No action to be taken against wife of PM’s aide over Palestine Action post 17. October 2026 (21:47) Tweet by Sarah Helm, wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell, ‘does not meet criminal threshold’No further action will be taken against Sarah Helm, the wife of the prime minister’s national security adviser, after she was accused of supporting the banned protest group Palestine Action.Helm, a journalist and author who is married to Jonathan Powell, posted on X on Thursday: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ICE agent who crashed into man in Texas was targeting suspect who died years ago, family says 17. October 2026 (21:01) Federal officer slammed vehicle into a construction worker while pursuing a man who died in similar circumstancesA federal officer slammed a vehicle into a Houston construction worker and broke his leg, believing him to be a man who apparently died years ago, the dead man’s family said on Friday, further calling into question the account given by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).The worker, 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernandez of Mexico, remains hospitalized with multiple leg fractures and needs reconstructive ankle surgery, according to FIEL, a Houston-based immigration advocacy group. At a news conference on Friday, the group said the alleged suspect’s family had shared documentation proving his death. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform candidate filmed saying asylum seekers should be put in ‘concentration camps’ 17. October 2026 (21:00) Would-be MP recorded telling undercover reporter in ITV investigation that Muslims could not be BritishA would-be Reform UK MP told an undercover reporter that Muslims could not be British and asylum seekers should be put in “concentration camps”.The comments were recorded as part of the undercover investigation by ITV that has already seen Reform accused of “appalling behaviour” and “extreme racism”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Plover, not a fighter: masked lapwing nesting on Tasmanian cricket ground indifferent as play continues 17. October 2026 (21:00) While masked lapwings have a reputation for swooping during nesting season, Windsor Park oval’s resident plover just wants a good inningsAt Windsor Park in Riverside, just outside Launceston in northern Tasmania, a masked lapwing has claimed prime real estate in the middle of a community sports ground, showing complete indifference to the weekend cricket matches taking place around it.Warming a nest of eggs, the bird has been affectionately dubbed “Faf Swoop Plessis” by locals – a play on former South African cricket captain Faf du Plessis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Almost all NSW homes destroyed in black summer bushfires were within 100 metres of flammable vegetation 17. October 2026 (21:00) Exclusive: Research confirms official advice about high-risk properties and warns worsening conditions will make more homes unsafeSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereAlmost every home destroyed in New South Wales during the black summer bushfires of 2019 and 2020 was inside the 100 metre buffer zone used to identify properties most at risk, new research has found.The findings are an endorsement of the risk maps used by authorities, but the research warns that as global heating generates ever-worsening fire conditions firefighters may have to extend the recommended distances between homes and vegetation to keep homes safe.Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli settlers attack European diplomats in West Bank 17. October 2026 (20:57) French mayor and archbishop also attacked during violent attempt to stop Palestinians harvesting olives Israeli settler militants have attacked European diplomats, a French mayor and the archbishop of Cambrai in Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, injuring three people and damaging a car, in the latest violent attempt to prevent Palestinians from harvesting olives on their own land.Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was wearing his red, white and blue sash of office and attempting to enter a vehicle with diplomatic plates when he was assaulted and knocked to the ground on Saturday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
