Police investigating the fatal shooting on the set of the Alec Baldwin film Rust have obtained a search warrant for the actor’s phone. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died and director Joel Souza was injured in October, when Mr Baldwin was rehearsing drawing a prop gun. Mr Baldwin, 63, has insisted he “didn’t pull the trigger”. The warrant was issued by a Sante Fe court in New Mexico – the state where Rust was being filmed. It says “there may be evidence on the phone” that could be “material and relevant to this investigation”. Investigators asked to confiscate Mr Baldwin’s Apple iPhone that is “believed to be in his possession”. They wanted to look at text messages, emails, web browser history and other information stored on the phone.(BBC)…[+]

A search is under way for suspected Palestinian gunmen over a deadly attack on a car carrying Israelis in the occupied West Bank. A 25-year-old passenger, Yehuda Dimentman, was killed and two other occupants were wounded in the shooting near a Jewish settlement in the north. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said every effort was being made to catch those responsible. The incident follows a recent spike in Palestinian attacks on Israelis. The Israeli military said the men were ambushed as their vehicle left a religious seminary at Homesh, a so-called outpost settlement, one of a type built without government authorisation. Israeli settlements on territory occupied since the 1967 Middle East war are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. Palestinians claim the land for a hoped-for independent state.(BBC)…[+]

At least 27 people are feared to have died after a fire broke out in a building in downtown Osaka, Japan. Police are investigating whether the blaze was started deliberately, public broadcaster NHK said. They are investigating reports that a man spilled liquid that started the fire. The victims suffered cardiopulmonary arrest, a term often used in preliminary reports before a death is officially confirmed, reports say. Footage showed blackened windows after dozens of firefighters extinguished the blaze on the fourth floor. All of those feared dead were reportedly in a psychiatric clinic on the fourth floor of the building, located in a busy commercial and entertainment district. A man who appeared to be in his 50s or 60s was seen carrying a bag of liquid into the building, before knocking it over near a heater, spilling the liquid and starting the fire, Kyodo News reported.(BBC)…[+]

Super typhoon Rai is battering the southern Philippines, forcing thousands of people to take shelter amid warnings of widespread flooding and destruction. The storm made landfall in Siargao, a popular tourist island, packing winds of about 175km/h (110mph). Power and communication lines are currently down on parts of Siargao, and the UN says 13 million people could be affected by the typhoon. Flights were cancelled and ports closed because of possible storm surges. Rai is one of the strongest typhoons to hit the South-East Asian country this year. “This monster storm is frightening and threatens to hit coastal communities like a freight train,” said Alberto Bocanegra, the local head of the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC). Videos posted on social media show the Philippine Coast Guard helping to evacuate families from coastal communities.(BBC)…[+]

The Dutch royal family has expressed regret over last week’s birthday party for the heir-apparent to the country’s throne amid surging Covid cases. The family said 21 guests – all vaccinated and tested – attended Princess Amalia’s 18th birthday party in the palace gardens last Saturday. The guests were also required to follow social distancing. But King Willem-Alexander later admitted to Prime Minister Mark Rutte that the party was not appropriate. “The King informed me that on reflection it was not a good idea to organise [the gathering],” Mr Rutte wrote in a letter to parliament. “The family strived to treat the coronavirus rules responsibly with this outdoor gathering and by taking precautions,” Mr Rutte added.(BBC)…[+]

Five children have died and four others are injured after falling from a bouncy castle that was blown into the air in Australia, police say. The accident – caused by a wind gust – happened on Thursday at a primary school fun day in Devonport, Tasmania. Police said the children had fallen from 10m (32ft), with both girls and boys among the victims. Authorities did not give their ages but said all were in grades five or six – typically for children aged 10-12. “A wind gust had reportedly caused the jumping castle and inflatable balls to lift into the air,” Tasmanian Police Commissioner Darren Hine said. “Our hearts are breaking for the families and the loved ones, schoolmates, teachers of these young people who were taken too soon.”(BBC)…[+]

A South African court has ruled that the country’s former President Jacob Zuma should be returned to prison, saying his medical parole was “unlawful”. The time he has spent out of prison should not be counted in his 15-month sentence, the Pretoria court ruled. Zuma was released on 5 September for an undisclosed medical condition. He had been jailed for failing to attend an inquiry into corruption during his presidency. The 79-year-old handed himself in to police in July after a public stand-off, but his jailing, unprecedented for an ex-president, sparked violent protests and looting. More than 300 people, mostly in Zuma’s stronghold of KwaZulu-Natal province, died in the protests. The former leader had testified only once at the inquiry into what has become known as “state capture” – the allegation that government decisions were being taken on behalf of business interests through a corrupt relationship. Zuma is also facing a separate corruption and fraud trial related to a 2019 arms deal. Zuma has repeatedly said he is the victim of a political conspiracy.(BBC)…[+]

The US space agency (Nasa) is calling it a historic moment – the first time a spacecraft has flown through the outer atmosphere of the Sun. The feat was achieved by the Parker Solar Probe, which dipped, for just a short while, into a region around our star that scientists call the corona. It occurred in April, but the analysis of data has only now confirmed it. Parker had to withstand intense heat and radiation but gathered new insights on how the Sun works. “Just as landing on the Moon allowed scientists to understand how it was formed, touching the Sun is a gigantic stride for humanity to help us uncover critical information about our closest star and its influence on the Solar System,” said Nicola Fox, the director of Nasa’s heliophysics science division. The Parker Solar Probe is one of the most audacious missions ever mounted by the agency.(BBC)…[+]

Police in Germany’s eastern state of Saxony have launched a series of raids after death threats were made against Premier Michael Kretschmer for backing coronavirus measures.   far-right anti-vaccination activists are suspected of plotting violence with crossbows or other “piercing weapons”. Saxony has the lowest Covid vaccine take-up in Germany. Last year Mr Kretschmer warned of Covid “hysteria” but he later apologised and has since backed strict measures. Germany’s new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, told MPs on Wednesday that “this tiny minority of uninhibited extremists” would be not be allowed to impose their will on society. Police in Saxony said security forces including the special Soko Rex anti-extremist unit were raiding a number of locations, in response to the threats made against the state premier highlighted by a German TV documentary a week ago.(BBC)…[+]

Canada has pledged up to C$40bn ($31bn; £23.6bn) in compensation for indigenous children and families who suffered discrimination while in foster care. In September, a top court upheld a 2016 ruling that the government underfunded First Nations services compared with those for non-indigenous children. It ordered C$40,000 ($31,350; £23,340) payouts to each child who was in the on-reserve welfare system after 2006. The government initially said it would appeal the verdict. But it has come under intense public scrutiny after the discovery of over 1,100 unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools. Until as recently as 1996, Canada’s residential school system separated indigenous children from their families and sent them to boarding schools where many were malnourished, beaten and sexually abused. The school system was part of attempts to assimilate indigenous children – forcing them to abandon their native languages and convert to Christianity.(BBC)…[+]