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As typical annual dual-fuel charge rises to 1,755, charities warn over record 4.4bn owed to suppliers

Amendment to constitution stipulates that male and female are the only recognised sexes and makes adoption nearly impossible for same-sex couplesRecent changes to Slovakia's constitution mark a dark day" for the country, LGBTQ+ campaigners have warned, describing measures such as the recognition of only two sexes as part of a wider rollback of human rights and rule of law in the central European country.On Friday, Slovakia's parliament passed an amendment that included measures targeting LGBTQ+ rights in the country, from stipulating that male and female are the only recognised sexes to making it nearly impossible for same-sex couples to adopt children. Continue reading...

Opposition leader sends so-called charter letter' to her entire shadow ministry, laying out her expectations

The Labour leader entered conference with the polls against him and Reform UK snapping at his heels. He came out fighting - but was it enough to change his critics' minds? Helen PiddFor Keir Starmer, this year's Labour conference was a chance not just to address the party faithful but to see if there were any faithful left. With terrible approval ratings, and Reform UK in the ascendant, it was hard to see who his supporters might be, while Manchester's mayor, Andy Burnham, seemed to be getting ready to challenge him as leader.On the left of the party there were calls not just for another reset' but for a wholesale change of direction. Helen Pidd spoke to delegates and MPs who told her that, even if they liked the prime minister, they were worried he was not able to communicate with the public - while the right of the party wanted Starmer to show voters Reform were not the people to turn to. Continue reading...

Critics say misinformation is a big problem that social media platforms profit from

Desperate search for more than 90 missing after building collapses while students held prayers at school in SidoarjoParents and rescuers in Indonesia were desperately searching for dozens of teenage boys believed to be trapped, a day after the collapse of an Islamic boarding school which has already left three dead, authorities said.Authorities said 91 people were listed as missing after the Al Khoziny school building collapsed while pupils held late afternoon prayers in a mosque housed on a lower floor of a building whose upper floors were under construction. Continue reading...

The Global Sumud Flotilla, with over 500 people including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aims to break Israel's blockade of GazaItaly has said it will stop tracking an international flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza with a military vessel, as activists on board announced they were on high alert" as they moved closed to their destination.The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of more than 40 civilian boats with over 500 people including parliamentarians, lawyers and Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aims to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Continue reading...

Almost a third of British adults lived largely cashless lives in 2024, says UK FinanceYoung people have fuelled its rise but the use of buy now, pay later is exploding among older people, with uptake among 55- to 64-year-olds more than doubling in a year, UK data shows.The shift to digital payments is also continuing apace, with more than half of UK adults now using mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, mobile banking becoming the main way people access their accounts, and cash falling below 10% of all payments for the first time. Continue reading...

Divorce papers filed in Nashville court include detailed plan for shared childcare of their daughters

Unit will have up to 5,500 soldiers and police officers who will tackle the violence that has overwhelmed the countryThe United Nations has adopted a resolution to transform a security mission in gang-dominated Haiti into a larger, fully fledged force with military troops.The new unit can now have a maximum of 5,500 uniformed personnel, including police officers and soldiers, unlike the current mission, which is just law enforcement. The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, said the vote by 12 security council members to transform the multinational security support (MSS) mission to the new gang suppression force, a mission five times the size of its predecessor" showed the international community was sharing the burden". Continue reading...

Prime minister answers his critics in conference speech but the real challenges still lie aheadWhen Keir Starmer sat in the chair for his broadcast interview at the start of the Labour conference on Sunday, he already had a clear idea of what he wanted to pull off during the four-day political gathering in Liverpool.With the historic Liver Building behind him, he told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg: At the end of it people can agree or disagree, but they can't say they don't know what we stand for, what this government is trying to achieve." Continue reading...

The party seems particularly keen to associate the term, which dates back to the 19th century, with Nigel FarageAsked to picture a snake-oil salesman, most people would imagine a slimy character with superficial charisma travelling from town to town to hoodwink unsuspecting victims into lapping up all manner of lies.It is an association Labour seems particularly keen to conjure in relation to the leader of Reform UK. Speaking at the party's conference in Liverpool, Keir Starmer said Labour offered an alternative to the division and decline under the snake-oil merchant" Nigel Farage. Continue reading...

Questions grow over how chancellor will raise cash in the autumn budget to meet her fiscal rulesRachel Reeves likes to pop on a bit of Beyonce and go for a run to cope with the stresses and strains of being chancellor, she told Centrica boss, Chris O'Shea, during a CBI event at the Labour conference.While the reception from many of the executives was warm, the intensity of the debate in Liverpool suggested Reeves should keep the trainers and tunes to hand. Continue reading...

Firm, founded by green energy entrepreneur Stephen Fitzpatrick, says there is uncertainty" around plan to improve capital positionOvo Energy has cast doubt on its future as one of Great Britain's largest domestic gas and electricity suppliers after failing to meet the regulator's financial standards.The company, founded by the green energy entrepreneur Stephen Fitzpatrick, said in its latest financial accounts, seen by the Guardian, that there was uncertainty" around the plan it had agreed with the regulator to improve its capital position. Continue reading...

Publisher says stopping it from talking to Nottinghamshire council's leader is breach of the right to free expressionA local paper whose journalists have been ostracised by a Reform UK council is taking legal action, arguing the move is a breach of its right to free expression.The Nottingham Post, and its online site Nottinghamshire Live, has been barred from speaking to the council's leader and removed from media mailing lists by the Reform-led Nottinghamshire county council. Continue reading...

Ultimatum comes as Netanyahu says he did not agree to Palestinian state as part of Trump Gaza plan, and IDF will remain in most of territory'. This live blog is closed

US president warns militant group will pay in hell' if it rejects the deal, which seeks to end two-year-long warDonald Trump has given Hamas an ultimatum of three or four days" to respond to his proposed peace and reconstruction plan in Gaza, warning the militant group would pay in hell" if it rejects the deal, as the Israeli offensive continued, inflicting further civilian casualties.Trump's proposal was announced in a joint press conference in Washington with Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and seeks a definitive end to the relentless two-year-long war. At least 31 Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Tuesday, local hospitals said. Continue reading...

Ethan Scott Brown was wrongly told he had not earned geography degree despite marks being enough for a 2:1Glasgow University has been accused of failing" a student who killed himself on graduation day after being wrongly told he had not done well enough to earn his degree.Ethan Scott Brown, a 23-year geography student at Glasgow, was told repeatedly he had failed to get an essential grade for one course and so could not be awarded his degree in September 2024.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...

Man held in Poland on suspicion of causing explosions that damaged undersea pipelines between Russia and GermanyGermany is seeking to extradite a Ukrainian man arrested in Poland on suspicion of diving down to the Baltic sea bed to plant explosives in the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline attack.The man, identified in Polish media reports as Volodymyr Z and by Germany as Vladimir Z, is described as a trained diver and is sought by investigators in Germany, who believe he was part of a group that sabotaged the pipeline, consisting of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. Continue reading...

Giant red banner appears on Department of Housing and Urban Development page after lawmakers fail to reach dealIn an unusual move, Donald Trump's administration is using the US Department of Housing and Urban Development website to blame the looming government shutdown on the radical left".The giant red banner, splashed across the agency website on Tuesday morning, comes after Republican and Democratic leaders did not reach an agreement on government spending legislation beyond the Tuesday night deadline, which will result in hundreds of thousands of employees furloughed and agencies shutting down key functions. Continue reading...

Former PM seems a perfect fit for Trump's new era but his track record in the Middle East is not reassuringThe emergence of Tony Blair as a potential Gaza interim consul and member of Donald Trump's board of peace" marks his latest reinvention as a would-be power broker in the Middle East.As a key architect of the disastrous invasion of Iraq, a promoter of a simplistic interpretation of Islamist extremism as the world's main security challenge and a figure who has been accused of intertwining his own business interests with his political advocacy, he is in some ways a perfect fit for the new Trump era. Continue reading...

Sale of product from Scunthorpe plant came when Indian-owned firm tried to avoid US rules that were later dropped

Four women are suing influencer at high court but CPS rules legal test for criminal prosecution not metAndrew Tate will face no criminal charges over allegations made by four women who are suing him in a civil case at the high court in London.The women accuse the self-proclaimed misogynist influencer of sexual violence, including grabbing one by the throat on several occasions in 2015, whipping her with a belt and pointing a gun at her face. Continue reading...

Taliban authorities cut fibre-optic network in nationwide shutdown of communications to prevent vice'Afghans are living under a near-complete communications blackout after Taliban authorities cut internet and mobile phone service for a second day as part of an unprecedented country-wide crackdown.The former insurgents, who retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, began gradual restrictions on internet access earlier this month. The measures also affect telephone lines, as they are often routed over the internet. Continue reading...

After being welcomed by Arab, Islamic and European leaders, experts say onus now rests on Hamas to accept plan

Labour says service will deliver up to 8.5m extra NHS appointments in its first three years

International Distribution Services to create Royal Mail Shops for collecting, sending and returning parcels

Minister asks parent company to appoint external reviewer in attempt to restore Australians' faith in emergency calls

Another five people given suspended death sentences over alleged role in gang that operated scam centres and illegal gambling worth $1.4bnA court in China has sentenced 11 people to death for their alleged roles in a family-run crime syndicate accused of running illegal gambling and scam operations worth more than $1.4bn, and for the deaths of workers who disobeyed them.The Wenzhou intermediate people's court on Monday sentenced 11 members of the powerful Ming family in Kokang, Myanmar to death while another five were handed death sentences suspended for two years. Continue reading...

BRC says households are finding shopping increasingly expensive after annual shop price inflation rises to 1.4%Retailers have told the government that tax rises could further fuel inflation as the pace of shop price rises stepped up in September with increases on home improvement and gardening goods offsetting stabilising food prices.Annual shop price inflation rose to 1.4% in September, up from 0.9% in August, according to the latest monthly report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and analysts NIQ. Continue reading...

The treasurer celebrated an outcome that could have been worse, but a structural challenge remains as workers are left with the burden of repair

Plan calls for immediate end to war between Israel and Hamas but lacks detail on how key points will be executedThe White House peace plan for Gaza proposes an immediate end to the devastating war between Israel and Hamas that has raged in the coastal territory for nearly two years, while pointedly excluding the Palestinian militant group from any future governing role.Assuming both sides agree to a detailed list of conditions, the end of fighting will be accompanied by the release of all Israeli hostages, both dead and alive, within 72 hours" of Israel publicly accepting the deal. Continue reading...

Pair say proposal represents new chapter but Israeli PM threatens to finish the job' if Hamas officials fail to agreeDonald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, have delivered an ultimatum to Hamas, warning the militant group to accept their 20-point peace plan for Gaza or face the consequences.The two leaders met at the White House in Washington on Monday then held a joint press briefing in which they hailed their proposal as a historic breakthrough and new chapter for the Middle East. Continue reading...

Doctors' union says GPs will be overwhelmed by triage tsunami' and gives ministers 48 hours to take measuresGPs in England are threatening to take action over government plans to increase patients' online access to appointments which they say will lead to a tsunami" of extra demand.Ministers have been given 48 hours to put in place measures to stop GPs being overwhelmed when the new system - intended to help patients beat the 8am scramble" - starts on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor says he wants conference dominated by leadership speculation to be a success

Video posted on Truth Social touts CBD as a gamechanger' and promotes Medicaid coverage of CBD productsCannabis stocks are on a high after Donald Trump shared a video on Sunday promoting cannabis use for seniors and Medicaid coverage of CBD products.The nearly three-minute-long video, posted on the president's Truth Social platform, touts the usage of hemp-derived CBD as a gamechanger" that is a pain and stress reliever for seniors. Continue reading...

Schools must provide single-sex toilets and are encouraged to also offer access to gender-neutral or other facilitiesSchools must provide separate toilets and changing rooms for boys and girls to be used on the basis of a pupil's biological sex, the Scottish government has said in updated guidance.Transgender pupils can no longer use the facilities they feel most comfortable with", as was previously the case, but schools were encouraged to offer gender-neutral facilities or access to disabled and staff toilets for the relatively small number of children affected. Continue reading...

Zhimin Qian pleads guilty after wallets with 61,000 bitcoins, currently worth over 5bn, seized from north London homeA woman has been convicted for her role in a multibillion-pound bitcoin fraud after what is thought to have been the world's largest cryptocurrency seizure.Zhimin Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, 45, orchestrated a fraud in China between 2014 and 2017 that left 128,000 people out of pocket. Continue reading...

Serbian nationals also accused by Serbian police of defacing Jewish sites, as French officials investigate foreign interferenceSerbian police have arrested 11 people, accusing them of inciting hatred" in France and Germany, and linking them to acts that include placing pigs' heads near mosques and defacing Jewish sites.The arrests came days after French prosecutors said foreign interference was probably to blame for a spate of provocative acts that had targeted Jewish and Muslim sites in France in recent years, as tensions run high over the war in Gaza. French officials have previously said they were investigating Russia's role in destabilising operations that have stoked social tensions and sown division in France. Continue reading...

Education secretary says means-tested grants for those who need them most' will be funded by new international student levyLabour is to bring back maintenance grants for tens of thousands of students from low-income backgrounds who sign up to priority" courses that support the government's industrial strategy.The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said the means-tested grants were aimed at those who need them most" and would be funded by a new international student levy, as outlined in a recent immigration white paper. Continue reading...

Some Nightjet services suspended from mid-December after French withdrawal amid public budget crisis

Peter Hummelgaard compared recent spate of hybrid attacks on Europe to 9/11 terrorism; 135,000 called up in RussiaBut Zelenskyy also warns about the worsening situation in Georgia and Belarus.That is why we cannot afford to lose a single day or a single country. After Moldova's election, we must keep supporting Moldova. The hardest task is to meet voters' expectations," he says.Russia failed to destabilise Moldova, even after spending huge, huge resources to undermine it and to corrupt whoever they could. Continue reading...

Ruling party holds on to its majority in Sunday's poll, which it says is strong mandate for EU accession'

Draft plan's critics say it hands power to international figures and splits Gaza from Palestinian Authority in West BankA plan for a postwar Gaza governing authority potentially headed by the former UK prime minister Tony Blair would sideline key Palestinian political figures, while giving significant authority to its chair on most key issues, according to a leaked confidential proposal.The 21-page draft document, seen by the Guardian and Haaretz in Israel, envisions the governance and reconstruction of postwar Gaza being led by international officials, with Palestinians relegated to subsidiary roles. It also proposes a Gaza investment promotion and economic development authority involving public-private partnerships and blended finance instruments" aimed at delivering commercially viable returns" for investors. Continue reading...

Chancellor tells party conference that higher borrowing to pay for public services risks serious damage to the economy

Russia's campaign to amplify societal distrust continues as membership talks have stalledIn the end, the results were better than Moldova's western allies had dared hope. Sunday's parliamentary elections saw the pro-EU party of president Maia Sandu win a convincing victory, confirming the westward path of this former Soviet republic of 2.4 million people.With nearly all votes counted, Sandu's ruling Action and Solidarity party had secured 50.03% of the vote, compared to 24.26% for the pro-Russian Patriotic bloc. The solid win came despite widespread reports of Russian meddling and a series of shocks that could have toppled any incumbent government. Continue reading...

Farrell was a key member of the hi-tech movement of the 1980s and 90s, with buildings including the TV-am studios and Embankment Place in London, and the Deep in HullSir Terry Farrell, the nonconformist" architect and planner, whose bold designs defined the hi-tech" era and included the MI6 headquarters in London, has died aged 87.The architect's studio in London confirmed the death in an Instagram post, writing: It is with deep sadness that, on behalf of his family, the partners and practice of Farrells acknowledge the death of our founder, Sir Terry Farrell." Continue reading...

The Stella prize-winning author used her acceptance speech to call out the Australian government's response to the war in Gaza, in a ceremony marked by pointed political commentary from the podium

From Colin Firth's wet shirt in Pride and Prejudice to Meryl Streep's safari gear in Out of Africa, Cosprop's outfits achieved cinematic realismWhen the costume designer John Bright founded the period costume house Cosprop in 1965, it was out of a desire to give the clothes seen in film and TV a greater realism" than viewers had been used to previously. I decided that if we made the stock as real as possible, it would be universal," Bright says. The truth is the truth for all times."Over the intervening 60 years, that relatively simple mission led to the creation of some of the most notable costumes of all time: the Regency-era shirt that, once wet, turned Colin Firth into an instant heart-throb in 1995's Pride and Prejudice; the safari gear worn by Meryl Streep in 1985's Out of Africa, which ended up inspiring countless high-fashion runways; Johnny Depp's dishevelled 1720s Pirates of the Caribbean suit, so artfully soiled that you can practically smell it through the screen. Continue reading...

Eight Australians, including Muslim activist Abubakir Rafiq, are part of the Sumud flotilla coalition which is hoping to reach Gaza this week. This blog is now closed