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There are insufficient funds' to pay unpaid wages, tax owed to HMRC and overdue bills, accountants sayAccountants picking over the remains of BrewDog, the punk" beer company that collapsed earlier this year, have said that creditors who are owed about 190m will not be paid back.In an update on their progress, administrators at AlixPartners warned there were insufficient funds" to pay debts in full related to unpaid wages, tax owed to HM Revenue and Customs and overdue bills from other businesses. Continue reading...

Campaigning or control of Congress is expected to ramp up as some states open early voting

Exclusive: Reserves at public service arm drop 66% as broadcaster undertakes large cuts in effort to save 500mThe BBC has spent hundreds of millions of pounds of its cash reserves in a single year, increasing concerns at the corporation over the perilous state of its finances.Cash reserves at the BBC's public service arm slumped by 66% in the last financial year, from 369m in 2025 to just 125m, according to analysis by the Guardian. This is the lowest figure in the last decade of accounts. Continue reading...

French president Emmanuel Macron earlier said he put measures in place to protect the country's critical infrastructureMicheal Martin, the taoiseach (Irish PM), thanked Andy Burnham for his stance on Israel as the two men met at No 10 North today.Support for the Palestinian cause is particularly strong in Ireland because of its historical experience of colonialism, and, in a reference to the sanctions on West Bank settlements imposed by Burnham's government, Martin said:I think for the United Kingdom under your leadership to take the stance that it's taken, I think, is important for ... standing up for humanitarian values and justice and fulfilling the rights of all in the Middle East to security, to peace and to some decent future for their children and generations to come.Formed in 1999, the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) sees more than 300 children aged 11 to 18 democratically elected by their peers to represent young people in their area, who then debate and campaign on a variety of issues.Once a year, they hold a debate in the House of Commons chamber. Continue reading...

Rout raises questions about coordination and morale as some politicians claim billions of dollars were offered to persuade forces to abandon positionA bitter inquest is under way among Yemen's anti-Houthi forces as to how what was being billed as a decisive assault on Sana'a, the Houthi-controlled capital, suddenly collapsed into a military rout.More than 15 brigades were defeated as the country's entire west coast fell into Houthi hands. Efforts are now being made to reorganise the anti-Houthi forces representing the UN-recognised Yemeni government in order to capture the Kahbob mountains, a strategic point from which to restrict Houthi forces moving closer to the crucial Bab al-Mandab strait. Continue reading...

Error first occurred at 10am but major incident was not declared until 12.30pm, says report

Soil and water around military bases show elevated levels of Pfas pollution due to chemicals used in firefighting foamMany US military veterans have much higher levels of Pfas forever chemicals" in their blood than non-veterans, new peer-reviewed research finds, raising more questions about health risks the nation's service members face after serving at polluted bases.Ground water, surface water and soil around military bases show among the highest levels of Pfas pollution in the US because the chemicals are used in firefighting foam deployed during training and emergencies. While the problem has been clear for over a decade, the new Brown University-led study is the first to compare levels in veterans' blood with those in civilians. Continue reading...

Latest data to defy economic gloom shows 0.5% rise boosted by purchases of sports items, aircon units and fans during heatwaves

Aid to lower-income countries fell by almost 7%, while higher-income countries saw their share of Britain's aid budget increaseThe world's poorest countries were worst hit by British aid cuts under Keir Starmer's government, while higher-income countries saw their share of aid increase, new figures reveal.The latest figures released by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office show a 6.7% decrease in funding to the least-developed countries and low-income countries, amounting to cuts of 118m. Continue reading...

The extraordinary danger is that a president who believes he is the law, and the law is him, remains intent on disrupting the electoral process

Four of Nurat Osman's alleged abductors were killed during rescue after she was taken from outside her home last weekA British woman kidnapped in Malawi last week has been rescued by police after a shootout in which four of her alleged abductors were killed.Nusrat Osman was abducted outside her home in the southern city of Blantyre on 11 September at about 12.30pm. Police had offered a reward of 30m Malawi kwacha (12,950) for information leading to her rescue and the arrest of the perpetrators. Continue reading...

US cybersecurity researchers who conducted hack say scope of what we could theoretically access was huge'Cybersecurity researchers have hacked into OpenAI with the help of Anthropic's Claude chatbot, in the latest example of security issues at the company.A team at a US-based startup compromised a number of OpenAI employees' ChatGPT accounts, starting a process that enabled them to access their target's software cache - and potentially more. Continue reading...

Participants in Pittsburgh may never learn the results of their cognitive tests - and funding cuts that target DEI' have the potential to delay vital diagnosesRoderick Blair was surprised when scientific researchers appeared on his doorstep in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Here, on a recent summer day, police cars, an ambulance and a TV reporter crowded into a driveway on the edge of the neighborhood. A helicopter swung overhead. Saplings peeked over rooflines from gutters, windows were broken, screens tattered, doors boarded up and rippling sidewalks crumbled. Bedraggled chain link fences held back the season's tall grass. Continue reading...

When Mohammad Abdul Zinati, 15, rushed to help a man wounded in a bomb attack, he had no time to react before he too was hit. Plus, meet the cartographers who took on centuries of western biasGood morning.Mohammad Abdul Zinati was walking home from school through the rubble of Salah Khalaf Street in northern Gaza City when he stopped at a supermarket where a group of classmates and friends had gathered.What has Israel said about the incident? The Israeli military said the incident was under review. The IDF has repeatedly rejected allegations that it deliberately targets civilians, saying it assesses and takes into account the risk of civilian harm when carrying out strikes.What has Trump said about South Korea? Trump has criticised Seoul for what he called insufficient support for the Iran war and scaled back major joint military drills by the two countries' armed forces this summer, a move that unsettled the US ally. Continue reading...

Digital, culture, media and sport committee expected to hear evidence from BBC bosses and music industry expertsJoe and Jake. Daz Sampson. Electro Velvet. Who could forget them?Most people, probably. They are some of the many acts who represented the UK at the Eurovision song contest in the last 20 years that have failed to find a place in the country's cultural pantheon. Continue reading...

Simon Peter Carman appeared in a Pattaya court on Friday charged with killing Tunchanok DonhomlaAn Australian man accused of murdering a Thai teenager and putting her body in a suitcase pleaded not guilty on Friday in a hearing in the seaside resort city of Pattaya, a court official said.Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested in June after 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla was reported missing in Pattaya City, about 150km south-east of Bangkok. A suitcase containing her body was found shortly after. Continue reading...

Nearly 90% of children in federal custody being directed to GOP-controlled state that has unlicensed facilities and low legal representation ratesThe Trump administration has started sending a majority of undocumented children who came to the US alone and have new immigration court cases to Texas, where government facilities for them are unlicensed, their chances of getting a lawyer are low and advocates fear that a deportation churn-out factory" awaits them, the Guardian has learned.Almost 80% of children in federal custody who arrived unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian and who were placed in immigration court proceedings in July - and over 90% in August - have been funneled into shelter networks somewhere in Texas, a dramatic upswing from the months prior, according to analysis shared exclusively with the Guardian from researchers at the immigration data insights platform bklg.org. Continue reading...

The African serval, illegally enclosed in the back yard, was subdued and transferred to an animal welfare facilityLouisiana firefighters responding to a small house blaze found a wildcat native to sub-Saharan Africa illegally enclosed in the back yard, and an animal welfare agency is now seeking to place the creature in an appropriate environment, according to officials.Firefighters investigating a report of a minor fire at a home in the suburban New Orleans community of Marrero on Tuesday spotted the cat in question - an African serval - behind the residence in a chain-linked enclosure resembling a cramped baseball batting cage, a spokesperson for the local animal protection services said. Continue reading...

Marzban, who won a best actress award for her portrayal of a woman held hostage by her father in Falling House, has received condemnations from authorities after dedicating her prize to the women of Iran'An Iranian actress who won the best newcomer award at the Venice film festival has come under severe attack from the country's authorities and state media after highlighting the plight of women in Iran in her acceptance speech.Laleh Marzban last Saturday won the best actress award in the Orizzonti sidebar competition for emerging talent, for her role in Mohsen Gharaei's Falling House, a film revolving around three generations of women who are incarcerated in their own home by the family's father. Continue reading...

At least one person dead as stormy weather causes severe flooding in Barcelona and ValenciaIntense and slow-moving thunderstorms broke out on Wednesday afternoon across parts of eastern Spain, bringing some severe flooding and killing at least one person.Storms first struck over the Castilla-La Mancha region during the afternoon before passing over Spain's east coast, becoming very slow-moving and continuing overnight. Torrential rainfall, strong winds and large hail were reported in Valencia and Barcelona, causing widespread flooding in both cities. Weather stations west of Barcelona recorded some of the highest totals with more than 100mm (4in) of rain falling in the space of a few hours, and locally 70mm in just 30 minutes in the early hours of Thursday morning. Cars and roads were submerged, and flights were cancelled across the region. Continue reading...

Sharangan Maheswaran denies message he received about NSW minister was related to work for fugitive property developer

More than 180 writers sign letter renewing calls for information on 12 authors detained incommunicado since 2001 crackdown on free speech by Isaias AfwerkiMore than 180 writers have signed a letter to Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki calling for proof of life for 12 writers arrested in 2001.Nobel laureates Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee join prominent writers including Colm Toibin, Elif Shafak, Isabel Allende, Ben Okri, Yann Martel, Kamila Shamsie and Tsitsi Dangarembga in signing the letter dated 18 September, marking 25 years since a government crackdown on the independent press. Within days, Eritrea's free press and the nation's independent voices were systematically crushed," opens the letter. Continue reading...

Australian Greens senator compares government's policy to ICE as Tony Burke calls it a ridiculous claim'

Authorities called to Sorrento Beach on Friday morning following reports of shark-related incident

Increase from 1% to 1.25% follows US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank tightening monetary policy

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Shabana Mahmood says she wants to distinguish between far-right extremism and legitimate local concerns over asylum sitesShabana Mahmood has described the anti-asylum activist Daniel Thomas as a far-right and outright racist" who will feel the full force of the law" if his organisation commits crimes near contested asylum sites such as Piddington.In an interview with the Guardian, the home secretary also wanted to reassure" concerned villagers that asylum seekers due to move in to a neighbouring former defence site would not put pressure" on local resources because they would be given self-contained facilities". Continue reading...

Incorrect media reporting is leading to inconsistent treatment of children across states and territories, the report found

Research shows tens of millions of people are being forced to use platform that amounts to backdoor' on their deviceOver the past 18 months, tens of millions of Russians have been forced to install a new app on their phones - a violet-blue button designed for messaging and payments, called Max.Authorities have touted it as a patriotic alternative to Telegram and WhatsApp; Russian glitterati have promoted it in rap videos and comic routines. This summer, it became the country's most-used messaging app. Continue reading...

Seoul resolves recent speculation over sending military to strait of Hormuz, saying there won't be deployment that would involve or enter war'South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung, has said he will not deploy the military to the Middle East in a way that could draw the country into conflict, resisting calls from Donald Trump to support his war in Iran.There won't be deployment that would involve or enter war. I can tell you that very clearly," Lee said at a news conference on Friday. We won't deploy military assets in any form to that end." Continue reading...

Efra committee calls for emergency legislation enabling government to take public control of the companyAndy Burnham is under further pressure to take control of ailing Thames Water from a cross-party group of MPs who are calling for ministers to break off talks with the US hedge funds who are effectively running the company.Adding their voices to demands that the prime minister takes public control of the company, which has debts of 20bn and is being controlled by a group of 100 hedge funds and distressed-debt investors, the MPs said in a report that ministers should consider emergency legislation to take control of its financial affairs to stabilise the company. Continue reading...

Switch to business attire' is a sign of the times, but formal neckwear still has its place, say some of Savile Row's finest-dressedThe House of Lords has long been derided as a stuffy relic of the past. But now its benches, usually filled with haughtily dressed men, could soon resemble something more akin to dress-down Friday".One of the nation's most storied chambers of power has enacted a rule change: men are no longer required to wear a tie in the House of Lords. Instead, they should opt for business attire". Continue reading...

Disposal of the body in this case was as thorough as it was brutal,' justice Peter Hamill said when sentencing 55-year-old Nirmeen Noufl

Former prime minister says US would scuttle itself back to San Diego', leaving Australia to deal with retribution from China

The gift from Italy has sparked fierce debate among defence analysts and opposition politicians who question its true cost and purposeIndonesia has received its first aircraft carrier, a former Italian warship that the government says will strengthen the archipelagic nation's maritime security and disaster response capabilities.The 41-year-old former ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, with capacity for short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft and helicopters, arrived Friday morning at a naval base in North Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port, where it was welcomed with a military ceremony. Continue reading...

President's United Russia party faces no meaningful opposition after liberal anti-war party barred from ballotRussians are going to the polls to elect a new State Duma in a tightly controlled vote stripped of meaningful competition and with little doubt about the result.Vladimir Putin's United Russia is expected to extend the grip on parliament it has held for 23 years, alongside a handful of nominal opposition parties that reliably vote with the Kremlin on the issues that matter. The three-day vote begins on Friday, with results expected after polls close on Sunday. Continue reading...

Educator talks of moral obligation' and urges every wealthy white celebrity' to make similar donationYouTube star Ms Rachel has said she is matching rapper Macklemore's $1m donation to organizations supporting Palestinians, calling on other public figures to follow suit.Macklemore, who was fired as the opening act on Ed Sheeran's tour after saying Free Palestine" on stage at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, pledged to donate the entirety of his earnings from Sheeran's tour to several organizations focused on the Palestinian people. Continue reading...

For the second year in a row, the administration has barred the Palestinian delegation from US travel for the forumThe US state department said on Wednesday that it had again denied entry visas to Palestinian officials ahead next week's United Nations general assembly gathering in New York.The state department said in a statement the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) had failed to live up to their commitments", accusing the groups of taking actions to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ)" and of glorifying terrorism" among other allegations. Continue reading...

Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, part of Bashar al-Assad's regime, was in charge of Adra prison where prisoners were torturedThis article contains descriptions of torture.A US federal court in Los Angeles sentenced a former Syrian government official who ran one of the country's most infamous prisons to 60 years in prison on Thursday - the most significant punishment handed to an official of ousted president Bashar al-Assad's regime by a foreign court and to a defendant present in person. Continue reading...

Drinking locally made alcohol is common in Nigeria, especially in rural areas where it is more affordable and poorly regulatedAt least 48 people have died and about 100 others are receiving treatment in southern Nigeria after consuming a locally brewed alcoholic concoction suspected to contain methanol, officials said on Thursday.Banji Ajaka, Ondo state's commissioner for health, said the cases had been reported in the Odigbo and Irele local government areas. A total of 182 people are believed to have been affected and some are being treated in the hospital, he said. Continue reading...

Government spending watchdog warns of price of keeping publicly owned firm in businessLabour has been urged to lay out a credible plan for the future of British Steel, as the government spending watchdog warned of the startling" costs of keeping the struggling manufacturer in business with no end in sight.British Steel was taken into public ownership in July to protect the future of steel production", 15 months after the government stepped in to prevent the closure of its steelworks in Scunthorpe and the loss of 4,000 jobs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sisters of Nicholas Brandram recount 44-year-old's deteriorating mental health in days before he took his lifeDays before Nicholas Brandram, the man suspected of being the Putney pusher", killed himself, he told his family that the police investigation was murdering him".He had no fight left" in him, he told his sisters, Alexia Hicks and Sophie Voelcker, and could not see an end to the Metropolitan police investigation, or the online abuse. Continue reading...

Mark Rutte said Britain will need to steadily increase defence spending to meet Nato target of 3.5% of GDP by 2035Britain needs to show a credible path" of annual increases in its defence budgets to meet a Nato target of spending nearly 30bn more on the military by the middle of the next decade, the head of the alliance said on Thursday.Mark Rutte, Nato's secretary general, said that Britain could not wait until just before 2035 to lift defence spending to 3.5% of GDP, in an unusually pointed intervention a day after he met prime minister Andy Burnham. Continue reading...

In latest extracts from upcoming memoir, Diana's brother suggests some in Buckingham Palace were relieved' at her deathThe brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, has claimed in published extracts of his new memoir that King Charles sounded giddily elated - like a lottery winner" in a phone call to him immediately after her death.Earl Spencer also says he believed Buckingham Palace wanted William and Harry and himself to walk behind Diana's coffin because the then Prince Charles was adamant" he was going to walk and palace officials feared members of the public might shout abuse at him". Continue reading...

Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has welcomed the EU's proposal for Canada to become the bloc's first associate member', despite threats from Donald Trump over the plan. The US president said Washington could impose very serious tariffs' or halt trade if the EU went ahead with the idea. But in a defiant speech to the European parliament, Carney called for deep cooperation' and said polling showed the overwhelming majority of Canadians supported closer ties with Europe. Lucy Hough speaks to Europe correspondent Jon Henley - watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Ireland joins joins Dutch broadcaster in refusing to take part in 2027 song contest, in second consecutive year of protestsIreland is to boycott Eurovision for the second year running over the appalling" ongoing killing in Gaza, the national broadcaster has said.Ireland was one of five countries, along with Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia, that refused to take part in the competition this year in protest against Israel's participation. Continue reading...

Attorney also said Elizabeth Siders, 34, had been almost continuously pregnant since age 15 without regular healthcareAn Ohio mother whose 16 children were rescued from appalling conditions pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and neglect charges in court on Wednesday.Elizabeth Siders, 34, is one of four family members, including her husband, Gary Siders Jr, charged with 16 charges of child endangerment and neglect after investigators found the children, who were 17 months to 18 years old, in deplorable conditions" at the decrepit family home in the tiny village of Hamden in July. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The Green leader has not spoken publicly about the motion, which is likely to be debated at the party's conference in OctoberThe Greens are pushing Zack Polanski to take a stance on a potential party policy stating Zionism is racism", with some fearing it could alienate Jewish supporters if it was passed.Polanski, who leads the Greens in England and Wales, has not spoken publicly about the motion, which came top of a members' vote of policy motions to be debated at the party conference in Brighton at the start of October, and is thus almost certain to feature. Continue reading...