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No passengers or crew killed or critically hurt after tanker collides with river cruise ship on Mississippi, officials sayIn what the city's mayor declared a miracle on the Mississippi", all passengers were accounted for - with none killed or critically hurt - after a tanker collided with a river cruise ship docked on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday afternoon.Thirty-two people were taken to local hospitals after the Atlantic Asphalt tanker struck American Cruise Lines's American Heritage at about 12.30pm - but none of their injuries were considered critical, New Orleans's mayor, Helena Moreno, said at a news conference. Continue reading...

Sydney and Melbourne airports say flights were affected by now-lifted ban on departures in US

Travelers and crew feeling pissed' or lucky' depending on level of upset amid nationwide ground stop

Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, said the airspace was now open and the problem had been identified

The former coalminer's claim Australians are being demographically replaced' sparked wide criticism, but his party has shown no signs of dumping him

Flight 15 expected to orbit Earth about 14 times over 22 hours, before company catches it at Starbase, TexasSpaceX's Starship megarocket blasted off from Texas on Friday afternoon as the aerospace company sought to make history with a double catch of its reusable rocket, but ultimately fell short.Starship, the world's largest rocket, standing at 407ft, is expected to orbit Earth about 14 times over the course of 22 hours, before the company catches the rocket at its launchpad at Starbase in south Texas. Continue reading...

Experts say outage exposes Australia's reliance on foreign technology' as software giant says services being restored

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for all planes due to take off in the US, delaying and canceling thousands of flights

Statement is rare instance of a prominent Jewish political leader taking a strong stand in defence of Arab IsraelisIsraeli prime ministerial hopeful Gadi Eisenkot accused caretaker premier Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday of fuelling a racist" campaign against the country's Arab minority, after he sought to delegitimise the community's lawmakers by linking them to Hamas.Eisenkot's statement was a rare instance of a prominent Jewish political leader taking a strong stand in defence of Arab Israelis, who make up more than 20% of the population. Continue reading...

No personnel, aircraft or infrastructure at Suffolk site affected, says US militaryThe US Air Force has said it responded to suspected unauthorised drone activity" on Friday night at an RAF airbase in the east of England.No personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected, the air force said. Continue reading...

Anti-corruption agency carried out searches as part of investigation into Orban-era minister accused of taking bribesHungary's anti-corruption agency said on Friday it had seized cash worth $19.5m (14.8m) buried in forests and hidden elsewhere while investigating an ex-minister of nationalist former leader Viktor Orban's cabinet.Miklos Sesztak, Hungary's minister of national development between 2014 and 2018, is accused of taking bribes in a scheme involving the state transport company, purchasing secondhand buses at inflated prices. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Report says restricting cars and freeing up pavement space could be a cheap way to bring shoppers backThe long decline of the high street is a problem that has gripped British governments for years. But what if there was a solution no one had considered before - doing it all on the cheap?Spending less money is, admittedly, just one element of a report led by the urban thinktank Create Streets. But it does argue that rather than multimillion-pound revamps, a better answer could be smaller changes aimed at making town and city centres more appealing. Continue reading...

Move deals blow to government's plans to release thousands of prisoners early to tackle prison overcrowdingThe government's plans to release thousands of prisoners early were dealt a blow on Friday after probation officers across England and Wales voted to strike over pay and excessive workloads.Members of the union, Napo, backed overtime restrictions and other forms of action short of a strike, which is likely to start on 23 November. Plans are being made for strike action to follow at a later stage. Continue reading...

Kaja Kallas says Moscow is trying to divert attention from its aggression by raising issue of European securityThe EU's foreign policy chief has warned against walking into the traps that Russia is setting" as she said Moscow was trying to start a debate about European security in order to divert attention from its aggression.We have one aggressor and one victim, and the aggressor does not have security concerns," Kaja Kallas said on arrival at an EU leaders' summit in Dublin. Nobody has ever attacked them. They have attacked others. I mean, keep the focus, people." Continue reading...

President purchased up to $5m of stock before revoking Biden-era rule that limited Nvidia's ability to sell to ChinaDonald Trump bought Nvidia stock worth millions of dollars as he made decisions on America's China policy that would benefit the chipmaker, an analysis has found.In May 2025, Trump's administration rescinded a Biden-era rule designed to prevent the most advanced US AI chips from being exported to China. Continue reading...

Parents take action while independent bookshops say they had already stopped stocking his titlesIn Sarah's house, David Walliams has been a bedtime staple for years. Her children, aged eight, six and four, have dressed up as his characters for World Book Day - they love the over-the-top, unusual names and illustrations.Now, all the books are going. I'll probably take them away and replace them with other authors," says Sarah, a mother in west London. Sooner rather than later, so they don't realise." If any of her children ask why, she will tell them that his choices aren't great and that I think we should be reading other books". Continue reading...

Met police say allegations are separate from those made by multiple women in Guardian and ITV investigationThe Metropolitan police have launched a criminal investigation into David Walliams over alleged serious sexual offences.Walliams, 55, was accused in reports by ITV and the Guardian this week of using his power and celebrity status to prey on young women and teenagers for sex. He has denied any wrongdoing, being a sexual predator or breaking the law. Continue reading...

No 10 sources say PM wants party to refocus on Tories as electoral threat after prioritising Reform and GreensAndy Burnham has instructed the Labour party to re-arm" to fight the Conservatives at the next election amid concern inside government that they must take the prospect of a Kemi Badenoch-led recovery seriously.Downing Street sources said the prime minister wanted Labour headquarters to refocus on the Tories as an electoral threat after more than two years of prioritising Nigel Farage's Reform and, on their left flank, the Greens. Continue reading...

Anneliese Midgley surprises colleagues after Burnham said whips' office should not be something to be feared'If Andy Burnham has been accused of being a people pleaser by his critics, the same most certainly cannot be said of his chief whip.I'm not going to take any shit and I don't fuck about," said Anneliese Midgley, the Labour government's newest head of party discipline, shedding some light on her direct approach to keeping MPs in line. Continue reading...

NHS suffering serious' and widespread disruption, while people are told of possible delays in receiving prescriptions

Exclusive: Plans to replace key disability benefits for young people with work and training could affect adultsDowning Street is considering whether plans to replace key disability benefits for the under-25s with work and training should be expanded to older age groups, the Guardian has learned, in a move that risks reigniting Labour tensions over welfare changes.The prime minister and other cabinet ministers are looking at applying the idea of participation first" to all working ages, meaning spending billions more on support to enter the workplace while cutting or removing some disability benefits. Continue reading...

Tech firm says it is deeply sorry' for disruption and has now addressed the underlying issue

Local officials warn some services remain unavailable even as Outlook starts to resume normal operations after outage

Mohammed Alfatih rearrested over alleged plot to target Israelis in Europe while detained for attack on bailiffA former Hamas bodyguard convicted of knife crime in the UK is wanted in Germany for allegedly plotting to murder Jewish people.Details of the alleged plot can now be reported after Mohammed Alfatih, also known as Mohammed Naim, was found guilty on Friday of a knife attack on a bailiff outside his home in Birmingham. Continue reading...

This blog is now closedHungary's Peter Magyar is also here, looking very elegant as always...... but it looks like he took a slight detour on the way back to hotel last night to try and pour a perfect pint of Guinness. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereArchbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally has said people are seeking meaning, connection and hope in a turbulent world" as new statistics reveal Church of England attendances have grown for the fifth year in a row.The number of regular attenders to C of E services grew to 1.03m in 2025, a 1.5% increase on the previous year.Whether at morning prayer, a Sunday service, Evensong, a youth hub, a parent and toddler group - or any of the countless ways that the Church of England serves our communities in every parish - it is clear that people are seeking meaning, connection and hope in a turbulent world. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Government in private meetings' about removing cost cap protections under Aarhus convention

Chris Philp and Zia Yusuf trade barbs in Oxfordshire village planning legal action to block conversion of military base

Judge imposes three-year treatment order on Donaldson for aiding and abetting sexual offences by her husband, JeffreyJeffrey Donaldson's wife, Eleanor, has been placed on the sex offender register for five years for aiding and abetting sexual offences by her disgraced husband.Eleanor Donaldson appeared via remote link at Newry crown court to hear the order on Friday one month after her husband, the former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader, was convicted of abusing two women when they were children. Continue reading...

Siberian rubythroat was thousands of miles off course from its route to winter in south or south-east AsiaA bird that flies south from its breeding grounds in Siberia to winter in south and south-east Asia has been found thousands of miles off course in Cumbria. Regrettably, it was found by a cat.Chris Hind, Cumbria's county recorder for birds, said it was extraordinary" that a Siberian rubythroat was found on his patch, albeit dead. There have been only 17 recorded instances of the bird in the UK, 15 of those in the northern Scottish isles. Continue reading...

First direct attack on US military installations for months was in response to US airstrike on communications towerIran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has targeted and destroyed a US early-warning radar in Bahrain in response to a US airstrike on a communications tower in Sirik overlooking the strait of Hormuz. It is Iran's first direct attack on US military installations for months.This is a serious warning to the aggressor enemy to end its aerial mischief and oil smuggling in the strait of Hormuz," the IRGC said. In the event of repeated violations and aggression, the IRGC aerospace force is on full alert to confront the enemy without constraint." Continue reading...

Singer, 76, was in Manchester with his band for penultimate UK show of his Songs in the Key of Life anniversary tourWhen Stevie Wonder's team just called to say: Can we all come to your restaurant in Stalybridge at 11pm on a Sunday?" Ryan Robinson, of course, said yes.First the band turned up, and then - at 12.30am - the man himself arrived. Hours later, staff at the Cafe Continental were sharing a 1,000 tip. Continue reading...

Increase reported by Aviva after Hastings Direct said claims were up 140% in August and Axa said it had been a surge year'The UK's largest insurer has been hit by a rise in subsidence claims after an extremely hot summer left households across the country grappling with the fallout from the growing climate crisis.Aviva said on Friday it had experienced the jump amid an industry-wide surge in households filing subsidence claims with their insurers to cover repairs, which typically are needed to address cracks, sloping floors, and off-kilter doors and windows. Continue reading...

Young people are being found with hard drives full of what can only be described as gore', one expert says

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says speed restrictions on Starshield system made it harder for Ukraine to shoot down drones

Police called to Huddersfield University on Tuesday after women reported being approached and grabbed'A 29-year-old man has been charged after seven women reported being sexually assaulted on the Huddersfield University campus over a 30 minute period.West Yorkshire police said Sophan Akbash had been charged with nine counts of sexual assault and would appear at Leeds magistrates court on Friday. Security staff called officers to Huddersfield University on Tuesday evening after reports of a man approaching and sexually touching women on and near the campus, police said. Continue reading...

Heavy rain and strong winds have also caused disruption across British Columbia, Canada, over the last weekStorm Charles has brought destructive weather to the Iberian peninusla this week, particularly in Portugal and the far south of Spain. Heavy rain and strong south-westerly winds arrived first in the Portuguese island of Madeira, before the system headed towards the mainland on 11 November. A wind gust of 84.5mph (136 km/h) was recorded at Funchal airport, alongside rainfall totals reaching 355mm in 12 hours. Lisbon saw 183 flights cancelled on Wednesday, around a third of its normal daily traffic, while Madrid Barajas airport had 155 cancellations.After causing widespread flooding in Spain and Portugal, the system moved on a north-easterly track through southern France and then towards northern Italy. This resulted in significant flooding in parts of Cannes, some of which caused rock falls and led to the closure of roads along the French Riviera. The Italian weather service issued a red rainfall warning, its highest level, for the area extending from Tuscany to Venezia. Further heavy rain is expected to fall in Italy and the Balkans over the next few days, with the latest forecast models indicating an additional 100mm could accumulate widely, while totals close to 200mm are likely in more mountainous areas. Continue reading...

Suspect held in New York jail has been linked to handler behind Iran-linked operations in BritainWhen the US took custody of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi in May, investigators hoped the string of terrorist and arson attacks he was accused of promoting and directing against American and Jewish targets in the UK and Europe on behalf of Iran would stop. They were wrong.An updated indictment, released on Tuesday by the US Department of Justice, describes some of what happened next. It reveals that al-Saadi has two allies, believed to be in Iran, also trying to provoke fear and chaos in the UK, one of whom is accused of orchestrating the September incident at RAF Fairford. Continue reading...

Few solid clues have emerged as to the true nature of Megaspeed, whose former director Alice Huang has been accused of being a Chinese spy

This live blog is now closed - you can read our latest report hereCan the AI economy survive without its central bank"? What does Jensen Huang's fall mean for the world's second-most valuable company, and what might a tremor in its fortunes mean for the world?Nvidia's sky-high valuation is based on the fact that it designs and sells the advanced AI chips, called graphics processing units (GPUs), that underpin the AI economy. Without these, AI models such as ChatGPT and Claude could not be trained and would not run. Continue reading...

Greens say they will not direct preferences to Labor in 15 seats after party's unforgivable' decision earlier in week

Research finds highest levels of cancer-related PAH pollutants in cities that have widespread wood heatingChildren's exposure to home wood-burning could be as significant as exposure to traffic exhaust, suggests new research across six European towns and cities.Scientists measured the air in buildings where children spend much of their time; in schools, sports centres and homes. Specifically, they looked at polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a family of pollutants that are given off when fuels are burned. Continue reading...

Political prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, one of seven athletes at risk of execution in Iran, given prestigious Magnitsky humanitarian awardA boxer and political prisoner on death row in Iran said he will never surrender" as he accepted a prestigious human rights prize on behalf of the generation that is paying the price of freedom with their lives".Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, an Iranian boxing champion, coach and political prisoner, has been sentenced to death three times and is one of seven athletes at risk of execution in Iran. He was given the Magnitsky award for outstanding human rights activist at a ceremony in London on Thursday night. Continue reading...

Former police officer tells court it was never a plan to murder anybody' as prosecution repeatedly suggests to him he planned to kill Jesse Baird

Defence minister says extent of sexual misconduct found by study is unacceptable', as military tries to attract more recruitsGermany's defence minister has promised a zero tolerance" approach to sexual abuse in the armed forces after a study found soldiers, particularly women, faced extensive harassment within the ranks.The first comprehensive study of its kind into the Bundeswehr, conducted by the Centre for Military History and Social Sciences in Potsdam and released this week, comes as the military is trying to attract new recruits in response to global threats. Continue reading...

William, 17, says nights were pretty cold' and he honestly didn't think' he'd surviveA teenage boy who survived almost a week lost in dense Australian bushland sang John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads as he held out hope of rescue on long nights alone in the wilderness.William, whose surname has been withheld, was dropped off by his mother for the weekend to camp with his friend in Victoria's east last Friday. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: Former Labor foreign affairs minister says $368bn deal has been reduced to a diplomatic joke

Hidden bunker, entered via a hatch in a field, controlled a gun battery used to attack German ships in ChannelIt has been kept secret for decades, buried four metres deep into the white cliffs of Dover. But from Friday, members of the public will finally be able to visit a pioneering command bunker that was ordered by Winston Churchill and proved a vital defence during the second world war.The Fan Bay plotting room, which is encased in concrete, housed the first land-based computer-aided targeting system. This acted as a brain" for a gun battery that was used to defend Dover and attack German ships in the Channel, according to Jon Stewart, who led the excavation project for the National Trust. Continue reading...