400 French schools closed on Friday as protests escalate into ‘urban violence’ – Europe live

• Government and business leaders met at the Council on Foreign Relations during the UN General Assembly to discuss global security and financial reform. • Former Ghanaian President John Mahama highlighted the Accra Reset initiative to expand vaccine and medicine production across Africa.

• Iran prepared for an escalation of tensions on October 1, 2026, contributing to a rise in global energy prices. • Brent crude oil prices topped $102 per barrel as geopolitical risks increased.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly pressed for an end to the conflict in Ukraine. • Modi told reporters that both President Putin and President Zelenskyy have spoken with him to share their perspectives on the war.

• Renewed fighting has broken out in northern Ethiopia, raising fears that the domestic conflict could expand into a regional confrontation. • The instability threatens to involve neighboring Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt in a broader crisis.

Smit Machchhar says in video call with Indian PM that he realised if he did not get up then ‘passengers would lose their lives’The Indian pilot who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a flydubai flight has described how he fought for his life in the minutes after his co-pilot stabbed him and the plane began a steep descent.Capt Smit Machchhar, who is recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, in a video call broadcast live on television news channels that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save the passengers onboard the aircraft. Continue reading...

Under new WA laws anyone who defies an exclusion order could face a maximum $36,000 fine and three years in prisonGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastActivists and a Greens MP have threatened legal action after the Western Australia police banned at least 12 people entering a designated security area where the Land Forces weapons expo will be held in Perth from 6 October.The police used special powers given to them by the WA government last month to ban the activists from entering the area surrounding the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Continue reading...

Speculation about an early election continue to persist even as Andy Burnham ruled it outHello and welcome to the UK politics live blog.Tory leader Kemi Badenoch says Labour is preparing for a general election as early as May 2027, despite the prime minister ruling out an early contest.All the policies he announced are for after an election. So if he’s not calling an election, why is he talking about things happening in 2030?He says a lot of things with a smile but I actually think that he’s got very different plans for us and for our country.This is an era of political volatility and multi-party politics. When an election is called and I do think Andy Burnham is going to call an election sooner than he is saying.Zack Polanski is expected to call for a triple lock-style guarantee for private renters in his keynote speech at the Green party’s annual conference this afternoon, to ease young adults’ housing costs.Nigel Farage has claimed that Andy Burnham has given him “the biggest boost in my career” by reviving the Brexit debate, which the Reform UK leader said had reopened a “huge flank” to his party.Prisoners have thanked Andy Burnham as they celebrated walking free from jail early.The turmoil in global bond markets has intensified amid fears the US deficit is reaching unsustainable levels, helping drive UK long-term borrowing costs to a 28-year high.Downing Street has clarifed that Andy Burnham is not siding with Manchester City in its finance scandal dispute with the Premier League – after in an interview yesterday he implied he was. Continue reading...

Britain’s nursing union axes Teva UK as commercial partner over links to Israel’s military and corporate track recordBritain’s nursing union has cut its ties with an Israeli drug company over the firm’s links to the country’s military and track record of corporate misconduct.The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has axed Teva UK as a commercial partner and as sponsor of a forthcoming event on migraine and headaches at the union’s London headquarters. Continue reading...

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...

In today’s newsletter: When a passenger plane plunges 17,000ft amid claims of terrorism, hijacking and geopolitical intrigue, Guardian journalists have to try and separate fact from fiction in real timeGood morning. Shocking news of a cockpit stabbing. Graphic footage of bloodied crew members. Mid-air testimony from terrified passengers.This was the tenor of the heart-in-mouth reporting as the horrifying events unfolded onboard flight FZ 1073 to Tel Aviv: the early morning budget flight that plummeted 17,000ft in under two minutes before the courageous intervention of passengers and crew averted an apparent hijacking, potentially saving the lives of not just the 170+ passengers and crew on board, but many more.UK politics | Ministers are working up sweeping plans for welfare changes including scrapping a key disability benefit for under-25s and replacing it with a multibillion-pound package of support to get into work.Northern Ireland | Talks aimed at resolving the Drumcree parade dispute have broken up without agreement, with Northern Ireland secretary Chris Bryant describing the situation as being between a “rock and a hard place”.US news | Tennessee’s governor has suspended all executions in the state and ordered an independent inquiry after a botched attempt to put a condemned inmate to death on Wednesday night.AI | When prompted, AI chat bots will edit images to remove the hijabs from Muslim women, a violation of one of the world’s most common and visible expressions of faith.Europe news | A fast-growing protest by high-school students over long hours, teacher shortages and decaying facilities has escalated into “urban violence”, the French government has warned. Continue reading...

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...