World news | The Guardian

President Sisi has been criticised for allowing few refugees through, but housing large numbers would be a big political riskEgypt has been caught in a dilemma for weeks about opening the Rafah crossing into Gaza: wanting to help the most seriously injured Palestinians leave, but adamantly refusing to contemplate a surge of Palestinian refugees into the Sinai peninsula. We are prepared to sacrifice millions of lives to ensure that no one encroaches upon our territory," Egypt's prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly, said earlier this week.The negotiations over the release of wounded Palestinians and some foreign nationals, largely overseen by Qatar, have been inextricably linked to the flow of aid from Egypt into Gaza over the same crossing. The US president, Joe Biden, negotiated a passage for aid through Rafah, but levels are low compared to what is needed. On Wednesday the UN humanitarian coordinator, Martin Griffiths, again called for Israel to reopen Kerem Shalom, the crossing it controls at the southern tip of Gaza. Continue reading...

AI-enhanced song released at 2pm GMT today, but Beatles experts are divided over how effectively it could capture the band's spiritGeorge Harrison originally disliked it; fans had long assumed it would never be released. But the final" song by the Beatles, Now and Then, is being released at 2pm GMT, an unexpected last flourish for arguably the UK's greatest band.It's a big moment," says Dr Holly Tessler of the University of Liverpool, who specialises in the Beatles' history and legacy. It's strange to think that a band that broke up more than 50 years ago is telling you that this is our last song ... in a way, Paul and Ringo, who are both in their 80s, are drawing a line. It's a very sweet moment I suspect for almost all Beatles fans; it feels like an ending. So I do think it's significant." Continue reading...

Ombudsman orders UK housing association Clarion to apologise to family in deeply distressing' caseA tenant killed himself after his landlord dismissed his pleas for help with a noisy neighbour as whining" and told him he could not expect silence if he lived in London.Clarion, the UK's largest housing association, had been warned by the vulnerable resident's doctor that the effect of noise from the upstairs flat on the tenant's mental health was such that he had already attempted suicide twice. Continue reading...

Adelaide family who escaped besieged enclave through Rafah as part of multinational deal say crossing border was nerve-wracking' and took several attempts

War moving into new attritional stage that will benefit Russia, says Ukraine commander-in-chief; Russia shells highest number of cities and settlements this year

Duane Keith Keffe D' Davis remains unrepresented after missing deadline set by judge for agreement terms, says lawyerThe former southern California street gang leader charged with killing Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas has lost his bid to be represented at his arraignment by the lawyer who spoke publicly about his defense two weeks ago.Attorney Ross Goodman told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Duane Keith Keffe D" Davis could not meet terms of an agreement that a judge on 19 October gave them two more weeks to reach. Goodman did not specify a reason for the impasse. Continue reading...

Americans were provided flights from Israel after the 7 October Hamas attacks, but those in besieged Gaza Strip cannot leave

Equalities minister says LGBTQ+ charity overreached' and more extreme ideas' about trans rights have been defeatedKemi Badenoch has launched an attack on the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, describing it as an example of an organisation taken over by leftist" ideas.Speaking on stage at an international gathering of conservatives, the business secretary and minister for women and equalities, agreed with the suggestion that the more extreme ideas" about the rights of trans people had been defeated. Continue reading...

Helen MacNamara says women became invisible overnight' and criticises Johnson's failure to challenge misogynistic language'

Crossing open for first time in weeks to allow evacuation of foreign passport holders and injured Palestinians

Companies like Netflix, Disney+, Binge and Stan still spent more on Australian content than free-to-air broadcasters

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage here Continue reading...

Former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara is giving evidence to the inquiryBack in the inquiry, O'Connor presents another extract from MacNamara's witness statement in which she quotes an account by Dominic Cummings who recalls her coming into the office on Friday 13 March saying that the country was absolutely fucked" and that thousands of people were going to die. Cummings has cited this as a very positive intervention that helped to trigger an urgent rethink.MacNamara says this is an accurate account. She said she had been in meetings that day, including a briefing for the opposition, and that she had been more alarmed rather than reassured" by what she had heard from the government side. She says it was alarming.And it was a sense of foreboding, like I hope nobody sitting in that office ever has that again. Actually, it was a very, very scary experience. There wasn't any doubt in my mind at that point that we were heading for a total disaster. And what we had to do was do everything in our power to make it impact as little as possible in the time we had available in the circumstances.Helen right that the Cabinet Office has failed to follow the orders given in 2020 to keep records of everything. I asked for this to happen. So did Helen. Yet the Cabinet Office has destroyed a lot of documents - eg some documents that I have accidental copies of do not show up in official records.Agree with Helen that the world-beating', we're best prepared in world' etc mindset was a nightmare, delusional. I'd go further than has and say this general approach definitely undermined an effective response. But also important to note - this was not just Boris, this was the attitude of *DHSC and Cabinet Office* on pandemic preparations too.MSM largely useless coverage of Inquiry, obsessed on trivia, determined as always to ignore management/structures & how power worked & still works ... I'll post updates on Inquiry, other witnesses etc Continue reading...

French president compliments leader for refusing to side with Moscow over UkraineThe French president Emmanuel Macron has vowed to boost cooperation with Kazakhstan at a time of multiple crises in the world" as he began a trip to Central Asia, a region long regarded as Russia's backyard which has drawn fresh western attention since the war in Ukraine began.At a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Macron complimented Kazakhstan for refusing to side with Moscow on Ukraine and announced business deals, including a declaration of intent for a partnership in the much-sought area of rare earths and rare metals. Continue reading...

Gordon Brown's Our Scottish Future thinktank says reforms and investment hampered by focus on referendumsScotland's devolved government has been beset by poor decision-making for the past decade because of an obsession with constitutional disputes, a thinktank has found.The report, from Gordon Brown's Our Scottish Future thinktank, which has close ties to Labour, said much-needed reforms to public services and economic investment have been hampered by short-term decision-making and an unrelenting focus on referendums and elections. Continue reading...

Reese Kelly, of Workington, was described as a monster' after son Dallas died from catastrophic injuriesA man described as a monster" and ticking timebomb" has been found guilty of murdering his four-month-old baby son.Jurors at Carlisle court heard that Dallas Kelly died from catastrophic injuries after being left in the care of his father, Reece Kelly. Continue reading...

Former deputy cabinet secretary describes misogyny, lack of planning and over-confidence in government's pandemic response

Exclusive: documents show transport minister met former airline chief at Parliament House two months before she ruled against Qatar Airways request

An impressionist masterpiece is being displayed in the Tweed Valley as the National Gallery shares its collection around the countryIn late October an armoured van traveled through the flat cane fields of the Tweed Valley, in northern New South Wales. Carrying its precious cargo past tractors ploughing the earth after the cane burn-off, the fortified van came to a stop in what was, until relatively recently, a cow paddock.It was here in this bucolic setting that a $174m impressionist masterpiece, in a specialised crate to insulate it from heat and vibration, was unloaded into the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre. Continue reading...

Services Australia and prosecutors are unable to say exactly how many past convictions may be affected

New government report finds 78% of weather-related hospitalisations and over 43% of extreme weather-related deaths were due to extreme heat

Speaking in London, Abbott criticises the emissions obsession' of a climate cult that will eventually be discredited'

County Councils Network says local bodies are running out of road' to avoid insolvency after sharp rises in child protection costsOut of control" increases in child protection spending since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic have put one in 10 of England's biggest councils at risk of effective bankruptcy in the next few months, a survey has revealed.Many county councils and unitary authorities are running out of road" to avoid insolvency as they grapple with high inflation, increases in children being taken into care, and massive bills for children's homes, the County Councils Network (CCN) said. Continue reading...

Rose Jackson says the way authorities respond needs to change, acknowledging system has failed' in some instances

Police have established a crime scene at St Lucy's School in Wahroonga on the city's upper north shoreA 10-year-old boy has died at a school for children with disability on Sydney's upper north shore after becoming trapped under a lift.New South Wales police said emergency services were called to St Lucy's School in Wahroonga about 2pm on Wednesday after reports a child was trapped. Continue reading...

From January, it will be standing room only in some carriages so people can use the South Korean capital's metro lines more comfortably and safely'Seoul's subway system plans to introduce trains with carriages with no seating in order to alleviate congestion during peak hours, its operator has announced.The trial programme, set to start in January, will involve the removal of seats from two carriages on subway trains running on two of the South Korean's capital's nine major lines during morning and evening rush hours, Seoul Metro said on Wednesday. It forms part of a broader project aimed at reducing congestion on one of the world's busiest metro systems. Continue reading...

Media regulator cracks down while federal government considers recommendation to ban online gambling ads within three years

De Niro denied he was verbally abusive or sexist towards Graham Chase Robinson and called her $12m lawsuit nonsense'Robert De Niro shouted Shame on you!" at his former executive assistant and vice-president on Tuesday as he testified in a New York courtroom, denying claims he was abusive towards his employee who is now seeking millions of dollars in damages.Graham Chase Robinson watched with her lawyers while De Niro's anger built as attorney Andrew Macurdy pelted him with accusations his client made about De Niro's behaviour toward Robinson as she served his needs, large and small, from 2008 until her resignation in 2019. Continue reading...

Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton have beaten charges of fighting outside Canberra nightclub Fiction

The UN says Russian strikes are inflicting unimaginable suffering'; Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy warns against expecting success too quickly

One of Chinese e-commerce app's ads appeared on British news site portraying child in sexual way'Five adverts for the Chinese shopping app Temu have been banned in the UK for their sexualised nature, with one found to have been irresponsible in how it depicted a young girl to sell bikinis.The company has been warned against presenting under-18s in a sexual way in future or portraying adults as stereotypical sexual objects" after several ads featured disembodied images of the women wearing tight and revealing clothing". Continue reading...

Public accounts committee issues sobering reminder' there are no guarantees money spent will be recovered after collapse of BulbBill payers could be on the hook for almost 6bn to cover the cost of bailing out suppliers that went bust during the energy crisis, according to the government's spending watchdog.The public accounts committee (PAC) has issued a sobering reminder" that the government has no guarantee that it will be able to recover almost 3bn in costs for rescuing about 1.5m households affected by the collapse of Bulb Energy. Continue reading...

Patients from minority ethnic backgrounds wait longer for, and have worse outcomes from, referrals than white counterpartsBlack, Asian and minority ethnic people experience longer waiting times, and are less likely to be in recovery after treatment, when accessing NHS mental health services compared with their white counterparts, a report has found.The research looked at 10 years' worth of anonymised patient data from NHS Talking Therapies, formerly known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies - an NHS programme that launched in 2008 to improve patient access to NHS mental health services. A total of 1.2 million people accessed NHS Talking Therapies services in 2021-22, and by 2024 the programme aims to help 1.9 million people in England with anxiety or depression to access treatment.In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. You can contact the mental health charity Mind by calling 0300 123 3393 or visiting mind.org.uk Continue reading...

Landmark coronial inquest into deaths of four Aboriginal women reveals NT government rejected internal proposals for $180m to tackle domestic violence

Already declining support for prime minister falls further as calls grow for his resignation and public anger rises

Financial institutions have cut ties with hedge fund set up by Brexiter and Conservative party donorOdey Asset Management is closing down, five months after allegations of sexual misconduct made by junior female members of staff against its founder Crispin Odey threw the hedge fund into turmoil.The business said on its website: Odey Asset Management [OAM], including Brook Asset Management and Odey Wealth, will be closing. Fund managers and funds have moved to new asset managers." Continue reading...

Democracy activist hasn't enjoyed any direct sunlight for over four years' and his children fear their father risks being left to die in a Chinese prison

Members of Boris Johnson's inner circle have started to give evidence, with senior civil servant Martin Reynolds the first to appear

Lord Bethell says Boris Johnson did everything he could' to avoid focusing on pandemic in early days of crisis

Unknown number of people held in building in Warabi after suspected shooting at nearby hospitalA suspected gunman has taken an unknown number of people hostage in a post office in Japan after an apparent shooting in a nearby hospital.The city's authorities said: At approximately 2.15pm today (05.15 GMT), a person has taken hostages and holed up at a post office in Chuo 5-chome area of Warabi city ... The perpetrator is possessing what appears to be a gun. Continue reading...

Some of the 200 British or dual nationals in strip tell of life amid Israel's attack and the communication blackoutWhen Musheir El-Farra climbs into bed in Gaza each night, he cannot get the sounds of people screaming out of his head.Since last week, the British civil engineer has been plagued by memories of an Israeli bomb attack on a residential block in Khan Younis in which, he said, 16 of his relatives were killed. Continue reading...

New Zealand Justice Evangelos Thomas criticised failures of safety audits given obvious risks' that led to 2019 fatal eruptionA New Zealand court has found the owner of White Island/Whakaari, the offshore volcano that erupted in 2019, killing 22 people, guilty on one charge of breaching workplace safety laws.On Tuesday, Auckland district court ruled Whakaari Management Limited (WML), the holding company of landowners Andrew, James and Peter Buttle, had not met its obligations to visitors to the volcano. Continue reading...

More than 70 flood warnings issued across the UK with the Met Office warning of rainfall of up to 100mm in some areasFlooding has been reported in parts of Northern Ireland ahead of the arrival of Storm Ciaran on Wednesday, as police urged people against travelling and officials issued weather warnings for areas across the UK.The Met Office has issued an amber warning for rain, the second highest level, for much of the south-eastern part of Northern Ireland. The warning covers Counties Antrim, Down and Armagh. Continue reading...

Albanese government is rushing through laws to underpin the ID verification service, say experts who have privacy concerns

Parents say government's planned review has too short a timeframe and will not be sufficiently rigorousBereaved parents whose children have killed themselves while at university have criticised thegovernment's planned review of student suicides in England, describing it as a slap in the face" for families.The higher education minister, Robert Halfon, announced the national review earlier this year amid mounting concern over student mental health and a series of suicides that attracted widespread coverage in the media.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Identity of firearms officer NX121, which had been protected by a court order, can be revealed next yearThe Metropolitan police officer charged with murder after Chris Kaba was shot dead can be named by the media, a judge has ruled.The identity of the firearms officer known only as NX121 had been protected by a court order. Continue reading...

Former Ukip leader said to be in advanced negotiations to join reality TV show in a deal worth up to 1m

Suella Braverman will meet police and national security officials at No 10 to discuss accelerated' risk

Jeremy Fewtrell says upcoming bushfire season will include periods of really intense activity' as he takes up commissioner role

Concerns raised over possible misclassification of children as adults as Home Office's new hotel maximisation' policy beginsChild asylum seekers are being forced to share hotel rooms with adults, as the Home Office's new hotel maximisation" programme begins doubling the capacity of refugee hotels by putting two strangers in roomsspaces that were previously single occupancy, a charity has warned.The Refugee Council has warned that frequent misclassification of child refugees as adults at the UK border is exposing them to serious safeguarding risks, with the dangers heightened by the government's new drive to reduce the cost of hotels by introducing a room-sharing policy. Continue reading...