NBC helicopter crash in LA kills at least three people with others injured 16. September 2026 (06:32) Accident occurred as news crews in Los Angeles were covering a bus crash that had killed at least two people hours earlierA news helicopter crash in a Los Angeles neighborhood has killed at least three people, after it came to the ground and burst into flames near the site of a bus crash that occurred hours earlier.The helicopter crashed near a one-storey commercial building in the neighborhood of Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, as news crews were covering the bus crash that left at least two people dead and six others injured, according the Los Angeles Fire Department. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK mathematician debunks myth around Parthenon’s optical illusions 16. September 2026 (06:01) Study challenges belief that temple’s curves were designed to correct optical illusions that would have ruined its clean linesA mathematician has uncovered what may be one of the longest-running myths in history after studying optical illusions and the Parthenon, the famed Greek temple that overlooks Athens.Scholars have marvelled at the building on the Acropolis hill for more than 2,000 years and heaped praise on its architects for their clever use of geometry. Its subtle curves are said to correct optical illusions that would have otherwise ruined the Parthenon’s clean lines. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Airlines should pay for CO2 removal if Heathrow expands, say climate advisers 16. September 2026 (06:00) Climate Change Committee says government cannot expand airport without requiring aviation industry to clean up its emissions Heathrow airport should be allowed to expand only if airlines pay for the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the government’s climate advisers have said.Building a third runway and new terminals, as some in government want to do, would breach the UK’s carbon budgets and make reaching net zero by 2050 impossible, on current policies, according to the Climate Change Committee. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Students in Gaza ‘devastated’ after plan for them to study in Belgium fails 16. September 2026 (06:00) Belgian government unable to agree on evacuation of 13 students to take up scholarships at universitiesStudents who are unable to leave Gaza and take up scholarships at Belgian universities have said they are devastated after Belgium’s government hit deadlock on a plan enabling them to leave the war-torn territory.Ahmed Abujami, a 28-year-old doctor in Gaza, said he was “deeply disappointed” after Belgium’s five-party coalition government last Friday failed to agree on an evacuation plan for 13 students and researchers in the territory. Abujami has a scholarship to do a one-year master’s degree in public health at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. He hopes to gain skills and experience to rebuild Gaza’s shattered health system. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Expect even more potholes on UK roads after summer heatwaves, says RAC 16. September 2026 (06:00) Extreme weather has made brittle road surfaces more likely to crack, increasing strain on infrastructureThe UK’s dilapidated roads are expected to get even worse, with motorists warned to expect a jump in the number of potholes as result of the country’s hottest summer on record.Potholes are commonly assumed to be caused by cold or wet weather, but long periods of heat can also create long-lasting damage on the roads, according to the RAC. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jeremy Greenwood denies giving ‘ridiculous’ evidence to Icac about ‘mum’s perspective’ from premier’s sister-in-law 16. September 2026 (05:23) Counsel assisting inquiry suggests Anita Perrottet’s alleged advice on vaping and greyhound industry was already on public record from other sourcesA Liberal factional figure has rejected a suggestion he gave “ridiculous” evidence that Dominic Perrottet’s sister-in-law shared in $660,999 for giving a “mum’s perspective” on lobbying clients, the New South Wales anti-corruption watchdog has heard.Jeremy Greenwood told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday it was not relevant that Anita Perrottet’s children were under five at the time she provided advice on vaping among minors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Saudi Arabia warns of ‘red line’ after Houthi drone intercepted close to holy city of Mecca 16. September 2026 (04:56) The Iran-aligned militant group rejected the suggestion it had targeted Mecca, while the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned the attackSaudi Arabia’s air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, according to a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition which is fighting the Iran-aligned group in Yemen.The security of Islam’s two holiest sites and of pilgrims was a “red line”, coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said early on Wednesday, adding that the coalition would take necessary deterrent measures against the Houthis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alice Springs heavy metal music venue raises $1m in donations in fight to stay open 16. September 2026 (04:31) Supporters from around Australia back the Black Wreath, a volunteer-run centre far off the beaten touring trackAlice Springs has a population of 34,000 and exactly one dedicated live music space: a heavy metal venue called the Black Wreath. It has hosted hundreds of bands from around the country over the past decade – despite being 1,500km from the nearest city.For musicians in central Australia, the Black Wreath is a one-of-a-kind resource. So when its operators were informed last year of the owners’ plans to sell, they negotiated a stay of execution and began devising a fundraiser that could save the desert venue. A month-long crowdfunding campaign, which called for donations that would let the team behind the Black Wreath buy the venue and place it in a trust, hit its $1m target on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The Palestinian school under siege – podcast 16. September 2026 (04:00) At least five pupils at a village school in the West Bank have been killed in the last year by settlers and soldiers. Emma Graham-Harrison reports on how the school found itself on the frontline, while a teacher explains what life is like for staff and students.Waheed Abu Naim is an English teacher at the Al Mughayyir boys’ school in a village in the West Bank. He loves his job, he says. “I am happy to be a teacher. Although we don’t get lots of money, because my students, especially in the morning, wait for me when I enter the school to shake hands, to smile at me while going inside their classes. So it’s a happy life.”But the last year has been anything but happy for Waheed. His village is now surrounded by settlers, while the military has blocked off every road except one, which has a checkpoint on it. Teachers who live in neighbouring villages cannot always come to work. But worse are the attacks on the village by settlers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Human remains found in Arizona after deadly Grand Canyon flash floods 16. September 2026 (03:43) Hiker Timothy Smith, 53, missing after late-August floods but officials decline to identify remainsHuman remains have been discovered near Arizona’s Crystal Rapids, over two weeks after a flash flood tore through the Grand Canyon, leaving two people dead and one person missing.National Park Service personnel recovered the remains, before transferring them to the Coconino county medical examiner’s office, the agency confirmed over email. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
