Pope Leo celebrates open-air mass before 700,000 people in Paris 26. September 2026 (17:50) Crowds line Place de la Concorde on second day of pontiff’s first official papal visit to France in 18 yearsHundreds of thousands of people lined the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris on Saturday to attend an open-air mass with Pope Leo, on the second day of his visit to France.The Vatican estimated 700,000 people turned out for the outdoor mass with the 71-year-old American pope – about 100,000 more than the number of people who had registered to attend. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California man charged in the killing of his ex-wife – two decades after she vanished 26. September 2026 (17:28) Authorities discovered a body hidden in a home’s crawlspace in 2020, 13 years after Jill Maiorca disappearedA man was recently charged in California with the killing of his ex-wife six years after her remains were discovered in a crawlspace beneath a home – and about two decades after when she went missing, according to investigators.Jeff Maiorca, 53, faces a charge of murder in the death of Jill Maiorca, who was 29 when she was killed, authorities said in discussing what could be one of the latest cases in the US to be solved with modern DNA techniques. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jill Dando murder: technological advances allow police to review CCTV 27 years later 26. September 2026 (17:15) BBC broadcaster was shot in 1999 in case detectives have previously said may never be solvedTechnological advances are allowing police to review old CCTV footage in the unsolved murder of the BBC broadcaster Jill Dando, Scotland Yard has revealed.Advances in CCTV enhancement technology have allowed detectives to return to 27-year-old footage of Putney Bridge Underground station, Scotland Yard said. But detectives stressed that the review was part of existing inquiries – not a new investigation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pennsylvania measles outbreak spreads, with 55 new cases reported since Wednesday 26. September 2026 (16:10) 173 people hospitalized and four deaths in state so far, with less than 1% of those infected having been vaccinatedThe Pennsylvania department of health (DOH) announced on Friday that 55 new measles cases had been reported in the state since Wednesday, with officials continuing efforts to contain an outbreak of the disease that has spread across dozens of counties.In a news release, the DOH said that 890 measles cases had been confirmed across 39 counties in the state so far for the year. The outbreak had resulted in 173 hospitalizations in the state and four measles-associated deaths, the statement added. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Power outages and flooded roads as major storm bears down on US north-east 26. September 2026 (15:35) Thousands already without without power as New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware and New York brace for nor’easterMore than 70,000 customers were without electricity in the north-eastern US on Saturday, a major sign of a powerful storm known as a nor’easter that was expected to create dangerous conditions through the weekend.Forecasters warned of gale winds that could down trees and heavy inundations that could flood roads. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New research finds 485 chemicals in US pesticide products linked to breast cancer 26. September 2026 (15:00) Paper raises questions about safety of food and other products as early onset breast cancer rates surge worldwideNew research has identified at least 485 chemicals used in US pesticide products that are linked to breast cancer, raising questions about the safety of food and other products at a time when early onset breast cancer rates are surging worldwide.The new peer-reviewed paper, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a top journal from the American Chemical Society, highlights what public health advocates say are a range of deficiencies in how US pesticides are regulated. The review includes active pesticide ingredients, but also hundreds of so-called “inert”, or inactive, ingredients that typically do not undergo a thorough safety review. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Angela Rayner stands by attack on care worker visa reforms ahead of Labour conference 26. September 2026 (14:01) Housing secretary says Home Office moved goalposts with ‘disruptive’ change to permanent residence rulesAngela Rayner has stood by her criticism of Home Office reforms that would make it harder for foreign care workers to claim permanent residence in the UK, describing them as “disruptive”.Last year, Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, announced that low paid migrants on jobs below graduate level would have to be in the country for 15 years before applying for settlement. Rayner previously attacked the plans as being “un-British”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Venezuelan shot by ICE in Austin needs surgery to avoid losing feeling in body, supporters say 26. September 2026 (14:00) Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez has bullet lodged in back as accounts differ over events leading to traffic-stop shootingThe Venezuelan man shot by federal immigration officers after a traffic stop in Texas needs surgery to avoid losing feeling on the left side of his body, according to his supporters.Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, 28, has spent the past five days in detention with a bullet lodged in his back, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rapidly removed him from a hospital in Austin where he had been taken on Sunday after the shooting. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Green shoots? Burnham cultivates rural links in attempt to ‘build back trust’ with farmers 26. September 2026 (13:30) Ministers have been speaking to farming activists to try to build bridges after tax changes introduced under Starmer soured relationsAs an arable farmer, Olly Harrison’s WhatsApp messages are normally concerned with the more mundane matters of working the land: logistics, supplies and the occasional chat about the weather.So when a recent message came through from Andy Burnham, it was more than a little unexpected. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UN adds 61 firms to settlements blacklist over alleged human rights violations against Palestinians 26. September 2026 (13:10) Israel ‘categorically rejects’ publication and says businesses on database have committed no wrongdoingThe UN human rights office has added 61 more companies to a blacklist of firms that it says are involved in violating Palestinian human rights through business ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.The vast majority of the total 214 companies, which are based in 11 countries, are Israeli. Five of the 158 companies listed last year were removed in the latest update. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
