Almost half of Fayed abuse accusers are potential trafficking victims, MPs told 02. October 2026 (08:00) Exclusive: Met police say 70 women’s accounts have hallmarks of trafficking, suggesting case numbers could riseAlmost half of the women who reported allegations of sexual abuse by Mohamed Al Fayed to the Metropolitan police are potential victims of human trafficking, MPs have been told.In a briefing for the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for the survivors of Fayed and Harrods in July, senior Met officers said a review earlier this year found 70 survivors’ accounts bore the hallmarks of trafficking. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Staff fears grow that BBC will shut its Three and Scotland channels next week 02. October 2026 (07:00) Redundancy process suggests home of Gavin and Stacey and Fleabag could go online-only again in £500m cuts pushThe BBC has started a redundancy process in its TV and streaming division, heightening staff fears that Matt Brittin will announce the closure of the poorly performing BBC Three and BBC Scotland channels next week.The corporation’s director general, who has repeatedly said that linear TV and radio services may have to shut as audiences move online, is expected to inform staff on Wednesday of the latest stage of a plan to save £500m and shed up to 2,000 jobs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘No one disrespects Our Lady’: fears for Brazil’s patron saint grip country ahead of election 02. October 2026 (06:00) Speculation that Flávio Bolsonaro will try to strip Our Lady of Aparecida of position could become deciding factor in run-up to SundayA row of Biblical proportions has erupted in the run-up to Brazil’s presidential election, with the country’s patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, emerging as an unlikely kingmaker in the deadlocked race.Ahead of Sunday’s vote, the two frontrunners – the leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his far-right challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro – are level in the polls. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Women hospitalised and three men charged with assault and choking after separate home invasions in Sydney 02. October 2026 (04:34) NSW police allege the men, aged 18, 19 and 20, broke into homes in Arncliffe and Bankstown this week before assaulting the women aged 31 and 32Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThree men have been detained after two women were allegedly assaulted during separate home invasions in Sydney’s south-west.New South Wales police were called to a home invasion in Arncliffe at about midnight on Tuesday morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Beau Lamarre-Condon asked police investigator about murder of Lilie James day before shootings, court hears 02. October 2026 (04:04) Lamarre-Condon asked fellow officer if Paul Thijssen ‘would have gotten away with’ James’s murder if he hadn’t subsequently killed himselfFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice officer Beau Lamarre-Condon asked a colleague, a day before he allegedly murdered Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, if a high-profile killer would have “gotten away with it” if he’d not taken his own life, a Sydney court has heard.Lamarre-Condon, 31, has been accused of fatally shooting the couple with his police service weapon in Baird’s Paddington home on 19 February 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The Bolsonaros…they’re back! Brazil heads to the polls – podcast 02. October 2026 (04:00) Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips reports on this Sunday’s historic presidential elections in Brazil, as the son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro hopes to take powerYou would have been forgiven for thinking that when Jair Bolsonaro was convicted in September 2025 of attempting a coup, his political career was finished and his legacy forever tainted.But in the first round of Brazil’s presidential elections this Sunday, another Bolsonaro has genuine hopes of victory – not Jair, but his son Flávio, who ialso campaigning to have his father released released. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
May heatwaves, deaths, ruined harvests: study of Europe’s summer paints grim picture for the future 02. October 2026 (04:00) EU Copernicus report shows surface air temperatures from June to August were 2.5C above decadal averageThe scorching heat that persistently baked western Europe this summer was the worst on record, a report has found, with more than half the continent seared by “very strong” heat stress that felt hotter than 38C.Surface air temperatures in western Europe from June to August were 2.5C above the recent decadal average, according to an update from the EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring service on Friday, while milder but still deadly heat across the rest of the continent made the summer Europe’s third hottest on record. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labor targets ‘visa hopping’ international students in crackdown on ‘permanently temporary’ migration 02. October 2026 (03:33) Migration agents and lawyers ‘selling false hope’ to people seeking to stay in Australia also in ministers’ sights as they seek to reduce overseas arrivalsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcast“Visa hopping” international students, migration agents and lawyers trying to “game” the migration system will be targeted by the federal government, as Labor unveils a further crackdown.The changes announced on Friday mean international students will soon need to apply for a separate visa to transfer courses, on top of previously announced rules that prevent transferring to a lower grade course, such as switching from a bachelor’s or masters’ degree to a vocational program.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Letitia James appointed special prosecutor in alleged gang-rape at Cornell 02. October 2026 (03:08) New York attorney general brought in by governor after recent questions raised over university’s 2024 investigationKathy Hochul, the New York governor, said on Thursday she is appointing Letitia James, the state’s attorney general, as special prosecutor to investigate the alleged gang-rape at Cornell University.“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” Hochul said in a statement. “This action will ensure that the matter is fully and thoroughly investigated without conflict or bias, and handled independently with the rigor that this matter demands.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
SpaceX flight led by first Black female commander sets US speed record 02. October 2026 (02:50) Four astronauts pulled up at International Space Station after eight-hour express flight led by Jessica WatkinsFour astronauts pulled up at the International Space Station on Thursday after launching on an eight-hour express that set a US speed record, and that created further history with the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit.SpaceX launched commander Jessica Watkins and her crew for Nasa after a three-week delay to fix their Dragon capsule’s leaking fuel system. Thick clouds threatened all morning to halt the countdown but in the end, the skies cleared enough to allow for a safe liftoff. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
