World news | The Guardian

Hezbollah calls for day of rage' as both sides in war continue to trade blame for deadly explosion

Defence minister says consequences of a conflict over Taiwan are so grave' and says status of island must be arrived at peacefully'

Singer laments the deaths of children during war, as well as the Palestinian-American child to alleged hate crime in ChicagoMadonna has addressed the Israel-Hamas war in a long statement during a concert at London's O2 Arena.At the third date of her Celebration tour, she lamented the deaths of children in the conflict as well as alleged hate crimes related to it, expanding on comments she had made about the war at earlier concerts. Continue reading...

Jury member replaced after judge catches him snoring during prosecutor's opening speechA juror has been discharged after he fell asleep and started snoring during the opening of a people-smuggling trial in Birmingham.The panel member was replaced on Tuesday, less than an hour into the crown's opening speech. Continue reading...

Journey Castillo's parents say she is the youngest person to have gone to every one of the country's national parksA three-year-old girl has visited all 63 US national parks to complete a goal her family set only weeks after she was born.The aptly-named Journey Castillo's parents, Eric and Valerie Castillo, have also staked the claim that their daughter is the youngest person known to have gone to every one of the country's national parks. The couple from San Antonio, Texas, has said they want to inspire other families to get outdoors together and savor the sights and sounds that the world has to offer. Continue reading...

Repairs to footbridge mean straw must be dangled to warn oncoming shipping of work going on beneathWorkers on London's Millennium Bridge are hanging a bale of straw under the structure after triggering an ancient bylaw.Repair works to the footbridge mean straw must be dangled to warn oncoming boats of the work going on beneath it. Continue reading...

Former Queens Park Rangers owner Tony Fernandes posted picture on LinkedInThe boss of AirAsia, Tony Fernandes, has faced a backlash for posting a picture of himself receiving a topless massage during a management meeting.The former owner of Queens Park Rangers football club shared the image in a LinkedIn post, which has since been deleted. Continue reading...

Hewa Rahimpur, 30, was ringleader of gang thought to have smuggled up to 10,000 people from France to Kent coastOne of the most notorious smugglers of people in small boats across the Channel has been sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Belgian court after his extradition from the UK.Prosecutors said Hewa Rahimpur, 30, an Iranian Kurd who was granted leave to remain in the UK in 2020, was the ringleader of a gang that smuggled up to 10,000 people from northern France to the Kent coast. Continue reading...

Wong under investigation for sedition over book that was banned by Malaysian government three years agoAn Australian-based journalist has been briefly detained and is under investigation for sedition in Malaysia after editing a book that was later banned by the Malaysian government.Kean Wong is a Malaysian citizen but a permanent resident of Australia, where he has lived and worked for about 30 years. Continue reading...

Attorney general still yet to consent to Alexander Csergo's prosecution with never-before-proven charge as time in custody exceeds six months

Coalition motion to reconvene committee fails after Greens and David Pocock side with government

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Homes bought by state after exiting National Rental Affordability Scheme will become social or affordable housing

In today's newsletter: From allegedly lost WhatsApp messages to Sir Patrick Vallance's frank lockdown diary, revelations only get more intriguing Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning, and welcome to Dorland House, a one-time hotel in west London where former high court judge Baroness Hallett is chairing the independent public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic.It is here that we have heard heartbreaking stories from the families of some of the 229,765 people who died from Covid, and seen the release of shockingly frank WhatsApp messages between ministers and their advisers.Israel-Hamas war | A deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza City has upended US diplomatic efforts aimed at fending off the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and thrown a dark shadow over President Joe Biden's imminent visit to the region. The hospital explosion has become a lightning rod for anger and sparked protests across the Middle East.UK news | The UK's infrastructure needs a big cash injection, with public transport, home heating and water networks all in dire need of renewal, independent government advisers have said. The investments, of about 30bn a year from the taxpayer and 40bn to 50bn a year from the private sector, would result in savings to the average household of at least 1,000 a year, higher economic productivity, and a better quality of life in the future.Belgium | The man suspected to have killed two Swedish football fans in Brussels has been shot dead by police. Police said they opened fire during the arrest outside a cafe in the city centre and found a weapon and bag of clothes. The suspect was a 45-year-old of Tunisian origin and is said to have been inspired by Islamic State.Charity | The family of Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised 38.9m for the NHS, has defended building an oversized spa-pool complex in their home stating it has rehabilitation purposes for elderly people in the local area. Central Bedfordshire council have ordered the family to demolish the spa pool as it was unauthorised.Politics | The prime minister and the Conservative party chair have been accused by charity Full Fact of spreading disinformation regarding Labour's immigration plans. The pair have claimed Labour pledge to open up UK borders to 100,000 people a year which Full Fact warn could mislead voters in the next general election. Continue reading...

Union and workers say waiting staff in some cases lose hundreds of pounds a month in incomeMiller & Carter, the steakhouse chain owned by the nationwide pub group Mitchells & Butlers, has been criticised for taking payments from waiting staff worth up to 2% of the sales they serve up, cutting their income during the cost of living crisis.The payments are intended as a way for waiting staff to share tips with chefs and other back of house workers. Continue reading...

Spectres of Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher haunt Conservatives in Mid Beds and Tamworth, as Labour claims momentum going its wayAlistair Strathern hates the photo chosen to be splashed across his advertising boards. Good poster", shouts a schoolboy between mouthfuls of crisps at the gently blushing Labour candidate across Dunstable Street in the centre of Ampthill, one of the 48 towns and villages that make up the constituency of Mid Bedfordshire. I look smug," Strathern explains of his discomfort. Maybe you think I always look smug but I don't think I look that smug."It's a shame that Strathern feels this way as his boards are absolutely everywhere. Like a constituency-sized Where's Wally?", Strathern's face pops up from out of hedges, emerges smiling from behind trees and stares back from front gardens just daring a chastened voter to have the gall not to back Sir Keir Starmer's Labour party. Continue reading...

Vladimir Putin lauded the success of our Chinese friends' at global forum, while Xi Jinping spoke out against international sanctions and decoupling'Xi Jinping met his internationally isolated Russian counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday against the backdrop of China's biggest diplomatic event of the year, underlining the close relationship between two leaders amid the war in Ukraine.The Chinese president, addressing delegates at the belt and road initiative (BRI) forum, spoke out against international sanctions during his opening speech. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Malkinson was convicted with no DNA evidence and says police must be compelled to disclose whyAndrew Malkinson believes an inquiry into how he was wrongfully convicted of rape must be made statutory to ensure Greater Manchester police do not hide evidence.Malkinson, 57, was convicted of raping a stranger in 2003 in Greater Manchester, despite no DNA evidence. The court of appeal overturned his conviction in July after forensic testing linked another man to the crime. Continue reading...

Official at Finnish intelligence service says espionage attempts have increased since Ukraine invasionFinland has had increased online espionage attempts from Russia since Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, security services have said.Supo, the Finnish security and intelligence service, said the country faced various threats from Russia, including cyberattacks and disinformation. Continue reading...

Letters To a Young Generation: Aspiring School Leaders book aims to encourage Black teachers to pursue leadership positionsBlack headteachers from across the UK have written letters to the next generation of school leaders, urging them to become role models for students who are crying out for people who look like them".The letters are compiled in a book by Amanda Wilson, a headteacher at a primary school in Greenwich, south-east London, which is aimed at encouraging black teachers to pursue leadership positions to combat their current under-representation in the sector. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can find all of our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war here.Japan will provide $10 million in emergency aid for civilians in Gaza, foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa said on Tuesday.

Health officials say blast killed hundreds as footage shows fire engulfing medical centre owned by Anglican church

An array of state charges including waste levies could potentially be unlawful after court overturns 1974 precedent on consumption taxes

Influx comes after online application process simplified - but it is sparking calls for more funding to cut survivors' wait times

Ukraine starts using Atacms missiles from US, with Russian-held airfield targeted; $14bn damage toll from destruction of Kakhovka damUkraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has confirmed that Kyiv used US-provided long-range army tactical missile systems (Atacms) missiles. Today, special thanks to the United States. Our agreements with President Biden are being implemented. Very accurately - Atacms missiles proved themselves," he said. This marks the first officially confirmed use in Ukraine of Atacms, which can fly up to 190 miles.Ukrainian forces struck airfields in Russian-held territory in eastern and southern Ukraine overnight, destroying helicopters, knocking out an air defence missile launcher and damaging runways, Kyiv's military said. The military said its forces had carried out well-aimed strikes on enemy airfields" near the eastern city of Luhansk and the southern city of Berdiansk. Atacms are thought to have been used.A telecommunication cable connecting Sweden and Estonia has been damaged, Sweden's civil defence minister has said. Carl-Oskar Bohlin said it appeared to have occurred at the same time as a subsea gas pipeline and a telecom cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged on 8 October.China's president, Xi Jinping, welcomed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to Beijing, which is to host representatives of 130 countries for a forum on Xi's belt and road initiative.The lower house of the Russian parliament has reportedly given preliminary approval to a bill revoking the ratification of a global nuclear test ban treaty.The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in south-eastern Ukraine in June caused $14bn worth of damage and losses, according to a report by the Ukrainian government and the UN.Grant Shapps, the UK defence secretary, is due to visit the US on Tuesday for urgent talks over conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.Canada is targeting nine individuals and six TV stations in new sanctions against Russian collaborators in Moldova. Those targeted are associated with influential oligarchs, such as Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Mironovich Shor, while the TV stations promote and disseminate Russian disinformation, the Canadian foreign ministry said.US, South Korean and Japanese officials have met in Jakarta to discuss North Korea's engagement with Russia, including arms transfers violating UN security council resolutions.A convoy of British ambulances has arrived in Lviv in western Ukraine and will be delivered to hospitals on the frontline. Five vehicles donated by the charity Medical Life Lines Ukraine are being sent to the southern city of Kherson - which is under intense Russian attack - as well as the towns of Kupiansk and Vorozhba in the war-torn north-east of the country. Since last year's full-scale invasion the group has donated 43 vehicles. Continue reading...

Government says research suggests survivors of strangulation are more likely to be seriously injured or murdered by the same partner

Government advisers say congested roads and inadequate public transport constrain economic growthEngland's biggest cities outside London should introduce some form of congestion charge to reduce car traffic and boost their economies, according to the National Infrastructure Commission.The commission called on the government to invest 22bn into public transport in Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Leeds, warning that congested roads and inadequate public transport ... constrains their economic growth". Continue reading...

Musician's work spanned the mainstream and avant-garde, including in fusions with the world of rockCarla Bley, the American jazz composer-pianist celebrated for boldly avant-garde work as well as her uplifting and beautiful takes on the genre's mainstream, has died aged 87.Her death was announced by longtime partner and musical collaborator Steve Swallow, who said the cause was complications from brain cancer. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester police say normal service resumed after no items discovered or arrests madeManchester airport was forced to close its airfield on Tuesday evening after police investigated an Emirates flight after reports of a suspicious package onboard.The aircraft, which took off at about 2.30pm from Dubai, landed in Manchester on Tuesday evening and was held for further assessment. Continue reading...

Health officials say blast killed at least 500 as footage shows fire engulfing medical centre owned by Anglican church

Letter signed by 178 members of US's most prestigious law faculties calls Israeli reaction to Hamas attack a moral catastrophe'

Leaked document emerges as domestic abuse survivors seek clarification over plans to cut sentences for low-level' offendersThe Ministry of Justice has been accused of putting the public at risk after quietly transferring locked up offenders to open prisons in a move to ease a critical overcrowding crisis.The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said officials launched a new scheme to swap dozens of prisoners to Category D prisons at the end of September without conducting pre-transfer assessments that would decide if it was safe to send them to the open estate. Continue reading...

UN human rights office warns Israel over legality of evacuation order and siege on Gaza; Biden set to visit Israel on Wednesday as attempts to broker aid supplies continue

Heads of MI5 and FBI say Jewish communities and other groups may face danger from lone actors, Iran or militants

Ken McCallum warns China is trying to steal industrial and technological secrets in the westAn estimated 20,000 Britons have been approached by Chinese state actors on LinkedIn in the hope of stealing industrial or technological secrets, the head of MI5 has said.Ken McCallum said industrial espionage was happening at real scale", and he estimated that 10,000 UK businesses were at risk, particularly in artificial intelligence, quantum computing or synthetic biology where China was trying to gain a march. Continue reading...

Ukrainian military used US-supplied longer-range army tactical missile systems to strike nine Russian helicopters in eastern Ukraine

Party's new leader must win back voters but also broaden support for Scottish independence, a key contradiction

Body of newborn baby Callum was found by dog walker near Warrington amusement park in 1998A man and woman have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of an unidentified baby who was found strangled to death near a theme park in Cheshire 25 years ago.The baby boy's body was discovered in a black bin bag by a dog walker in woodland near Gulliver's World amusement park in Warrington on 14 March 1998. Continue reading...

Conservative chief whip makes decision day after watchdog recommended MP be suspended for six weeks

Rupert Murdoch empire could secure windfall by breaking up business, says Starboard ValueRupert Murdoch's News Corp should seek a $7bn (5.7bn) spin-off of its online property businesses to help increase its market value, according to an activist investor.The hedge fund Starboard Value, which has been building a stake in News Corp, said that the $12.6bn valuation of the company does not make sense" and management should look at breaking up the business. Continue reading...

First minister announces surprise move as part of fightback against Labour surge, sparking row with Greens coalition partnerHumza Yousaf has announced that Scotland's council taxes will be frozen next year, and millions added to health spending, as he launched a fightback against Labour's surge in the polls.Yousaf admitted in his first conference speech as Scottish National party leader that last month's huge defeat at the hands of Labour in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection had been a tough night" for the SNP. Continue reading...

Relatives of Yahel, 13, have confirmed her death to the Israeli embassy in London; her sister and father remain missing

Library service schemes to offer free, heated space, which began last year in response to the cost of living crisis, will resume at the end of OctoberMost libraries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will again offer warm banks" this winter as cost of living pressures continue, according to a survey.Of the libraries surveyed, 93% are preparing to offer free, heated spaces for visitors during the cold months as part of a warm spaces scheme. The warm hubs" initiatives began in 2022 when energy prices rose after the the Russia-Ukraine war began. Continue reading...

Labour urged to clarify its position on collective punishment by 39 academics who say party must confirm it opposes the commission of war crimes'Rishi Sunak told cabinet this morning that Britons are likely to be among those being held hostage by Hamas.In the Commons yesterday he said that at least six Britons were dead and that a further 10 were missing, some of whom were also thought to be dead.[The PM] underscored the abhorrence of Hamas's deliberate targeting of civilians and said the UK would continue to stand with Israel and respect their right to self-defence. He said that the UK will play its part to help alleviate the unfolding humanitarian crisis, recognising that Hamas is actively seeking to endanger Palestinian civilians. The prime minister also added that Hamas were responsible for the murder and suspected abduction of British nationals.We continue to urge Israel as a democracy we work closely with to act within international law in their actions, I think they are taking steps to do that.We are in discussions and are keen to see water restored to the area.We do believe it is vital that water supplies are restored, including local capacity, and we'll continue to have discussions on that front. Continue reading...

Sunak and Hands making false claims about Starmer's proposed returns deal with EU, says charity

Civic Coalition leader calls for quick decisions' after coalition of opposition groups win enough votes for parliamentary majority

Russian president due to hold in-depth talks with Chinese leader on sidelines of trade forum

Brisbane inquest shows the 44-year-old, who had heart and asthma problems being restrained and placed in a spit hood before having a cardiac arrest

Ruling Law and Justice party secured most votes but it appears likely Donald Tusk's Civic Coalition will be able to form a governmentWe want to hear from you. Are you a voter living in Poland or another country? What are your thoughts on the election results? How will the change of power likely impact you?You can share your thoughts on the Poland election results using this form. Continue reading...

Budgeting hack can lead to large amounts of money being stolen in break-ins, insurer saysA home insurer has issued a warning about the risks of a budgeting trend known as cash stuffing" after seeing a surge in the number of theft claims.Popular on social media, cash stuffing - also known as the cash envelope system - is a budgeting technique that supposedly helps cash-strapped households keep track of their spending and saving without having to resort to complicated spreadsheets. Continue reading...