This was complemented by solar and windfarms, and a small amount of hydro (1%). Fossil fuels, coal and gas, contributed 20%.
Continue reading... 22nd September 2026 02:13
The Guardian
Political fight over gun buyback after boy, 11, shot in the face and neck in Sydney apartment
Police don’t know if shooting was accidental as Labor attacks opposition vow to scrap gun buyback announced after Bondi massacre
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The shooting of an 11-year-old boy in Sydney’s north-west was a “tragic reminder” of the danger of guns, the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has said while the opposition defends “backflipping” on a gun buyback.
The child was transported to Westmead Children’s hospital in a critical condition on Monday evening after suffering gunshot wounds to his face and neck at a unit in Norwest, NSW police said.
Continue reading... 22nd September 2026 02:05
The Guardian
The Houthis’ shock advance and what it means for the world – podcast
The Houthis now control the Bab al-Mandab strait. But where is it and why does it matter? Patrick Wintour explains
Remember that time a few years ago when few of us spared a thought for commercial shipping routes and strategic waterways? How times have changed. Now, you’d be forgiven for a sense of deja vu over the past few weeks as another strait has hit the headlines: the Bab al-Mandab strait in Yemen.
Last week, this narrow 50km stretch of water on Yemen’s south-western coast came under the control of Iran-backed Houthi forces. And according to Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, this is a big deal. “It’s the entrance between the Red Sea and Asia, in effect. So on one side of the waterway is Yemen and Saudi Arabia and on the other side are places such as Djibouti. So it is probably the second most important waterway for commercial shipping in the world.”
Continue reading... 22nd September 2026 02:00
The Guardian
Trump’s decision to ban journalists from the White House – and One Nation’s actions – shows why Australia urgently needs a media freedom bill | Peter Greste
Australians can’t afford to be complacent – Pauline Hanson also thinks it’s OK to shut out reporters she doesn’t like
No politician loves journalists. The relationship between media and governments has always been fractious, combative, resentful and at times downright hostile. But that is how it is meant to be. Governments wield power; media monitor and report on it.
That dynamic is critical to any functioning democracy. Formal checks and balances will only go so far in exposing abuses of power, so the system requires vigorous, professional and independent individuals devoted to investigating and reporting how governments behave. It isn’t always pretty but it has been an essential component of every effective modern democracy.
Continue reading... 22nd September 2026 02:00Lindsay Clancy's attorney requests investigation into holdout juror
Lindsay Clancy's lawyers asked a judge to question the holdout juror about his alleged use of a cellphone during deliberations and his answers on a questionnaire.
22nd September 2026 01:58
The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Sanctions must continue, EU’s top diplomat stresses, as Russian attacks kill five
Kaja Kallas says sanctions vital as bloc scrambles to reach deal on extension; UN sounds warning for civilians on both sides of war as winter approaches. What we know on day 1,672
The EU’s top diplomat has urged member countries to maintain sanctions targeting Russia, as Moscow’s forces continued their attacks on Ukraine, killing at least five people. “Sanctions are a core pillar of our response to Russia’s war”, Kaja Kallas told reporters in New York after a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers. Officials aimed to close talks on a rollover of Russia sanctions soon and have the extension take place swiftly, she said. “We need to have this stability,” with sanctions remaining in place for a longer time, Kallas added on the sidelines of the UN general assembly. She stressed the EU’s position has not changed: “That’s why we are also working on a new package of sanctions.”
Discussions on the sanctions are ongoing as some EU member states sought to remove certain individuals from the bloc’s blacklist. EU countries failed on Monday to finalise a deal that involved lifting sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga denounced the move to remove them as “unacceptable” and said it would send Moscow the “wrong signal”. Negotiations are set to continue in Brussels in efforts to extend sanctions on almost 3,000 other individuals and entities over the war as the bloc scrambles to reach a deal ahead of late Tuesday’s deadline.
Russian forces continued their attacks on different Ukrainian regions along the 1,200km frontline on Monday, killing at least five people, regional officials said. Prosecutors in north-eastern Kharkiv region said a drone strike on the town of Lozova killed one person and injured three. Farther south in Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone killed a car driver in Nikopol. In the Donetsk region, a Russian strike badly damaged an apartment building in the strategic Kramatorsk, killing one person, while another person was killed in a nearby village. A sustained attack on a village in Mykolaiv region killed a three-year-old child. The attacks could not be independently verified. Russian also bombarded Zaporizhzhia overnight to Monday, hitting apartment blocks, a university and a shopping mall, among other sites, and wounding five people, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Donald Trump is expected to press the Ukrainian president on an energy ceasefire during a face-to-face meeting this week, on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, Andrew Roth reports. It comes as world diesel prices have soared due to the war in Iran as well as Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukraine stepped up its attacks on Russia’s energy sector over the weekend, and the US president said the whole world was suffering due to an energy shortage he said was being exacerbated by the Ukraine war.
Russia’s new parliament will include 49 deputies who have taken part in the war against Ukraine, officials said after a landslide victory by the ruling United Russia party in widely criticised elections. Luke Harding reports that the pro-Kremlin party won a record 355 seats in the country’s 450-seat Duma lower house of parliament, according to preliminary figures, further consolidating Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.
Escalating infrastructure attacks by both Russia and Ukraine are leaving civilians increasingly vulnerable as winter approaches, UN investigators have warned, expressing fear of a repeat of last winter’s suffering. In a fresh update, the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine warned the attacks raised concerns that already difficult living conditions could worsen dramatically with the arrival of winter, as was the case last year. Last winter, Russian forces “continued to launch systematic waves of attacks against Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure as temperatures plunged to minus 20C”, it said in a statement. “Millions of civilians endured prolonged power outages, shortages or lengthy absence of heating.”
Continue reading... 22nd September 2026 01:40
The Guardian
Trump and Mamdani appear friendly after ‘wide-ranging’ meeting at Gracie Mansion
Republican president said he hoped the democratic socialist would be a ‘great mayor’ for New York City
Donald Trump said on Monday that he hoped Zohran Mamdani would be a “great mayor” for New York, an unusually warm assessment of the democratic socialist leader whom the president and his Republican allies have spent months holding up as a symbol of the Democratic party’s alleged embrace of “communism” ahead of the November midterms.
At a news conference following their closed-door meeting at Gracie Mansion, Trump and Mamdani appeared friendly as they have in previous meetings. Mamdani said he and Trump held a “wide-ranging” discussion, which touched on affordable housing and immigration, but did not offer extensive details regarding any disagreements between them.
Continue reading... 22nd September 2026 01:30Fat Bear Week is here: Meet Backpack, Bucky and other chunky contenders
Sixteen bears are facing off in Fat Bear Week 2026, the highly anticipated tournament among the chunkiest bears at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
22nd September 2026 01:02Man shot by ICE being detained with bullet still in his back, lawyer says
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, the 28-year-old Venezuelan national shot by an ICE officer on Sunday, said in a phone call on Monday that he's "not doing well."
22nd September 2026 00:54Man shot by ICE in custody with bullet lodged near his spine, lawyer says
In Austin, Texas, an ICE officer shot and wounded a 28-year-old Venezuelan man who, according to his lawyer, is now in federal custody with a bullet lodged in his spine. Jason Allen has video from the scene and more details.
22nd September 2026 00:52Family tied to suspected Chinese spy gave $4.4M to Newsom, Calif. politicians
C.C. Yin's family has donated nearly $3 million to state-level California political causes and an additional $1,455,027 to federal campaigns.
22nd September 2026 00:40
The Guardian
Brigitte Bardot auction in Paris fetches nearly €1m, with proceeds going to her animal welfare foundation and her son
Dog collars, guitars, straw hats and self-portraits among the 285 personal belongings put on sale
An auction of the French screen legend Brigitte Bardot’s personal items fetched nearly €1m (£858,000, US$1.15m, A$1.61m) in Paris on Monday, almost 20 times the estimate, according to the auction house Millon.
A total of 285 objects ranging from straw hats, sunglasses and nightgowns to tableware and furniture from Bardot’s homes in Saint-Tropez in south-eastern France and Paris generated tremendous enthusiasm, Agence France-Presse reported.
Continue reading... 22nd September 2026 00:27When a trumpet player's trumpet failed him during the national anthem, he turned to his voice
During the national anthem at an Arizona Diamondbacks game over the weekend, the trumpet failed, but the trumpet player somehow turned immediately to a backup instrument - his voice.
22nd September 2026 00:09Voting for Fat Bear Week begins Tuesday
Your annual chance to root for your favorite fat bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska begins on Tuesday.
22nd September 2026 00:02Former "American Idol" contestant sobs in court, accused of killing his wife
A former "American Idol" contestant broke down in court on Monday as images and information about his ex-wife's execution-style killing were laid out in court. Tom Hanson has more details on the murder trial.
22nd September 2026 00:00Paramount Skydance reaches antitrust deal with states over Warner Bros. Discovery purchase
Paramount's agreement with 12 state attorneys general paves the way for the company to complete its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
21st September 2026 23:58Bill Gates says it may take a catastrophe for the world to act on AI dangers
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is in New York City this week for the UN General Assembly, hoping to prepare world leaders for the huge potential and huge threats AI poses. He spoke with Tony Dokoupil about his concerns.
21st September 2026 23:58Paramount Skydance reaches settlement with states over Warner Bros. merger
Paramount-Skydance has now settled two major lawsuits that were holding up the company's $111 billion buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery. One lawsuit was filed by the Writers Guild of America; the other by a dozen states. Paramount is the parent company of CBS News. Jo Ling Kent has the details.
21st September 2026 23:56
The Guardian
US judge declines to block transfer of wildlife refuge land to Musk’s SpaceX
Environmental groups vow to continue opposition to deal that would expand site for Elon Musk rocket company
A federal judge on Monday refused to block the Trump administration from giving SpaceX more than 700 acres of wildlife refuge as part of a land swap in Texas, while environmental groups vowed to continue their legal challenge.
US district judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr declined the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction to prevent the parcel exchange, saying they failed to prove it would worsen ecological risks to a Gulf coast region already transformed by billionaire Elon Musk’s rocket operations.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 23:54Lindsay Clancy's attorney asks judge to question holdout juror, review his phone records
Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney is now asking the judge at her murder trial to question the holdout juror and review his phone records. Shanelle Kaul has more on that and an unseen part of the 60 Minutes Patrick Clancy interview.
21st September 2026 23:50No network TV coverage on Trump amid his unprecedented media ban
President Trump met with the New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday and was also preparing for Tuesday's UN General Assembly. But the president is also in the middle of a fight with the media, making it difficult to cover any of that as business as usual. Ed O'Keefe reports.
21st September 2026 23:27Thousands of flights canceled after FAA systems went down
More than 6,000 flights were canceled or delayed coast to coast because a construction crew accidentally severed a backup data cable from a radar facility near Philadelphia. The first line had already failed. Kris Van Cleave has more details.
21st September 2026 23:25
The Guardian
Black Tesla employees accuse company of fostering racial discrimination in major trial
Lawyers say Black employees at Tesla experienced ‘rampant racism’ that was left unchecked for years at their flagship factory in California
Dozens of Black employees at Tesla’s flagship plant in California said they were subject to racist slurs, unequal pay and promotions, and bullying by supervisors on a daily basis, a situation management did little to nothing to fix.
Their complaints form the basis of a lawsuit brought against the Elon Musk-owned electric car company by the state of California, which began trial with opening statements on Monday.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 23:20Meta's Muse AI agent downloads are surging. Here's how it compares to ChatGPT, Grok and Claude
Meta's Muse AI personal agent tool had 730,000 and 2.5 million downloads over the roughly five-day and thirteen-day time frames after its launch.
21st September 2026 23:03Hundreds of flights into Newark, New York, Philadelphia disrupted after Verizon fiber line cut
An FAA equipment problem snarled air travel at Newark Liberty International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport Monday.
21st September 2026 23:03
The Guardian
Martha’s rule to be expanded to every A&E in England
System gives patients, loved ones and health workers the right to ask for a second opinion on care
Martha’s rule, which lets NHS patients, staff and relatives request a review of their care, is being expanded to every A&E in England, health officials have announced.
The system gives patients, their loved ones and health workers the right to ask for a different medical team to examine the care being provided on inpatient wards and to recommend changes. It has already potentially saved hundreds of lives, official figures show.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 23:01This week on "Sunday Morning" (Sept. 20)
A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.
21st September 2026 22:33
The Guardian
Healthcare in Africa ‘under growing strain’ after US withdrawal from aid programs, report warns
Accra Reset’s report states countries in the region and global south should take greater control of their health development after USAID debacle
The United States’ withdrawal from key aid programs has put has put healthcare in Africa and the Global South “under growing strain” a new report warns.
The report says the Trump administration’s cuts to programs such as US Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as the Covid-19 pandemic and rising costs of living globally have brought “new urgency” for the need to reform healthcare in the region.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 22:339/21: CBS Evening News
Parts of the Northeast airspace closed after an FAA equipment outage; CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued President Trump over the White House ban.
21st September 2026 22:30Trump, Xi seek trade stability and deals, but AI, tariffs and Iran loom large. What to watch
Trump, facing low approval on the economy ahead of the midterm election, has an added incentive to emerge from the summit with China's Xi touting trade wins.
21st September 2026 22:25
The Guardian
Shackling prisoners giving birth should be a last resort – but it’s happening around Australia anyway
Senator Lidia Thorpe has introduced a bill to prohibit the practice in Australian prisons that advocates say violates the human rights of both mother and child
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“She was pregnant with twins,” Tahlia Isaac says. “She was meant to be released in 10 days, but she went into labour early.”
Isaac says officers handcuffed her fellow prisoner in the back of a van and took her away.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 22:00
The Guardian
Lindsay Clancy’s defense lawyer asks judge to investigate lone juror
Holdout juror in Clancy’s case, Michael Desronvil, sided with the prosecutors, arguing that Clancy knew what she was doing when she killed her three young children
Lawyers for Lindsay Clancy have asked a judge to investigate the conduct of the lone juror who wanted to convict the mother from Massachusetts of murder in the deaths of her three children.
In a motion filed Friday but made public Monday, Clancy’s lawyers asked the court to question the juror about his alleged use of a cellphone during deliberations, his truthfulness on a questionnaire that prospective jurors filled out before the trial began and his truthfulness when jurors were questioned by the judge a day before the trial ended.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 21:52Selling early access to Trump Truth Social posts is illegal, ex-prosecutors say
Trump Media & Technology recently launched a Truth Social API data feed, charging $100,000 for "real-time access to posts from the highest-ranking Truth Social accounts."
21st September 2026 21:17
The Guardian
Infantino proposes an ‘independent external review’ of Fifa governance
President writes to council and member nations
Infantino says he is ‘fully committed to leading Fifa’
The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has agreed to commission an independent governance review after coming under mounting pressure to do so in the wake of the World Cup sale debacle.
The Guardian revealed last month that several members of the Fifa council had been lobbying for an external review of both the proposed Fifa Forward Enterprise sell-off and the Folarin Balogun controversy – with the Football Association chair, Debbie Hewitt, increasing the pressure last week by writing to Infantino demanding the release of all documents relating to both issues.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 21:05What is the White House press pool and why does it matter?
Trump's media ban on three news outlets could limit the public's visibility into the president's actions.
21st September 2026 21:019/21: The Takeout with Major Garrett
Networks pull out of White House pool coverage after President Trump bars three media outlets; ICE agent shoots man delivering food in Austin, Texas.
21st September 2026 21:00
The Guardian
Airlines urge action after UK flights delayed and cancelled again
Nats says fault at Prestwick has been ‘fixed’ after airports in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland are hit
Airlines have called for “action and accountability” over the UK’s air traffic control services after a technical issue led to flights being disrupted for the second time in a fortnight.
Dozens were cancelled and others severely delayed after a fault on Monday morning at National Air Traffic Services (Nats), this time at its second control centre at Prestwick in South Ayrshire.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 20:45Converse pulls sneaker ad after critics say it uses racist imagery
Nike-owned Converse acknowledged that an ad for its Chuck Taylor sneaker is "deeply upsetting."
21st September 2026 20:40
The Guardian
Come back soon Premier League, the endlessly moreish mega-product | Barney Ronay
Brighton have impressed in a goal-laden start to the season, in a league that remains a brutally strong attraction
Get ready for the dopamine crash. And this one really is a proper autumn nosedive. The past 17 days up to and including Sunday’s cut-off gave us 30 Premier League games and 79 goals. Which, if you take Spurs out of it – and this is fair because Spurs are now post‑goal, an entertainment concept unrelated to goals or even football itself – is really quite a lot.
Are your pathways stimulated? Are the neural connectors flickering? Well get ready for cold turkey, for 19 blank days of shivers and shakes until the Premier League show resumes in October. Maybe it really is time to buy one of those powders off the internet.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 20:30Trump media ban lawsuit set for Wednesday court hearing
President Donald Trump said he banned the three media outlets because of what he called "cumulative stories," saying, "You get sick of it."
21st September 2026 20:24White House TV pool suspends coverage of Trump after ban of CNN
The decision comes as CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued Trump, asking a court to overturn his new ban of those three media outlets from the White House.
21st September 2026 20:18
NPR Topics: News
What the equinox 'henge' effect tells us about U.S. cities
The fall equinox, which arrives Tuesday in the U.S., brings shorter days, and chances to witness alignment between Earth and the sun. It's a modern version of ancient observances of a celestial shift.
21st September 2026 19:50Presidential TV pool suspended after Trump bans CNN
CNN was set to provide pool coverage on Monday and accompany President Trump on a trip to New York City, but there will not be a network TV pool team traveling with him.
21st September 2026 19:43Eli Lilly CEO says 700,000 new seniors have started GLP-1s after Medicare coverage, and 70% are on Lilly drugs
They're the latest metrics on how much the new Medicare coverage is expanding access to GLP-1 medicines since it launched in July.
21st September 2026 19:37
The Guardian
Ten lessons from Jakob Ingebrigtsen, one of the world’s most beguiling athletes
Norwegian is meticulous in his training regime – ‘if there’s anything that’s out of my control, then I’ve not done my job properly’
On a snowy Norwegian morning in January, Jakob Ingebrigtsen was on his treadmill, shooting the breeze about his running philosophy before our more formal interview. I should write something on this, I told him. Sure, came the reply.
In recent weeks, the 26‑year‑old has added to his legacy with a European 5,000m gold, the World Ultimate 5,000m title and a world road silver medal despite achilles surgery in February and a flu that lingered through May and June. So now seems as good a time as any.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 19:00
The Guardian
Is it true that … cycling affects fertility?
Saddling up is only likely to be an issue for elite athletes – and those with low sperm counts
“Cycling isn’t big on the radar of fertility doctors,” says Prof Colin Duncan, a fertility expert at the University of Edinburgh.
For women, he says, the only time cycling is likely to affect fertility is when it’s done at extreme levels, such as the kind of training undertaken by elite athletes.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 19:00Eli Lilly CEO tells CNBC one-third of new GLP-1 pill patients are taking Foundayo, as drugmaker ramps up production
Eli Lilly is trying to catch up in the GLP-1 pill market to Novo, which got a head start in the space.
21st September 2026 18:57
The Guardian
Inquest into British aid workers killed in Gaza may call on Israeli and UK military chiefs
Lawyer tells hearing that families wish to know whether weaponry involved in deaths was made in Britain
Israeli and UK military commanders could be requested to give evidence to an inquest concerning three British workers killed in Gaza when aid vehicles they were travelling in were hit by an airstrike.
It is also possible that the inquest into the deaths of John Chapman, 57, Jim Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, may examine whether the weaponry that killed the men was made in the UK.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 18:49
The Guardian
Newly identified Bolivian wildcat ‘Tigrino’ plays in his enclosure – video
Scientists who identified a previously unknown wildcat in Bolivia have called the new species Leopardus tilcayo. The 10-year-old wildcat, called Tigrino, had been adopted by a family that thought he was a domestic cat
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 18:33
The Guardian
Rwandan man charged with crimes linked to 1994 genocide in first case brought in UK
Dr Vincent Brown will appear at Westminster magistrates court charged with seven offences
A man has been charged with crimes linked to the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 in the first case of its kind to be brought in the UK.
Dr Vincent Brown, formerly Dr Vincent Bajinya, 65, who used to live in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda but now lives in Islington, north London, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday charged with seven offences.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 17:38
NPR Topics: News
Aviation regulators turn to AI to help manage the nation's airspace
The Federal Aviation Administration launched an ambitious $875-million-dollar push to make the U.S. airspace more efficient. But critics say it won't solve bigger problems with air traffic control.
21st September 2026 17:37
The Guardian
The Guardian view on Friedrich Merz: Germany’s chancellor must change course to halt the rise of the AfD | Editorial
A failure to address widespread economic insecurity, and a crisis in living standards, is allowing the far right the harness a growing protest vote
After less than a year and a half in office, Germany’s beleaguered chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is already looking like a lame duck leader. Anticipating dire results in two state elections which were held on Sunday, Mr Merz cancelled a planned speech at this week’s United Nations general assembly in order to plot an emergency response. A night of extraordinary humiliation for his conservative Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) must have confounded even his own low expectations.
In the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD) won its second regional election this month with 38% of the vote. The CDU meanwhile recorded its worst result since the second world war, failing even to meet the 5% threshold for representation in the state parliament. Mr Merz took over the leadership of the CDU promising to see off the threat of the AfD. Instead it has ascended to a menacing and unprecedented position of electoral strength, and enjoys a comfortable lead in national polls.
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Continue reading... 21st September 2026 17:34Iran's early attacks on Bahrain caught Navy families and sailors by surprise
The scale and duration of Iran's response appeared to take the U.S. goverenment by surprise, three sources who were in Bahrain at the time told CBS News, in part because families hadn't yet been required to evacuate.
21st September 2026 17:21Bill Gates says Trump's AI views point to societal blind spot
"Most of society is still not aware of how quickly it's moving," Gates said of the latest advances in artificial intelligence.
21st September 2026 17:18
The Guardian
Race to be next UN secretary general could rest on US and China trade-offs
Numerous possible last-minute entrants being discussed as current field of seven candidates struggle to garner support
Numerous last-minute entrants in the race to become the new UN secretary general are being discussed amid concerns that the world powers may not be able to agree a successor to António Guterres from the current field of seven candidates.
Three rounds of secret ballots have so far not produced an obvious frontrunner, with probably only three candidates regarded as still having a realistic chance of gathering the required support.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 16:56
The Guardian
Helen Jenner unveiled as Reform UK’s new leader in Wales after arrest of Dan Thomas
Nigel Farage dismisses loss of previous leader as ‘bump in the road’ and says party will ‘carry on as if nothing has happened’
Nigel Farage dismissed the loss of Reform UK’s leader in Wales last week as a “bump in the road” as the party unveiled a replacement.
Helen Jenner replaces Dan Thomas, who stood down last Tuesday after he was arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviours.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 16:54Nissan eyes increasing U.S. production as new Rogue hybrid launches
Nissan has two production shifts at its assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, and adding another could mean hundreds, if not thousands, of new jobs.
21st September 2026 16:53
The Guardian
Paramount settles lawsuits with 12 US states, clearing way for Warner merger
States including California and New York sued over concerns of ‘extinguishing competition’ with $81bn merger
Paramount has reached a settlement with California and several other states that sued over a proposed $81bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), the California attorney general announced Monday, clearing the way to consolidate some of Hollywood’s most recognizable TV networks and studios under one owner.
Though the merger was approved by the justice department in June, a coalition of 12 states, led by California, had sued over concerns that combining two of the five last legacy studios in Hollywood would “extinguish competition” and lead to fewer movies in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 16:52
The Guardian
Wildlife will be affected by current drought for years to come, UK government says
The number of potentially damaging environmental incidents triggered by this year’s hot and dry weather has surpassed that of 2025
Wildlife in England and Wales will be affected by the current drought for years to come, the government has said.
This summer saw large parts of England and all of Wales plunged into a serious drought, with both recording their driest Julys since records began in 1836.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 16:52Trump says DOJ will rein in AI 'if we have to'
President Trump has touted development of artificial intelligence by U.S. companies as a competitive advantage over China that he wants to maintain.
21st September 2026 16:46
NPR Topics: News
Paramount makes concessions to salvage $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal
Paramount's owners have made concessions to 12 Democratic state attorneys general to settle a lawsuit that endangered the media company's bid for its larger Hollywood rival, Warner Bros. Discovery.
21st September 2026 16:40
The Guardian
Houthis move to seize strategic terrain after Trump calls off airstrikes at last minute
US president reportedly changed his mind over Saudi Arabia’s pleas for assistance as bombs were being loaded
Houthi fighters are moving to seize strategic heights in Yemen that would cut the Red Sea coast off from areas held by Saudi-backed forces after Donald Trump called off US strikes on the group at the last minute, reportedly as bombs were being loaded on to aircraft.
Amid increasingly heavy fighting in Yemen, which has displaced tens of thousands of people in recent weeks, the New York Times reported on Monday that the US president had flip-flopped wildly in recent days after a call from Saudi Arabia for US strikes on the Houthis.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 16:14
The Guardian
Get tested and talk to your partner: how to have safer sex after age 50
At 51, I want many more years of a healthy, happy sex life. So I decided to compile my own guide
When I got divorced after 28 years of monogamy, I was excited to be having sex again, but had concerns. I was 48, and the last time I’d been single was in the 90s; terrified of pregnancy and hyperconscious of HIV/Aids, I hadn’t considered condomless intercourse an option back then.
Now, at 51, I’ve been wondering how important barrier protection is for me. Though I haven’t hit menopause, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says that “by 45 getting pregnant naturally is unlikely”, and HIV/Aids prevention and treatment have improved significantly in the last three decades.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 16:00
The Guardian
Mark Carney is making an eloquent case for an alliance sidelining the US | Ted Widmer
The Canadian prime minister’s remarks before the European parliament outlined a vision of the west without its most powerful member
The speeches keep coming, each building on the previous one, as the Canadian prime minister builds a case for a new world order that has strikingly little to do with the United States of America, the country that has led the west since the second world war.
On 20 January, in Davos, Mark Carney proposed that the world’s middle powers do more to support each other, in light of a “rupture” in the global order. That was clearly a reference to the destabilizing policies of Donald Trump, who had been inaugurated exactly one year earlier, and had spent most of that year insulting the US’s allies.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 16:00
The Guardian
Chancellor vows to stay on for Germany’s ‘democratic future’ after latest loss to far-right AfD
Merz seeks to shore up support after CDU loses two state elections and is ejected from Mecklenburg parliament
Germany’s beleaguered leader, Friedrich Merz, has vowed to keep his fractious coalition government together for the good of the country’s “democratic future” after his conservative party suffered a drubbing at the polls in two state elections.
Merz, who has vowed to plough ahead with an unpopular reform agenda, dismissed speculation over his position, saying it was vital that he and his coalition government remained in place.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 15:38
The Guardian
Europe is under attack from three sides – but the EU and Nato are unfit to defend us | Nathalie Tocci
Ursula von der Leyen’s outreach to Canada and new security proposals are wise – but she may not be the right messenger
Europe’s strategic predicament is ever clearer, and ever darker. The continent is at war, which is being fought militarily in Ukraine, but is escalating rapidly across Europe through hybrid attacks. Germany’s disclosure that it blames Russia for the drone attack at Leipzig airport; a Russian drone strike on a train near the Ukraine-Poland border; an Italian jet shooting down a Russian drone over Lithuania; flares fired from a Russian warship at a Danish helicopter – all within the space of a couple of weeks – tell a coherent story. Whether because Russia is bogged down and unable to advance in Ukraine, or because it believes the US will not come to Europe’s rescue, Vladimir Putin’s regime is ever more bent on escalating its aggression in Europe.
Putin’s calculus is not irrational. Trump never misses a chance to lash out at Europe – the latest example being his threats of further tariffs on the EU if Brussels proceeds to offer Canada “associate membership”. Europeans have grown numb to Trump’s insults and threats, but these threats do underline his deep antipathy, suggesting that if a Russian attack warranted a response, Trump might look the other way. The US certainly can’t be relied on to have Europe’s back.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 15:37U.S.-listed Greenland stocks surge after Trump announces security deal with Denmark
The rally followed a U.S.-Denmark-Greenland security pact aimed at expanding the military presence on the Arctic territory.
21st September 2026 15:34
The Guardian
The Washington press corps needs to boycott White House events | Margaret Sullivan
CNN, MS Now and Politico accurately call last week’s sudden lockout ‘a direct assault on the first amendment’. That’s right
On Monday, the three news organizations that had been kicked out of the White House because of Donald Trump’s latest fit of pique sued the president and three top advisers.
An accompanying statement by CNN, MS Now and Politico accurately calls last week’s sudden lockout “a direct assault on the first amendment”.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 15:21
The Guardian
The last two seasons were grim for Spurs. This is as bad as it’s ever been | Jonathan Wilson
Pre-season thoughts of European qualification are already beginning to look bafflingly optimistic for Roberto De Zerbi’s team
In March, Tottenham, fearing possible relegation, spent big to bring in Roberto De Zerbi, who will probably never go into a negotiation with a stronger hand. There was obvious improvement and they stayed up on the final day of the season. Since then, Spurs have spent a net £175m ($234m) on improving the squad. The message seemed clear: the fiscal caution of the Daniel Levy era was over and this was a club willing to spend. Yet Spurs go into the first international break bottom of the Premier League table.
To an extent, the issue is confidence. On the opening weekend at Brentford, with a weird mishmash of a side, a team that was clearly undercooked, they were hammered 3-0 by much better-prepared opponents. That was not hugely surprising given how sensible Brentford’s transfer dealing had been and how early they had done it. More worrying was what happened the following week as Spurs, starting well before fading, lost 2-0 at home to Newcastle.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 15:20Trump admin won't give AI leaders a 'liability shield,' Bessent tells CNBC
Bessent spoke with CNBC's "Squawk Box" about AI safety concerns and this week's summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump.
21st September 2026 15:14
The Guardian
Paper trail of protests: José Mourinho plays the hits in Madrid derby defeat | Sid Lowe
Facing Diego Simeone 13 years on, José Mourinho brought a print-out and paranoia. Some things don’t change. Some people don’t, either
There were many questions to emerge from the Madrid derby, which Atlético won 2-1 in front of 70,514 very, very noisy people at the Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon, even if not the one José Mourinho was asking. Like: what year is this? Or: what was Dean Huijsen thinking? Why always Arda? And whatever happened to Vinícius Júnior? How come Koke is still the best? And how long before Giuliano Simeone actually bursts, his atlético insides exploding across the pitch? Above all though, you were left wondering: where did Real Madrid’s manager get a printer from? And how did he get the bloody thing to work?
You could still hear the singing outside when Mourinho turned up in the press room, laid down his glasses and sat. In his hand was a piece of paper. Thirteen years after his last derby, on the Santiago Bernabéu night when Madrid lost the Copa del Rey final and a 13-year unbeaten run against their neighbours, Diego Simeone had defeated him again. The stage was new – this stadium didn’t exist then – but his adversary was somehow still the same man, still dressed in black, and the scene was a bit like old times, a classic. Mourinho unfolded the paper and held it up. “We can save ourselves the bother of the press conference,” he said, “because the story is right here.”
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 15:13
The Guardian
A job that changed me: I cried nearly every day working in aged care, then realised I could bring joy instead
I once asked a resident what she would do if she could do anything. She replied: ‘I’d run in a field’
In my 40s, I was beginning to wonder where I fit in the employment world. I had a variety of jobs including an improv instructor, actor and corporate facilitator, then Covid arrived and all those people-facing roles disappeared.
Living in Sydney, with my kids at school and a mortgage to pay, I took on some temp work through an agency.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 15:00
The Guardian
Sylvia Plath Stole My Boyfriend: the 95-year-old who has turned her romance with Ted Hughes into a play
The Yorkshire poet had a ‘magic touch’, Liz Hicklin recalls, felt by many women: ‘It was like I was blossoming’
Liz Hicklin had missed the ferry that could change her life. Pelting rain had made the drive to the Sorrento terminal perilous. Sitting in the car park, watching the boat glide off, she chastised herself. Go home. Don’t be ridiculous. You’re 92.
She got on the next ferry.
This decision would prove to be a sliding doors moment. As Hicklin, now 95, says: “I really should be knitting” – but instead she debuts her first play at Melbourne fringe festival this October: Sylvia Plath Stole My Boyfriend, about her romantic relationship with a young Ted Hughes.
The Guardian
Sense and Sensibility review – Daisy Edgar-Jones leads sober-minded next-gen do-over of Austen romcom
With Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles as the Dashwood sisters, this fresh take on a beloved classic is not to be confused with Ang Lee’s
There’s no reason for anyone working on a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility to be intimidated by the celebrated 1995 movie by director Ang Lee and screenwriter Emma Thompson, any more than they should be or overawed by Austen’s original novel. Sacred cows are there to be … not slain, but re-invented. The decision to bring out a next-gen Sense and Sensibility, with a new young cast – as opposed to, say, a new Northanger Abbey or a new spin on the unfinished The Watsons – might bemuse some and at first it bemused me, like hearing about a Love Actually remake starring Millie Bobby Brown. But this turns out to be a more downbeat, ruminative version, happening in much cloudier weather than 30 years ago and without the sugar-rush final wedding scene. The mood is cooler, but interestingly austere, sober and thoughtful. There are also some strange casting decisions.
The sisters at the heart of the story, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, played in 1995 by Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, are now played by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, and frankly don’t look and sound much like the sisters we thought we knew. They look like young women who knew each other reasonably well at uni and are now in a flatshare in London. It is a story of financial and romantic crisis. Mrs Dashwood and her three daughters, having happily occupied a handsome Sussex estate, are forced to move to humble Barton Cottage in Devon when Mrs Dashwood’s stepson John Dashwood inherits their property and effectively evicted them.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 15:00
The Guardian
CNN, MS Now and Politico sue Trump after being blocked from White House
Three news outlets filed lawsuit in attempt to regain access to the White House after having badges disabled
In what will be one of the largest battles yet between the press and Donald Trump’s administration, three news organizations – CNN, MS Now (formerly MSNBC) and Politico – that have been denied access to the White House have sued to regain their ability to enter the building, accusing the president of violating the US constitution.
The suit was filed on Monday morning in the US district court for Washington DC.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 14:42Criminologists on whether Patrick Clancy's 60 Minutes interview will change people's opinions
Meghan Sacks and Amy Shlosberg, criminologists and professors of criminology at Fairleigh Dickinson University, join "CBS Mornings" to break down Patrick Clancy's "60 Minutes" interview.
21st September 2026 14:30Cattle rancher says AI data centers threaten his livelihood
Norah O'Donnell spoke with a Texas cattle rancher for "60 Minutes" who says development of AI data centers threatens his livelihood, and may impact how he votes in the next election.
21st September 2026 14:20
The Guardian
‘Planetary boundaries’ necessary for flourishing of life have been massively breached, scientists warn
New report shows key indicators of Earth’s health are ‘outside the safe operating space’ as climate disaster looms
The planetary life support systems relied upon by humans have deteriorated to their worst levels ever recorded amid ongoing pollution and habitat destruction, according to a key yet grim annual update by scientists.
Of the nine “planetary boundaries” that help determine whether life can flourish on Earth, seven are being breached at their highest ever levels of transgression, according to the latest planetary health check, a process that was established in 2009.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 14:00
The Guardian
‘Being in Madness kept some of them out of jail’: how the baggy-trousered nutty boys made a guerrilla cinema classic
From a jail-inspired light sabre fight to the moment a sax-player flew, Take It or Leave It brilliantly captured the hit-makers’ grimy origins. Will the film’s return see it finally honoured as a music movie landmark?
It’s March 1981 and Madness are revisiting the haunts of their recent youth with a film crew in tow. In the 18 months since releasing their debut single, The Prince, the group have become the UK’s most beloved hit-makers, their ascent abetted by inventive music videos that have left viewers of Top of the Pops and Tiswas believing a man could fly – while blowing a sax.
But this new project is something else. Instead of squandering their newfound wealth on fast cars and country piles, the seven-piece have invested in a semi-fictional big-screen telling of their origin story that tempers their trademark “nuttiness” with a kitchen-sink realism suiting their working-class roots. While Take It or Leave It sank into obscurity soon after release, a new 4K restoration has primed the film for rediscovery as a time-capsule of grimy 70s London, and perhaps cinema’s most honest depiction of the challenges involved in trying to get a band together.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 13:55
The Guardian
‘Don’t spend $20 on an acai bowl’: gen Z are shunning private equity’s restaurant takeover
As more PE firms invest in food establishments, people are bemoaning the ‘same-ification’ of NYC’s restaurant scene
Los Tacos No 1 is a classic New York success story. After the Mexican-style taco joint opened in 2013, it quickly became a critic’s pick in the city’s paper of record, drawing long lines and a devoted lunchtime crowd. As word spread about its juicy al pastor and handmade tortillas, it expanded to nine locations. Then, this September, bad news struck: Los Tacos No 1 had received an undisclosed amount of funding from private equity firm TSG Consumer.
According to a press release, this cash would help Los Tacos pursue “thoughtful, founder-led growth”. Customers were not so sure. Social media posts quickly declared “the beginning of the end” for the chain, half-jokingly anticipating tiny portions of bad food.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 13:51
The Guardian
Putin consolidates grip on Russia as 49 Ukraine war veterans elected to parliament
United Russia party’s record victory in tightly controlled vote likely to be used as evidence of support for war against Ukraine
Russia’s new parliament will include 49 deputies who have taken part in the war against Ukraine, officials have said after a landslide victory by the ruling United Russia party in widely criticised elections.
The pro-Kremlin party won a record 355 seats in the country’s 450-seat Duma lower house of parliament, according to preliminary figures. The result further consolidates Vladimir Putin’s grip on power and gives United Russia a super-majority bigger than its previous 2016 record of 343 seats.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 13:40
The Guardian
Thomas Tuchel rocked by five key withdrawals from England squad
Palmer, Rice, Mainoo, Rashford and Livramento injured
James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White called-up as cover
Thomas Tuchel has been rocked by a host of withdrawals from his England squad, with Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento all out because of injury. The head coach has called up James Garner and Morgan Gibbs‑White to boost his options for the upcoming Nations League programme.
Tuchel gave Palmer a high-profile recall on Friday for the beginning of the two-year international cycle that he hopes will end in glory at Euro 2028. England are back in the top division of the Nations League and they kick off against Spain at Wembley on Saturday. They then play Czechia and Croatia away before returning to Wembley to face Czechia.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 13:39ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas
The lawyer for the man identified him as a 28-year-old Venezuelan national, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. Officials said he was shot at least once in the torso and was in serious but stable condition.
21st September 2026 13:35
The Guardian
Typhoon Dujuan and festival clear-up: photos of the day – Monday
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 13:06AI, data center alarms dominate Congressional Black Caucus week in Washington
AI interests pro and con turned out for the Congressional Black Caucus's annual gathering in Washington as the topics — plus redistricting concerns — dominated.
21st September 2026 13:03Bessent calls meeting with China Vice Premier He Lifeng 'successful' ahead of Trump-Xi summit
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng was "successful" ahead of the Sept. 24 Trump-Xi summit.
21st September 2026 12:51Hunter fatally shoots woman he mistook for a deer, police say
A man shot and killed a woman in Delaware last week, after he mistook her for a deer, police said.
21st September 2026 12:47Soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé on ending 20-year journey with Nike: 'It was time to change'
Soccer Champion Kylian Mbappé said he was ready for "change" after ending his association with Nike and entering a deal with Swiss sportswear brand On.
21st September 2026 12:44
The Guardian
‘Love and respect’ or ‘a cash grab’? The furious battle over the final album by the Fall
Creators of Post Script, made with vocals by the late Mark E Smith, defend it as ‘a great, positive record’, but fiancee describes it as ‘ethically wrong’
The fiancee and last manager of the late Mark E Smith, frontman of the Fall, has hit out against the release of an album being marketed as the band’s final official album, calling it “ethically wrong” and a “cash grab”.
When Post Script was first announced in June, several media reports assumed the nine-track album contained recordings that the final Fall lineup were working on before the singer’s death, in January 2018. However, it subsequently emerged that it contains unused studio vocals recorded between 2001 and 2014, to which longtime Fall associates Ed Blaney and Simon “Ding” Archer have posthumously added music.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 12:30
The Guardian
Dunesday: will this be Barbenheimer on steroids – the biggest weekend of cinema ever?
Since the mammoth success of the films Barbie and Oppenheimer in 2023, Hollywood has taken to jointly marketing movies released on the same day – and December’s matchup of Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday could break all records
Name: Dunesday.
Age: Nascent.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 12:29
The Guardian
‘My whole identity was wrapped up in Ally McBeal’ – Calista Flockhart on her smash hit 90s comedy rollercoaster
‘In the street or at restaurants, people still come up to me and say, “I became a lawyer because of you.” But I just went to work and said my lines!’
I was doing a play in New York, Three Sisters by Chekhov. We regularly got scripts sent to us. One going around was written by David E Kelley. I flew out to Los Angeles to screen test, and I got the part right in the moment. It was a difficult transition as I felt very much settled and happy in New York and I had only been to LA briefly, to shoot The Birdcage. I was such a bad driver that I didn’t get on the freeway there for a year. I was afraid of it.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 12:12
The Guardian
Jamie Oliver’s recipes for fish pie pasta bake and tomato and feta lentils
Sometimes cooking is about celebration or indulgence, but there are other times when you just need a speedy but delicious midweek meal
Of course, the act of cooking can be many things – joy, ritual, nourishment, comfort, celebration, indulgence – but this fish pie pasta bake and tomato and feta lentils are strictly about speed. Because, in reality, these are exactly the kind of recipes we all need in our repertoire, ready to whip out on a Wednesday night.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 12:00
The Guardian
Epstein survivors struggle financially as they continue to heal their wounds: ‘It doesn’t just go away’
Legislation proposed by House Democrats aims to address survivors’ financial and medical burdens
Danielle Bensky wants a typical life.
“I would just love to own a house one day and have a dog,” said Bensky, who is among the Jeffrey Epstein survivors advocating for accountability. “I think that’s the dream – literally just to have a normal existence where we’re not trying to fight the government and constantly be facing our own abuse.”
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 12:00
The Guardian
Silent Hill: Townfall review – shame and suffering on the Scottish coast
PlayStation 5 (version played), PC; Screen Burn
Tragedy, and an apocalyptic fog, befall a fishing community. It is up to outsider Simon to offer some kind of closure
You spend a considerable portion of Silent Hill: Townfall in a kind of foetal position, cowering behind objects that will be eerily familiar to anyone who lived in the UK during the 1990s. Cars seem to be modelled on the era’s boxy Volkswagen Golfs; logos adorning phone boxes should narrowly escape the attention of copyright lawyers at BT Group. (For millennials, the deja vu will likely intensify the horror, as if stepping back into a childhood nightmare.) Simon, the nerdy, unassuming star of the game, pokes his head around corners to catch a glimpse of the demonic entities that wish to maim him, before shrinking back down again with a downwards motion of the analogue stick. In such moments, it’s easy to imagine him wrapping his arms around his knees, clasping his eyes shut and wishing himself away from this place.
The game’s setting, St Amelia, is based on the fishing communities of the East Neuk of Fife. The terror lurking here is wonderfully specific: absent lairds, island poverty, an oil-drilling corporation. Anguished beasts lumber down quaint streets lined with sandstone houses and fluttering bunting. This venerable horror series may have shifted to Scotland, yet we remain firmly in classic Silent Hill territory – weather and all. St Amelia finds itself suffused in supernatural fog and the vast majority of its inhabitants have vanished following some kind of mass tragedy. The artful, evocative presentation is such that you can almost taste the in-game air, the briny seaside tang diluted by rainy mist.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 12:00
The Guardian
‘I have to keep reliving it’: infected blood claimants being asked to prove eligibility
Claimants having to find decades-old medical records to prove they qualify for compensation despite inquiry’s recommendations
Suzanne Morgan will never forget the day her mother died. It was nine months after she had gone into hospital with gallstones, where she received a routine blood transfusion.
“She went downhill rapidly,” Morgan recalled. Her mother haemorrhaged in her liver, and the next day she was dead.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 11:48
The Guardian
Granit Xhaka admits to receiving fake Covid vaccination certificate in 2022
Sunderland captain withdrawn from Switzerland squad
He will be questioned by prosecutor’s office in Lucerne
Granit Xhaka has been withdrawn from Switzerland’s squad after he admitted receiving a fake Covid vaccination certificate in 2022. The Sunderland and Switzerland captain – who was an Arsenal player at the time – has apologised for this “mistake” and will sit out his country’s forthcoming four Nations League matches.
Xhaka is poised to be questioned by the prosecutor’s office in Lucerne next week as it decides whether any criminal proceedings will be initiated regarding the alleged issue of a series of false Covid certificates by a doctor based in the Swiss city during the pandemic. The doctor, who was first investigated in 2023, has denied the allegations.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 11:46
NPR Topics: News
World leaders convene for UNGA. And, Trump says D.C. arch will be a 'military complex'
This week, world leaders convene for the U.N. General Assembly as war continues in Ukraine and the Gulf. And, President Trump has proposed that his arch serve as a military complex.
21st September 2026 11:24
The Guardian
‘I lost my children, and I’m afraid of losing my baby again’: a day in the life of a pregnant woman in Gaza
Alaa lives in a tent pitched on the ruins of her house, which was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike that killed all three of her children. In one month, she will give birth again.
As the war in Gaza approaches its fourth year, this week, the Guardian follows five ordinary Palestinians as they go about their lives. Each will tell the story of their day, revealing the terrible toll of the ongoing conflict.
Alaa Hessi takes each step deliberately: raises her foot to land heavily on the stair above, takes a breath, slides her hand up the railing. Resting atop an uneven mess of rubble, the wooden staircase judders with each motion. Her movements are slowed by the heavy melon of her pregnant belly.
The sound that wakes me in the morning is the buzzing of flies inside the tent, and the noise of our neighbours.
Continue reading... 21st September 2026 11:00
The Guardian
Celebrity, sex and motherhood misery: the 10 best books by Rachel Cusk … ranked!
From an abstract portrait of an actor who might be Natalie Portman to a groundbreaking work of autofiction, we rate the best from the coolly controversial author
In Cusk’s headline-grabbing latest, a writer invents the biography of a film star who sounds very like Natalie Portman. Set in the now standard late-Cusk sans serif typeface (no frivolous flourishes!), Life of M serves up observations on fame in a light fictional coating. “To always be playing a part is to have no home.” Having made her name as a devilishly good creator of brainy social comedies, Cusk’s pivot to wintry autofiction since the Outline trilogy appears to have reached its logical conclusion in this flat, abstracted portrait of empty celebrity. The New York Times called it “rarefied, cosmopolitan, self-serious”.
Sample line: “Everything I did or said in her company was false. It was as if I was acting, while M came across as authentic and real.”