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Radosaw Sikorski says Putin consolidated western opinion against him with the incursion into PolandPoland's foreign minister has accused Russia of a tactically stupid and counterproductive" escalation of the war in Ukraine, saying its drone incursion into Poland last month appeared to be deliberate.Radosaw Sikorski, on a visit to London, said all Vladimir Putin had achieved with the incursion was a consolidation of western opinion against him. He also dismissed Russian concerns that supplying US Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine would be unnecessarily provocative. Continue reading...

Review of screenplay, novel, and comics suggests film-makers made late decision to make diminutive Jedi master greenYou must unlearn what you have learned," Jedi master Yoda instructed his stubborn apprentice, Luke Skywalker. And now Star Wars fans may have to do the same after confirmation that the beloved fictional alien was very nearly blue, or even purple.Reviews of archival sources - and new testimony from a special effects makeup artist who worked on the first Yoda puppets - suggest film-makers made a decision late in the development process to switch the character's skin colour to green. Continue reading...

Michael Moore, Lynn Nottage, Ava DuVernay and Amanda Palmer will take part in an event series to unite in defiance'Artists and artistic organisations around the US are set to take part in a series of protests and events to speak out against Donald Trump and his administration.According to the New York Times, the acts of creative resistance" will be known as the Fall of Freedom and will take place on 21 and 22 November. Continue reading...

EHRC writes to Bridget Phillipson over implementation of code on single-sex public spaces after supreme court rulingThe equalities watchdog has taken the unusual step of publicly urging ministers to act with speed" in implementing guidance on how institutions should respond to the landmark supreme court ruling on transgender people's rights.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it had written to Bridget Phillipson, the equalities minister, pointing out it had sent the guidance six weeks ago, warning that as things stand, there is no legally accurate advice available. Continue reading...

Bank joins smaller competitors in changing interest-related restrictions on some accounts - despite RBA leaving interest rates unchanged in September

Villagers in Lustleigh ask council why it has taken filming of TV adaptation of JK Rowling books to secure street repairsResidents of cities, towns and villages across the UK complain their lives are blighted by the plague of potholes. But life in one small village on a moor in the English West Country is going a little more smoothly after some of its potholes were repaired as if by magic.Scenes for the new HBO adaptation of the Harry Potter books are due to be filmed in Lustleigh, Devon, and the film-makers have filled in at least some of the potholes in the area. Continue reading...

Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority reduce deferral period from eight years to four

Communications regulator finds millions of important letters are arriving late' and persistent failures'

Odinga, who ran five times for presidency and had profound influence on Kenyan politics, has died in IndiaThe veteran Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, who ran five times for the presidency and had a profound influence on the country's politics, has died aged 80 in India.An Indian police source told Agence France-Presse he was walking with his sister, daughter, a personal doctor and two security officers when he suddenly collapsed" and was taken to hospital where he was declared dead. Continue reading...

Habit of rising early for livestreams growing rapidly, suggesting Brazil is testing ground for religious influencersPsychologist Claudia Rodrigues de Oliveira Barbosa, 54, needs to be at work by 7.40am, but she wakes up at 3.40am - not because she has a lengthy commute, but to watch a dawn prayer" livestream on YouTube.She is one of the millions of Brazilians who tune in to the 4am sermons of Catholic friar Gilson da Silva Pupo Azevedo, 38, known as Frei Gilson, who has recently averaged an impressive 2m daily views for each video. Continue reading...

Search teams look for Daryl Fong in Mount Field national park, while Peter Willoughby has been missing for 10 days in Hollybank forest reserve

Active pension scheme expected to start in January is part of chancellor's autumn of reforms' to tackle economic stagnationGermans who continue in the labour market beyond retirement age will be able to earn up to 1,750 (2,000) a month tax-free on top of their pension under a scheme aimed at boosting economic growth and labour force participation rates.The Aktivrente", or active pension scheme, due to come into force in January, was promised on the campaign trail by the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, before he came into office five months ago. Continue reading...

Chinese president is behind patriarchal turn in politics with activists silenced for promoting gender antagonism'Addressing dignitaries gathered in Beijing on Monday, Xi Jinping praised the historic achievements" of women's rights in China. In the past 30 years, the Chinese president said, maternal mortality rates had dropped by nearly 80%, and women were now participating in the project of national governance with unprecedented confidence and vigour".Xi was speaking at the global women's summit, an event on Monday and Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the historic UN's world conference on women, which took place in Beijing. It was there in 1995 that Hillary Clinton, the then US first lady, delivered her women's rights are human rights" speech, lines now often quoted by people in China advocating for women's rights. Continue reading...

Coroner decries profoundly distressing milestone' as state surpasses yearly record after only nine months, with expert saying tough on crime measures compounding problem

Study of female runners in Canada highlights shortcomings of footwear traditionally based on male anatomySports footwear manufacturers are being urged to ditch the shrink it and pink it" approach when it comes to women's running shoes.Over the past five decades, brands have invested billions of dollars into the development trainers that prevent injury, maximise comfort and boost performance. Continue reading...

Hamas accused of breaching agreement by withholding bodies of hostages but Palestinian militants say they face obstacles in retrieving themThe fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced its first test on Tuesday when Israel said the flow of aid into the devastated Palestinian territory would be cut by half and the crucial Rafah border crossing with Egypt would not open as planned, blaming Hamas for delays in the return of bodies of hostages.The militant group handed over the remains of four hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday night, bringing to eight the number of bodies transferred since the US-brokered ceasefire took hold, leaving 20 to be accounted for. Hamas said it was facing obstacles as not all the burial sites had been identified. Continue reading...

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Rhiannon Skye Whyte, 27, was stabbed 23 times with a screwdriver after shift at hotel where Deng Chol Majek livedAn asylum seeker accused of stabbing a hotel worker 23 times with a screwdriver and leaving her to die was seen dancing and laughing in the aftermath of the attack, a murder trial jury has heard.Deng Chol Majek, who claims to be 19, was clearly excited about what he had done" after inflicting fatal wounds on Rhiannon Skye Whyte, who worked in the hotel where he was living, Wolverhampton crown court heard. Continue reading...

Longtime organizer and founder of House of gg earned reputation as champion for liberation of Black trans womenMiss Major Griffin-Gracy, a trailblazer of the transgender rights movement, longtime community organizer and veteran of the Stonewall riots, died on Monday, her representatives announced.The acclaimed activist died at her home in Little Rock, Arkansas, surrounded by family, the House of gg (the final organization she founded and led) announced. She was 78, and the group's statement did not give a cause of death. Continue reading...

Investigating officer says he went against procedure to test Julia Wandelt, accused of campaign of harassment against McCann familyAn alleged stalker's claim to be Madeleine McCann was ruled out after a DNA test proved conclusively she was not the missing girl, police have revealed in court.Julia Wandelt, 24, is accused of a campaign of harassment against the family of Madeleine, who went missing from Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007 at the age of three. Continue reading...

Returning the bodies of 28 hostages was part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas but only four have been handed over

Campaigners deeply concerned' about response to prompts about suicide, self-harm and eating disordersThe latest version of ChatGPT has produced more harmful answers to some prompts than an earlier iteration of the AI chatbot, in particular when asked about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, digital campaigners have said.Launched in August, GPT-5 was billed by the San Francisco start-up as advancing the frontier of AI safety". But when researchers fed the same 120 prompts into the latest model and its predecessor, GPT-4o, the newer version gave harmful responses 63 times compared with 52 for the old model.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

People trafficking among allegations against six people who face measures including property freezes and travel bansThe US and UK have seized $15bn (11.3bn) in bitcoin and frozen London properties owned by the alleged leaders of scam centres in Cambodia that trick victims around the world and torture their trafficked workers.Two Chinese-born businessmen are among the six people hit by travel bans and sanctions that aim to tackle the growing threat of organised crime gangs carrying out online fraud globally on an industrial scale. Continue reading...

Observers and opposition says prosecution of Riek Machar for crimes in relation to attack by rebel militia puts peace deal at riskSouth Sudan's opposition and observers have warned that the prosecution of the country's suspended vice-president, Riek Machar, risks jeopardising a peace agreement that ended a devastating civil war and plunging the country into full-scale conflict once again.On 11 September, Machar was charged with murder, treason, crimes against humanity and other serious crimes in connection with a deadly attack by the White Army rebel group on a government army garrison in Nasir county in the country's north-east. President Salva Kiir then suspended him from his post. Continue reading...

Counter-terror laws being weaponised' against pro-Palestine groups in UK, US, France and Germany, says FIDHThe right to protest has come under sustained attack across the west, according to a report highlighting the growing criminalisation of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.The study by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) pays particular attention to the UK, the US, France and Germany, where it says governments have weaponised" counter-terrorism legislation as well as the fight against antisemitism to suppress dissent and support for Palestinian rights in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Continue reading...

Party hoped to take 30 municipalities but secured three after share of vote halved from parliamentary electionsPortugal's far-right Chega party has won its first mayoral seats in local elections, final results showed, but fell well short of expectations and its vote share halved from parliamentary elections in May.The six-year-old nationalist party, whose name means Enough", took control of three city halls: Sao Vicente on the island of Madeira; the central town of Entroncamento; and Albufeira in the south. It won an 11.86% share of the overall vote. Continue reading...

Exclusive: deputy leadership favourite says budget can revive party's appeal, while Bridget Phillipson pitches to channel grassroots views to cabinetLabour should not write off" next May's elections as a likely moment for big losses but use the budget as a way to seize back voters' attention, Lucy Powell has said as the battle to be the party's deputy leadership entered its final period.With voting among party members under way, Bridget Phillipson, Powell's rival for the post, said if she won she would set up a formal system to reflect the views of members and unions to the cabinet on a regular basis. Continue reading...

Ukrainian leader discussed request for Tomahawk cruise missiles in phone call with US presidentUkraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urged Donald Trump to use the momentum of the Gaza ceasefire to broker peace in Ukraine, as the two leaders spoke by phone on Saturday.Trump and Zelenskyy discussed Ukraine's request for the US to allow the delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles to bolster Kyiv's ability to conduct long range strikes inside Russia, among other issues, according to Axios. Continue reading...

Across the west, solidarity marches are testing governments' tolerance for dissent. From arrests to bans, free-speech boundaries are shiftingThe ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has been met with joy and relief across the Middle East and beyond. Over the past two years, outrage at Israel's war in Gaza has erupted across Europe and the US, manifesting itself in university campus protests, massive marches through countless capitals and the disruption of major sporting events.Even as hopes rise of an end to the war, international anger over Israel's actions in Gaza, which have been deemed a genocide by a UN commission of inquiry, remains raw, as evidenced by last weekend's huge rallies in Spain and Italy. Continue reading...

Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign says ceasefire agreement says nothing about system of apartheid' in Palestine Gaza ceasefire - live updates

Mayor explains why Villamalea unanimously backed call to regularise undocumented migrants - across party linesFlanked by farmland and nestled among the deep valleys of central Spain, few in Villamalea, a town of 4,200 people, expected to find their tranquil home splashed across Spanish media this summer.I've never been contacted by so many media outlets in my life," said Jose Nunez Perez, the conservative mayor of Villamalea. With a laugh, he added: It made me question, just what have we done here?" Continue reading...

National Archives papers show how then MP pushed for 2002 meeting between PM and young and vibrant' financierSir Tony Blair met Jeffrey Epstein in Downing Street while he was prime minister after a recommendation by Peter Mandelson, newly released papers from the National Archives show.Epstein visited Blair on 14 May 2002, after the suggestion by Lord Mandelson to the prime minister's then chief of staff, Jonathan Powell. Continue reading...

Perception of runaway crime partly blamed for driving away the super-rich' but in reality some high-profile offences such as watch theft are falling

Chega supporters in Albufeira hope party can use Sunday's local elections as springboard for nationwide takeoverThe road into Albufeira is thronged with billboards. Some, such as the faded one on a roundabout leading to the centre of the southern Portuguese resort city, offer sun-bleached glimpses of enticing real estate, golden beaches and vibrant nightlife. Others that have sprung up before Sunday's local elections peddle promises of a different kind.By far the most numerous are those belonging to the far-right Chega party. Its political posters feature one-line grievances about the state of public health, education and housing and tell passing drivers that all these problems will be solved once Chega is in charge. Continue reading...

Foreign Press Association joins long list of global media agencies demanding press freedom in devastated territoryInternational journalists in Israel have called for reporters to be granted immediate access to Gaza after the rapidly negotiated ceasefire came into effect, joining a long list of international media organizations demanding press freedom in the devastated territory.In a statement released on Friday, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) urged Israel to immediately open the borders and allow international media free and independent access to the Gaza Strip" now that hostilities have ceased. The organization also noted that the supreme court is expected to hear arguments on 23 October, after more than a year in which the state has been allowed to delay its response". Continue reading...

Hacker collective Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters demanded payment in return for preventing the stolen data of nearly 40 companies from being shared

The high court told the company linked to Michelle Mone to pay up over the supply of defective gowns, but there appears no clear route to reclaim the fundsThe five-year unravelling of Britain's most high-profile Covid contracts scandal involving a baroness, her husband and multimillion-pound government deals accelerated last week with a high court judgment against the company linked to the former Tory peer Michelle Mone.The judge, Mrs Justice Cockerill, ruled that PPE Medpro, owned by Mone's husband, the Isle of Man-based businessman Doug Barrowman, supplied defective personal protective equipment (PPE) for use in the NHS during the pandemic. Cockerill ordered that PPE Medpro must return the sum of 122m, which the Department of Health and Social Care paid for the order of 25m sterile surgical gowns, under a contract awarded in June 2020 via the VIP lane. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Fantasy about a beautiful creature with wings' has been compiled from drafts, storyboards and sketchesHe rose from the slums of Victorian London to become arguably cinema's first great comic artist, with The Great Dictator and Limelight among his masterpieces.Now the script of Charlie Chaplin's unfinished final film is to be published, having been pieced together from drafts, storyboards and sketches, on which he had been working before his death in 1977, at the age of 88. Continue reading...

The aircraft caught on fire soon after taking off from Shellharbour airport at about 10am on Saturday

Promised crackdown on corruption is not happening fast enough for many who saw government toppled within a day of protestsPrakash Bohora was one of the first of Nepal's gen Z protesters to feel the sting of a police bullet. Like thousands of other young people, he had taken to the streets of the capital last month to protest against corruption and a draconian ban on social media.He had no idea that day in Kathmandu would escalate into what is now described as Nepal's gen Z revolution, which saw the toppling of the government within a day, the dissolution of parliament and appointment of a new interim prime minister, the anti-corruption hardliner Sushila Karki, by the end of the week. Continue reading...

IOPC investigating incident at property in Walthamstow where man reportedly had firearm and made threats to killA man was taken to hospital in a life-threatening" condition after he was shot by police at a home in London on Friday afternoon.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into the actions of Metropolitan police officers during the incident at a property in Walthamstow, north-east London. Continue reading...

Lecornu, who resigned as PM on Monday, is tasked with urgently delivering a budget to parliamentThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, has reappointed his centrist ally Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister - days after Lecornu dramatically resigned and his new government collapsed after only 14 hours.Lecornu said he accepted returning to the role out of duty" and would do everything possible to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and to address the daily life issues of our fellow citizens". Continue reading...

Johnson found to have breached rules after refusing to answer specific questions about allegations published by the GuardianBoris Johnson breached rules designed to stop the abuse of contacts and access made in public office, an ethics watchdog has found.Last month the Guardian published revelations about Johnson's conduct since leaving office. The Boris Files, a trove of documents from the former prime minister's private office seen by the Guardian, suggested he repeatedly broke rules forbidding him from exploiting for private gain contacts made in office. Continue reading...

In an attempt to reset the relationship the government is refusing to describe China as a national security threat despite evidence to the contraryOnce, before the election, Labour's approach to China was forthright. The party promised to declare China's systematic repression of its Uyghur Muslim minority as a genocide. Its MPs united to support a genocide amendment to a 2021 trade bill, voting with Tory rebels and only failing to defeat Boris Johnson's government by 11 votes.But in the past week recriminations have swirled after the prosecution of two Britons accused of spying for China was dropped. A refusal by the government to describe China as a national security threat has reinforced Labour's already softened approach to Beijing and sharpened focus on the figure at its heart: Keir Starmer's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell. Continue reading...

Bets for Maria Corina Machado spiked on Polymarket gambling site hours before she was awarded prizeNorwegian officials who oversee the Nobel peace prize are investigating suspicious online betting for this year's winner that suggests a rare leak from the secretive committee that hands out the prize.Online bets for the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado spiked on the Polymarket gambling site shortly after midnight on Thursday, Norwegian time, according to the information on its website. Continue reading...

Schimdt remembered as profound blessing' after gaining attention for supporting Chicago school's basketball teamSister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the beloved chaplain for Loyola University Chicago men's basketball team, died on Thursday at the age of 106, the university announced.Schmidt became a beloved figure in US college basketball seven years ago when she captured national attention by supporting her team as they reached the final four of the NCAA tournament in 2018 - their first appearance at that stage since 1963. Continue reading...

Thousands walk north along coastal road after Israel-Hamas agreement puts stop to fighting for first time in six months

Republican Winsome Earle-Sears presses Abigail Spanberger over fellow Democrat's abhorrent' texts

President has heart of humanitarian', spokesperson says after unsuccessful bid for prize amid Gaza ceasefire deal

Most non-EU nationals entering Schengen area will have photo and fingerprints taken as part of entry-exit systemThe first British and other non-EU citizens will be subjected to new biometric checks when travelling to Europe from Sunday, when the long-delayed entry-exit system (EES) is finally launched.A phased implementation to avoid chaos at borders means it could be another six months before every traveller is checked, with passport stamping continuing until the system is fully up and running. Continue reading...