Plan for controversial $1.2bn datacentre in Sydney scrapped due to ‘emerging’ regulations 28. September 2026 (11:53) Developer Goodman Group says changes in government rules are behind decision to pull plug on ‘Project Mars’ in Lane CoveGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastPlans for a controversial $1.2bn datacentre in Lane Cove in Sydney’s north have been withdrawn, with the developer blaming “emerging” regulations from the state and federal governments for the decision to pull the plug.The “Project Mars” plans were withdrawn from the NSW planning portal on Monday, with the developer, Goodman Group, posting on its site that the policy and regulatory environment for large-scale datacentres had “evolved significantly”.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...(The Guardian)
RAF Fairford live updates: Streeting thanks farmer who alerted police but says she has ‘a partial picture’ 28. September 2026 (11:51) Member of the public who contacted police after seeing ‘group of hooded and masked men’ near RAF base says she thinks ‘someone dropped the ball’ over incidentUK security forces aware of suspected bomb plot, hints defence secretaryRAF Fairford suspected bomb plot: have you been affected?We don’t yet know the nationalities or ages of the five suspects who were arrested, their motivations/exact plans or if anybody else was involved in the suspected plot. We are expecting an update from the police later today that could answer some of these questions.In Fairford, police have imposed a 400m cordon around the air base and evacuated about residents from 85 homes while the investigation into the major incident continues. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Boss of Beaverbrooks urges government to give businesses ‘a bit of a break’ 28. September 2026 (11:12) Jeweller reports flat sales and fall in underlying operating profit as retailers anticipate October budgetBusiness live – latest updatesThe boss of the family-owned jeweller Beaverbrooks has called on the government to give business “a bit of a break” by halting cost increases amid flat sales and falling profits.The retailer, founded in 1919, revealed a 9% fall in underlying operating profit to £7.8m last year after an increase in employer national insurance contributions (NICs) and the legal minimum wage introduced by the former chancellor Rachel Reeves. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
After a dead whale washed up at a Perth beach, some took selfies. Others held their nose from the stench 28. September 2026 (11:11) Local authorities have closed the beach for several kilometres and multiple sharks have been spotted in the areaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMultiple sharks have been spotted swimming near a large, smelly whale carcass that has washed ashore at a popular capital city beach, drawing hundreds of onlookers.Surf lifesavers found the dead animal at Perth’s City beach at about 7.30am on Monday and raised the alarm. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK security forces were aware of RAF Fairford suspected bomb plot, hints defence secretary 28. September 2026 (10:47) Wes Streeting indicates farmer who alerted police and said security forces had ‘dropped the ball’ only ‘had a partial picture’ UK security services were aware in advance about a group of men arrested in connection to a bomb plot against an RAF base used by the US military, Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, has indicated.Five men were arrested on terrorism charges after armed officers found explosives in three vans parked minutes from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which hosts US air force missions against Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rod Stewart announces final tour for 2027: ‘Most definitely my last’ 28. September 2026 (10:18) The 81-year-old singer will wrap up a touring career that stretches back to his mid-teens in the early 1960s, with dates planned for UK and EuropeRod Stewart has announced that his next tour will be his last.The 81-year-old singer has been touring since the early 1960s, when he set out across Europe with a harmonica – and ended up getting deported from Spain for vagrancy – in a duo with folk singer Wizz Jones. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Anthropic will not appear at Senate inquiry into AI and datacentres amid fallout from OpenAI hack 28. September 2026 (10:00) Company behind Claude chatbot expected to attend separate Australian government hearing on AI next weekGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThe chief executive of Anthropic will turn down an invitation to appear at a Senate committee hearing on AI this week, in the wake of the revelation that OpenAI agents had breached Australian government websites.However, the company will make an appearance before another committee early next week.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Children forced to give up school for work as fighting upends daily life in Yemen 28. September 2026 (09:07) Renewed fighting between Iran-aligned Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces has shattered four years of relative calmIn the mornings, 13-year-old Muneer Farie went to school, and in the afternoons he helped his father feed the livestock. He took his studies seriously, dreaming of becoming the first teacher in his family of farmers.As fighting approached his village in al-Wazeyah district in Taiz, Yemen, two weeks ago, Muneer’s focus started to drift from his lessons. The classroom echoed with the distant sounds of explosions and gunfire. His home was suddenly on the frontline of renewed fighting between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Chancellor John Healey to promise ‘new age of industrialisation’ in speech to Labour conference – UK politics live 28. September 2026 (08:54) Healey to announce new facilities to maintain nuclear submarines on the Clyde Good morning. John Healey, the chancellor, is the main speaker at the Labour conference. He was a surprise appointment to replace Rachel Reeves, he is unveiling his budget four weeks on Wednesday, and some of the pre-briefing suggests when the budget does come, it will be a relatively low-key affair, with a lot of decisions postponed until the spending review next year. And so we are definitely not expecting huge announcements at lunchtime today.But there will be some striking language. Healey is going to promise a “new age of industrialisation”.My politics were shaped by the industrial heartlands of South Yorkshire. Today, on the site of the Orgreave pit, is Rotherham’s Advanced Manufacturing Park. Our coal mines are not coming back. But this is how Britain’s industrial past is being remade now for the modern world. This is the new age of industrialisation. A new confidence in Britain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Victoria police apologise over death of injured man taken to cells instead of hospital 28. September 2026 (08:47) Inquest into 2023 death shown footage of John Makai struggling to stand after suffering serious head injury from being punched in head by sonFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictorian police have apologised to the family of a man who died after being held for five hours in a police cell without medical treatment for a significant head injury.John Makai, a 58-year-old father of 10, died in 2023 from serious head trauma that went untreated despite him being unresponsive in a Broadmeadows cell, the Victorian coroner’s court heard on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
