South Korea calls for apology from North Korea after mine injures three soldiers 30. September 2026 (09:53) Blast during search operation near border fuels political tensions amid attempts to revive diplomatic channelsSouth Korea has demanded an apology from North Korea over a landmine blast that injured three soldiers, saying they were hurt by North Korean mines on the southern side of the border.Kang Hyun-woo, the director of operations at South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff, demanded an apology and “responsible measures” from Pyongyang over the blast, which occurred on 21 September during a search operation south of the border. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham: UK could ‘go all the way’ by rejoining EU 30. September 2026 (09:41) PM says he is looking at all options and ministers will examine ‘what is doable’ and the ‘pros and cons’UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has opened the door to the UK rejoining the EU, saying Britain could “go all the way”, as he prepares to reconsider Labour’s post-Brexit red lines.The prime minister used a series of interviews after his emotional Labour conference speech to spell out how wide-ranging his consideration of Britain’s future with Brussels could be because Brexit had caused “more harm than good”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
David Shoebridge wants the Greens to ‘seize this moment’. Is his more combative style the answer? 30. September 2026 (09:12) New leader says his party must connect with millions of disaffected voters and ‘make them believe in politics again’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastAs One Nation’s polling surged this year, and Pauline Hanson ate away at the votes of first the Coalition and then Labor, one curious mainstay emerged; the Greens remained seemingly anchored to the 10-12% range, no matter which poll you look at.That’s despite the fact that, arguably, there’s rarely been more fertile political ground for the Greens leader to reap rewards; a centrist Labor government with a big majority but increasingly on the nose, a resurgent anti-immigration populist party backed by Australia’s richest mining billionaire, a Coalition in disarray, a cost-of-living crisis set ablaze by rising interest rates and inflation, and a public increasingly alarmed about the nexus of big tech, big datacentres and shadowy AI oligarchs operating with impunity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sixteen English councils spend more than 80% of core funding on social care 30. September 2026 (09:00) Councils collectively spent record 71.9% of core spending on adult and children’s care last year, analysis showsSixteen English councils spent more than 80% of their core funding on adult and children’s social care last year, highlighting the growing financial pressure on other local services.Guardian analysis of government figures found that councils responsible for social care spent a net £42.8bn on adult and children’s services in 2025-26, equivalent to a record 71.9% of their combined core spending. Adult social care took 44.5% and children’s services accounted for 27.4%. In 2017-18, care costs made up 62.4% of councils’ core spending. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham says rejoining the EU among all ‘the options’ being considered – UK politics live 30. September 2026 (08:49) The prime minister says he wants to open a debate about the UK’s future relationship with EuropeGood morning. Andy Burnham’s speech is getting a mixed review in the papers, but there is general consensus that it is a consequential one – not one that we will have forgotten within a fortnight or so, but one that will make the next list of all-time important Labour conference speeches of the last 50 years.If you are still catching up, here are three good places to start. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
