Nandy says children’s social media ban only ‘staging post’ in online safety drive

• Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned on September 29 that mass draft evasion and the potential collapse of the Israel Defense Forces are the greatest dangers facing the country. • The Israel Defense Forces reported that its troops physically prevented harm to a Palestinian family during a settler riot in the West Bank.

• Interconnected conflicts are expanding on both sides of the Red Sea while the United States continues to provide inconsistent policy signals. • The African Union estimates that the conflict leading to the 2022 Pretoria Agreement resulted in approximately 600,000 deaths.

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the United States and other partners must better understand India's concerns regarding cross-border terrorism. • The minister indicated that a lack of understanding on these specific security threats could negatively impact diplomatic relations.

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned a Tuesday airstrike that reportedly killed at least 50 people at a market in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. • The UN humanitarian office reported that Israeli fire hit near humanitarian convoys and UN facilities in Gaza several times in recent days.

Indonesia’s prisons have long faced allegations that well-connected inmates can obtain preferential treatment through briberyFive Indonesian prison officials have been suspended after investigators found an apartment-style compound complete with airconditioners, big-screen televisions and expensive cars allegedly used by inmates at a prison near Jakarta.“We found strong indications that certain prisoners had access to special facilities unavailable to ordinary prisoners,” said Syafrida Rachmawati Rasahan, a member of Indonesia’s ombudsman, on Tuesday. “We encountered prisoners inside the residential compound and discovered facilities resembling home stays, apartments and villas rather than prison housing.” Continue reading...

Police allege Nicholas Scott killed 79-year-old then ‘set upon’ 59-year-old relative who arrived at Gurranang to sort out estateFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man accused of murdering two members of a family on the same property a fortnight apart has faced court.The body of a 59-year-old man was found by police on Monday afternoon in a shed on a property at Gurranang, about 25km north of Grafton in northern New South Wales. Continue reading...

Relatives of Hollywood legend say her doppelganger could now be used for more glamorous rolesShe shimmered in Hollywood’s silent movie era and lit up the first talkies – now Greta Garbo may be about to star in cinema’s new AI age.More than a century after her screen debut and decades after her ashes were laid to rest in a Swedish woodland cemetery, the Hollywood superstar’s descendants are ready to consider an AI version of her taking a 21st-century film role. Continue reading...

Scheme will follow principles of Sure Start, helping families with infant feeding, mental health and bonding with babiesThe government is rolling out a Healthy Babies programme to every local authority in England, as part of its efforts to expand a Sure Start-type system of help for deprived children and families.It aims to support parents with infant feeding, their mental health and building strong bonds with their babies, alongside health visits, midwifery care and wider services. Continue reading...

Jim Chalmers says ‘higher global oil prices flowing through to oil prices in Australia’ are to blame for inflation rising from 3.5%Inflation has jumped to 4% in the year to August, from 3.5%, as Jim Chalmers was again forced to defend Labor’s economic management amid fears the Reserve Bank will need to hike interest rates again before Christmas.The increasingly embattled treasurer was accused of “gaslighting” Australians by insisting that government spending was not responsible for high inflation, blaming instead higher fuel costs associated with the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran. Continue reading...

Former police officer has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in early 2024Warning: graphic contentFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWarning: graphic contentA hole in a door and a bullet bent out of shape: crime scene photos shown to a jury paint a harrowing picture of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies’ final moments. Continue reading...

Exeter museum to host DJ’s ‘collaboration’ with woodland fungi and artist’s map of her own body’s mycobiomeFor one of the installations, a musician spent hours in woodland “collaborating” with fungi to create a soundscape inspired by the electricity they emit.Another is a kinetic sculpture of an extinct fungus that honours Beatrix Potter not for her tales of mischievous rabbits but for her lesser-known skills as a mycologist – a fungi expert. Continue reading...