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Former Liberal Democratic party eager to increase influence at state and federal level after unexpected success in NSW council elections

The PM likely hopes the possibility of an existential threat to some in the Senate generates more cooperation

European Commission president reveals team after extensive negotiations and balancing, including nominating women and representing centre-right partiesValdis Dombrovskis, from Latvia, was nominated to be commissioner for economy and productivity.Dan Jorgensen, from Denmark, was nominated as the new commissioner for energy and housing. Continue reading...

Announcement comes hours after rebels said the Indonesian army had bombed its headquarters where Mehrtens is being keptRebels in Indonesia's West Papua region have proposed terms for the release of the New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens a year and seven months after he was detained.It comes hours after the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) released a statement saying the Indonesian army bombed its headquarters in Alguru, which is where Mehrtens is being kept. The statement also said Mehrtens survived the attack". Continue reading...

Pelicot's testimony set to be decisive for 50 other men accused of raping his then wife Gisele over nine-year periodA 71-year-old man accused of drugging his wife so he and scores of strangers could assault her has told a French court: I am a rapist," as he returned to the dock after illness.Dominique Pelicot used a cane as he slowly entered the courtroom in the southern city of Avignon. Continue reading...

Consumer campaigner writes to Ed Miliband warning that installations are being prioritised over repairsEnergy customers are being short-changed by perverse" government targets to install electronic smart meters in homes across the UK, according to the consumer campaigner Martin Lewis.Lewis, the founder and chair of MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE), has written to Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy security and net zero, warning that installations are being prioritised over repairs, leaving thousands of households facing shock bills because their meters have malfunctioned. Continue reading...

Some see Sahra Wagenknecht's brand of left conservatism' as a bulwark against AfD but others see reasons to be warySahra Wagenknecht is not even on the ballot in the upcoming state election in Brandenburg. But her face is plastered on billboards across the sprawling, largely rural northern state that surrounds Berlin.There she hopes her fledgling Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) will repeat the successes it enjoyed in polls in Thuringia and Saxony earlier this month, where it came third with vote shares in the double figures, performing so well that it is now a kingmaker for any possible coalition in either state. Continue reading...

Prisoners fled when the walls of their jail collapsed in the country's worst flooding in two decadesMore than 200 inmates escaped from a prison in north-east Nigeria in the aftermath of the worst flooding there in over two decades, authorities have announced.There have been 37 deaths in Borno state after parts of its capital, Maiduguri, were overrun by water on 9 September following the collapse of a dam, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). As many as 200,000 others have been displaced. Residents of the city said some areas were still flooded on Monday when the president, Bola Tinubu, visited. Continue reading...

Thierry Breton, who had been appointed for second term, cited von der Leyen's questionable governance' in EUFrance's European commissioner, Thierry Breton, has resigned, citing questionable governance" at the EU executive led by Ursula von der Leyen.Breton, who was in charge of the EU's single market and industrial policy, announced his immediate resignation in a post on X on Monday morning. Continue reading...

Little Green Island was owned by film producer and actor Douglas Gresham, who is the stepson of Narnia author CS Lewis

Rebel group claims what would be first missile to have landed in Israel from Yemen, but no reports of casualtiesThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has warned Yemen's Houthi rebels will pay a heavy price" after the group claimed its first ballistic missile strike on Israel and its leader warned of bigger attacks to come.The missile - claimed by the Houthis as an advanced surface-to-surface hypersonic missile - triggered air sirens across the country at about 6.30am, and local media aired footage of people racing to shelters at Ben Gurion international airport south-east of Tel Aviv. According to reports, it hit an open area in the Ben Shemen forest, causing a fire near Kfar Daniel. There were no reports of casualties or damage. Continue reading...

Before announcing his feelings, ex-president had posted AI images suggesting Swift had endorsed him for presidentDonald Trump has addressed Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris in November's presidential race by announcing his hatred of the pop star.The former president and Republican nominee wrote on Sunday on his Truth Social platform: I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" Continue reading...

Prince and Princess of Wales echo birthday wishes sent from royal family's X account despite strained relationsThe Prince and Princess of Wales have delivered a small peace offering in their rift with the Duke of Sussex by wishing Prince Harry happy birthday for the first time in three years.In a post on X, the royal family shared a photograph of a smiling Harry, to mark his 40th birthday, complete with a cake emoji. The message said: Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!" Continue reading...

Diplomat says pinprick bombings' by west insufficient to constrain supply of weapons to group in YemenThe claimed acquisition by Yemen's Houthi rebels of hypersonic missiles capable of penetrating Israeli air defences threatens to further heighten Middle East tensions, as Saudi Arabia calls for more than pinprick bombings" to constrain the supply of weapons to the group.Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemen government opposing the Houthis, believes Iran has been arming the group, including with the weapons used in the attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Those attacks have led to a halving of the traffic on the Red Sea route, pushing up the costs of maritime transport and damaging the Egyptian economy through disruption to the Suez canal. Continue reading...

Proponents of more homes, turbines and infrastructure - even on the green belt - prepare for rally at party conference

The DA party argues Afrikaans education will be harmed, while the ANC says law is necessary to redress inequalityA contentious South African education law has drawn furious condemnation from politicians and campaigners who claim it is putting Afrikaans education under threat while evoking for others an enduring association of the language with white minority rule.The Basic Education Laws Amendment Act was signed into law on Friday by the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who said he would give dissenting parties in his coalition government three months to suggest alternatives to two sections that give provincial officials the powers to override admission decisions and force schools to teach in more than one of South Africa's 12 official languages. Continue reading...

Nicholas Prosper is suspect in deaths of three people believed to be Juliana Prosper, 48, Kyle Prosper, 16, and Giselle Prosper, 13An 18-year-old has been charged with the murders of a woman and two teenagers who were found dead at a flat in Luton on Friday, Bedfordshire police have said.Nicholas Prosper, of Leabank, Luton was arrested on Friday morning in Bramingham Road after police discovered three bodies at a flat in Leabank, off Wauluds Bank Drive, at about 5.30am. Continue reading...

Despite his convictions for corruption and human rights abuses, many see the president who has died at 86 as the country's greatest leaderAt 11.45 on Thursday morning, six white-gloved pallbearers carried a coffin holding the body of the most divisive, beloved and reviled Peruvian politician of the last four decades. They passed the mourners, the cameras and the flag-topped lances of the Husares de Junin cavalry regiment, and set it down in the hall of Lima's brutalist culture ministry.Behind the coffin, holding hands and dressed in black under a pale but warm spring sky, came its occupant's eldest daughter and youngest son. A crowd of ministers, political allies and military top brass awaited them at the ministry. Continue reading...

Study by Buttle UK found most families had skipped a meal and many parents said they had given their bed to a childFamilies in poverty are having to sleep on the floor because they cannot afford beds, according to a children's charity.The charity's research also found that most of the families it surveyed struggled to find the money to heat and power their homes, and that the cost of living crisis had strained parents' relationships with their children. Continue reading...

Motivated pursuers using advanced technology and brute force have yet to pin down their cautious quarry. Would his death or capture stop the war?A group of Israeli hostages were huddled in a tunnel in Gaza a few days after they had been dragged from their homes on 7 October, when the man who had plotted their abduction appeared out of the subterranean gloom.His hair and beard were grey and his dark-ringed eyes stared out from under thick black brows. It was a face familiar to them from a thousand broadcasts and newspaper stories: Yahya Sinwar. The Hamas leader in Gaza was the most feared man in Israel, even before he ordered the October raid in which 1,200 people - two-thirds of them civilians - were killed and 250 taken hostage. Continue reading...

Catherine King says new charter may force airlines to compensate you if they bump you off a flight, delay your flight, or cancel it

Eugene and Dan Levy set to host this weekend's big TV awards where historical drama series and controversial Netflix miniseries are predicted to be big winners

Second autopsy to be performed on Ayenur Ezgi Eygi before funeral in her family's home townThe body of the slain Turkish-American activist Ayenur Ezgi Eygi has landed in Istanbul to continue to its final resting place in her family's home town on the Aegean coast, with the coffin carried by a procession of Turkish honour guard soldiers.An autopsy report conducted in the Israeli-occupied West Bank town of Nablus lists Eygi's cause of death as a brain haemorrhage after a bullet penetrated her skull, as the 26-year-old attended a pro-Palestine protest in nearby Beita. Continue reading...

Delhi chief minister had been in jail since being arrested in March in corruption case he says is politically motivatedOne of India's most prominent opposition leaders has been granted bail after spending almost six months in jail for a corruption case he alleged was politically motivated.On Friday, India's supreme court ruled that, Arvind Kejriwal, who is the chief minister of Delhi, should be immediately released from jail in Delhi, where he has been held since his arrest in March. Continue reading...

US and UK discuss Ukraine's use of missiles, as Russian president warns move would put Nato at war' with MoscowEuropean leaders have dismissed Vladimir Putin's warning that the west would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Kyiv to strike Russian territory with western-made long-range missiles.The US and UK are discussing, in conjunction with other allies, allowing Kyiv to strike military targets inside Russia with Storm Shadow missiles, which can hit targets up to 155 miles (250km) from their launch site. Continue reading...

Court rules against West Cumbria Mining's fossil fuel development in WhitehavenThe UK's first new coalmine in 30 years will not be allowed to go ahead after a ruling in the high court.On Friday morning, Justice Holgate ruled plans for the facility to be built in Whitehaven, Cumbria will not go ahead. Continue reading...

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Transport for London contacts 5,000 customers to say email and bank account details could have been accessed

Rachele Mussolini, a city councillor in Rome, will join Forza Italia, a more liberal party in Meloni's ruling coalitionA granddaughter of Italy's wartime dictator Benito Mussolini said on Thursday she was leaving Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party because it was too rightwing.Rachele Mussolini, a city councillor in Rome, said she was moving to the group of Forza Italia, which is part of Italy's ruling coalition but seen as more liberal on civil rights. Continue reading...

Prosecutors presented evidence of three additional allegations dating back to the 2000s against Weinstein, 72Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on additional sex crimes charges ahead of his retrial in New York, Manhattan prosecutors said at a hearing Thursday.The indictment will remain under seal until Weinstein's arraignment, which is scheduled for 18 September. Continue reading...

Carers UK estimates 600 people a day quit jobs to care for loved ones and calls for review of benefits systemMore than a million unpaid carers in the UK who look after disabled, frail or ill relatives are living in poverty, with one in 10 experiencing such extreme hardship they struggle to afford to eat regularly or heat their homes, new research shows.Campaigners said carers - routinely lauded by politicians as unsung heroes whose sacrifices help prop up the NHS - were paying the price for holding society together", and urged ministers to act to fix unacceptable" levels of hardship. Continue reading...

Downing Street impatient to begin recruiting, while Simon Case has yet to make his departure plans officialDowning Street is pushing to launch the formal search for a new cabinet secretary within the next month amid frustration with Simon Case, who is yet to officially announce his departure.Case has acknowledged he intends to leave in the new year due to health reasons, but the lack of a formal announcement means No 10 has not been able to kickstart the hunt for a successor. One Downing Street source said the government would like to begin the process imminently. Continue reading...

Softly spoken and easily startled, Campbell was imprisoned for murder in what has been called one of the longest miscarriages of justice in British criminal historyWhen Oliver Campbell's lawyer first visited his client a quarter of a century ago, he recalls a prison officer pointing him towards a tall, shy man grooming a horse.Despite serving a life sentence for murder, Campbell, who had severe learning difficulties, was so vulnerable that he was moved to an open prison at the earliest opportunity. Continue reading...

Cindy and Craig Corrie say they fear Eygi's death at West Bank protest will go unpunished like their daughter'sWhen Cindy and Craig Corrie heard about the death of Ayenur Ezgi Eygi, the American-Turkish woman killed at a protest in the occupied West Bank last week, it reopened a 21-year-old wound. You feel the ripping apart again of your own family when you know that's happening to another family. There's a hole there that's never going to be filled for each of these families," Craig Corrie said.In 2003, their daughter Rachel was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer during a protest in Rafah against the demolitions of homes in Gaza. This week, the couple have joined a chorus of human rights advocates calling for an independent investigation into Eygi's death, saying that they feared her case would go unpunished like their daughter's. Continue reading...

Figure is largely in addition to 7.8bn committed since Russia's invasion, says National Audit Office reportBritain has donated arms and equipment to Ukraine that would cost 2.71bn to replace, largely in addition to the 7.8bn committed by prime ministers since Russia's full-scale invasion, according to a National Audit Office report.The cost of replacing missiles, artillery and other munitions also significantly exceeds their 171.5m value on the government's books, because the Ministry of Defence wants to replace the old weapons supplied at current prices. Continue reading...

Researchers say cost-effective treatment that cuts heart disease and stroke risk is linked to better health in older ageMost people over 70 should consider taking statins, researchers say, adding that they are cost-effective and linked to better health outcomes for the age group.Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death and disability globally. As we age, our risk of heart disease or stroke increases. Statins are proven to reduce that risk by reducing levels of bad" cholesterol - low-density lipids - in the blood and are widely used by middle-aged patients. But they are less commonly taken by those over 70. Continue reading...

Opposition leader says he would defund the Environmental Defenders Office and cut green tape' as PM

IDF expresses regret' over death of Ayenur Ezgi Eygi on West Bank while US calls it unprovoked and unjustified'Israel's military has said it was highly likely its troops fired the shot that killed Ayenur Ezgi Eygi, the American-Turkish woman killed at a protest in the occupied West Bank.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said her death was unintentional and expressed deep regret. Continue reading...

Foo Fighters frontman posts that he aims to be loving parent to new daughter and earn family's forgivenessDave Grohl has announced that he has become the father to a baby girl born outside of my marriage".The Foo Fighters frontman, 55, said he plans to be a loving and supportive parent" to his new daughter in an Instagram post on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Police association chief says criminals potentially being freed in England and Wales without proper rehabilitation plans

Guy's and St Thomas' trust tells inquest highly vulnerable Aviva Otte was given nutritional product containing deadly bacteriaAn NHS trust has admitted that a highly vulnerable baby died because of contaminated feed that it gave her, after denying that for more than a decade.At an inquest on Tuesday, Guy's and St Thomas' trust said it had given Aviva Otte a nutritional product containing deadly bacteria in January 2014. It had previously insisted to her mother, a coroner and the Guardian on multiple occasions that she had died of natural causes. Continue reading...

While Commons rebellion was small-scale, behind the scenes, anger over handling of the policy is said to run highIn the end, the vote to cut the winter fuel allowance passed easily. Hundreds of loyalist Labour MPs tramped through the lobbies to back the government's controversial plan. No 10 will hope the heat has gone out of the issue.But despite dodging a major rebellion, plenty in government were not taking much comfort from the result. Scores of MPs abstained in silent protest, fearful that they could be condemning vulnerable pensioners to a cold, hard winter. Continue reading...

Inspired by Finnish success story, mayor Andy Burnham says unconditional homes policy saves public money'The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, has turned to Finland for bold lessons in how to tackle rough sleeping in the city.Burnham has said he is committed to making the region the first in the UK to adopt a housing first' philosophy like Finland". A scheme launched there in 2008 that gives people homes when they need them, without conditions attached, has brought down homelessness by 70% and eradicated poverty-based homelessness completely. Continue reading...

Ex-work and pensions secretary becomes second casualty of contest, leaving four MPs vying to succeed Rishi SunakMel Stride has been knocked out of the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative party leader after Robert Jenrick topped the poll of MPs for the second time.The former work and pensions secretary on Tuesday became the second casualty in the extended leadership contest, which is due to culminate in early November. Continue reading...

Spads' working for new government say they are not being paid as fairly as predecessors under the ToriesMany of Labour's newly recruited special advisers, known as spads", have joined a union over concerns about their pay.Aides working in Downing Street or for cabinet ministers have said they are not being paid as fairly as their predecessors under the Tories. Continue reading...

World body says two workers detained for questioning, live shots fired and vehicles damaged at checkpointIsraeli soldiers halted a UN convoy involved in the recent polio vaccination drive in Gaza and detained two staff members for questioning, in an incident during which live shots were fired and vehicles damaged by a bulldozer, the UN has said.Details of the incident, which occurred at the Al Rashid checkpoint, were revealed in a statement by the office of the UN humanitarian coordinator for Palestine, Muhannad Hadi, who said the lives of UN staff in the vehicles had been endangered. Continue reading...

Lack of rehabilitation means many freed inmates in England and Wales will end up homeless and offending again, warn experts

Conservative motion to block winter fuel payment cut defeated but 53 Labour MPs abstain and one, Jon Trickett, votes with the Tories. This live blog is closed

Polish PM calls for urgent consultations with European neighbours over controls he says will break European lawThe Polish government is accusing Germany of acting unilaterally and unfairly over its unacceptable" plans to introduce temporary controls into in the passport-free Schengen zone at all the country's nine land borders, in what Warsaw says is a contravention of European law.Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, said Germany had introduced a de facto suspension of the Schengen agreement on a large scale" after the interior minister, Nancy Faeser, announced Berlin's decision to confront what she called irregular migration" by introducing spot controls along Germany's 2,300-mile (3,700km) frontier after a recent spate of suspected Islamist attacks. Continue reading...

Mini and Rolls-Royce models also affected by potential braking system fault set to cost BMW almost 1bnShares in BMW tumbled as the carmaker revealed it will have to recall 1.5m vehicles over a braking problem, costing it almost 1bn (0.84bn).The German manufacturer said its annual earnings would be considerably lower than expected, with the fault in the braking system now discovered to be far more widespread than initially thought. Continue reading...