Pakistan school roof collapse kills at least 34 children and teacher 15. October 2026 (10:25) Another three pupils from al-Khair school in Peshawar in critical condition after search for survivorsAt least 34 schoolchildren and a female teacher have died after the roof of a school collapsed during morning classes in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar.As panicked parents and relatives thronged the site of the privately run al-Khair school to search for their loved ones, rescue workers spent hours pulling children from the rubble. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
LGBTQ+ people go into hiding in Senegal as hundreds are arrested 15. October 2026 (10:00) At least 320 people detained for ‘acts against nature’ after law criminalising homosexuality toughened, HRW reportsMass arrests, forced HIV testing and barriers to legal representation are part of an escalating crackdown against LGBTQ+ people in Senegal, according to a new report.More than 320 individuals have been arrested and detained on allegations of “acts against nature” since February, according to HIV Justice Network, an organisation quoted in the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. Among these, at least 84 were charged with “voluntary HIV transmission”, solely on the basis of their HIV status. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Woman charged after allegedly poisoning colleague’s curry lunch with snail pellets 15. October 2026 (09:47) Western Australian police say woman ‘experienced numbness to her tongue’ after tasting the curry at her workplace in PerthGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA woman has been charged after allegedly poisoning a co-worker’s lunch curry with snail pellets.Western Australian police say a 58-year-old woman brought a container of curry to share with colleagues at her workplace in Perth’s southern suburbs in February. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ADF member ‘person of interest’ after video recorder found in HMAS Leeuwin women’s showers 15. October 2026 (09:00) Vice Admiral Buckley calls incident an ‘act of sexual violence’ and a ‘despicable betrayal of trust’The defence department says a member of the Australian Defence Force is a “person of interest” in investigations after a video recording device was found in a bathroom on HMAS Leeuwin, in what the chief of Navy called a “despicable betrayal of trust”.A day after senator Jacqui Lambie told the Senate that a hidden camera had been found in a female shower facility onboard the naval ship, docked in Cairns, navy chief Matt Buckley confirmed a “video recording device” had been located in one of the ship’s bathrooms. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wallace & Gromit maker Aardman falls short of return to profit 15. October 2026 (09:00) Animation studio narrows annual loss to £1.1m amid ‘challenging market’ in children’s contentDon’t break out the celebratory Wensleydale just yet. Aardman, the British animation studio behind the cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his beloved dog Gromit, has fallen short of a target to get back in the black, its accounts show.The employee-owned business was aiming to record a small profit in 2025 after two years of consecutive losses but was hit by production delays and a “challenging market” in children’s content. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Victoria to become first state to make abortions free as Coalition matches Labor election promise 15. October 2026 (08:35) Exclusive: Out-of-pocket costs for abortion care to be covered regardless of who wins November election as Jess Wilson says Liberals and Nationals ‘will not allow Labor to play politics on this issue’Follow our Australian politics live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria will become the first state in Australia to make access to abortion care free, no matter who wins the November election, with the Coalition matching Labor’s promise just hours after it was announced as it attempts to neutralise the issue.The opposition leader, Jess Wilson, on Thursday afternoon told Guardian Australia a Liberal National Coalition government would match Labor’s commitment to cover out-of-pocket costs for abortion care up to 16 weeks’ gestation. This would include GP and specialist consultations, scans, tests or medication, which can quickly add up to more than $1,000. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Doctors treating Elizabeth Struhs recommended involuntary mental health assessment of her mother, coroner hears 15. October 2026 (08:32) Inquest into death of Queensland girl denied insulin by her religious parents is told Kerrie Struhs believed God would heal her daughterGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDoctors were so concerned about the religious beliefs of Elizabeth Struhs’ mother they recommended she be subjected to an involuntary mental health assessment because she delusionally believed her daughter would be healed from type 1 diabetes, a coroner has heard.Child safety officers, nonetheless, decided to return the eight-year-old home to live with her mother, Kerrie Struhs, over the objections of Brisbane-based doctors, in 2019. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK economy unexpectedly grows in August despite fall in consumer spending 15. October 2026 (08:05) Latest data showing surprise 0.1% growth is boost to John Healey a fortnight before his first budgetBusiness news – live updatesThe UK economy unexpectedly continued to grow in August despite a fall in consumer spending before John Healey’s first budget as chancellor.Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.1% last month, compared with 0.4% growth in July. That confounded a forecast by City economists of a 0.1% contraction. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
No timeline for lifting Land Registry paywall as ownership remains opaque 15. October 2026 (08:00) Defra promised in March to work towards free access to data on large plots in England and Wales The government has refused to say when the public will be able to freely access information about who owns large plots of land across England and Wales.Emma Reynolds, the previous secretary of state for the environment, announced in March that the paywall protecting large amounts of the Land Registry would be partly lifted. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham v Swinney: will the UK PM overshadow the SNP’s conference? 15. October 2026 (08:00) Prime minister presents new kind of challenge for SNP, and his Scottish visit will loom large over its big eventThis year, even Andy Burnham is invited to the Scottish National party conference. But by the time John Swinney stands up to address members on Saturday afternoon in Aberdeen to reinvigorate the case for a second independence referendum, his party may regret giving the UK prime minister so much prominence in the conference buildup.Burnham is expected to visit Scotland on Friday – the middle of the event – in a thinly veiled attempt to overshadow the SNP gathering. While he will be in a different venue, the former Manchester mayor’s presence in Scotland will loom large over the event. Since taking over at No 10 in July, Burnham has largely avoided direct confrontations with his political rivals, rarely attacking Nigel Farage or Kemi Badenoch. But he has taken a different approach with the Scottish first minister. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
