► Judge approves Trump effort to end South Sudan TPS protections

Decision follows supreme court ruling that allowed US government to strip protections for Haitians and Syrians Temporary protected status (TPS) for hundreds of South Sudanese nationals in the United States is set to end after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration can move forward with stripping their protections. On Friday, US district judge Patti Saris of the district of Massachusetts rejected an attempt by immigrant rights organizations including the New York-based African Communities Together to keep TPS for South Sudanese nationals living in the US. Continue reading...

► Ebola virus behind massive outbreak in DRC could be mutating, officials say

Cases have passed 4,000 and health watchdog plans to go door to door to find patients in major response escalation The virus causing a massive outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could be mutating, health officials fear, as confirmed cases pass 4,000. Africa’s public health watchdog said the time for incremental action was over as they announced plans to scale up every aspect of the response and go “door to door” looking for patients. Continue reading...

► US to shut five consulates as critics fear China could fill diplomatic vacuum

State department informs Congress of planned closures in Canada, Grenada, Japan, Indonesia and Cameroon The US state department is to shut five foreign consulates and missions across Asia, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, drawing criticism that it is leaving a diplomatic vacuum at risk of being filled by China. The US Congress has been served notice of the impending closures, which are being justified on cost grounds and follow a reassessment of the US’s bilateral relationships with a range of countries since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Continue reading...

► Top Ugandan footballer killed by robbers armed with paving stones

David Owori, who played for the national team, died in hospital after he tried to stop robbers taking his phone The Ugandan football community is in mourning after the death of a player who was fatally injured during a robbery in the capital, Kampala, on Tuesday night. David Owori, who captained Sports Club Villa, a Uganda Premier League club, and represented the national team, was attacked after resisting an attempt to steal his mobile phone and other belongings near his home in Makindye division. Continue reading...

► Nigerian security forces free more than 300 hostages in ‘largest single-day recovery’

President hails operation to rescue captives held in dense forests of Kainji Lake national park in north-central region Nigerian security forces have rescued more than 300 abducted people in what the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, hailed as the largest single-day hostage recovery in the country’s history. The release was announced on Wednesday after a joint operation, conducted by the military, police and counter-terrorism units, freed victims held captive in the dense forests of the Kainji Lake national park in the north-central region. Continue reading...

► Colombia on the brink: ELN guerrilla group prepares for return to war

As Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as president vowing a new military offensive, the country’s last leftwing rebels are getting ready to fight back As the boat approached the riverbank, camouflaged figures watched from the tree line. Behind them, in the dim understory of the jungle, a commander of the National Liberation Army (ELN) sat with his rifle on his lap, amid the buzz and whine of insects and the thwacks of machetes on bamboo as his troops set up camp, hidden from enemy drones. Continue reading...

► Haitians face arrest and deportation after US removes TPS protections

DHS secretary Markwayne Mullin says ‘We’re going after them right now’ despite threat of violence in home country Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are faced with the prospect of imminent risk of arrest and deportation – to a home country racked with crime, violence and political unrest – after the Trump administration officially stripped them of humanitarian protections that had allowed them to live and work legally in the United States for years. US district judge Ana Reyes confirmed on Wednesday that her order blocking the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending temporary protected status (TPS) for Haiti was no longer in effect. This followed the controversial supreme court ruling in June that upended judicial review of the program and opened the door for immigration enforcement to track down and detain Haitians en masse. Continue reading...

► Toronto zoo announces birth of pygmy hippo calf, third for mother Kindia

The 20-year-old’s third calf is being monitored by officials as survival rates for the species are challenging, the zoo said The Toronto Zoo has announced the birth of a female pygmy hippo calf. Kindia, the zoo’s 20-year-old pygmy hippo, started showing signs of labor at around 8.15am last Sunday, it said. Around four hours later, the calf’s feet emerged and after 1.5 hours of active labor, Kindia successfully gave birth to the baby pygmy hippo. Continue reading...

► Mexican influencer shot dead while streaming live on social media

César Gastélum was filming outside a fast-food outlet in Sinaloa state when he was killed by a motorbike driver A popular Mexican influencer has been shot dead while doing a live stream on social media outside a restaurant in Sinaloa state, where lethal cartel violence has become widespread. César Gastélum, who had nearly 600,000 followers on TikTok and was known for making comedy videos, was filming with two friends outside a fast-food restaurant in the city of Culiacán. The three were dressed in the bright orange jackets and backpacks of food delivery drivers. Continue reading...

► Peruvian cardinal hails $150m lead poisoning settlement for 1,300 people as a ‘historic milestone’

Cardinal Pedro Barreto received death threats and harassment during his almost 20-year campaign against a US mining company’s operations in the Andes A Peruvian cardinal who received a barrage of death threats when he challenged the firm behind a toxic smelter has called a $150m (£111m) out-of-court settlement to more than 1,000 people who were allegedly poisoned by the plant as children “a historic milestone”. Cardinal Pedro Barreto, 82, was in Rome meeting Pope Leo XIV and other cardinals in June when he received news that the firm that ran the smelter, the Doe Run Company, a subsidiary of Renco Group, would pay $150m to 1,373 Peruvians who have suffered health impacts since childhood. Continue reading...

► Thailand school shooting: eight killed including suspected attacker, police say

Teenager killed his grandparents ⁠before opening fire at school near Bangkok, where more than 30 were wounded A Thai teenager killed his grandparents before opening fire at his school, where he shot five people dead and took his own life, police have said, in an attack that has shaken a country struggling to deal with gun violence. The 14-year-old wounded more than 30 people in the ⁠shooting at the prestigious Debsirin Nonthaburi school northwest of Bangkok. Nine people were in a critical condition, the Thai health department said. Continue reading...

► ‘Mamma mia!’: Trump tariffs refund ignites 53% profit spike at Nintendo

Profit jump fuelled largely by unknown US refund amount as Japanese video game firm records quarterly sales drop Nintendo has reported a jump in profits, as the Japanese game maker’s earnings were buoyed up by a long-awaited refund on Donald Trump’s tariffs. The company said profits surged 53.5% to ¥147.4bn (£694m) over the three months to June, substantially beating expert forecasts for ¥77.8bn. Continue reading...

► Starbucks Korea raided by police after ‘Tank Day’ campaign sparks public outrage

Coffee chain has faced backlash over marketing promotion tied to anniversary of Gwangju massacre South Korean police have raided the headquarters of Starbucks Korea as part of an investigation into a marketing campaign accused of trivialising the country’s 1980s pro-democracy movement. Investigators searched the building in southern Seoul on Tuesday, police said on Wednesday. No further details were released, although South Korean media reported that officers also searched the homes of the Starbucks Korea executives. Continue reading...

► New Zealand capital delights in rare snowfall as southern city residents ski down world’s steepest street

Snow falls in Wellington for the first time in 15 years while snow blanketed Dunedin and Christchurch on the country’s south island Temperatures have plummeted across New Zealand as an Antarctic cold snap hovers over the country, delighting the capital, Wellington, which experienced snow for the first time in 15 years, while giving a southern city’s residents a chance to ski through the streets. The front moved in on Tuesday, with much of the country waking to freezing conditions, frosts, snowfall, hail and bitingly cold wind. Continue reading...

► ‘Our new champion’: Philippines swept up in tennis fever after Alex Eala’s historic win

WTA event win earns 21-year-old a presidential reception in the Philippines as interest in tennis surges in home country The Philippines has been swept up in tennis fever after 21-year-old rising star Alex Eala delivered a historic win, drawing praise from the president who hosted a reception in her honour. On Monday, Eala became the first player from the Philippines to win a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour-level singles title. Continue reading...

► Dogs to be euthanised after man dies following suspected animal attack at rural Sydney property

Police say body of 23-year-old found at Eschol Park property with significant injuries, indicating he may have been attacked before death Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A group of dogs has been taken to a shelter to be euthanised after a young man died following a suspected dog attack at a rural Sydney property. Authorities were alerted to the discovery of the 23-year-old’s body at a rural property in Sydney’s south-west on Wednesday. Police found the body with what they described as significant injuries and established a crime scene. Continue reading...

► Alan Jones trial: complainant wants to ‘humiliate’ broadcaster by revealing intimate details of alleged assaults, defence tells court

Barrister alleges ‘account of penis wiggling is an attempt to humiliate’ broadcaster who has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Alan Jones’s defence barrister has told a Sydney court one of the broadcaster’s alleged victims invented details of alleged indecent assaults at a Fitzroy Falls farm to “humiliate” and “smear” the former media titan. Complainant J told the court during evidence-in-chief earlier this week that during one alleged incident in the property’s bedroom, Jones’s penis was not fully erect and “not very big”. Continue reading...

► Attorney general warns women and children at risk of ‘harmful conduct’ from smartglasses users – as it happened

This blog is now closed Federal parliament is returning from winter break next week. Do you have a question you’d like to ask Guardian Australia’s team of political reporters in Canberra? Our political editor, Tom McIlroy , and the team will be answering readers’ questions on the Australian Politics podcast. Continue reading...

► ‘We expected it, but now it’s here’: on the frontline of Australia’s bird flu outbreak, people are distressed

As Australia prepares for the H5 bird flu to potentially rip through hundreds of species, residents of the Limestone Coast are already seeing the impacts Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast It has only been three weeks since H5 bird flu was detected on South Australia’s Limestone Coast and already encounters with sick or dead birds are becoming commonplace. Maureen Christie, who lives in the seaside town of Carpenter Rocks, has been observing and protecting birds in the region for decades. She is now witnessing many stricken and suffering. Continue reading...

► Minns said he wouldn’t ‘gloat’ about Icac hearings into the Liberals. Instead, he’s quietly taking out the trash

Amid revelations that could damage the opposition’s state election hopes, the NSW government dropped key documents on three contentious issues Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast During the first week of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s Operation Rosny’s hearings into allegations against people associated with the New South Wales Liberal party, Chris Minns took the high ground. “There’ll be no gloating or taking political advantage,” the NSW Labor premier told reporters. “It’s an important process and ultimately, hopefully, it makes all political parties cleaner and sends a message to anyone who’s thinking of breaching the laws or committing a corrupt act, that someone is watching.” Continue reading...