Democrats upbeat as unpopular Trump imperils Republican midterm hopes 06. October 2026 (13:00) Polls show GOP candidates trailing Democrats in Senate races, and Republicans also struggling in House contestsThirty days remain until the midterm elections, and Donald Trump and his Republican allies are pulling out all the stops to maintain control of Congress.Super Pacs aligned with the GOP have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising and voter outreach in races expected to decide the majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives, and plan to spend even more before the election is over. The president, vice-president JD Vance, and other top Republicans are fanning out across the country to stump for vulnerable lawmakers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Richard Morecroft, veteran ABC news presenter, dies age 70 after cancer diagnosis 06. October 2026 (12:44) Michael Rowland and Leigh Sales lead tributes to newsreader who read the ABC’s 7pm bulletin for 20 yearsGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastFormer ABC news presenter Richard Morecroft has died at the age of 70.Morecroft presented ABC’s 7pm news bulletin for almost 20 years until 2002. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Drax datacentre could create nearly twice the yearly emissions of all Gatwick flights 06. October 2026 (12:27) Exclusive: Campaign group’s analysis of North Yorkshire plans finds datacentre would have to burn 4.9m tonnes of wood a yearDrax’s planned datacentre could produce nearly double the emissions of all flights out of Gatwick airport each year by burning 4.9m tonnes of wood annually, an analysis has shown.Campaigners say this would make it “one of the dirtiest datacentres out there”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ofcom investigates Meta over Instagram Instants safety checks 06. October 2026 (12:15) Watchdog examining whether company carried out adequate risk assessment as required by Online Safety ActMark Zuckerberg’s Meta is under investigation for a potential breach of the UK’s digital safety laws after launching a Snapchat-style feature on Instagram.The UK’s communications watchdog, Ofcom, is investigating whether the $1.9tn (£1.4tn) company infringed the Online Safety Act (OSA) by failing to carry out adequate checks on whether its Instagram Instants product could show illegal content or be accessed by children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New Jersey congresswoman LaMonica McIver faces legal deadline after giving birth to second child 06. October 2026 (12:00) She must decide by the end of the week whether to seek further review of federal charges over a confrontation with ICE agents at Delaney HallA US congresswoman who just gave birth to a baby girl faces a deadline this week on whether to seek a rehearing of a federal case against her by the Trump administration after an oversight visit to an immigration detention facility.LaMonica McIver, 40, represents New Jersey’s 10th congressional district. She gave birth to her second child last Thursday – a rarity for a sitting member of Congress. She is only the 15th member of Congress to give birth while serving and part of a small subset of congresswomen who have school-age children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Using the presidency to line his pockets’: could claims of corruption fuel backlash against Trump? 06. October 2026 (12:00) Experts say president is vulnerable amid discontent over rising prices – and the US public has ample cause for complaint In Donald Trump’s telling, he’s a model of incorruptible self-sacrifice.“I’m the only president that donated his salary,” he told a group of cheering supporters at a Hispanic heritage month celebration in the White House last week, before conceding that George Washington – “a very wealthy person” – might have beaten him to the punch. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Germany arrests former domestic intelligence chief over alleged spying 06. October 2026 (11:49) August Hanning served as president of Federal Intelligence Service from 1998 to 2005Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office has said a former domestic intelligence chief was arrested on Tuesday on espionage allegations.August Hanning was president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from December 1998 to November 2005. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kenya confirms first Ebola case and says patient has died 06. October 2026 (11:35) Health minister says 28 contacts identified after death of citizen who arrived from DRC on SaturdayKenya has recorded its first confirmed Ebola case, a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and arrived in Nairobi on Saturday, the health minister, Aden Duale, has said.The patient has since died, and 28 contacts have been identified so far including family members and health workers, Duale told a press conference. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
George Fenton, Oscar-nominated British composer for more than 100 films, dies aged 76 06. October 2026 (11:24) Fenton’s successes include scores for Gandhi, Groundhog Day and 18 Ken Loach films, plus BBC TV news themes, Blue Planet and moreGeorge Fenton, the British composer who earned five Oscar nominations for scores to films such as Gandhi and Dangerous Liaisons, has died aged 76.A statement from his family said his death was “unexpected” but did not give a cause. The statement added that he was survived by various family members, as well as “a life of music”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Woman’s body found in stockyard trough close to NSW-Queensland border 06. October 2026 (11:05) Police say body found by trail bike riders at remote farm in Terragon is badly decomposed, sparking search of missing persons recordsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA partially submerged body believed to be a woman has been discovered in a remote stockyard, with the death being treated as suspicious.Officers were called to a property in Terragon, near Murwillumbah in northern NSW, at about 11.20am on Monday after reports of a dead body. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
