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At least 320 people detained for acts against nature' after law criminalising homosexuality toughened, HRW reportsMass arrests, forced HIV testing and barriers to legal representation are part of an escalating crackdown against LGBTQ+ people in Senegal, according to a new report.More than 320 individuals have been arrested and detained on allegations of acts against nature" since February, according to HIV Justice Network, an organisation quoted in the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. Among these, at least 84 were charged with voluntary HIV transmission", solely on the basis of their HIV status. Continue reading...

Ukraine president Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed' by the US after Trump's diesel deal and the Starlink restrictionsAs Ukraine reported problems with Starlink satellite internet terminals and US data that warns of Russian ballistic missile attacks, Kyiv also faced the harsh reality that its European allies cannot offer any ready-made alternatives, Reuters reported.European countries have voiced strong support for Ukraine and Zelenskyy. But the problems with vital data highlighted that Ukraine and Europe depend heavily on US systems for both low-orbit satellite communications - provided by SpaceX via Starlink - and space-based infrared sensing that feeds into early-warning systems. Continue reading...

Western Australian police say woman experienced numbness to her tongue' after tasting the curry at her workplace in Perth

Vice Adm Buckley calls incident an act of sexual violence' and a despicable betrayal of trust'

Animation studio narrows annual loss to 1.1m amid challenging market' in children's contentDon't break out the celebratory Wensleydale just yet. Aardman, the British animation studio behind the cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his beloved dog Gromit, has fallen short of a target to get back in the black, its accounts show.The employee-owned business was aiming to record a small profit in 2025 after two years of consecutive losses but was hit by production delays and a challenging market" in children's content. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: Out-of-pocket costs for abortion care to be covered regardless of who wins November election as Jess Wilson says Liberals and Nationals will not allow Labor to play politics on this issue'

Inquest into death of Queensland girl denied insulin by her religious parents is told Kerrie Struhs believed God would heal her daughter

Latest data comes just two weeks before chancellor's budget looks to help consumers traverse the cost of living crisisThe UK economy unexpectedly continued to grow in August despite a fall in consumer spending before chancellor John Healey's budget.Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.1% last month, compared with 0.4% growth in July. City economists had forecast the economy would shrink by 0.1%. Continue reading...

Defra promised in March to work towards free access to data on large plots in England and WalesThe government has refused to say when the public will be able to freely access information about who owns large plots of land across England and Wales.Emma Reynolds, the previous secretary of state for the environment, announced in March that the paywall protecting large amounts of the Land Registry would be partly lifted. Continue reading...

Prime minister presents new kind of challenge for SNP, and his Scottish visit will loom large over its big eventThis year, even Andy Burnham is invited to the Scottish National party conference. But by the time John Swinney stands up to address members on Saturday afternoon in Aberdeen to reinvigorate the case for a second independence referendum, his party may regret giving the UK prime minister so much prominence in the conference buildup.Burnham is expected to visit Scotland on Friday - the middle of the event - in a thinly veiled attempt to overshadow the SNP gathering. While he will be in a different venue, the former Manchester mayor's presence in Scotland will loom large over the event. Since taking over at No 10 in July, Burnham has largely avoided direct confrontations with his political rivals, rarely attacking Nigel Farage or Kemi Badenoch. But he has taken a different approach with the Scottish first minister. Continue reading...

In the final part of our series on the country, Poles tell how wages have soared - along with the cost of livingAbove the rain-soaked streets of Warsaw, the observation deck of the Varso tower overlooks Joseph Stalin's gift to Poland that has divided opinion for decades.For some, the Soviet-era Palace of Culture and Science is a drunk confectioner's nightmare; standing as a relic of oppression that should have been demolished. For others, it is an icon on the skyline and a monumental warning from history. Continue reading...

Stacey Parker was contacted following alleged murders, years after meeting Lamarre-Condon in Sydney and bonding over scepticism of Covid vaccines

Communications minister rebuts claims that Labor's digital duty of care laws would lead to government control of speech

Having tried cloud seeding and water bombing, one pilot project will see dry ice dispersed by plane across the province of South SumatraAs fires ravage Indonesia, emitting a toxic smoke that has drawn the ire of regional neighbours, the government is testing an unusual new approach to tackle the haze: dry ice.Having tried cloud seeding, water bombing and sending in army personnel to fight the fires, Indonesia's coordinating security minister said dry ice would be dropped on the province of South Sumatra on Thursday. Continue reading...

Steele-John said he rejected the claims and had referred them to the Western Australian Greens for a fair, independent process'Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has taken leave from the party room after complaints were made, triggering an independent review.The Nine newspapers reported on Thursday afternoon that seven party members demanded an investigation into allegations he made inappropriate comments to a number of women. Continue reading...

Lyrical lines printed on side of city's fleet of rubbish trucks now recognised as one of Netherlands' proud traditionsIt is best known for its rich migration history and striking modern architecture. But now the Dutch city of Rotterdam is seeking recognition for a rather different characteristic: its tradition of printing poetry on bin trucks.Since a poetry festival first came up with the idea in 1988, lines of verse have been printed on all of the city's waste vehicles. The practice was this week elevated to the status of intangible cultural heritage, with formal recognition from a Dutch body that guards the nation's traditions. Continue reading...

Congress approves constitutional amendment that bans six-day workweeks, which could effect up to 30 millionBrazil's congress has approved a constitutional amendment to shorten the working week to a maximum of 40 hours, a move that could affect 30 million workers and that will hand a political victory to the leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of the presidential runoff in under two weeks.In an attempt to overturn the first-round lead secured by his opponent, far-right senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Lula has strongly championed the amendment, which will give some workers an extra day off each week. Continue reading...

Whistleblowers applauded as Ibac finds decisions were made to withhold information about the magnitude of the loss'Senior public servants in one state covered up losses suspected to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars arising from flawed Covid-19 business support payments, an investigation has found.During the pandemic, the Victorian government spent an estimated $257m on support grants to 9,000 ineligible businesses.Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Continue reading...

Liberal Paul Scarr breaks ranks to condemn major parties, saying he will write to Queensland attorney general

Facing the prospect of election defeat, Labor is hoping to make abortion a defining issue as the Liberals attempt to stave off claims they would oversee a rollback

Hugely successful West End show will open at Capitol Theatre in September 2027, with dates in other Australian cities yet to be announced

Government warned that counterfeit tobacco produced by criminal organisations in south-east Asia is becoming more sophisticated

NSW police allege Raymond James Dungay doused three patients in petrol before setting one alight at Prince of Wales hospital in Randwick

Dozens of people detained after government building and two banks set on fire as tens of thousands march over education costs and corruptionTens of thousands of students have taken to the streets of Tirana, the Albanian capital, setting alight a government building and two banks and hurling stones at police during a protest over rising education costs and corruption.Police responded with water cannon and teargas to disperse protesters who started a fire at the ministry of education building, overturned bins and smashed the fronts of local businesses. A branch of Raiffeisen Bank near the education ministry also caught fire. Continue reading...

Resolution Foundation says crude changes' to benefits system would probably make it harder for people to workBanning people with anxiety, ADHD or autism from claiming disability benefits would not deliver major financial savings and would probably make it harder for them to get or stay in a job and participate in society, a leading thinktank has warned.The Resolution Foundation said any proposals to make certain mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions ineligible for personal independence payments (Pip) would be crude changes" aimed at hitting unrealistic savings targets. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president accused US president of picking the other side after four years of warVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said he feels personally betrayed by Donald Trump after it emerged that Ukraine's military has had its access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite squeezed, raising doubts about long-term US support for Kyiv.The Ukrainian president, on a visit to London, accused Trump of picking the other side after more than four years of war, risking a breakdown in relations already strained by the US agreeing to buy diesel from Moscow. Continue reading...

Pontiff has begun walking in his hospital room and is eating normally after operation to remove growth, doctors sayPope Leo's recovery from a lung cancer operation is progressing as planned, his doctors have said, as the pontiff received good wishes from around the world, including from Britain's King Charles.Leo, who had a cancerous mass removed from his right lung late on Tuesday, began walking in his hospital room after respiratory therapy on Wednesday. He was eating normally, his doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritoria said in a statement issued by the Vatican. Continue reading...

Restaurants and pubs such as Nando's and Fuller's will create placements for 18- to 24-year-olds under DWP-backed schemeBars, clubs and restaurants will offer up to 100,000 jobs to young people not in employment, education or training (Neet) over the next three years in an effort to give them a first step on the ladder into work.The move comes before the publication of a report on Neets by the former health secretary Alan Milburn, who has warned that the number of young people not in work or education in the UK could rise to 1.25 million over the next five years unless ministers intervene. Continue reading...

Party faces fresh crisis as three councillors quit after ITV undercover filming exposed violence, misogyny and racist viewsReform UK has been rocked by a fresh crisis after councillors and election candidates for the party were caught on film making graphic threats of extreme violence and expressing racist and misogynistic views.Three councillors have already stood down from the party, which said it was conducting an investigation over the first revelations from an ITV undercover investigation that aired on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Throttling of mobile internet system will affect Kyiv's air defences more than its strikes on oil refineries. Now Zelenskyy must be hoping that US intel holdsIn Ukraine the situation was already jittery enough. Donald Trump has been inventing ceasefires and buying Russian diesel to shore up his flagging popularity, while a sinister new wave of faster, jet-powered drones are breaking through Kyiv's stretched air defences. Casualties are rising as the weather turns.Overnight, Russia bombed three power plants that supply Kyiv, aiming to cut off heating and electricity to the city. According to the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for a second night in a row no warning came from Ukraine's western allies of the incoming ballistic missiles - and so no air raid alert was issued. Continue reading...

A fresh wave of protests by India's youth-led Cockroach movement has been met with a brutal crackdown by Narendra Modi's government and the closure of a historic protest site in Delhi. Two of the movement's leaders have been imprisoned for five days for violating suppression measures. The protests, which began over frustration about education and unemployment, are now focused on voting rights. Modi's government denies claims it is seeking to disenfranchise millions of voters. But its treatment of protesters has been criticised by the UN and Amnesty International and raised concerns that India is sliding further into autocracy. Lucy Hough speaks to South Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen - watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Comedian faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against six women

Ben Norris says cost-cutting measure that means show will be recorded outside its home city risks extraordinary burden' for crewA cast member of The Archers has said its actors have been angered by the BBC's decision to axe the show's new studio, in a move that could lead to it being recorded away from its home in Birmingham.Ben Norris, who plays Ben Archer in the world's longest-running soap opera, said the decision risked having a real impact on the quality of the show and placing an extraordinary burden" on its crew. Continue reading...

Zelenskyy says he will be discussing intelligence sharing difficulties' and Starlink access with BurnhamPMQs is about to start.Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.After @genevieve_holl reported this last night, various sources in the Trump administration who are supportive of Farage said Badenoch was needlessly trying to cause a political row (per @katyballs @MrHarryCole) and accused her of undermining the Anglo-American relationship.It is possible that these people are particularly sensitive about this topic because they are still considering buying the islands, as @connorstringer and I reported earlier in the year. Domestic opposition to the idea of the US running Chagos in the UK would be a problem for the White House.Calamity Kemi Strikes Again.Kemi Badenoch has risked causing a diplomatic row with Britain's allies, all because she cannot control the Tory spin doctors around her that oversaw the disastrous premierships of Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Theresa May, and even David Cameron.Kemi and the Conservatives cannot be trusted by the Chagos people.If they really have interest in the Chagos, why would you have started negotiating about things you already own?We are confused at why @KemiBadenoch is attacking @Nigel_Farage ...We understood Nigel Farage's comments to mean that we would get perpetual use of the base, which, frankly, we've always had. Continue reading...

Vessels were hit by missiles as rise in strikes suggests Iran is trying to close waterway before US midterm electionsTwo container ships near the strait of Hormuz have sunk after being struck by missiles, amid the sharpest rise in Iranian attacks on shipping since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.The increase in attacks suggests Iran is trying to fully close the strategic waterway in an attempt to frustrate Donald Trump's efforts to bring down fuel prices before the US midterm elections on 3 November. Continue reading...

International grouping of China-sceptic legislators warns of risks inherent in misjudging bilateral relationshipThe UK's approach to China is beset by incoherence" and plagued by a lack of senior expertise, according to a report warning of the risks inherent in misjudging the bilateral relationship.Wednesday's audit by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), an international grouping of China-sceptic legislators, says past engagement with Beijing has often exposed the UK to the risks of interference without delivering the opportunities promised. Continue reading...

Irish writer of Normal People says she can no longer receive royalties from British sales and she cancelled UK trip due to fear of arrestSally Rooney has said she is being forced to withdraw her books from sale in the UK because of her support for the banned organisation Palestine Action.The Irish novelist, whose books include Normal People and Conversations With Friends, said her public support for the direct action group meant she could no longer receive royalties from UK sales. Continue reading...

Money was withdrawn from gambling firm before founder warned chancellor against doubling machine games dutyThe billionaire Done family took a 30m dividend from their Betfred gambling empire, before warning that they would close hundreds of bookies and cut jobs if the government increases tax on high-street slot machines.The chancellor, John Healey, is understood to be considering proposals to double machine games duty in the upcoming budget, a move that the Social Market Foundation thinktank has said could boost state coffers by up to 460m. Continue reading...

European Commission declined to comment on reported disruption to Starlink's services in Ukraine

Beneath a wave of school protests in France lies a more existential worry: the future prospects of an entire generation Don't get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereSay what you will about France's high schools, they still produce world-class slogan writers. Here's a brief selection spotted during three weeks of blockades and marches over chronic teacher shortages, overcrowded classes and crumbling buildings:Pas d'avenir, pas de calme" (No future, no calm). Diplomes aujourd'hui, precaires demain" (Graduates today, insecure tomorrow). Vous detruisez notre futur, on bloque votre present" (You destroy our future, we block your present). Continue reading...

Brand is in Southwark crown court today where his rape and sexual assault trial beginsTaking jurors through the third allegation, Karmy-Jones said Brand pulled another woman into a toilet during an incident at a bar in Soho in 2004.The third complainant was not so lucky as to be able to pull away", the prosecutor said.She continued to resist saying, I'm not coming in there, don't be silly. Are you mad? Get off,' and she managed to pull herself away, and to release his grasp.At that point he gave up and went into the toilet, and she left the area." Continue reading...

Relatives of William Chapman say footage of attack shared online deeply offensive' and causing them severe distress'The family of a man killed by a tiger at a wildlife park in the UK have spoken about their severe distress" at the circulation of online media after Donald Trump reposted a video of the incident.William Chapman, 23, was mauled to death after entering an enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, on Saturday. Continue reading...

Engineer Tristan Ralph describes task of maintaining and running Bristol structure without public moneyThe job does not give the holder age-old perks such as the right to drive sheep across the great structure, but the title bridge master" does have a certain ring to it.I don't tend to say I'm the bridge master when I'm at a party," said Tristan Ralph, the current holder of the title. But people do seem to know and bring it up. It's a job less ordinary, isn't it? It's a Victorian sounding title and people are really, really interested." Continue reading...

Jean-Noel Barrot criticises X owner in speech attacking foreign efforts to destabilise country before 2027 electionFrance's foreign minister has accused Elon Musk of using his social media platform to orchestrate massive online harassment campaigns" against European leaders as he took aim at foreign efforts to destabilise the country before next year's presidential election.Speaking at an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development conference on Tuesday, Jean-Noel Barrot pointed to the role that social media had come to play in the global battle over democracy. The forces seeking to undermine democracy now dominate the information landscape, where they employ tactics designed to polarise public debate," he said. Continue reading...

Health minister says government did not authorize' Danish-led hepatitis B trial in babies backed by RFK JrGuinea-Bissau has not approved the controversial hepatitis B study in newborns that would be funded by the US government and private partners, the African country's minister of health said on Tuesday.The study, which would not investigate the safety or effectiveness of vaccines but would instead track nonspecific" health outcomes like overall mortality or neurodevelopmental conditions, has been championed by Robert F Kennedy Jr, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a longtime anti-vaccine activist. Continue reading...

Yvette Cooper acknowledges unthinkable pain' caused by practice between 1930s and 1980s after campaign by Wirral woman and othersThe health secretary, Yvette Cooper, has issued a profound apology" for the unthinkable pain" caused to parents whose stillborn babies were buried in mass graves.Parents spent decades not knowing where their babies were buried, owing to a practice in which stillborn babies taken away from mothers at hospital and buried in communal graves. Continue reading...

Vatican says operation on US-born head of Roman Catholic church was successful'. Plus, after six decades in the US, Joni Mitchell has become a citizen

Investigators determined professor responsible for urine found on a backpack, in trash cans and in water bottlesA former professor at Macalester College in the Minnesota city of St Paul is facing a felony charge for allegedly spilling his urine on a student's backpack while he still worked at the school, costing more than $2,000 in damages, according to a state criminal court document.Paul Fischer, 55, is at the center of the bizarre, alleged workplace misconduct case that led to his being cited for first-degree damage to property - and linked to at least a half dozen such incidents involving urine at the liberal arts college over the course of a year. Continue reading...

Canada-born singer-songwriter, 82, posts footage of citizenship ceremony to InstagramJoni Mitchell has become a US citizen, after first moving to the country in the mid-1960s. The Canada-born singer-songwriter, 82, posted footage of her citizenship ceremony on her Instagram account, along with a photo of her next to an American flag, accompanied by the caption: A journey that began 62 years ago."It means that Mitchell can now vote in US elections, something that she had complained she wasn't able to do. Continue reading...