World news | The Guardian

Results are expected very soon in the north London poll to choose a replacement for former PM Keir StarmerThe Greens have conceded defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, saying they have come a close second" in the contest.

Pentagon chief joins Trump in attempt to use deadly shooting at Texas base to attack former Democratic president

Residents in areas from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Florida urged to evacuate if told to do so'Millions of people from Louisiana to Florida were under hurricane warnings on Thursday as Hurricane Isaias heads toward the US Gulf coast, with weather officials warning of dangerous storm surge, hurricane-force winds, heavy rainfall and flooding.Isaias intensified from a tropical storm into the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season on Wednesday night, and has prompted state of emergency declarations in Florida, Alabama and Georgia, as well as evacuation orders and school closures in several Florida counties as officials urge residents to prepare for its arrival. Continue reading...

Making its southern hemisphere debut, Dance Reflections will feature collaborators of Rosalia, Madonna and Beyonce - and a high-wire takeover of the Cutaway

Treasurer earmarks funds for year-long transition period for tax office, delaying ban's 30 November start dateA controversial ban on credit card payments on tax bills will be delayed by more than six months, after the federal government overruled the tax office and announced new stopgap funding.Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced on Friday extra funding on Friday, after days of criticism and calls from small business to halt the ban. Continue reading...

Police say man taken to hospital and mayor says child physically unharmed as he condemns unconscionable' actA US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and injured a man in New York City on Thursday afternoon during an enforcement operation, federal officials said.The man was conscious and hospitalized, authorities said, and the shooting quickly sparked angry protests from local residents and elected officials in the neighborhood. Continue reading...

State planning minister declares project state significant', wresting approval process away from local councilPlans for a grand new public square in centre of Sydney are in doubt after the New South Wales planning minister declared the project state significant", wresting the approval process away from the City of Sydney.The lord mayor, Clover Moore, released renders in August for the plaza opposite Sydney's town hall. The design for the space, which the council had expected to be completed by 2031, include a semi-circular clearing projecting eastwards towards Hyde park, with a fountain and a grove of native trees. Continue reading...

Nidal Hasan, army psychiatrist who killed 13 people, will be executed by firing squad on 3 DecemberPete Hegseth has said the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, will be a public event when the sentence is carried out later this year. A defense department official later confirmed the execution will be livestreamed.In an interview with Real America's Voice, the Pentagon secretary said the firing squad will carry out the sentence at Fort Hood, Texas, at 1pm on Thursday, 3 December. This would be the first US military execution in more than 60 years. Continue reading...

Contest seen as test of Andy Burnham's ability to unite Labour voters amid threat from Green party's Zack PolanskiPolls have closed in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, a contest seen as a test of whether Andy Burnham can unite Labour's voters or whether Zack Polanski can peel off support from the party's progressive flank.Labour is seeking to retain Keir Starmer's former north London seat, where he won a majority of more than 11,000 votes in the 2024 general election. Continue reading...

Schools blockaded again across country as teenagers and teachers demand more investment and concrete measures' to improve conditionsHigh school students have again blockaded schools and marched through cities across France, promising to continue their campaign against the poor state of the national education system in the tenth day of protests that have left hundreds injured.Large crowds took to the streets on Thursday for mainly peaceful demonstrations in cities including Lille, Rennes, Nantes, Lyon, Toulon and Marseille, while in Paris a large procession marched through the city centre to the Place de la Bastille. Continue reading...

Men aged 32 and 36 detained on suspicion of trespass, causing criminal damage and entering a prohibited placeTwo Latvian men were arrested in the early hours of Thursday after they were discovered inside the perimeter of RAF Molesworth, a Cambridgeshire base used by the US military and Nato for intelligence operations.The men, 32 and 36, were picked up at 2am inside the base, in an investigation that began four hours earlier when military police discovered an abandoned vehicle outside the facility. Continue reading...

Martin and Debra Robinson, the brothers' parents, will address the court before a Mexican judge hands down the verdictA Mexican judge is expected to hand down his verdict on Thursday in the high-profile murder trial of three men accused of killing two Australian surfers and their American friend in 2024.Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33 respectively, and their friend Carter Rhoad, 30, were on a surfing trip to Mexico's Pacific coast when they were shot dead in Baja California state in an alleged robbery. Continue reading...

Free-roaming Aldabra population far exceeds human population of Seychelles after decades-long recovery programmeA survey of the world's largest free-roaming giant tortoise population has discovered that the once endangered species is thriving.A population of Aldabra giant tortoises lives on an island in Seychelles called Aldabra Atoll. Continue reading...

Rally to remember woman, 87, whose rent battle with investment firm triggered nationwide protests over housing crisisAbout 20,000 people took part in a march through the centre of Madrid on Thursday evening in memory of Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her flat in the capital a fortnight before her death triggered mass protests over Spain's housing crisis.The pensioner, whose flat had been bought by an investment firm that sought to increase her rent by 230%, had become the public face of the crisis before her death in hospital on Wednesday night. Continue reading...

Intelligence specialist Teddy Young, 24, alleged to have drafted message in Russian containing classified informationA junior Royal Navy intelligence specialist from Bedfordshire accused of trying to pass military secrets to Russia appeared in court on Thursday.Teddy Young, 24, was accused of abusing his high-level security clearance to access secret defence and intelligence data after being deployed on a warship. Continue reading...

Ousted Venezuelan president and Cilia Flores have been in jail in New York since early JanuaryThe deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted for alleged conspiracy to commit torture, according to Manhattan federal court papers unsealed on Thursday.The superseding indictment was unsealed shortly before Flores appeared at court in her ongoing push for pretrial release - which was denied by Judge Alvin Hellerstein. Maduro and Flores have been jailed in New York City since early January. Continue reading...

Intense flash of radio waves is more than 10bn years old and has travelled through approximately 80% of cosmic history'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a mysterious flash of energy was released into the universe.Astronomers have now detected that flash, a burst of radio waves which travelled for more than 10bn years before reaching Earth - what they believe to be the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) ever recorded. Continue reading...

Lawyer for CNN, MS Now and Politico says Trump admitted he banned networks from White House over their coverageDonald Trump continues to be the strongest witness for the media companies arguing that they were unfairly barred from the White House at his direction, a lawyer representing CNN, MS Now and Politico told a federal judge on Thursday afternoon.The media coalition was in court asking the judge to extend the temporary restraining order (TRO) he issued on 24 September requiring the White House to lift the ban for 14 days. That temporary reprieve was scheduled to expire on Thursday, but district court judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, said he would extend it until Tuesday and that he would probably rule on a motion for a preliminary injunction by that day. That means the White House will be forced to allow journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico to continue accessing the building until at least Tuesday. Continue reading...

Embassies post links to hastily produced online film echoing style of real Guardian documentary about mass killings of Gaza civiliansThe Israeli government is promoting an online film project that mimics the style of NAZA, the award-winning documentary that details Israel's mass killings of civilians in Gaza, in an attempt to counter the real film's findings.The real documentary, directed by Oscar-winning film-makers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and produced by the Guardian, is in cinemas and will be shown in more than 50 countries. Continue reading...

Finance expert launches Small Ideas Initiative to gather practical, low-cost' ideas to put before cross-party panelEvery day, people run into what the finance expert Martin Lewis calls the life-potholes of unintended consequences" - clunky systems and poorly conceived rules that make things harder than they should be. His latest project, the Small Ideas Initiative, will attempt to address that, with a cross-party panel of politicians and policymakers crowdsourcing ideas for everyday fixes to take to government.The ideas could cover anything, from health and schools to policing, tech and money. Lewis is encouraging people to submit ideas for practical, low-cost, non-controversial ways to improve the UK" before 12 November. Continue reading...

UK and Israel back away from full diplomatic confrontation, though British presence in Palestine will be much reduced

Andrew Bailey tells chancellor whatever the stance of fiscal policy, it must be credible and be seen as such by financial markets'

Exclusive: Letter to PM, also signed by Sally Phillips, says reforms will unfairly remove children's legal protections

Protesters are gathering in Paris to rally against government policies on school and educationin AthensOver in Athens, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has been forced, yet again, to address allegations of misconduct by Kimberly Guilfoyle, America's ambassador to Greece. Continue reading...

Judge makes ruling after former prince brought judicial review of operation linked to Jeffrey Epstein investigationAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor has won his legal challenge against Thames Valley police over search warrants that led to his arrest.The former prince brought a judicial review of the legality of the force's actions and those of the central criminal court, which granted the warrants. Continue reading...

Thinking Allowed, The Artificial Human and Free Thinking among other programmes hit by 500m cutsBBC Radio 4's consumer rights show You and Yours is to be axed after more than 50 years, becoming one of the latest victims of the corporation's 500m cuts plan.The programme, once described by the former Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer as one of the most important" on the station, is one of a handful to be cut as the BBC searches for shows that can be more easily adapted as podcasts. Continue reading...

Voters choosing replacement for Keir Starmer, who announced he was standing down last monthThe UK's military is too focused on global commitments at the expense of domestic defence, meaning the government's planned increase in defence spending is likely to result in even greater waste, a thinktank report has warned.According to an analysis by researchers at the Transition Security Project, Britain has the most overseas-oriented military among European nations, with almost a quarter of the defence budget spent on commitments across five continents. Continue reading...

Jane Adetoro, Christina Walters and Rebecca Walters from London visited late mother's former home shortly before their deaths in MayThree sisters who drowned in the sea in Brighton collectively decided to end their own lives, a coroner has ruled.The bodies of Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, all from London, were recovered from the sea off Brighton in the early hours of 13 May.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Recent death of 87-year-old woman likely to focus attention on crisis in run-up to election at end of November

Governor says Kremlin deliberately targeting civilians' after strike in Kramatorsk, which also wounded 18 and set second bus on fire

Exclusive: Thinktank says Britain's drive towards global commitments is symptom of outdated foreign policy'The UK's military is too focused on global commitments at the expense of domestic defence, meaning the government's planned increase in defence spending is likely to result in even greater waste, a thinktank report has warned.According to an analysis by researchers at the Transition Security Project, Britain has the most overseas-oriented military among European nations, with almost a quarter of the defence budget spent on commitments across five continents. Continue reading...

Regulator also vetoes extra Blackpool service, saying insufficient space for new direct trains to London

Researchers found five events, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, caused serious damage to mental wellbeing across UKBrexit, Liz Truss's mini-budget and other shocks" over the last 10 years have led to a serious and lasting deterioration in the UK population's mental health, research has found.Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the first and second Covid lockdowns also triggered big rises in psychological distress, as measured by the number of people with depression and anxiety. Continue reading...

Sales rise 2% to 33.8bn in the past six months, helped by strong trade online

More than half of US students surveyed said the problem damaged their ability to do academic work, study findsProcrastination is the biggest problem that can harm students' academic performance at university, according to a study of more than 65,000 young people who placed it above issues such as ADHD, anxiety or financial worries.The study found that nearly half of the students surveyed named procrastination as the thing damaging their ability to do academic work, more than twice the number who named depression, while the same proportion said procrastination caused them significant distress above any other problems including family pressures or bullying. Continue reading...

Zack Polanski has led energetic campaign for the Greens, while Labour will hope to hold on to Starmer's old seatVoting has opened in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, a contest seen as a key gauge of Andy Burnham's ability to energise voters and whether Zack Polanski's Greens can still peel off support from Labour's left.Polanski, who leads the Greens in England and Wales, is standing for his party in the north London constituency, previously held by Keir Starmer before he stood down as an MP shortly after resigning as prime minister. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: A youth-led movement is protesting crumbling school buildings and teacher shortages while turning adult focus onto wider educational inequalitiesGood morning. In my experience, at any protest, the most memorable and encapsulating slogans are always the ones written by hand with marker pen on cardboard placards.School is a right, not a privilege," read one such sign held aloft by a student in Paris, where huge youth protests over the state of high school education have brought tens of thousands of young people and adults on to the streets, with further strikes planned today.UK politics | Kemi Badenoch has announced that the Conservatives would abolish inheritance tax on family homes if elected, prompting criticism that she is prioritising cutting taxes for the rich.Education | Labour's flagship changes to special education in England are at risk of unravelling because parents are rushing to secure support for their children before the system changes, new analysis has found.Spain | Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old whose eviction set off a nationwide wave of protests against Spain's housing crisis, has died.Science | A type of gene therapy based on Nobel prize-winning science is safe and can partly restore sight in blind people, researchers have revealed.Epstein | British billionaire Sir James Goldsmith warned that Jeffrey Epstein was a sexual deviant" decades before the FBI closed in on the abuser, a Guardian investigation has found. Continue reading...

Police watchdog says Mal Lanyon's timing in raising the issue was regrettable' and led to delays

Little if any sign Bury Park is a place where any group might fear to tread, despite Tory MP's comments to the contraryFrom behind the counter of his chippie, Tanner Ahmed is wrestling with the notion that the regular stop-off point for fans attending Luton Town's nearby football ground could be in a no-go zone" for white people.The whole point of setting up was to cater for thousands who were coming through here every week, especially in the first year when the club was in the Premier League," said Ahmed, affectionately known as Mr T, in the Bury Park area, a predominantly Asian district of Luton. Continue reading...

Move expected to make pump pricing more transparent and encourage competition after diesel hits record 2 a litreDrivers will be able to see live petrol prices on Google Maps for the first time from Thursday, in a move that will help motorists shop around for the cheapest fuel.Millions of motorists will be able to find the cheapest petrol and diesel prices by searching for a local forecourt in the Google app, in what could prove to be a major development" in making fuel prices more fair, according to campaigners. Continue reading...

Youngest complainant in trial alleges Jones put his tongue in his mouth and touched him on the bottom during visit to shock jock's property

Former NSW police officer has pleaded not guilty to the February 2024 murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in Sydney

Operation on 19-year-old who had no sperm after chemotherapy offers hope of preserving children's fertility after cancer treatmentSurgeons have performed the first testicular tissue transplant on a teenager in the UK, offering hope that boys left infertile by chemotherapy could one day have biological children.The 19-year-old had his tissue removed and frozen three years ago before undergoing treatment for a serious blood disorder. He said he was incredibly grateful" to the medical team behind the pioneering procedure, which represents a potential breakthrough for male fertility preservation. Continue reading...

In Bolotana, 70 miles from island's original blue zone, 13% of women who reach 70 will live on to a centuryThe secret to longevity is being a woman - specifically, a woman in one part of Sardinia. At least, that is the conclusion of a study on centenarians in a tiny mountain village on the Italian island.Sardinia became known as a haven for longevity, especially for long-lived men, in 1999 when a cluster of remote villages nestled in the slopes of its central and eastern provinces were classified among the world's five blue zones" - geographic areas with high concentrations of centenarians. Continue reading...

Investigators probe Asahi, Kirin, Suntory and Sapporo breweries - which together control more than 90% of Japan's beer marketJapanese authorities have raided the country's four biggest breweries over suspicions they colluded to set the price of beer and other beverages - a practice media reports said could have forced drinkers to pay over the odds.Officials from the Fair Trade Commission this week searched the offices of Asahi Breweries, Kirin Brewery, Suntory Beer and Sapporo Breweries - which together control more than 90% of the domestic market. The quartet are suspected of violating the anti-monopoly law. Continue reading...

NGOs in Indonesian Borneo file class action lawsuit calling for government to better manage annual fires andThe Indonesian government has been accused of gross negligence" in a class action lawsuit over its handling of wildfires that have cloaked large parts of South-east Asia in a toxic haze, shuttered schools and caused a spike in respiratory illnesses.The lawsuit, filed by indigenous and civil society groups in the Indonesian part of Borneo, named President Prabowo Subianto and the governor of West Kalimantan among 10 defendants. The case seeks comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation measures that would include covering the healthcare costs of residents. Continue reading...

Sources say Firmus is slashing its price and may even shelve initial public offering altogether

MIT computer scientist led development of software for moon mission and earned Presidential Medal of FreedomMargaret Hamilton, the computer pioneer whose software powered the first moon landing, has died, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced on Wednesday. She was 90.In an era before titles such as software engineer and computer scientist became mainstream, Hamilton, who died on 30 September, learned to program under the tutelage of a renowned MIT meteorologist. Continue reading...

Hundred-and-fifty-year-old Wych elm in Newcastle, Co Down has grown sideways owing to strong windsThe astonishing and bizarre" Bendy Tree in Northern Ireland has been crowned the winner of this year's tree of the year competition.The wych elm tree, located in Newcastle, County Down, owes its name to its near horizontal trunk, which has grown sideways owing to the strong seaside winds coming off the Irish Sea. Continue reading...

In the shadow of the Parthenon, the secretary of state gave a selective reading of history as he urged Europe to awaken from its slumber'The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, delivered a classically inspired apologia for Donald Trump's America first" foreign policy on Wednesday, giving a sweeping speech to the backdrop of the Parthenon in Athens that appeared tailor-made for campaign ads if he runs for president in 2028.In the speech, the top US diplomat drew historical parallels from the founders, philosophers and conquerers of antiquity to the modern American spirit - as well as his family's own journey to the United States - as he called on Europe to awaken from its long slumber" and reject a future of atrophy and servitude and decline". Continue reading...