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As polls point to victory in Saxony-Anhalt for AfD party promising deportations, people face agonising choice: stay or goAs the Bible study session wrapped up, leaving worshippers to mingle over cake and coffee, Fatemeh, 44, fought back tears as the conversation turned to Sunday's state election in Saxony-Anhalt.I worry about it every day," she said. I can't stop thinking about my son and what might happen to us."Fatemeh worries about what might happen after the elections. Photograph: Christian Jungeblodt/The Guardian Continue reading...

New record for Australia as more than 27,000 EVs sold in August, driven by the rising cost of fuel and new government policy

Daniel Billings said I did what I did' in call from friend's house after 2024 domestic violence murder

Togo-sponsored resolution calls to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to GreenlandThe UN general assembly will vote on Friday on a resolution for the world to formally phase out the traditional Mercator map of the globe in favour of one that more accurately displays Africa's size.Robert Dussey, Togo's foreign affairs minister, said the resolution was sponsored by Togo and backed by countries including the African Union's 54 other member states. He did not specify the total number. Continue reading...

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Republican candidate Thomas Ross and former campaign manager allegedly devised plan to stash drugs in rival Louise Secker's purse or vehicleA Missouri House race has been rocked by the Wednesday arrest of Republican candidate Thomas Ross, whom prosecutors accuse of attempting to frame his primary opponent Louise Secker for cocaine possession.In June, Ross allegedly gave his former campaign manager, identified by the initials CS" in court documents, a bag of cocaine and Adderall. The two allegedly devised a plan for the former manager to stash the drugs in Secker's purse or vehicle. Continue reading...

Telle has previously worked for Trump during his first term as a special assistant to the president for legislative affairsDonald Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle as the acting army secretary after the departure of Daniel Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with defense secretary Pete Hegseth.Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the army for civil works. Continue reading...

Organ kept Tim Andrews off dialysis and acted as a bridge' while he waited for a human transplant in the USA genetically modified kidney from a pig called Wilma has kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure alive for a record nine months and successfully acted as a bridge" to a human transplant in a world first.Tim Andrews was seriously ill with end-stage kidney disease caused by type 2 diabetes and had only a 9% chance of receiving a human kidney within five years, against a more than 40% risk of dying or being removed from the waiting list. Continue reading...

Under-pressure carmaker will shed 15% of workforce and halve its product line in sector's biggest ever restructureThe car company Volkswagen has announced it will shed 100,000 jobs by the end of the decade after being hit by US tariffs and fierce competition from Chinese rivals.The German manufacturer said management and unions had agreed as part of a sweeping cost-cutting plan to cut a further 50,000 positions by 2030, bringing total job losses in the pipeline to 100,000. Continue reading...

Student protesters among those hacked, says digital rights group, though Aleksandar Vui's government denies spyingAt least 14 people from across Serbian civil society were targeted with advanced spyware earlier this year in what the digital rights group Share Foundation said was the largest documented wave of such infection in Serbia to date.The wave of spyware infections was discovered in August after Apple notified people in 110 countries that they had probably been victims of mercenary spyware. Continue reading...

Troops escort settlers into al-Mughayyir and raze village outside Hebron as ethnic cleansing of West Bank continuesIsraelis have shot dead two teenagers in a Palestinian village encircled by settlers and Israeli troops have razed an entire village outside Hebron, the latest attacks in a surge of Israeli terror and ethnic cleansing across the occupied West Bank.The shootings targeted Khalil Abu Alia, 16, who was about to start 11th grade at the al-Mughayyir boys school, and 19-year-old Omar al-Nassan, who graduated from the same institution with top marks this summer. Continue reading...

Liz Oyer says department fired her after she refused to recommend restoring gun rights of actor and Trump allyThe former pardon attorney for the US justice department, Elizabeth Oyer, filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the department and attorney general Todd Blanche, accusing them of unlawfully" firing her last year after she said she refused to recommend restoring actor Mel Gibson's gun rights.In the complaint, filed in the US district court for the District of Columbia, Oyer alleges that in early 2025, while she was serving as pardon attorney, she was asked to disregard her duties and facilitate a political favor" for Gibson based on his relationship with President Trump". Continue reading...

Office for Students made decision to punish University of Sussex with fine last year after claiming it breached free speech regulationsEngland's higher education regulator has apologised for a string of mistakes in its decision to punish the University of Sussex with a record fine that was later overturned by the high court.The Office for Students (OfS) tried to impose a 585,000 fine against Sussex last year after claiming the university breached free speech regulations involving its former professor Kathleen Stock. It was forced to back down in April after a judicial review initiated by Sussex found the OfS had closed its mind" and acted with bias. Continue reading...

Ex-secretary of state joins Nancy Pelosi, Jill Biden, Roxane Gay and others in heralding groundbreaking feminist

Itamar Ben-Gvir claims proposal for illegal forced displacement of 2 million people is realistic' and concrete'Israel's far-right national security minister has set out a plan for the illegal forced displacement of all Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, to force them abroad.Speaking in the run-up to close-fought Israeli elections, Itamar Ben-Gvir said the plan aimed to remove 250,000 Palestinians from Gaza in the first year, followed by the rest of its population of roughly 2 million over the next six years. Continue reading...

Swap rates rise to three-year high as increase in oil prices leads to fears of higher inflation

Police say two lorries were driven into industrial estate in Runcorn and attached to trailers holding about 800 barrelsThe famous tagline Guinness is good for you" applies only when the drink is bought and paid for, police have said, after thieves made off with more than 70,000 pints' worth.Officers believe two lorries were driven into a depot in Runcorn on Monday, each attached to a waiting trailer holding a combined total of about 800 barrels before being driven away. Continue reading...

A Maltese businessman has been cleared of involvement in the journalist's death, but his trial revealed the challenges faced by those leading the search for her killersThe conclusion of the longest-running murder trial in Maltese history has left a country in turmoil, and a grieving family still searching for answers.At 7.30pm on Wednesday, gasps and cheers echoed around hall 22 of the courts of justice in Valletta, as a jury pronounced a businessman accused of ordering the murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia not guilty. Continue reading...

Jump lifts currency to highest level against dollar in a month, while global markets remain jittery

Futuro Nazionale's speedy rise in polls prompts questions over whether PM will return to her roots before election

McDonagh's new film, Wild Horse Nine, stars John Malkovich as an agent in 1970s Chile who feels guilt and regret' over his role in global interventionsThe US's history of intervening in democratic processes around the world deserves more attention in the light of current political developments, playwright and film-maker Martin McDonagh has said, as his Oscar-tipped film about a rueful CIA agent premieres at the Venice film festival.I've been very interested in the truth of what the CIA has been doing over the last 60 years, and the awful things they've done all around the world," McDonagh said about Wild Horse Nine, his first film since his 2022 tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin. I think maybe something that's not talked about enough. We know what the KGB are like, but we probably don't question the CIA's activity as much as we ought to." Continue reading...

Air bases used by US in the UAE and Kuwait hit as the Israeli defence chief says Iran's regime fears collapse due to economic pressuresIran has continued to demonstrate an ability to target bases in the Gulf used by the US despite six months of war and a new sanctions regime described by the Trump administration as an economic D-day".As Iran's military targeted US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats of further strikes by the US president, Israel's defence chief warned that economic pressures from the sanctions could lead Tehran to escalate to more extreme measures". Continue reading...

Pedro Sanchez continues to defend Rabat after police report claiming border forces helped 70,000 cross border

Climate crisis could increase incursions of Aedes aegypti, which can transmit Zika virus and dengue, experts sayAn invasive mosquito capable of transmitting tropical diseases has been found breeding in homes in east London, with warnings that the rapidly warming climate will lead to greater incursions of invasive mosquitoes".This is the first time the species has been identified breeding in the UK and the fourth time it has been detected. Continue reading...

Migration spokeperson says if Centre party wins power it will change law to end plight of British citizens hit by post-Brexit policyA leading Swedish opposition party has promised an urgent reprieve for British nationals facing deportation from the country over Brexit administrative issues.Niels Paarup-Petersen, the migration spokesperson for the Centre party, said it would introduce laws to end the suffering of people such as the 78-year-old British widow Joyce Thomas if, as polls project, it forms a new centre-left coalition after the general election in 10 days' time. Thomas has been told to leave by next Wednesday after 21 years in Sweden. Continue reading...

Helen Paterson's work on advancing how police and courts understand memory is recognised in prestigious Eureka prizes

Ben Delo, who was convicted in 2022 for failure to apply anti-money laundering controls, is party's second biggest donorReform UK has been given a further 4m from the British crypto billionaire Ben Delo, with the party saying it is confident the formerly Hong Kong-based businessman will not be caught by the new overseas donor cap.Delo, who was convicted in the US in 2022 for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls in his cryptocurrency business before being pardoned by Donald Trump, has previously given 4m to Reform in January. Continue reading...

After judge allows partial access rights, Catherine Birmingham and Nathan Trevallion say the enforced separation broke each of our hearts'A couple have told of their heartache, trauma and stress after fighting for two years for their right to parent their children as they choose in the glare of the world's attention.The three children of a Melbourne woman, Catherine Birmingham, and her British partner, Nathan Trevallion, were removed from their dilapidated" off-grid home in Italy last year. Continue reading...

Famous for the 1963 expose in which she worked as a Playboy Bunny, her books and journalism took on many varieties of discriminationGloria Steinem, the American feminist and journalist whose activism helped push through greater rights for women around the world has died, aged 92.Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her", a statement shared to her Instagram page said. Continue reading...

Claim relating to infamous apartheid-era shooting of protesters part of wave of litigation for apartheid-era crimesThe day dawned brightly on 21 March 1960, as residents of the South African township of Sharpeville gathered to protest against pass laws, which forced Black, Indian and Coloured" South Africans to carry documents at all times specifying where they were allowed to be.Abraham Mofokeng joined the march, one of dozens organised nationwide by the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), a breakaway group from the African National Congress (ANC). The weather was very nice, the sun was out. You could not have suspected that the day would go so horribly," said Mofokeng, who was then a 20-year-old factory worker. Continue reading...

Firm will complete fewer homes than expected in year to 31 October - between 1,350 and 1,400The British housebuilder Crest Nicholson has warned of a surprise loss this year as it bemoaned difficult trading in a subdued" property market.In an unscheduled trading update, the company said it would complete fewer homes than expected in the year to 31 October - between 1,350 and 1,400, down from its previous estimate of 1,400 to 1,500. Continue reading...

Charles Perrottet, the younger brother of the former premier, tells Icac that claims made by Jean Nassif in the call were bravado' and far-fetched'

Polanski says he will stand up for people struggling to pay their bills' if he becomes MP for Holborn and St Pancras

Gretsch Synchromatic 160 acoustic guitar expected to sell for as much as 120,000, as star lot in auction of items owned by late personal assistant Siobhan BaileyOne of the most iconic items in George Michael's career, the acoustic guitar he energetically strummed in the video for 1987's Faith, is going up for auction.The guitar, a Gretsch Synchromatic 160 with a sunburst finish to the body, has an estimated sale price of 60,000-120,000. It comes with a case featuring the words Rockabilly Rebel pasted on it - a reference to the twangy, 1950s-referencing sound of Faith, which topped the US charts for four weeks and became a foundation stone of Michael's post-Wham! solo career. Continue reading...

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Misfits Together, by Bastille's Dan Smith and To Kill a King's Ralph Pelleymounter, is set amid the 1950s' red scare'It was lampooned as the union of the hourglass" and the egghead" - the marriage, in the summer of 1956, between Hollywood superstar Marilyn Monroe and Pulitzer-winning playwright Arthur Miller. Now, a new stage musical is to give a nuanced and intimate portrait of that famous relationship, treat each as trailblazers in their own way and reveal parallels between the volatile state of the US during the 50s red scare" and now.The production, which opens next autumn at Leicester's Curve, is called Misfits Together, a reference to the film Miller wrote for Monroe that was released shortly after their divorce in 1961. It is a foray into musical theatre by two indie musicians, Dan Smith of the band Bastille and Ralph Pelleymounter from To Kill a King, who have recorded the score as a studio album. The first track, Oh America, is out on Thursday. Continue reading...

Actor will play 15th-century hero in sweeping production about Welsh rebellion against English crownThere are myriad films, plays and books focusing on heroes of English, Scottish and Irish history but far fewer that tell the stories of the great figures of Wales.A major new play about the Welsh nobleman Owain Glyndr's early 15th-century rebellion against the English crown will help redress the balance this autumn. Continue reading...

Case is latest in string of post-Brexit deportations from country, which has been criticised for high refusal rate for British people to remainThe wife of a British man detained by police in Stockholm on Tuesday ahead of a threatened deportation has pleaded with Andy Burnham to get involved in the Brexit catastrophe unfolding for many British citizens in Sweden.Charles, who does not want to be fully identified, and his Swedish wife, Lily, were summoned to the police station at 10am on Tuesday, where he was told he would be held at a detention centre and deported within the next two weeks. Continue reading...

Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan claim drastic cut to price of cigarettes and moves to legalise vapes will combat illicit tobacco trade

Thousands of heat-related deaths in record-breaking temperatures appeared to only intensify hosts' climate denialsAs the first heatwave of the record-breaking summer arrived on 23 May, GB News host Cristo Foufas was not happy: I am sick to death of the naysayers saying firstly that we're all going to die and that we have to put out heat alerts, because, you know, just drink some water and drink a bit less rose in the sunshine."We used to call it Darwinism," replied co-host Renee Hoenderkamp. She is a medical doctor. Continue reading...

Victim's father Tony Ticehurst confronts Daniel Billings during sentence hearing in regional NSW, saying I hope that every night Molly's screams keep you awake'

Yasmin Catley says we will not be surrendering our streets' after as many as six suspected mistaken identity shootings since the start of last yearThe New South Wales police minister denies that gang violence is out of control in the state, despite two people being shot dead in suspected cases of mistaken identity in as many days.The police minister, Yasmin Catley, told a media conference on Thursday that while the recent deaths were unacceptable, the force had the resources they needed to tackle organised crime gangs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: new data shows poorer pupils and those with Send are disproportionately affected by the measureThe proportion of secondary school students in England removed from class and placed in internal exclusion" as a disciplinary measure has almost trebled in three years, according to new data.The data shows the proportion of secondary pupils removed from normal lessons went up from 5% in the 2022/2023 academic year to 13% in 2025/26 - a 160% increase. Continue reading...

Coroner says death likely triggered by vitamin C deficiency and socalled sailor's disease' common in convict era

Queensland open-cut Saraji mine will be able to keep digging until 2055 as Anthony Albanese denies tensions with Pacific leaders over fossil fuels

NSW police called to Redfern on Wednesday night found a 17-year-old with a partially severed hand

Bank says gold reserves held in London could be traded more easily and the move will allow it to respond more rapidly in a crisis situation'The Dutch central bank says it has moved 86 tonnes of its gold reserves out of the US and Canada to London, citing increasing geopolitical unrest".De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) said gold reserves held in London could be traded more easily than those held in New York and Ottawa. Continue reading...

Oil consumption plummets and EV sales soar as analysts say demand may not fully return even if crude price fallsChina's carbon dioxide emissions fell by 1% after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran, thanks to a sharp reduction in oil consumption and a steady rise in the use of electric vehicles and public transport, analysis shows.The report reveals the role of clean energy in cushioning the price shocks caused by the strait of Hormuz crisis to the world's biggest oil importer. It also reinforces hopes that China, which is the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter, may be nearing a turning point in decarbonising its economy. Continue reading...

Mississippi-born Wilson, who worked across folk, pop, R&B and country, was once dubbed America's best singerCassandra Wilson, the two-time Grammy-winning jazz singer, songwriter and producer has died. She was 70.Dubbed America's best singer by Time magazine in 2001, Wilson was best known for her genre-bending voice, which expanded the boundaries of traditional blues-based jazz and worked effortlessly across folk, pop, R&B, country and beyond. At the heart of all her work was her idiosyncratic contralto, a soulful sound distinctly tied to her roots. Continue reading...