Iran school bombing: grounds to believe US was behind atrocity, UN finds 17. September 2026 (11:05) Fact-finding mission says military strikes on school and sports facility in February constitute war crimesA UN fact-finding mission on Iran has said there are reasonable grounds to believe the US was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes.It also found Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Next forecasts bigger profits after hot weather lifts sales 17. September 2026 (09:42) FTSE 100 retailer, which owns UK rights to US brands Gap and Victoria’s Secret, says prices could rise in autumnBusiness live – latest updatesNext has thanked warmer weather for an “unexpected” boost in sales, leading the clothing retailer to raise its profit forecasts for the fourth time this year.The FTSE 100 company, which owns the UK rights to the US brands Gap and Victoria’s Secret as well as stakes in labels including Reiss and Joules, raised its expectations for full-year profits by £12m to £1.26bn. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia Post worker stole dozens of bank cards to fund ‘debilitating’ gambling addiction 17. September 2026 (08:41) Court hears Mauro Paul Coluzzi and two associates defrauded customers and banks of more than $130,000Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australia Post worker’s crippling gambling addiction spiralled into purchases of gold jewellery, phones and even online gaming gift cards with stolen bank cards.Mauro Paul Coluzzi’s family members broke down in court as he was jailed until December 2027 for leading two criminal syndicates funded with pilfered plastic. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Peers call for UK to enact tobacco-style ban on gambling advertising 17. September 2026 (08:00) Lords’ report faces criticism from lobby groups after suggesting ban would be ‘most effective’ way to reduce public harmsThe UK should introduce a ban on almost all gambling advertising to protect public health, a cross-party group of peers has urged, prompting fury from the lobby group for bookmakers and casinos.In a 173-page report, the House of Lords liaison committee said the government had been “too passive” in response to an explosion of digital advertising and social media influencers promoting the gambling sector. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Access-to-nature crisis ‘on par with that of Victorian Britain’s filthy air’ 17. September 2026 (08:00) Research finds many in England lack proximity to green and blue spaces as Labour urged to speed up manifesto pledgeNearly half of all parliamentary constituencies in England have low access to nature despite a government target to ensure everyone is within a 15-minute walk from a green or blue space, new research reveals.The analysis by the Wildlife Trusts comes as the charity presents a green paper to ministers in an attempt to speed up Labour’s manifesto promise to improve access to nature and promote biodiversity.Make it more affordable for local authorities to use compulsory purchase powers for land purchase.Establish a community right to buy land for nature access.Treat nature as essential infrastructure, and free up capital funds to pay for the ongoing maintenance of natural spaces.Make it mandatory for developers to create climate- and nature-friendly housing estates.Make access to major rivers, especially those in urban areas, a statutory right. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Women in England with incurable breast cancer to get life-extending drug on NHS 17. September 2026 (07:00) Thousands with HER2-low advanced breast cancer will have access to Enhertu after ministers strike deal on priceThousands of women in England with incurable breast cancer will get access to a life-extending drug on the NHS after negotiations over its cost proved successful.About 1,000 women a year with HER2-low advanced breast cancer will be able to obtain Enhertu from Thursday after ministers and the drug’s makers struck a deal on its price. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Like a Disney movie’: Three wild dog brothers make Africa’s longest journey 17. September 2026 (06:00) As three siblings came of age and had to leave their pack, scientists tracked the dogs’ perilous 2,500-mile odyssey to find their own territoryIt sounds like a Disney movie: three wild dogs, all brothers, on an epic journey to find a home of their own after their family tells them to leave. They dodge cars and hunters in search of a new life, navigating bushmeat snares and the hostility of a human-dominated landscape until they find a new haven on the African savannah.But this is exactly what happened in Zambia last year, when three endangered African wild dogs made the longest-ever recorded single journey of any mammal from the continent. The brothers travelled more than 2,500 miles (4,100km) over eight months in their “dispersal” – when a young dog comes of age and must establish new territory to find a mate and start a family of their own. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
English Heritage trains new generation of scythers to maintain meadows and craft 17. September 2026 (06:00) Initiative aims to keep alive age-old skill, and at Muchelney Abbey in Somerset improve habitat for rare shrill carder beeIt sounds like something out of a Thomas Hardy novel: a merry band of men and women roaming the West Country cutting meadows by hand in exchange for hunks of bread and cheese.But the conservation charity English Heritage is recruiting a team of volunteer scythers to maintain 21st-century meadowland in the old-fashioned way. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Turkey detains dozens in crackdown on LGBTQ+ activists and journalists 17. September 2026 (06:00) Protesters teargassed as minister claims widespread raids and arrests under obscenity laws were to ‘protect families’ Turkish authorities have used accusations of obscenity to justify a wave of raids and arrests targeting the LGBTQ+ community, which has grown to include journalists as well as more than 150 arrested during protests against the raids.Starting in the early hours of Sunday, Turkish police carried out simultaneous raids on the offices of LGBTQ+ rights organisations and HIV-advocacy groups in the cities of Istanbul, the capital, Ankara, and the coastal city of İzmir, as well as the cities of Aydın and Mersin. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Prominent athlete tells Alan Jones trial he sent shirtless photo before unwanted kiss he wished ‘never happened’ 17. September 2026 (05:50) Former 2GB and 2UE broadcaster has pleaded not guilty to 22 indecent assault and sexual touching chargesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn alleged victim of Alan Jones has told a Sydney court that an unwanted kiss from the former shock jock more than a decade ago is seared in his memory and he wished it never happened.The ex-sportsman, known as complainant M, agreed during cross-examination by the defence that he sent Jones a shirtless photo of him in Paris some months before the alleged kiss. Continue reading...(The Guardian)