World news | The Guardian

UK tax agency apologises after flagging people as having emigrated, often when they return via different routesParents who went from Liverpool to Amsterdam with their autistic children are among thousands who have had their child benefit wrongly stopped as part of a crackdown on benefit fraud, it has emerged.The error by HM Revenue and Customs emerged 48 hours after the Guardian and the Detail reported on hundreds of families in Northern Ireland who had child benefit stopped after they returned home from holiday via Dublin airport, leaving HMRC with the impression they had taken a one-way ticket out of the country and were fraudulently collecting child benefit. Continue reading...

Deal between federal government and Nauru expected to last 30 years and apply to around 350 people released under high court's NZYQ ruling

Reduction comes from energy generated from windfarms and lower cost of gas owing to lower demandWind power has cut at least 104bn from energy costs in the UK since 2010, a study has found.Users of gas have been among the biggest beneficiaries, the research suggested. Continue reading...

Prosecutor tells Victorian court of abuse afflicted by Lachlan Young, after judge holds a minute's silence for McGuire

Michele Bullock plays down concerns about rising joblessness as economists pencil in February for next reduction in borrowing costs

Board was found covered in barnacles and mussels in Raglan, nearly 18 months after it was lost during a boat trip near TasmaniaA surfboard lost off Australia's coast nearly 18 months ago has washed up on one of New Zealand's most famed surf beaches, thousands of kilometres from where it was last seen.New Zealand-based French surfer Alvaro Bon was kite surfing in Raglan on the North Island's west coast on 15 October, when his kite caught in the water and he began drifting out to sea. Continue reading...

Education secretary promises clear timelines' are in place to permanently remove crumbling concreteAll schools in England that received grant funding to pay for the removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) should be free of it by the end of this parliament, the education secretary has pledged.Setting out a new timeline for dealing with the crumbling concrete crisis in schools, Bridget Phillipson said: We inherited a crumbling education estate, but I won't let that be our legacy. Continue reading...

Peers say woeful' record on prosecutions has led to a low-risk, high-reward' criminal cultureOrganised crime groups in the UK are making millions every year from illegally dumping and burning rubbish, peers have told ministers, after an inquiry found a lack of enforcement made it a low-risk, high-reward" criminal enterprise.Criminality is endemic in the waste sector," a Lords committee told the government on Tuesday, after it found at least 38m tonnes of waste was illegally managed every year, leading to serious environmental, economic and social consequences". Continue reading...

Deputy PM tells MPs party must pick clearer fights that show its values after byelection slumpDavid Lammy has urged Labour MPs to see the party's defeat in the Caerphilly byelection as a moment of reflection, arguing progressive governments around the world have recovered from worse to win big".The deputy prime minister pointed to Canada's Liberals, Norway's Labour party and Australia's Labor party as examples of centre-left groups that roared back" from midterm slumps to secure significant victories. Continue reading...

Defence minister says Xi Jinping should note resolve to stay the course by global democratic alliance, including AustraliaDefeating Russia's invasion of Ukraine is critical to restraining China in the Indo-Pacific, Finland's defence minister has said, warning Europe and democratic partners, including Australia, face a fight of global consequences.Antti Hakkanen praised Donald Trump's decision to impose sanctions on two Russian oil companies last week, calling the move a major sign of resolve by the US president against Vladimir Putin's three-year long war. Continue reading...

Consultation over future pathway with employees as smelter struggles with high power prices

Customers urged not to go to domestic airline's airports as customers and staff offered train travel on suitable routesThe UK domestic airline Eastern Airways has suspended operations and all of its flights have been cancelled.Customers of the airline, which operated regional services from airports across the UK, are urged not to go to the airport as flights will not be operating, the UK Civil Aviation Authority said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Red Cross acts as neutral intermediary' to recover hostages' remains in areas under Israeli controlThe International Committee of the Red Cross has accompanied members of Hamas inside areas of Gaza still under the control of the Israeli military to facilitate the search for the bodies of Israeli hostages, as the Palestinian militant group delivered the remains of another captive.Under the US-brokered ceasefire, which took effect on 10 October, Hamas is required to return the remains of all Israeli hostages as soon as possible. In exchange, Israel has agreed to hand over 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli. Continue reading...

Protester asks whether monarch pressed police to cover up' for his brother as pressure grows on palace to take further actionKing Charles was heckled by a protester who asked whether he had asked the police to cover up" for his scandal-ridden brother, as pressure mounts on the monarchy to take further action against Prince Andrew.During a visit to Litchfield Cathedral today, a man in the crowd asked the king a string of questions, including: How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?" Continue reading...

That's the highest number recorded by the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses since they began tracking deaths 10 years ago

Julia Wandelt, 24, says McCann family were misled' about missing girl's case by police, who are still abusing cases'An alleged stalker who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has told a court she has sympathy" for the missing girl's family and never" meant any harm.Julia Wandelt, a 24-year-old Polish national, claimed the McCann family had been misled" about Madeleine's case by police, who were still abusing cases". Continue reading...

Case had been due to go to trial after judge ruled 2022's The Lost King, which Coogan co-wrote, portrayed Richard Taylor as smug and patronising'Steve Coogan has said his film about the discovery of the remains of Richard III was the story I wanted to tell, and I am happy I did" after he and two production companies agreed to pay substantial damages" to settle a high court libel claim over the film's portrayal of a university academic.Richard Taylor, deputy registrar at the University of Leicester at the time of the find, sued Coogan, his production company Baby Cow, and Pathe Productions for libel over his portrayal in the 2022 film The Lost King, which follows the amateur historian Philippa Langley and her search for the king's skeleton. Continue reading...

Trial is latest phase in legal battle against false claim that French first lady is a man named Jean-Michel TrogneuxTen people have gone on trial in Paris charged with online harassment of Brigitte Macron - the latest phase of a legal battle on both sides of the Atlantic against the false claim that the French first lady is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.The president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit in the US at the end of July, in connection with a rumour amplified and repeated online that Brigitte Macron was born a man. Continue reading...

Man at centre of abandoned spy case has said he reported to Chinese company with clients that wanted to develop trading links with UK'Christopher Berry, the man at the heart of a controversial and now-abandoned Chinese espionage case, appeared to be aware that he was supplying information to a non-commercial client, according to messages seen by the Guardian.In August 2022, Berry sent a voice note saying that they want me to work for them directly instead of going through the company". Continue reading...

Climate scientists have long warned that warming oceans are making explosive storm development more common

Voters appear to have responded to idea that US president's generosity' would evaporate if Milei failed to winThe dollar always talks in the end," Donald Trump wrote in his 1987 bestseller The Art of the Deal.Javier Milei's surprise triumph in Argentina's midterm elections - after Trump bailed him out with 40bn of them - suggests there may be some truth to that assertion. Continue reading...

Price increases of as much as 40% will make sport exclusive privilege of the wealthy, says AssoutentiCompletely unjustified" prices rises for ski passes in Italy this winter mean the sport is at risk of becoming the exclusive privilege of the wealthy, the president of an Italian consumers' association has warned.From the Alps and the Dolomites in the north to the slopes of the central Italian region of Abruzzo, prices are poised to rise by as much as 40% compared with 2021, according to a report compiled by the watchdog, Assoutenti. Continue reading...

Six in 10 practitioners say loss of rehabilitation space in hospitals is harming chances of patients recoveringStroke patients and others in need of intense physiotherapy are facing declining care because of inadequate space and equipment in hospitals, a survey shows.The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists found that four in 10 NHS physiotherapy staff have lost or are expected to lose dedicated rehabilitation space. Continue reading...

Robert Ford, subject of an unofficial complaint', and Bill Barrett, suspended after leaked meeting, removed via emailTwo suspended Reform UK councillors from Kent have been expelled from the party over a misconduct allegation and after the Guardian published a leaked video which revealed tensions among its county council ranks.Robert Ford and Bill Barrett were removed from the party via an email from Reform HQ on Monday, which said they had undermined" the interests of the party and brought it into disrepute". Continue reading...

Inspector general of taxation and ombudsman, Ruth Owen, says she is receiving an increasing number' of complaints about tax office

Drummer played on Bitches Brew and other landmark recordings, as well as making numerous albums as a bandleaderJack DeJohnette, the jazz drummer celebrated as one of the genre's true greats - who worked with stars including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Charles Lloyd - has died aged 83. A press representative for ECM, the record label that released many of his recordings, confirmed the news though no cause of death was given.Able to bring dynamic, highly musical playing to open-minded free jazz, R&B-leaning instrumental grooves and everything in between, DeJohnette is perhaps best known as the drummer in Davis's fusion period, contributing to albums such as Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson and On the Corner. He was also celebrated as a regular sideman and bandleader on elegant, progressive fusion releases from ECM in the 1980s. Continue reading...

Suspect, 32, apprehended in Birmingham after urgent appeal by police over alleged incident on SaturdayA man has been arrested on suspicion of rape after police believe a woman was the victim of a racially aggravated attack.West Midlands police were called to the Park Hall area of Walsall just after 7.15pm on Saturday after a woman was reported to be distressed in the street. Continue reading...

Storm could intensify further, threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in northern CaribbeanHurricane Melissa strengthened into a powerful category 5 hurricane on Monday, threatening days of catastrophic winds and rain in the northern Caribbean, while Jamaica's government ordered mandatory evacuations for vulnerable areas across the country including in the capital, Kingston.Jamaican officials had earlier urged those in low-lying and flood-prone areas to seek refuge as Melissa rapidly climbs up the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Continue reading...

Publisher last week reported jump in revenue in academic and professional arm thanks to AI licensing deal

Lehrmann, who is on bail and yet to formally enter a plea, is accused of raping a woman twice in Queensland in 2021

Wires brought down across greater Brisbane and Werribee resident tells ABC Radio of partner lifted and dropped' by huge wind

Beck Smith manages Queensland farm alone with help of three-year-old border collie Duke, winner of the 2025 Cobber Challenge

Commons committee describes successive governments' failures to manage hotel use, contracts, spending and safeguardingThe Home Office has squandered billions of pounds on asylum accommodation due to long-term mismanagement of a failed, chaotic and expensive" system, according to a report published by a powerful parliamentary committee.The Commons cross-party home affairs committee report, published on Monday, highlights the previous and current governments' failures to manage the mix of hotels, large sites such as the Wethersfield former military base in Essex, and shared housing. Continue reading...

One man arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport and another just outside Paris, officials confirmFrench police have arrested two suspects believed to have helped steal crown jewels worth an estimated 88m (76m) from the Louvre museum in Paris, officials have said, a week after one of the country's most spectacular heists in decades.The Paris public prosecutor confirmed media reports on Sunday that one man had been detained at about 10pm (8pm UK time) on Saturday at the capital's Charles de Gaulle airport by officers from the armed robberies and serious burglaries squad. Continue reading...

Health secretary hardens Labour line after Sarah Pochin said advertising doesn't reflect your average white family'Wes Streeting has accused the Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin of making racist" remarks after she said seeing adverts full of black and Asian people drives her mad".The health secretary said Pochin was only sorry she's been caught and called out", adding she had said the quiet bit loud" as he warned of a return to 1970s, 1980s-style racism". Continue reading...

Analysts say president's war on Russia's fossil fuel revenues is a chance to bring peace to Ukraine and profit to USDonald Trump's stated mission to broker peace in Ukraine could come down to this simple question: can the US president convince the world to stop buying Russia's fossil fuels?Last week, Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, in an effort to damage Moscow's ability to fund its war machine. Continue reading...

Experts see move as Trump's latest attempt to shift power of the purse away from Congress and into executive branchBy ordering that US military personnel receive paychecks even though the government is shut down, Donald Trump is seeing to the needs of a politically untouchable constituency that has been caught up in the congressional logjam over federal spending.But experts who spoke to the Guardian warn that he is doing so in a way that is almost certainly illegal and, if left unchecked, bodes ill for Congress's constitutional authority to control government spending. Some fear it could set the stage for the president to unilaterally fund other contentious decisions in the future, such as the deployment of the military on US soil. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereLucy Powell has paid tribute to former Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, saying she has some big shoes to fill", as she took to the stage to celebrate her win.Powell spoke about how division and hate" has increased. She said the desire for change is palpable". Continue reading...

Queensland Health has issued an alert for people to be aware of the products they warn could still be circulating in the Logan community

Treasury committee says move in November budget could push up mortgage rates insteadCutting the annual cash Isa allowance will not encourage many savers to switch to shares but could push up mortgage costs, MPs have warned the chancellor.Adults can put up to 20,000 a year in a tax-free Isa and spread the money between cash and stock market investments as they choose. In the 2023-24 tax year, 66% of all contributions went into cash savings. Continue reading...

Crushing defeat in Welsh byelection triggers renewed outpouring of anger and concern within LabourA wipeout for Labour in next May's local elections would spell the end of Keir Starmer's premiership, MPs have said, after the party suffered a crushing defeat in its traditional heartland in Wales.Though Plaid Cymru beat Reform UK to capture the Senedd seat in Caerphilly, the result highlighted a striking collapse of Labour's vote, prompting fears in Westminster that Labour could be reduced to third place in Wales, a loss that would leave the leader's position unrecoverable. Continue reading...

US House minority leader ends four-month standoff over backing for Democratic nomineeThe House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor on Friday, ending a four-month standoff that left the Democratic nominee without the backing of one of the party's most powerful figures until the day before early voting begins.The announcement arrives after months of pressure from progressives in Congress and after the top Democrat has been repeatedly grilled by reporters about his reluctance to support his party's candidate. Continue reading...

Administration will manage basic services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions', says joint statementThe main Palestinian factions have said they have agreed that an independent committee of technocrats would take over the running of Gaza after Hamas said it had received clear guarantees" from mediators that the war has effectively ended".A joint statement published on the Hamas website said the groups had agreed in a meeting in Cairo to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Palestinian committee composed of independent technocrats', which will manage the affairs of life and basic services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions". Continue reading...

Old Bailey judge says gang mounted campaign of terrorism and sabotage to help RussiaSix Britons acting for Russia's Wagner group have been jailed for setting fire to a London warehouse storing humanitarian aid for Ukraine.Sentencing the men, a judge at the Old Bailey said they had planned a campaign of terrorism and sabotage" in the interests of the Russian state. Continue reading...

David Pocock, Allegra Spender and Kate Chaney say past policy decisions on taxing gas profits must not be repeated as next resources opportunity beckons

Lindsay Whittle seized the Senedd constituency from Labour and resisted a fierce challenge from Reform UK

Millions of people across the US attended No Kings protests against Donald Trump last weekend. The president publicly denied he wanted to be a king, but he posted an AI-generated video of himself dressed as one, flying a fighter jet and dumping excrement on protesters.Jonathan Freedland speaks to the political scientist Barbara Walter about the tactics the Trump administration is using against protestersArchive: CBS News, CBS News Chicago, PBS Newshour, CNN, WHAS11, Global News, KREM 2 News, Inside Edition, Today Continue reading...

President says he may go to the Congress and tell them ... but I can't imagine they'd have any problem with it'Donald Trump said on Thursday that his administration could soon expand its military attacks on alleged drug smugglers from Venezuela and also begin pursuing them on land.Trump, who has faced questions over whether he has the legal authority to use lethal force against the people in boats from Venezuela, said during a press conference he was not sure whether the administration would seek approval from Congress to attack people from the South American country over land. Continue reading...