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Election officers in Louisiana and Oklahoma receive a powdery substance, prompting evacuationsThe FBI and the US Postal Inspection Service are investigating letters sent to state officials and election offices across the country containing an unknown substance".Just weeks before November's US midterm elections, election officers in Louisiana and Oklahoma received envelopes containing a powdery substance, leading to evacuations. A similar package containing white powder was also sent to the Ohio secretary of state, but the US Postal Service intercepted the package. Continue reading...

Witnesses report at least six explosions near palace used by Yemen's internationally recognized governmentAt least six explosions struck on Thursday near the palace used by Yemen's internationally recognized government in the port city of Aden, witnesses said.An official told the Associated Press that at least two people were killed, and Iran-backed Houthi rebels based in northern Yemen quickly claimed responsibility. Government military sources in Yemen told Agence-France Press (AFP) that at least four people were killed and 10 wounded. Continue reading...

Pentagon spokesperson says pair spoke before announcement canceling plan to broadcast execution of Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood

Exclusive: ITV investigation shows leader stood by mayoral candidate who said Labour MP should go home to the Caribbean'Nigel Farage was told by a senior Reform official that he was protecting" a high-profile mayoral candidate accused of making racists comments about David Lammy, an undercover investigation has revealed.The latest footage from an undercover investigation by ITV also shows Sarah Pochin, one of two female MPs for Reform, complaining that other party officials are so fucking chauvinistic" and that they just exclude you if you are a woman". Continue reading...

UK defence secretary trying to cool tensions and is arguing it is in America's economic interests to support KyivWes Streeting urged the US to stand by Ukraine on his visit to the American capital and sought to cool tensions between the two countries in the wake of the Starlink row that is threatening to set back Kyiv's war effort.The British defence secretary, giving a speech before a meeting with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, argued that supporting Ukraine was in the long-term interests of Washington, and a business opportunity. Continue reading...

Woman claims comedian pranced around like an ostrich' before forcing himself on her in hotel room attackRussell Brand transformed into a monster" when he allegedly forced a woman to take half-naked photographs of him before raping her in a hotel room at the Labour party conference, a court has heard.The 51-year-old comedian has denied attacking the woman, who broke down in tears in the witness box at Southwark crown court as she told how she could not fight him off. Continue reading...

Experts say seeking alternatives that deliver the same dose of oestrogen by the same method is keyWomen in the UK are again facing shortages of some HRT products, with warnings they could persist for weeks. We take a look at the situation. Continue reading...

The high cost of living has Americans angrier than ever. Guardian reporters answered your questions about the US economy ahead of November

Demonstrators demand resignation of Edi Rama after three days of clashes in capital TiranaAlbania's prime minister has said he will not resign as a protest movement, initially prompted by a proposal to build a Trump family-backed resort in the Balkan state, turned violent with clashes convulsing the capital for a third consecutive day.Speaking on Thursday after calls by students who this week assumed control of the anti-government demonstrations that have rattled Tirana since June, Edi Rama said: Governments are changed through democratic elections. We had elections last year, not a revolution." Continue reading...

Nato source says drones came from Russia, while Romania's president says attacking commercial ships is unacceptable and has to stop'Seven sailors are missing after drones struck two tankers near Romania's Black Sea coast, setting them ablaze and raising fresh security concerns on a vital shipping route used by Ukraine.A Nato military source told Reuters the drones that had hit the Wine Trader and the Yara J came from Russia. The drones that caused the fires on board two tankers inside Romanian territorial waters were of Russian origin," the source said. Continue reading...

Elon Musk has spent $158m in a month to back Republicans in midterm races - with his efforts mostly focused on TexasTens of millions of dollars are pouring into Texas as Democrats stage an audacious bid to win a US Senate seat in the Republican stronghold.Elon Musk, the world's richest person, is among those wading into the closely watched race as November's midterm elections approach. Continue reading...

Move comes after east African country abruptly withdrew returns cooperation earlier this yearShabana Mahmood has been accused of launching a perfunctory political gimmick" by the Eritrean government in a row over the return of rejected asylum seekers and criminals.After the home secretary threatened to block all Eritreans from entering the UK unless a returns deal was agreed, the country's embassy claimed the UK had failed to engaged in meaningful and appropriate" dialogue. Continue reading...

Rewritten indictment accuses ex-Venezuela president and wife Cilia Flores of leading campaign of tortureNicolas Maduro insisted on Thursday during an appearance in a New York court that torture allegations in a rewritten drug trafficking indictment against the deposed Venezuelan president and his wife were false accusations".Maduro, shackled at the ankles, was brought to court to face the new charges accusing the couple of leading a state-sponsored campaign of repression that tortured scores of victims, including three Americans. Continue reading...

Family express concerns about William Chapman's contact with mental health services before his deathA man who was killed by a tiger at a South Yorkshire zoo had bouts of psychosis, his family told an inquest opening, as they expressed concerns about his contact with mental health services before his death.William Chapman was mauled to death by the animal at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster on Saturday, after climbing into its enclosure. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Chancellor to target sector in his first budget to help offset damage caused by Iran war on public financesJohn Healey is poised to tax Britain's banks in his 28 October budget to help offset the damage inflicted on the public finances by war in the Middle East, the Guardian understands.The chancellor is in Bangkok, where the International Monetary Fund has praised the UK's progress towards balancing the books, urging him to stay the course". Continue reading...

Water company tells creditors it will not survive long enough to agree refinancing deal without more moneyThames Water has asked its creditors for another 2.4bn as the embattled water company comes close to running out of cash.The UK's largest water company said on Thursday it needed another short-term cash injection because it would be unable to reach a longer-term deal to sort out its giant debt pile before running out of cash by the end of 2026 or the start of 2027". Continue reading...

Defence secretary's meeting comes after Burnham said he would help facilitate reconciliation between Zelenskyy and TrumpLabour says it's told all of its local councils who share power with the Green Party to review their agreements after the Greens passed a Zionism is Racism" motion at their autumn conference earlier this month.If Green coalition partners don't agree to condemn the policy, the Labour council groups have been instructed to terminate existing power deals.We cannot support a partnership with a party that holds [the] position that has recently been adopted.Now is the time to step up pressure on Putin and step up support for Ukraine."I'm working on different ways we can step up support for Ukraine, military, diplomatic, and economic, and you know, if anybody needed any reminder of that, it's what we see coming out of Ukraine, with Putin targeting these energy systems, leaving thousands without power, as we've got a harsh winter approaching.The future of Ukraine is the future of European security, and that's that's why it's so crucial that Putin doesn't prevail."d Continue reading...

Dan Jorgensen said governments could find a way to subsidise fossil fuels in the short term to help tackle the cost of livingJust as the leaders sit down at the big table in Brussels, Romania has said that seven people are still missing after a fire on a vessel in Romanian territorial waters of the Black Sea.Suspected Russian drones have hit several ships off Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria since last week in a spillover from the Ukraine war, AFP reported. Continue reading...

Four MPs raise conflict of interest concerns over Samantha Jones's past links to a big provider of ADHD assessmentsA senior civil servant should play no part in ministers' crackdown on private ADHD and autism clinics because of her recent ties to the industry, MPs have said.Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs are demanding that Samantha Jones, the Department of Health and Social Care's permanent secretary, steps away from any role in plans to toughen regulation of the booming market in private neurodiversity assessments. Continue reading...

Party chair calls on Labour groups to end local deals if Green councillors do not reject motion attacked as antisemitic'

Madeleine King told press club emissions from NT fossil fuel basin are accounted for and offset' but research found 95% of emissions this decade would not have to be offset

The controversial legislation may end up placing large sections of its suburban support - critical to the party's lead in the polls - on the bonfire

Officials issue guidance saying the ammonia in animal urine should be watered down to stop it corroding barkA neighbourhood in Vienna has introduced guidelines for dog walking, including the use of bottled tap water to rinse away urine and protect vulnerable trees.Neubau, an up-and-coming, densely populated district dotted with cafes and galleries, rolled out the Schones Gassi (nice dog walk) campaign this week. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Portsmouth Historic Dockyard's new 15m permanent display tells tales of courage from conflicts such as Crimean and both world warsThey tell tales of bravery under fire, may lead to conversations about the UK's place in the world and could prompt visitors to reflect on what they might have done if faced with the same perilous circumstances.All 10 Victoria Crosses (VCs) awarded to members of the Royal Marines are going on display together for the first time along with tales of courage during conflicts such as the Crimean and both world wars. Continue reading...

Ex-leader deserves every day of lengthy sentence,' says DUP

Speaking at IMF annual meeting in Bangkok, chancellor says he will stick to fiscal rules while recognising business and living costs

Exclusive: Aleksandar Vui personally intervened to push plans for controversial $500m Trump Tower in Belgrade, which sparked protests and a criminal caseSerbia's authoritarian ruler personally intervened to advance an allegedly illegal scheme to hand over a protected site in Belgrade for a Trump tower, the Guardian can reveal.Aleksandar Vui summoned officials to a meeting at his presidential offices about the project, which has culminated in a landmark indictment of senior figures from his regime on charges of abuse of public office. Continue reading...

Nearly 61% believe country is in recession and 65% of independents say economy is worse, according to new Harris poll

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...

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...

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