Republican senator criticizes White House for taxpayer-funded Trump ads 27. September 2026 (21:54) John Kennedy pushes back against such spending as pro-Trump ‘public service announcements’ air before midtermsAs the White House expands a taxpayer-funded advertising campaign to promote Donald Trump’s political agenda before the November midterm elections, US senator John Kennedy told CBS News on Sunday “there ought to be a rule” against such spending – before tacitly admitting such spending is “probably” illegal.Kennedy, the US president’s fellow Republican, was asked by Margaret Brennan, the CBS Face the Nation host, about the White House spending to air multiple ads featuring Trump – including one that was produced for his 2024 election campaign. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Serbia’s populist president Aleksandar Vučić resigns to run for prime minister 27. September 2026 (21:09) Vučić not allowed to seek third presidential term and election will test his grip on rule after widespread protestsSerbia’s populist president, Aleksandar Vučić, has resigned to pursue an attempt to become prime minister in an early parliamentary election that will test his firm rule in the Balkan country after nearly two years of protests.Vučić’s second presidential term would otherwise end in May next year. He is banned by the constitution from seeking a third term and said he was resigning to lead his rightwing Serbian Progressive party (SNS) in the 25 October ballot. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham to fight next election with plan for NHS-style care service 27. September 2026 (20:56) PM says he is willing to expend political capital to bring in universal service that would be funded by ‘everybody’Analysis: can Labour hang on to Burnham bounce?Andy Burnham will fight the next election with a pledge to finally fix the broken social care system, acknowledging that he is willing to expend political capital by asking taxpayers to cover the cost.As Labour’s party conference began in Liverpool, he pledged to “rip the plaster off” to radically transform care, setting out a vision for a universal service that would be free at the point of use for everybody in England. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Five arrested on terrorism charges after explosives found near RAF base used by US 27. September 2026 (20:49) Counter-terrorism police investigate whether Iran is behind suspected bomb plot after member of public calls 999 over suspicious vehiclesCounter-terrorism police are investigating whether Iran is behind a suspected bomb plot after armed officers found explosives on three vans parked minutes from an RAF base used by the US military.The Guardian understands that after five men were arrested on terrorism charges, investigators were examining materials found in the vans, with an initial view being they were consistent with improvised explosive devices. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Republican says Trump’s support of Ken Paxton in Texas primary was ‘colossal mistake’ 27. September 2026 (20:19) Thom Tillis says Trump’s decision to back Paxton over John Cornyn has put the Senate seat at risk for RepublicansUS senator Thom Tillis on Sunday criticized Donald Trump, his fellow Republican, for the president’s support of Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Senate Republican primary.“He made a colossal mistake,” Tillis, a frequent Trump critic from North Carolina, said during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union in reference to the president’s support of Paxton who defeated Cornyn in the May primary. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Don’t squander it’: Can Labour hang on to the Burnham bounce? 27. September 2026 (20:05) Conference delegates grateful ousting Starmer has paid off, but relief tempered by fiscal headwinds aheadUK politics live – latest updatesEven Andy Burnham’s closest allies accept that deposing Keir Starmer to install their man as leader was a huge political gamble. But if the mood at the Labour party conference in Liverpool is anything to go by, it is one that – so far – has paid off.The contrast with last year, when Starmer retained his grip on the party and Burnham slunk away from Liverpool early, could not be more stark. Their relief at their turn of fortune is tempered only by the fiscal headwinds ahead. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK to open new refugee resettlement routes for Afghan women and Palestinians 27. September 2026 (20:00) Exclusive: Move by Shabana Mahmood comes after closure of Afghan scheme last year but experts say numbers too small to deter Channel crossingsUK politics live – latest updatesShabana Mahmood will announce a new legal route for refugees that prioritises Afghan women and girls and Palestinians, unfreezing a scheme that will put the most vulnerable refugees on a faster path to permanent status.The change marks a shift in Mahmood’s approach to asylum seekers after the abrupt closure of the Afghan resettlement scheme last year and changes that will keep refugee status under constant review for two decades. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Late-night drive and a 999 call: chance encounter that led to terrorism arrests at RAF base 27. September 2026 (19:23) Local people say members of WhatsApp group noticed suspicious activity around vans in Whelford overnightIn the early hours of Sunday morning, a resident of the village of Whelford was driving home when she saw three white vans parked on a country road. She was immediately suspicious, she said, and all the more so when she spotted a “large group of hooded and balaclavaed” men. She called 999 and police arrived on the scene 15 minutes later.The resident, who asked not to be named, told the Press Association: “It would appear that by doing so I just derailed whatever they [the men] were planning. A plucky amateur shouldn’t be spotting an unusual bit of activity at 1am when the airbase is on high alert. I think it’s absolutely astonishing.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UN ambassador Waltz says Iran was not negotiating ‘in good faith’ to end war 27. September 2026 (18:28) Waltz says Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to end war because they ‘were asking for everything up front’The Trump administration’s ambassador to the United Nations said the US rejected Iran’s proposal to end the ongoing war there because Iranian negotiators “were asking for everything up front”.Echoing comments by Donald Trump on Saturday, the president’s UN ambassador Mike Waltz told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that Iran had asked for relief “from billions and billions of sanctions that are going into place” as part of an economic blockade on Iran. The blockade is aimed at putting pressure on Iran to stop its attacks on vessels in the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nor’easter storm batters US east coast with heavy winds and power outages 27. September 2026 (18:01) At least one person killed and nearly 150,000 households lost electricity from North Carolina to New EnglandA strong, deadly storm known as a nor’easter battered the US’s east coast over the weekend, bringing power outages, flooding, damaging winds and hazardous ocean conditions.Trees and power lines were knocked down across the region, at least one person was killed and hundreds of thousands were left without electricity as officials cautioned that conditions could deteriorate further. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
