Rebel offensive against Ethiopian army stokes fears of return to civil war 24. September 2026 (17:29) Fighting escalates after Tigrayan rebels form new coalition aimed at overthrowing Abiy Ahmed governmentThere are growing fears of a return to civil war in Ethiopia after an offensive by fighters from Tigray into the neighbouring states of Afar and Amhara and the formation of a new rebel alliance aimed at overthrowing the government of the prime minister, Abiy Ahmed.About 600,000 people died between 2020 and 2022 during a devastating war between the Ethiopian army and the political party and paramilitary group Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Both sides are now accusing the other of triggering a return to open conflict. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Firms fined £1.3m after man killed by falling window from luxury property in London 24. September 2026 (17:10) Mick Ferris was crushed to death when the 130kg pane fell 26 storeys from the Corniche housing developmentTwo companies have been fined a total of £1.3m over health and safety breaches after a coach driver was killed by a falling window pane.Mick Ferris, 53, was crushed when a window fell 26 storeys from the Corniche, a luxury development in Vauxhall, London, on 2 October 2018. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
TikTok drops appeal against £12.7m fine for not keeping under-13s off platform 24. September 2026 (17:00) UK watchdog fined video app in 2023 for failing to enforce minimum age limit and remove underage usersTikTok will pay a £12.7m fine to the UK’s data watchdog after dropping an appeal against a ruling that it did not do enough to keep children below the age of 13 off the platform.The video app was punished by the Information Commissioner’s Office in 2023 for inadequate checks of who was using the platform, and failing to remove underage users. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia’s newest chicken factory looks like a modern art gallery – but will it improve animal welfare? 24. September 2026 (17:00) Three million chickens a week will be processed at the state-of-the-art facility in Tamworth – a fifth of all those eaten nationwideIt is for birds? Is it for planes?The sleek, rust-coloured saucer settles into the earth, mirroring the surrounding hills. It looks like an art gallery or a high-end conference centre – an architectural masterpiece designed to sit lightly on the land. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
AI hack of Medicare exposes Australia’s vulnerabilities and experts warn ‘there is more of this to come’ 24. September 2026 (17:00) Council on AI Strategy chief says incident unlikely to be isolated and country should enhance capability to detect and report incidentsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTechnology experts have warned revelations an artificial intelligence agent hacked Medicare’s internal systems will not be the only dangerous breach of government data and have called for Australia to boost its protections against the growing risk.The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, challenged the OpenAI boss, Sam Altman, on Thursday after the company’s agent infiltrated systems run by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Victoria’s Department of Health, the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, and the Medicare statistics reporting service portal of Services Australia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Boy, 16, held in ‘cramped’ prison cell alone for 22 hours a day for weeks, Victorian ombudsman finds 24. September 2026 (17:00) Ombudsman finds government breached teen’s human rights, saying the conditions ‘bordered on solitary confinement’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA 16-year-old boy was held in conditions akin to solitary confinement in adult prison for 22 hours a day, leading him to have suicidal thoughts, a Victorian ombudsman report has revealed.The report, tabled in parliament on Thursday, found the Department of Justice and Community Safety breached the teen’s human rights when transferring him from the Parkville Youth Justice Precinct to the maximum-security Melbourne Assessment Prison in early 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
