Trump’s former press secretary Karoline Leavitt to join Fox News 05. October 2026 (17:01) Youngest press secretary in White House history left earlier this year after the birth of her second childKaroline Leavitt, who stepped down as White House press secretary in August, is joining her former boss’s favorite network, Fox News, as an on-air contributor, the channel announced on Monday.Considering that two of her predecessors from Donald Trump’s first administration, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kayleigh McEnany, had also joined Fox after leaving office, Leavitt was seen as a logical fit for Fox, on which she will begin providing commentary on 1 November. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
In both France and Spain, ruling parties must prove they can give young protesters hope 05. October 2026 (16:55) Demonstrations over housing rights and crumbling schools are a sign the younger generation is withdrawing political consentEurope live – latest updatesIn Spain, tens of thousands of people in 50 cities have taken to the streets amid mounting fury over the country’s housing crisis, their feelings made plain on a banner at the burgeoning protest camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol plaza: “You can speculate on watches, jewels, crypto-bros and Ferraris. But not on our fucking homes.”In France, as high school pupils clash with police in often violent protests over long hours, missing teachers, crumbling classrooms and an opaque university admissions system, the angry slogans include: “More hours in class than for sleep”, “Fund study, not repression” and “I’d like to be worrying about my maths exam, not my future”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dennis Hastert, former House speaker disgraced by molestation allegations, dies aged 84 05. October 2026 (16:26) The Republican, who was sent to prison in 2016 in a hush-money case tied to the allegations, died over the weekendDennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican US House speaker, died over the weekend, a coroner said on Monday. He was 84.Hastert, who was speaker from 1999 until 2007, died of natural causes at his home, according to Jacquie Purcell, the Kendall county coroner. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US book bans in public schools reach record annual high of 12,000 05. October 2026 (16:18) Texas tops list with 8,100 bans while Stephen King is again most banned author, PEN America findsThe US saw almost 12,000 book bans in public schools during the 2025-2026 school year, the highest number in a single year, according to the free-expression non-profit PEN America.In a report released on Monday, PEN America said that there had been 34,000 instances of book bans since the organization started tallying the increasing “book censorship crisis” across US schools in 2021. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran’s oil minister resigns as country’s economic crisis worsens 05. October 2026 (16:16) Departure comes amid large drop in oil receipts, rampant inflation and shrinking economyIran’s oil minister has resigned days after allegations that an intermediary trust selling Iranian oil abroad owed millions of dollars’ worth of export receipts to the state.Mohsen Paknejad’s departure comes as Iran grapples with a dire economic situation, including inflation running at 85%. An overall drop in oil receipts has led to a massive shortfall in foreign exchange earnings and one of the biggest drops in the value of the rial since the Iranian revolution in 1979. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mel B ‘heartbroken’ by Windrush scandal victims’ fight for justice 05. October 2026 (16:11) Public figures back commissioner’s call for government commitment to funding legal support for those affectedThe singer and television personality Mel B has said she is “heartbroken” by the Windrush scandal victims’ fight for justice, as the Windrush commissioner urged ministers to commit to providing funding for legal support for those affected by the end of October.In April, the Guardian revealed that the Home Office had refused to pay compensation in more than half the claims made by victims of the scandal, in which mainly Black Britons who came legally to postwar Britain were wrongly stripped of citizenship and settlement rights. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hundreds of Australians, including war veterans, are being buried in unmarked communal graves 05. October 2026 (16:00) Exclusive: Guardian Australia investigation reveals state governments use shared graves to bury those deemed too poor to pay for funerals. ‘It’s unspeakable,’ one relative saysFind more from the Unmarked graves investigation hereGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVietnam veterans, rough sleepers and other impoverished Australians are being buried in unmarked communal graves often holding four or more people, a practice relatives have described as “unspeakable” and “a disgrace”.A Guardian Australia investigation has identified more than 100 unmarked graves across New South Wales, and some in Queensland, that are being used by state governments to bury those deemed too poor to afford their own funerals. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
OpenAI must explain action taken to stop AI hacking Australians’ private data, chair of federal inquiry says 05. October 2026 (16:00) Unions, employer groups, banks and industry experts will appear at the four-day hearings along with OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and GoogleGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastOpenAI must explain how they will stop their models from inappropriately accessing Australian data, the Labor chair of the parliament’s committee on artificial intelligence has warned, ahead of federal inquiry hearings which will grill the tech company alongside Anthropic, Microsoft and Google.Independent senator David Pocock is also demanding answers, saying OpenAI “still have a lot they need to answer” about their AI agent accessing Services Australia data on Medicare and the company’s “appalling” tardiness in notifying the federal government about the incident.Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian leaders condemn pro-Palestine vigils planned for 7 October anniversary amid Jewish commemorations 05. October 2026 (16:00) Peak Jewish bodies organise ceremonies on third anniversary of attacks that triggered conflict in which 74,000 Palestinians have been killedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJewish Australians will mark the third anniversary of the 7 October attacks on Wednesday as Labor state governments condemn pro-Palestinian vigils to be held the same day.Peak Jewish bodies have organised commemorations across the capital cities but avoided publicising locations as community members report ongoing fears for their safety since the Bondi terror attack in December. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Artist calls in lawyers after Tories use his Burnham portrait without consent 05. October 2026 (15:56) Stanley Chow’s cartoon was put on water bottles at party conference with the slogan ‘Bottler Burnham’An artist is considering legal action after the Conservative party used his cartoon to mock Andy Burnham.Stanley Chow, a Manchester-based illustrator who works for the New Yorker magazine, created a cartoon of the prime minister for campaign material in the Makerfield byelection earlier in June. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
