‘We are prey’: discovery of seven women’s bodies fuels anger over femicide in South Africa 16. September 2026 (09:00) String of female murder victims found near Johannesburg’s international airport, including five in the past weekThe discovery of the bodies of seven women around Johannesburg’s international airport, including five in the past week, has prompted an outpouring of fear, grief and anger over a lack of progress in tackling femicide.When Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo did not return after going for a run on 9 September, her eight-year-old daughter alerted relatives, who contacted police. The 38-year-old’s body was found on Saturday and identified by relatives on Monday. The news of her disappearance had gone viral. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Von der Leyen to set out challenges and opportunities for EU in ‘state of the Union’ speech – Europe live 16. September 2026 (08:54) European Commission president sets out opportunities and challenges facing the European UnionThe speech is expected to start in the next 10-15 minutes, so you can watch as the European Parliament’s Hemicycle in Strasbourg is filling up ahead of the speech.Here’s our live stream for today: Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Anywhere, anytime’: Victoria police and PSOs to get random stop and search powers after Labor backflip 16. September 2026 (08:39) Premier Ben Carroll adopts Coalition’s stance on Jack’s Law, which gives police and PSOs power to randomly search people for knives with metal detectorsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Victorian premier has made another policy backflip, announcing a re-elected Labor government would give police and protective services officers the power to stop and search people for knives using handheld metal detectors – despite experts warning of a lack of evidence that the measure reduces violent crime.Ben Carroll on Wednesday announced he would match a commitment made by the Coalition opposition last year to introduce Queensland’s Jack’s Law, named after 17-year-old Jack Beasley, who was fatally stabbed in Surfers Paradise in 2019. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Al-Qaida and IS-linked violence in Africa’s Sahel belt set to hit record levels this year 16. September 2026 (08:00) Twenty-five years after 9/11, figures compiled by conflict monitor underline how Sahel region has become centre of Islamist terrorIslamist extremist violence in Africa’s Sahel region is set to reach historic highs after a series of sweeping offensives by groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State, according to new figures compiled by the conflict monitor Acled.As the US marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks launched by al-Qaida against targets in Washington and New York, the statistics underline the continued expansion of the veteran organisation in parts of Africa – in stark contrast with its relative weakness elsewhere. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sydney man who allegedly called 13-year-old Muslim girl a ‘terrorist’ berates judge after bail refused 16. September 2026 (07:27) Omar Yassine was arrested and charged with stalking and intimidation after allegedly hurling insults at year 8 student wearing a hijabGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA middle-aged man accused of a “disgusting” Islamophobic attack on a 13-year-old girl has berated a judge after he was denied bailOmar Yassine made an eventful court appearance on Wednesday after being held by police overnight for allegedly verbally abusing the Muslim schoolgirl on a Sydney bus. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Anthropic to build $31bn datacentre in western Queensland, David Crisafulli says 16. September 2026 (07:20) Premier describes deal as ‘major win’ that will deliver more jobs for the state and put more energy into its gridAnthropic, the AI giant behind the large language model Claude, has done a deal to lease the site of its first Australian datacentre in western Queensland.The state premier, David Crisafulli, announced the decision in parliament on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Slave-trade wealth was embedded in Britain’s financial system, research finds 16. September 2026 (07:00) Dozens of Bank of England directors and founding subscribers invested in trafficking of enslaved AfricansThe Bank of England and the British financial system were for centuries deeply involved in the enslavement and transatlantic trafficking of millions of African people, according to new research on Britain’s slavery history.Research by historians compiling the Register of British Slave Traders has found that the scale of the financial system’s involvement in enslavement is greater than previously known or acknowledged. The Bank of England, the central bank owned by the government since nationalisation by Clement Attlee’s Labour administration in 1946, had dozens of financiers involved in its foundation who were also significant investors in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fresh evidence of C of E’s role in enslavement uncovered as church wrestles with reparations debate 16. September 2026 (07:00) Register of British Slave Traders shows clergymen financed company that trafficked enslaved Africans on hundreds of voyagesNearly 250 years after the abolitionist Ottobah Cugoano made the Christian case for reparative justice, the archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, visited the Ghanaian shore where he was enslaved as a boy.After witnessing the dungeons beneath the chapel at Cape Coast Castle, once run by the Royal African Company (RAC), Mullally recommitted the Church of England to its “journey of repentance” for its role in slavery. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Revealed: the UK towns with the fewest jobs for young people 16. September 2026 (07:00) Rotherham has 46 online vacancies for every 1,000 young people but there are 288 in Cotswold district council areaYoung people in Rotherham face a local jobs market with the fewest suitable opportunities in Britain, according to a report that warns stark regional divisions are fuelling a crisis in youth work.As ministers push to combat rising youth unemployment, the analysis from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) showed young people faced a tougher challenge in some parts of the country to find work than in others. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
People protecting nature and land set up self-defence units amid threat of murder 16. September 2026 (07:00) Defenders of forests and rivers killed at rate of one every three days in 2025, with 85% of deaths in Latin AmericaNature and land defenders were murdered at the rate of one every three days last year, prompting many communities to set up self-defence units, according to the latest annual death toll by the independent watchdog Global Witness.Organised crime groups or professional killers were implicated in more than a third of the 124 killings of defenders in 2025 as narco-trafficking activities overlapped with intrusions into indigenous territories and environmental crime, such as illegal logging and wildcat gold mining. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
