World news | The Guardian

President claims US won't attack at any time prior' to elections after reports suggest White House asked Pentagon to develop strike options for before 3 November

Vice-president also says Adobe is barred from visa program that allows high-skilled workers to apply for US residencyMicrosoft is suspended from applying for permanent residency for workers employed through a US visa program for high-skilled workers, JD Vance announced on Thursday.The US vice-president accused the tech company of abusing the H-1B system, which allows those on the visa to work while they apply and are in process for a green card. Continue reading...

Intelligence specialist Teddy Young, 24, alleged to have drafted message in Russian containing classified informationA junior Royal Navy intelligence specialist from Bedfordshire accused of trying to pass military secrets to Russia appeared in court on Thursday.Teddy Young, 24, was accused of abusing his high-level security clearance to access secret defence and intelligence data after being deployed on a warship. Continue reading...

Eye-watering sum, to be split between 20 bankers, is one of the biggest payouts in the bank's historyTop bosses at Goldman Sachs are in line to share a bonus pot worth up to $500m (378m) this year, marking one of the biggest payouts in the Wall Street bank's history.The eye-watering sum will be shared between 20 bankers, with its chief executive, David Solomon, due to take about $100m (75.6m) of the reward, which is made up of Goldman Sachs stock. Continue reading...

Ousted Venezuelan president and Cilia Flores have been in jail in New York since early JanuaryThe deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted for alleged conspiracy to commit torture, according to Manhattan federal court papers unsealed on Thursday.The superseding indictment was unsealed shortly before Flores appeared at court in her ongoing push for pre-trial release - which was denied by Judge Alvin Hellerstein. Maduro and Flores have jailed in New York City since early January. Continue reading...

Intense flash of radio waves is more than 10bn years old and has travelled through approximately 80% of cosmic history'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a mysterious flash of energy was released into the universe.Astronomers have now detected that flash, a burst of radio waves which travelled for more than 10bn years before reaching Earth - what they believe to be the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) ever recorded. Continue reading...

Lawyer for CNN, MS Now and Politico says Trump admitted he banned networks from White House over their coverageDonald Trump continues to be the strongest witness for the media companies arguing that they were unfairly barred from the White House at his direction, a lawyer representing CNN, MS Now and Politico told a federal judge on Thursday afternoon.The media coalition was in court asking the judge to extend the temporary restraining order (TRO) he issued on 24 September requiring the White House to lift the ban for 14 days. That temporary reprieve was scheduled to expire on Thursday, but district court judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, said he would extend it until Tuesday and that he would probably rule on a motion for a preliminary injunction by that day. That means the White House will be forced to allow journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico to continue accessing the building until at least Tuesday. Continue reading...

US ambassador to Greece allegedly asked Trump donor to pay $100,000 American Express billMarco Rubio, the US secretary of state, brushed off reporters' questions about recent reports that Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece and Trump family ally, used her position to advance personal interests.Rubio refused to respond to the latest allegations against Guilfoyle, raised in a Wall Street Journal report, claiming she asked a Trump donor to pay her $100,000 American Express bill in exchange for access to the administration, before her US Senate confirmation hearing. Continue reading...

Embassies post links to hastily produced online film echoing style of real Guardian documentary about mass killings of Gaza civiliansThe Israeli government is promoting an online film project that mimics the style of NAZA, the award-winning documentary that details Israel's mass killings of civilians in Gaza, in an attempt to counter the real film's findings.The real documentary, directed by Oscar-winning film-makers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and produced by the Guardian, is in cinemas and will be shown in more than 50 countries. Continue reading...

Finance expert launches Small Ideas Initiative to gather practical, low-cost' ideas to put before cross-party panelEvery day, people run into what the finance expert Martin Lewis calls the life-potholes of unintended consequences" - clunky systems and poorly conceived rules that make things harder than they should be. His latest project, the Small Ideas Initiative, will attempt to address that, with a cross-party panel of politicians and policymakers crowdsourcing ideas for everyday fixes to take to government.The ideas could cover anything, from health and schools to policing, tech and money. Lewis is encouraging people to submit ideas for practical, low-cost, non-controversial ways to improve the UK" before 12 November. Continue reading...

UK and Israel back away from full diplomatic confrontation, though British presence in Palestine will be much reduced

Andrew Bailey tells chancellor whatever the stance of fiscal policy, it must be credible and be seen as such by financial markets'

Exclusive: Letter to PM, also signed by Sally Phillips, says reforms will unfairly remove children's legal protections

Protesters are gathering in Paris to rally against government policies on school and educationin AthensOver in Athens, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has been forced, yet again, to address allegations of misconduct by Kimberly Guilfoyle, America's ambassador to Greece. Continue reading...

Judge makes ruling after former prince brought judicial review of operation linked to Jeffrey Epstein investigationAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor has won his legal challenge against Thames Valley police over search warrants that led to his arrest.The former prince brought a judicial review of the legality of the force's actions and those of the central criminal court, which granted the warrants. Continue reading...

Schools blockaded again across country as teenagers and teachers demand more investment and concrete measures' to improve conditions

Thinking Allowed, The Artificial Human and Free Thinking among other programmes hit by 500m cutsBBC Radio 4's consumer rights show You and Yours is to be axed after more than 50 years, becoming one of the latest victims of the corporation's 500m cuts plan.The programme, once described by the former Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer as one of the most important" on the station, is one of a handful to be cut as the BBC searches for shows that can be more easily adapted as podcasts. Continue reading...

Voters choosing replacement for Keir Starmer, who announced he was standing down last monthThe UK's military is too focused on global commitments at the expense of domestic defence, meaning the government's planned increase in defence spending is likely to result in even greater waste, a thinktank report has warned.According to an analysis by researchers at the Transition Security Project, Britain has the most overseas-oriented military among European nations, with almost a quarter of the defence budget spent on commitments across five continents. Continue reading...

Jane Adetoro, Christina Walters and Rebecca Walters from London visited late mother's former home shortly before their deaths in MayThree sisters who drowned in the sea in Brighton collectively decided to end their own lives, a coroner has ruled.The bodies of Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, all from London, were recovered from the sea off Brighton in the early hours of 13 May.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. 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...

Recent death of 87-year-old woman likely to focus attention on crisis in run-up to election at end of November

Governor says Kremlin deliberately targeting civilians' after strike in Kramatorsk, which also wounded 18 and set second bus on fire

Exclusive: Thinktank says Britain's drive towards global commitments is symptom of outdated foreign policy'The UK's military is too focused on global commitments at the expense of domestic defence, meaning the government's planned increase in defence spending is likely to result in even greater waste, a thinktank report has warned.According to an analysis by researchers at the Transition Security Project, Britain has the most overseas-oriented military among European nations, with almost a quarter of the defence budget spent on commitments across five continents. Continue reading...

Regulator also vetoes extra Blackpool service, saying insufficient space for new direct trains to London

Researchers found five events, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, caused serious damage to mental wellbeing across UKBrexit, Liz Truss's mini-budget and other shocks" over the last 10 years have led to a serious and lasting deterioration in the UK population's mental health, research has found.Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the first and second Covid lockdowns also triggered big rises in psychological distress, as measured by the number of people with depression and anxiety. Continue reading...

Sales rise 2% to 33.8bn in the past six months, helped by strong trade online

More than half of US students surveyed said the problem damaged their ability to do academic work, study findsProcrastination is the biggest problem that can harm students' academic performance at university, according to a study of more than 65,000 young people who placed it above issues such as ADHD, anxiety or financial worries.The study found that nearly half of the students surveyed named procrastination as the thing damaging their ability to do academic work, more than twice the number who named depression, while the same proportion said procrastination caused them significant distress above any other problems including family pressures or bullying. Continue reading...

Zack Polanski has led energetic campaign for the Greens, while Labour will hope to hold on to Starmer's old seatVoting has opened in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, a contest seen as a key gauge of Andy Burnham's ability to energise voters and whether Zack Polanski's Greens can still peel off support from Labour's left.Polanski, who leads the Greens in England and Wales, is standing for his party in the north London constituency, previously held by Keir Starmer before he stood down as an MP shortly after resigning as prime minister. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: A youth-led movement is protesting crumbling school buildings and teacher shortages while turning adult focus onto wider educational inequalitiesGood morning. In my experience, at any protest, the most memorable and encapsulating slogans are always the ones written by hand with marker pen on cardboard placards.School is a right, not a privilege," read one such sign held aloft by a student in Paris, where huge youth protests over the state of high school education have brought tens of thousands of young people and adults on to the streets, with further strikes planned today.UK politics | Kemi Badenoch has announced that the Conservatives would abolish inheritance tax on family homes if elected, prompting criticism that she is prioritising cutting taxes for the rich.Education | Labour's flagship changes to special education in England are at risk of unravelling because parents are rushing to secure support for their children before the system changes, new analysis has found.Spain | Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old whose eviction set off a nationwide wave of protests against Spain's housing crisis, has died.Science | A type of gene therapy based on Nobel prize-winning science is safe and can partly restore sight in blind people, researchers have revealed.Epstein | British billionaire Sir James Goldsmith warned that Jeffrey Epstein was a sexual deviant" decades before the FBI closed in on the abuser, a Guardian investigation has found. Continue reading...

Police watchdog says Mal Lanyon's timing in raising the issue was regrettable' and led to delays

Little if any sign Bury Park is a place where any group might fear to tread, despite Tory MP's comments to the contraryFrom behind the counter of his chippie, Tanner Ahmed is wrestling with the notion that the regular stop-off point for fans attending Luton Town's nearby football ground could be in a no-go zone" for white people.The whole point of setting up was to cater for thousands who were coming through here every week, especially in the first year when the club was in the Premier League," said Ahmed, affectionately known as Mr T, in the Bury Park area, a predominantly Asian district of Luton. Continue reading...

Move expected to make pump pricing more transparent and encourage competition after diesel hits record 2 a litreDrivers will be able to see live petrol prices on Google Maps for the first time from Thursday, in a move that will help motorists shop around for the cheapest fuel.Millions of motorists will be able to find the cheapest petrol and diesel prices by searching for a local forecourt in the Google app, in what could prove to be a major development" in making fuel prices more fair, according to campaigners. Continue reading...

Youngest complainant in trial alleges Jones put his tongue in his mouth and touched him on the bottom during visit to shock jock's property

Former NSW police officer has pleaded not guilty to the February 2024 murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in Sydney

Operation on 19-year-old who had no sperm after chemotherapy offers hope of preserving children's fertility after cancer treatmentSurgeons have performed the first testicular tissue transplant on a teenager in the UK, offering hope that boys left infertile by chemotherapy could one day have biological children.The 19-year-old had his tissue removed and frozen three years ago before undergoing treatment for a serious blood disorder. He said he was incredibly grateful" to the medical team behind the pioneering procedure, which represents a potential breakthrough for male fertility preservation. Continue reading...

In Bolotana, 70 miles from island's original blue zone, 13% of women who reach 70 will live on to a centuryThe secret to longevity is being a woman - specifically, a woman in one part of Sardinia. At least, that is the conclusion of a study on centenarians in a tiny mountain village on the Italian island.Sardinia became known as a haven for longevity, especially for long-lived men, in 1999 when a cluster of remote villages nestled in the slopes of its central and eastern provinces were classified among the world's five blue zones" - geographic areas with high concentrations of centenarians. Continue reading...

Investigators probe Asahi, Kirin, Suntory and Sapporo breweries - which together control more than 90% of Japan's beer marketJapanese authorities have raided the country's four biggest breweries over suspicions they colluded to set the price of beer and other beverages - a practice media reports said could have forced drinkers to pay over the odds.Officials from the Fair Trade Commission this week searched the offices of Asahi Breweries, Kirin Brewery, Suntory Beer and Sapporo Breweries - which together control more than 90% of the domestic market. The quartet are suspected of violating the anti-monopoly law. Continue reading...

NGOs in Indonesian Borneo file class action lawsuit calling for government to better manage annual fires andThe Indonesian government has been accused of gross negligence" in a class action lawsuit over its handling of wildfires that have cloaked large parts of South-east Asia in a toxic haze, shuttered schools and caused a spike in respiratory illnesses.The lawsuit, filed by indigenous and civil society groups in the Indonesian part of Borneo, named President Prabowo Subianto and the governor of West Kalimantan among 10 defendants. The case seeks comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation measures that would include covering the healthcare costs of residents. Continue reading...

Sources say Firmus is slashing its price and may even shelve initial public offering altogether

MIT computer scientist led development of software for moon mission and earned Presidential Medal of FreedomMargaret Hamilton, the computer pioneer whose software powered the first moon landing, has died, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced on Wednesday. She was 90.In an era before titles such as software engineer and computer scientist became mainstream, Hamilton, who died on 30 September, learned to program under the tutelage of a renowned MIT meteorologist. Continue reading...

Hundred-and-fifty-year-old Wych elm in Newcastle, Co Down has grown sideways owing to strong windsThe astonishing and bizarre" Bendy Tree in Northern Ireland has been crowned the winner of this year's tree of the year competition.The wych elm tree, located in Newcastle, County Down, owes its name to its near horizontal trunk, which has grown sideways owing to the strong seaside winds coming off the Irish Sea. Continue reading...

In the shadow of the Parthenon, the secretary of state gave a selective reading of history as he urged Europe to awaken from its slumber'The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, delivered a classically inspired apologia for Donald Trump's America first" foreign policy on Wednesday, giving a sweeping speech to the backdrop of the Parthenon in Athens that appeared tailor-made for campaign ads if he runs for president in 2028.In the speech, the top US diplomat drew historical parallels from the founders, philosophers and conquerers of antiquity to the modern American spirit - as well as his family's own journey to the United States - as he called on Europe to awaken from its long slumber" and reject a future of atrophy and servitude and decline". Continue reading...

Ethan Scott Brown died after being wrongly told he would not be eligible to graduate from the University of GlasgowThe family of a student who took his own life after being wrongly told he would not be eligible to graduate have said the University of Glasgow will be held to account".Ethan Scott Brown, 23, was due to graduate in December 2024 after studying geography. Continue reading...

Transparent information sharing' from Moscow is required to conduct full risk assessment, UN agency saysThe World Health Organization has said it does not have the full picture" from Russia following the suspected death from plague last week of a 28-year-old laboratory worker in Siberia.Darya Shipilova died two days after falling ill with cold-like symptoms. She was an employee at the anti-plague research institute in the eastern city of Irkutsk, with some reports suggesting she was infected after a workplace accident. Continue reading...

Minister says use of grenades has been stopped after a student lost a hand as protests across France continue

Group's fighters hit key airport in Aden with explosive moments before plane from Cairo was due to landHouthi forces appeared to be making slow advances on Wednesday in south-west Yemen, approaching the city of Taiz and firing a missile and an explosive towards the airport in Aden, the chief international hub of the Saudi-backed government.The explosive hit the key airport moments before a plane was due to land. The British ambassador to Yemen, Abda Sharif, said the attack could have endangered thousands of people. It forced the flight - from Cairo - to be diverted to Jeddah and led to a review about the safety of flights in Aden. Continue reading...

Pentagon chief tries to play down problems onboard carrier as it returns to dock after 260 days at sea without port callPete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, told service members on the USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday that their deployment wasn't easy" as the carrier prepares to dock after spending over 260 consecutive days at sea without a port call, setting a navy record.For months, there have been widespread concerns since reports first emerged of supply shortages and deteriorating mental health onboard. In his remarks on Wednesday, however, Hegseth again sought to play down the issues. Continue reading...

Isaias, which succeeded Tropical Depression Nine, would be the first hurricane of the belated Atlantic seasonTropical Storm Isaias formed early on Wednesday in the warm waters off eastern Mexico and forecasters said it was expected to strengthen into the first hurricane of the belated Atlantic season, as early as Thursday, before hitting the US Gulf coast later in the week.Isaias succeeded Tropical Depression Nine as it strengthened overnight. It was located about 285 miles (460km) west of Progreso, Mexico, and about 580 miles south-west of where the Mississippi River spills into the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm on Wednesday morning had maximum sustained winds of 40mph (65km/h) and was moving east to north-east at 8mph. Continue reading...

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Inquest under way into why President Lula's success in curbing Amazon deforestation has not led to success at pollsMore fire, more ash, more crime, more death. And a globally important ecosystem driven ever more rapidly towards a point of no return. That is the prospect for the Amazon rainforest for at least the next four years if Flavio Bolsonaro holds on to the lead he established this week in the first round of Brazil's presidential election.This appears to be of far more concern to the outside world than to voters in Latin America's biggest, richest and most biodiverse nation. Continue reading...

Nearly 460 schools are affected by continuing protests today, just over a half of those that joined the day of mobilisation' yesterdayWe are getting reports of a knife attack at a vocational school in Ostroka, Poland, which left at least seven people injured, including two seriously, as reported by Poland's RMF FM radio.The city mayor, Pawe Niewiadomski, confirmed in a statement that the situation has been contained.Henri Kagan discovered a new way of manipulating chemical reactions, allowing a greater excess of one of the mirror images to be created than was previously assumed possible. His discovery has been revolutionary for chemists who develop reactions for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, flavours, scents and new materials.Kenso Soai designed the first chemical reaction in which only one of the potential mirror images was formed. Other than life itself, no one had ever achieved this feat. The Soai reaction is one of the most spectacular chemical experiments ever conducted." Continue reading...