ICE has wasted tens of millions to carry out Trump’s mass detention agenda – report 24. September 2026 (20:54) US GAO documents array of costly problems as ICE pursues controversial plans to rapidly increase detention capacityUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies have wasted tens of millions of dollars pursuing controversial plans to rapidly increase detention capacity – and the total will likely rise due to ongoing mismanagement, congressional investigators warned on Thursday.The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) documented costly problems in several initiatives ICE has pursued since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 and ordered the mass arrest and deportation of people whom his administration has deemed should be forced out of the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump swoons over strongman soulmate Xi – are you feeling jealous, Vladimir? 24. September 2026 (20:30) Deference was deafening as US president rolled out red carpet for world’s biggest jailer of journalists – perhaps he was seeking tipsOne is an authoritarian who represses the media with a strong allergy to democratic elections. The other is head of the Chinese Communist party.Donald Trump welcomed the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to the White House on Thursday, setting the stage for a scene quite unlike anything the august old building has seen over more than two centuries. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democratic lawmakers accuse Trump administration of interference in Brazilian elections 24. September 2026 (19:56) Legislators sent letter to Marco Rubio saying US interference is weakening Brazil’s democratic institutionsUS politics live – latest updatesA group of 31 Democratic members of the US Congress has sent a letter to the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, criticising the Trump administration over “an apparent effort to interfere with, and potentially undermine” Brazil’s elections.Latin America’s largest country will hold the first round of its presidential election on 4 October, with polls showing a technical tie between the incumbent leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
France says EU’s ‘Made in Europe’ law should not include the UK 24. September 2026 (19:42) ‘If you’re not in the internal market, you don’t get the same protection,’ says French minister of policy designed to curb Chinese competitionFrance is leading a push to exclude the UK from the EU’s “Made in Europe” policy that could result in British companies losing out in the race to supply European countries with low-carbon technologies and electric cars.The plans were raised by Andy Burnham when he met the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, on the sidelines of the UN general assembly earlier this week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Launch of UK’s ‘largest AI supercomputer’ delayed by power supply problems 24. September 2026 (19:26) Datacentre hailed by government was supposed to start operating next year but may be held back into mid-2030sA huge datacentre project hailed by the UK government will miss its launch date next year and could be delayed into the mid-2030s.The site in Loughton, Essex, was described as the country’s largest AI supercomputer when it was announced in 2025, but power supply problems mean it now faces a lengthy wait before coming online. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia could attack a Nato country within months, Danish intelligence says 24. September 2026 (18:05) Warning comes hours after Poland says fire at Starlink satellite station was ‘act of sabotage’Russia could launch a limited military attack against a Nato country in the coming months, Danish intelligence said, in one of the starkest warnings yet by western security services.In a report published on Thursday, the Danish defence intelligence service warned of a “low but growing risk” that Russia could launch long-range strikes on Nato infrastructure supporting Ukraine, or carry out a limited incursion into a neighbouring country with a small number of troops, potentially operating without insignia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Cracking auction, Gromit!’ Original Aardman puppets go under the hammer 24. September 2026 (18:00) Wallace and Gromit stop-motion models and other beloved creations raise money to train new generations of animatorsWallace’s reaction as the auction got into full swing might have been a trademark “good grief!” – and the enthusiasm of some of the bidding could have caused even the phlegmatic Gromit to show surprise.Fans of Wallace and Gromit and other beloved creations of the Aardman studio seized the chance to grab souvenirs when more than 200 pieces – including Wallace, Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run puppets that starred in Aardman productions – went under the hammer on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
At Trump meeting, Xi Jingping lays out terms to avoid US-China military conflict 24. September 2026 (17:52) Chinese president’s proposals for lessening tensions come amid period of intense competition between the two countries over AI and tradeUS politics live – latest updatesXi Jingping has called for extensive cooperation with Washington to avoid the “Thucydides trap” that could put the US and China on a military collision course.At the start of his summit meeting with Donald Trump in the White House, the Chinese president laid out terms for a mutual understanding that he said could avoid military conflict between the two competing superpowers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukrainians in UK fear cut to funds for Homes for Ukraine hosts could make them homeless 24. September 2026 (17:47) Scheme set up after Russian invasion in 2022 paid £350 a month to people hosting Ukrainians but this will reduce to £100 next yearUkrainian refugees fear they could be left homeless after the government quietly axed 70% of funding for hosts of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, reducing monthly “thank you” payments to them from £350 to £100.The scheme was launched after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has provided support for 181,000 of the 234,000 Ukrainians who have since sought sanctuary in the UK. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rick Wakeman performs piano concert to 150 rescued moon bears in Vietnam 24. September 2026 (17:40) Former Yes musician plays at sanctuary to raise awareness of animals that remain stuck in cages at ‘bile farms’ Rick Wakeman has played to all kinds of people around the globe, but he has now performed to an audience he had never encountered before – an enclosure of 150 bears.The former Yes musician, who has gone on to have a prolific solo career, played the piano at a Vietnamese bear sanctuary. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
