Drivers ignoring roadwork closures to skip queues ‘wilfully putting lives at risk’ 18. September 2026 (13:00) Hundreds of cars driven through cones or barriers in England this year, says National HighwaysDrivers ignoring roadwork closures to skip queues are putting lives at risk, National Highways has warned, after recording hundreds of incidents this year where cars were deliberately driven through cones or barriers.The agency, which manages motorways and major roads, said there was increasing concern about incursions into closed-off roadworks and the danger they posed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK to answer for its ‘dismal record’ in Eurovision before committee of MPs 18. September 2026 (12:01) Digital, culture, media and sport committee expected to hear evidence from BBC chiefs and music industry experts Joe and Jake. Daz Sampson. Electro Velvet. Who could forget them?Most people, probably. They are among some of the many acts who represented the UK at the Eurovision song contest in the last 20 years that have failed to find a place in the country’s cultural pantheon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian man accused of murdering Thai teenager and putting body in suitcase pleads not guilty 18. September 2026 (12:00) Simon Peter Carman appeared in a Pattaya court on Friday charged with killing Tunchanok Donhomla An Australian man accused of murdering a Thai teenager and putting her body in a suitcase pleaded not guilty on Friday in a hearing in the seaside resort city of Pattaya, a court official said.Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested in June after 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla was reported missing in Pattaya City, about 150km south-east of Bangkok. A suitcase containing her body was found shortly after. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump officials sending undocumented children to Texas sparks fears of mass deportation 18. September 2026 (12:00) Nearly 90% of children in federal custody being directed to GOP-controlled state that has unlicensed facilities and low legal representation ratesThe Trump administration has started sending a majority of undocumented children who came to the US alone and have new immigration court cases to Texas, where government facilities for them are unlicensed, their chances of getting a lawyer are low and advocates fear that “a deportation churn-out factory” awaits them, the Guardian has learned.Almost 80% of children in federal custody who arrived unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian and who were placed in immigration court proceedings in July – and over 90% in August – have been funneled into shelter networks somewhere in Texas, a dramatic upswing from the months prior, according to analysis shared exclusively with the Guardian from researchers at the immigration data insights platform bklg.org. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Louisiana firefighters find feline native to sub-Saharan Africa while responding to house fire 18. September 2026 (12:00) The African serval, illegally enclosed in the back yard, was subdued and transferred to an animal welfare facility Louisiana firefighters responding to a small house blaze found a wildcat native to sub-Saharan Africa illegally enclosed in the back yard, and an animal welfare agency is now seeking to place the creature in an appropriate environment, according to officials.Firefighters investigating a report of a minor fire at a home in the suburban New Orleans community of Marrero on Tuesday spotted the cat in question – an African serval – behind the residence in a chain-linked enclosure resembling a cramped baseball batting cage, a spokesperson for the local animal protection services said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iranian actor Laheh Marzban faces severe threats after Venice film festival speech 18. September 2026 (11:59) Marzban, who won a best actress award for her portrayal of a woman held hostage by her father in Falling House, has received condemnations from authorities after dedicating her prize to ‘the women of Iran’An Iranian actress who won the best newcomer award at the Venice film festival has come under severe attack from the country’s authorities and state media after highlighting the plight of women in Iran in her acceptance speech.Laleh Marzban last Saturday won the best actress award in the Orizzonti sidebar competition for emerging talent, for her role in Mohsen Gharaei’s Falling House, a film revolving around three generations of women who are incarcerated in their own home by the family’s father. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Swimmer dies after being bitten by shark off popular Perth beach 18. September 2026 (11:52) Locals describe their shock at witnessing the incident at Sorrento Beach on Friday morningFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man has died after being bitten by a shark off Sorrento Beach in Perth’s north.Emergency services were called to the popular beach at about 10.30am on Friday after reports of a shark-related incident. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andrew Hastie says AI advised him to reply ‘congratulations!’ to man who planned to end life with assisted dying 18. September 2026 (11:05) Liberal MP speaks of AI’s shortcomings as cyber chief tells inquiry the tech is needed to fend off ‘highly capable malicious cyber actors’Get our new political email, free app or daily news podcastWhen a man with a terminal illness wrote to his local MP Andrew Hastie, telling him he planned on ending his own life with voluntary assisted dying, Microsoft Copilot suggested Hastie reply with “congratulations!”, “great to hear from you” or “that is wonderful news!”.Hastie shared the episode at a parliamentary inquiry on Friday to underline the shortcomings of the American-run software as he called for AI run by Australians. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: Thunderstorms hit Spain as Japan braces for typhoon 18. September 2026 (10:36) At least one person dead as stormy weather causes severe flooding in Barcelona and Valencia Intense and slow-moving thunderstorms broke out on Wednesday afternoon across parts of eastern Spain, bringing some severe flooding and killing at least one person.Storms first struck over the Castilla-La Mancha region during the afternoon before passing over Spain’s east coast, becoming very slow-moving and continuing overnight. Torrential rainfall, strong winds and large hail were reported in Valencia and Barcelona, causing widespread flooding in both cities. Weather stations west of Barcelona recorded some of the highest totals with more than 100mm (4in) of rain falling in the space of a few hours, and locally 70mm in just 30 minutes in the early hours of Thursday morning. Cars and roads were submerged, and flights were cancelled across the region. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘We demand the truth’: Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee lead calls for proof of life of disappeared Eritrean writers 18. September 2026 (10:30) More than 180 writers sign letter renewing calls for information on 12 authors detained incommunicado since 2001 crackdown on free speech by Isaias AfwerkiMore than 180 writers have signed a letter to Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki calling for proof of life for 12 writers arrested in 2001.Nobel laureates Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee join prominent writers including Colm Tóibín, Elif Shafak, Isabel Allende, Ben Okri, Yann Martel, Kamila Shamsie and Tsitsi Dangarembga in signing the letter dated 18 September, marking 25 years since a government crackdown on the independent press. “Within days, Eritrea’s free press and the nation’s independent voices were systematically crushed,” opens the letter. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
