Justin Bieber performs surprise acoustic gig in beleaguered Los Angeles park 24. September 2026 (01:33) Small crowd enjoys singer’s free concert in MacArthur Park, which has often drawn headlines for less cheery reasonsWith no announcement and little fanfare, Justin Bieber performed a free acoustic set on Monday at a Los Angeles park often in local headlines for less cheery reasons.In videos that surfaced online, four musicians flanked the global phenom, who wore a plain T-shirt and shorts as he sang hits including Daisies and Yukon. The low-key affair with a small crowd stood in stark contrast to Bieber’s recent blockbuster World Cup and Coachella performances. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump greets Xi Jinping at plane as Chinese leader arrives for state visit 24. September 2026 (01:30) US president to give red-carpet treatment to Chinese counterpart despite tensions over AI developmentTrump greets Xi – live updatesAI, trade, Taiwan and climate: what will and won’t be on agenda at Trump-Xi summitDonald Trump welcomed Xi Jinping on Wednesday evening, taking the unusual step of greeting the Chinese leader on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews to kick off his state visit to Washington.Xi’s plane was met with a lavish arrival ceremony that included a 100ft long red carpet flanked by US service members, a military flyover by two B-1 bombers and a presentation of the flags and national anthems of both countries. US presidents typically welcome foreign leaders at the White House, but Trump and first lady Melania Trump traveled to the the military base in Maryland, just outside Washington, to personally shake Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan’s hands upon their arrival in the US. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tony Blair says Britain should work towards rejoining EU in next 10 years 24. September 2026 (01:01) Andy Burnham under pressure to revisit Brexit as poll suggests pledge to rejoin could boost Labour’s electoral chancesBritain should work towards rejoining the EU in the next decade, Tony Blair has said, adding to growing pressure on Andy Burnham to abandon Labour’s reluctance to revisit the 2016 referendum.The former prime minister has urged Burnham to use his 10-year plan in November to put the country’s membership of the union back on the table, a decade after it voted to leave. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
RFK Jr received $4m in book advances from Maha allies over past year 24. September 2026 (00:56) In 2024 ethics filing, US health secretary pledged to ‘not engage in writing, editing, marketing or promotional services for any of these books during government service’Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, received $4m over the last year in book advances from allies within the Make America Healthy Again movement, according to a new report.The advances were for upcoming books by Skyhorse Publishing, a publishing house belonging to Tony Lyons, a friend of Kennedy Jr who is also president of Maha Center, a non-profit that describes itself as “tackling America’s health crisis through education, investigation, innovation and action”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Millions in England unaware they have ‘silent killer’ condition, research reveals 24. September 2026 (00:00) Approach to treating high blood pressure ‘not fit for purpose’, say researchers, with 59% of cases undiagnosedOnly half of people being treated by a GP for high blood pressure in England have it under control, and millions more are completely unaware they have the “silent killer” condition, research reveals.Most people with hypertension (59%) are in the dark and undiagnosed, raising their risk of stroke, heart attack and early death, according to the largest ever study of its kind. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: OECD says Australia will struggle to get inflation below 3%; travel woes as Qantas staff strike 23. September 2026 (23:49) Follow the day’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 600 Qantas ground crew workers have begun a 24-hour strike this morning across the country over an escalating industrial dispute.Qantas said that it has contingency plans in place and any impacts would be felt primarily by the airline’s freight and regional QantasLink services.The world has become more volatile, more contested and less secure. In this geopolitical environment, it is more important than ever that like-minded partners stand together and deepen their cooperation.Australia and the Netherlands recognise the need to continue investing in our close cooperation to meet current and future challenges.Australia and the Netherlands remain resolute in their commitment to pursuing truth, justice and accountability on behalf of the victims of the downing of MH17 and their next of kin. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Anthony Albanese says OpenAI agent hacked Medicare and he expressed ‘extreme concern’ to Sam Altman 23. September 2026 (23:38) Prime minister says he expressed ‘disappointment’ to chief executive it had taken the company ‘way too long’ to inform his government about the breachFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese says an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI hacked Medicare in June.Australia’s prime minister made the comments at the UN summit in New York, saying it appeared no personal information had been accessed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tories target universal credit claimants in plan condemned as ‘fast track to poverty’ 23. September 2026 (23:30) Proposals aim to push people into work, but charities say families are still paying price of austerity cuts and rise in cost of livingPeople claiming universal credit (UC) would have their payments cut by a third if they have not paid enough national insurance, under a Conservative plan condemned by one charity as “a fast track to increased poverty”.Under the proposals, those who receive this “subsistence allowance” would have it paid into a dedicated debit card that would prevent from them buying alcohol or tobacco, based on an Australian system that was scrapped after trials found limited evidence it changed behaviour. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pupils to be offered vocational GCSEs in radical shake-up of system in England 23. September 2026 (23:30) Courses such as finance and construction form part of PM’s push for education ‘that offers a path for everybody’Teenagers are to be offered a range of new vocational GCSEs under a radical shake-up of the school system in England designed to tackle a crisis that has left nearly a million young people out of work or training.From 2029, pupils will be able to supplement compulsory GCSE subjects such as English, maths and sciences with courses such as construction, creative media production and child development, marking the biggest changes to the qualification for more than a decade. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats accuse Susan Collins of corruption after bombshell ‘pay-to-play’ report 23. September 2026 (23:12) Republican senator calls bribery allegation ‘categorically false’ as ProPublica reports Trump derailed FBI inquiryDemocrats in Maine on Wednesday accused Republican senator Susan Collins of corruption after a major media outlet reported that the FBI had proposed investigating her for allegedly accepting bribes – before Donald Trump derailed the inquiry.The article from the investigative newsroom ProPublica rocked the race for Collins’s Senate seat, which is crucial to Democrats’ hopes of winning control of the chamber in the 3 November midterm election. The outlet reported that in the run-up to Collins’s successful bid for a fifth term in 2020, the head of her Super Pac had solicited a campaign donation from contracting firm Navatek, which demanded assurances of business from the government in return. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
