Emergency meeting called after a week of rows including over Ursula von der Leyen's trip to IsraelAn emergency meeting of the heads of EU member states has been called on Tuesday in an effort to harmonise" the bloc's response to the conflict in Israel and Gaza after a week of dysfunction and division.As fears grow over the risk of a wider war and a humanitarian catastrophe in the region, EU member states admit they have struggled to put on a united front as they did in February 2023 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Continue reading...

The European Commission aims to cut plastic pellet pollution by 74% by the end of the decadeThe EU has announced further plans to crack down on microplastics after its ban on glitter came into force.The proposal, which tackles tiny pellets used in nearly all plastic products, aims to cut plastic pellet pollution by 74% by the end of the decade. Overall, it would lead to a 7% reduction in Europe's microplastic pollution, according to the European Commission. Continue reading...

Paola Malanga and assistant put together a programme of more than 160 films showcasing female talentPrejudice towards women in the film industry lingers beneath the surface like magma" in a volcano, the artistic director of the Rome film festival has said, before she opened the 18th edition of an event that will showcase more female talent than ever.Paola Malanga, a former Rai Cinema executive who was hired last year in an effort to remould a festival that over its history has had its highs and lows, said that although women were becomingly increasingly present in all levels" of the industry, sexist attitudes remained. Continue reading...

Footage appears to show an injured 21-year-old Israeli woman who was abducted from Supernova festival

Richard Marles says the government is working with other countries on humanitarian corridors out but it remains an extremely difficult' situation

Plaster sculpture bought by Glasgow Museum from the artist in 1901 is unlocated'A statue by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin, part of his famous Les Bourgeois de Calais group, is currently unlocated" in Glasgow's art collections, museum officials have said.The plaster sculpture, bought by Glasgow Museums from the artist in 1901, was exhibited in Kelvingrove Park from 25 June to 30 September 1949, according to Glasgow Life, the organisation in charge of many of the Scottish city's cultural venues. But since then, it seems to have been lost. Continue reading...

Ahmed Alid, 44, charged after one person died and another was injured in incident early on SundayA man has been charged with the murder of a 70-year-old who was killed in Hartlepool in the early hours of Sunday, as well as attempted murder.Ahmed Alid, 44, was charged following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East and Cleveland police. Continue reading...

Defence minister says Chinese jet came within five meters of Canadian surveillance plane on UN operation over international watersCanada's defence minister has accused China fighter jets of carrying out a dangerous and reckless" interception of a Canadian military plane over international waters.Bill Blair spoke after Canada's Global News said a Chinese jet had come within five meters (16ft) of a Canadian surveillance plane taking part in a UN operation to enforce sanctions against North Korea. Continue reading...

Colombia's president likens Israel's actions to Nazis as Israel accuses Gustavo Petro of putting Jewish lives in dangerThe Israel-Hamas war has sparked a ferocious diplomatic spat between Israel and Colombia, with Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, likening Israel's actions to those of Adolf Hitler's Nazis and Israel accusing Petro of putting Jewish lives in danger and encouraging the horrific acts of Hamas terrorists" with his hostile and antisemitic statements".The row began one day after Hamas's unprecedented 7 October attacks when Petro used his official X account to denounce what he called neo-Nazi" efforts to destroy the Palestinian people, freedom and culture. Continue reading...

Former PM Donald Tusk hails the end of evil times' as early results suggest opposition parties will be able to form governing coalitionPoland's ruling populists appear to be heading for electoral defeat in what would be one of the most consequential European political turnarounds of recent years. With the majority of votes counted, results suggest an opposition led by Donald Tusk should have a path to create a new governing coalition.A Tusk government would probably transform Poland's domestic political agenda and restart relations with Brussels, which had frayed over PiS's attacks on the independent judiciary and other rule-of-law issues. Continue reading...

Stay-at-home measures should have been last resort due to harmful effects, says epidemiologistNationwide lockdowns in the UK during the pandemic were a failure" of public health policy as they were not considered a last resort, an epidemiology expert has said.Giving evidence at the Covid-19 public inquiry on Monday, Prof Mark Woolhouse of the University of Edinburgh - a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M-O) - said the group failed to adequately assess the negative consequences of a nationwide lockdown. Continue reading...

Antony Blinken returns to Israel after Gulf tour and Joe Biden reportedly considering a visit amid humanitarian fears

Exclusive: Plan to outlaw all but the most vital of harmful chemicals is not included in leaked policy proposalsThe EU has abandoned a promise to ban all but the most vital of toxic chemicals used in everyday consumer products, leaked documents show.Other legislation to be dropped includes a ban on the export of outlawed chemicals from Europe to the rest of the world, a ban on caged farming and a sustainable food systems framework that the European Commission once described as a flagship" of its farm to fork strategy. Continue reading...

Russian president and his Chinese counterpart will hold talks in Putin's furthest visit since international arrest warrant issued in March

Reports say announcement likely on Tuesday that would allow banned Maduro opponents to run and oil sanctions to be liftedThe governments of the US and Venezuela are reportedly poised to announce a deal that could pave the way for sanctions relief on the economically wrecked South American country and for banned opponents of president Nicolas Maduro to compete in next year's election.Anonymous sources quoted by two US media outlets said a scaling back of sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry would be announced on Tuesday after Maduro officials restarted talks with opposition negotiators in Barbados. Continue reading...

The 2.9 million hectare property portfolio includes a herd of 50,000 beef cattle bred for the Australian and export markets

Australia will repeat the mistakes of the past if government Indigenous expenditure is not audited, says opposition leader

First Nations locals describe their deep sadness' that Maranoa, held by the Nationals leader, recorded the highest no vote in Australia

Only a third of respondents support a treaty in the wake of Saturday's failed referendum

Application by the former NT police officer increases chance case could be further delayed

Widespread disruption forecast with people in parts of Scotland urged to prepare for potential floodingHeavy rain and strong winds are set to hit parts of the UK this week, with the second named storm of the autumn predicted to cause significant and widespread disruption.The Met Office has said Storm Babet - pronounced bah-bet - is forecast to bring wet and windy weather across the UK from Wednesday. There will be heavy downpours in most areas of the country throughout the day, especially in parts of eastern Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. Continue reading...

Family that formerly controlled media group attempt to deter rival bidders with Abu Dhabi-backed offer

The city-country divide was stark, but zeroing in on results mapped by polling booths in each electorate paints a more complex picture. Use our interactive map to find out how your booth voted

Independent panel finds Bone bullied and harassed staff member over a three-month period in late 2012The Conservative MP Peter Bone repeatedly hit and verbally abused a member of his staff, often asked him for massages and on one occasion put his bare genitals in the other man's face, according to a report by a Commons regulator.Bone, one of the most prominent members of the campaign for Britain to leave the EU, was found by the independent expert panel to have bullied and harassed his staff member over a three-month period in late 2012. Continue reading...

Figures released before Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire contests hint at opposition parties making space for each otherLabour and the Liberal Democrats appear to have made space for each other in byelections held in Conservative seats, spending figures acquired by the Guardian show.The figures also show Labour lost the Uxbridge and South Ruislip byelection despite outspending the Conservatives by more than 21,000 in the campaign. Continue reading...

Charity says tribute fund set up in its late ambassador's honour has raised 480,000, with five other animal charities to benefitThe new veterinary hospital at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home will be named after Paul O'Grady, the charity's ambassador who died in March.The announcement on Monday came on what would have been O'Grady's 11th anniversary in the charity role, with the organisation saying a tribute fund" set up in his honour would go towards life-saving and transformative medical procedures" for dogs and cats which need specialist care and treatment. Continue reading...

Storms down power lines and rip off roofs. Elsewhere, windy conditions forecast for UK this weekTwo tornadoes swept across parts of Florida last Thursday, causing extensive damage to many homes and businesses in Crystal River and Clearwater. Trees and power lines were downed, with walls and roofs ripped from buildings. The tornadoes produced wind gusts of 115mph and 125mph respectively, according to the US National Weather Service, making them EF-2 tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita scale. This scale is used to classify a tornado based on the wind gusts measured over a 3-second period, with EF-0 being the lowest and EF-5 being the highest. An EF-0 tornado has wind gusts of 65-80mph, with wind gusts exceeding 200mph in an EF-5 tornado. No injuries were reported after the Florida EF-2s.Meanwhile, unusually windy conditions are forecast to develop across the North Sea later this week as areas of low pressure push northwards across France, through the Channel and towards the UK and Ireland. By Thursday and Friday, gusts of 70-80mph are possible in the North Sea bringing large waves and potential disruption. Wave heights of more than 7 metres are possible between Norway and Scotland. Strong winds are also likely to affect eastern Scotland and many eastern counties of England, with an increased risk of some damage to trees. The winds will be from an east to south-easterly direction as opposed to the usual south-westerly direction that prevails across north-west Europe. Continue reading...

Among the hostages are an 83-year-old Israeli journalist who was taken from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz

State and territory governments say they'll proceed with work to implement Uluru statement of the heart despite result of referendum

Exclusive: Building safety minister demanded do nothing' option be added to policy paper on collapse risksPotentially catastrophic building safety risks, including the chance of a collapse causing a Grenfell-scale tragedy", are not being properly addressed by the government, a civil servant has warned in a resignation letter seen by the Guardian.The building safety minister, Lee Rowley, was reminded of the government's safety duty after his office responded to civil servants' calls for checks on the collapse - risk of buildings by saying one option that should be considered was to do nothing". Continue reading...

National Energy Action says about 800,000 bill payers missed out on 150 rebate last year after government made changes to schemeHundreds of thousands of struggling households in Great Britain risk missing out on government help to pay their energy bills this winter if they fail to make an application for financial support that opens on Monday, according to fuel poverty activists.About 800,000 bill payers missed out on an energy bill rebate of 150 last winter through the government's warm home discount after complex changes were made to the scheme, said National Energy Action. Continue reading...

More than 1,400 employees of Saputo, Fonterra, Peters and Lactalis want wage rise of 5% or so' to keep up with cost of living

Man, 66, pronounced dead at Allens Rivulet home on Sunday night, while a woman has serious injuries

Centre-right party ousted Labour in election but outstanding votes will determine if National needs populist party NZ First to governNew Zealand could be stuck in political limbo for weeks as the newly elected National party waits to see if it can govern solely with its preferred coalition partner, Act, or whether the final vote tally will force it to work with populist party New Zealand First.Saturday night's election brutally ousted the governing Labour party, with preliminary results giving the centre-right National party 50 seats, and its traditional coalition party Act, 11 - just enough to reach the 61 seats needed to govern. Continue reading...

Luisa Gonzalez, handpicked by Rafael Correa as successor, loses to 35-year-old banana heir who promises tough line on violent crime and cocaine traffickingDaniel Noboa, the heir to a banana fortune who pledges a hard line on rocketing violent crime, employment for the young and foreign investment, will become Ecuador's youngest ever president at 35 after winning by a margin of around five points over his rival, the leftist lawyer Luisa Gonzalez.With 90% of votes counted on Sunday night in Ecuador, Noboa had 52.29% of the vote against 47.71% for Gonzalez, according to Ecuador's electoral council. Continue reading...

Actor, first diagnosed with breast cancer in her 50s after battling skin cancer in her 30s, was also known for role in American GraffitiSuzanne Somers, the actress whose career encompassed five seasons on the 1970s TV sitcom Three's Company, a Las Vegas revue show, a role in American Graffiti, two autobiographies, four diet books, a book of poetry, and a spell as an exercise-equipment spokeswoman, has died after a long battle with cancer. She was 76.The actress died early Sunday morning, Somer's publicist, R Couri Hay, told the New York Post. Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years," he said. Continue reading...

Civic Coalition expected to have got fewer votes than ruling Law and Justice party but is likely to ally with other parties

Open letter rebukes LitProm decision to cancel award ceremony for Adania Shibli due to war started by Hamas'

The party's supporters feel like it got a kicking from everyone. After a dire result, analysts pointed to its inability to meet its lofty aspirationsIt was an assessment with a distinctly New Zealand flavour. At the end of the day, there's one unavoidable reality," said Chris Hipkins, the defeated Labour prime minister, speaking to reporters after he conceded the country's election on Saturday. We lost because not enough people voted for us."But that was only part of it. Hipkins' ruling, centre-left Labour party had crashed from the historic highs of its 2020 election result, in which it won 50% of the vote, to a dismal 27% on Saturday, nearly halving its seats in parliament. However, the punishing loss was not only a clear defeat by the right-leaning parties that will form the next government - the size and shape of which will be determined when a final vote tally is announced on 3 November; the blows also came from Labour's left. Continue reading...

USS Eisenhower sent to region to deter anyone seeking to escalate' war after Hamas attack

Coroner says Harry Colledge, 84, would probably be alive if council had acted on warnings about 87-metre-long crack in the roadA council has been severely criticised by a coroner over the death of a cyclist who suffered fatal head injuries after hitting a pothole that had been visible on Google Street View for 14 years.The Lancashire area coroner, Kate Bisset, concluded that Harry Colledge, 84, would probably not have died last January if Lancashire county council had acted on warnings to fix the 87-metre-long crack on Island Lane near the village of Winmarleigh. Continue reading...

Netanyahu promises to dismantle' Hamas; IDF confirms 126 Israeli hostages are being held in Gaza; death toll in Gaza stands at over 2,300 as humanitarian aid remains blocked at Rafah crossing

Evil Does Not Exist, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, is about community's fight against glamping' developmentA Japanese eco-drama about a lakeside community's resistance to a corporate glamping" development in their beautiful unspoilt village has won the top prize at the London film festival.Evil Does Not Exist, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, tells the story of a community fighting to preserve its principles and the integrity of the natural world. They are up against a Tokyo company that has bought up swathes of nearby land, intending to turn it into a destination for well-off city tourists. Continue reading...

Nostalgic treats are the name of the game for makers keen to repeat the high sales volume they enjoyed last DecemberThe current market is tough for chocolatiers, but they are hoping for a happy Christmas this year thanks to the revival of a number of classics and recent sales figures that suggest this could be a bumper festive season.In a nod to those of a nostalgic bent, Quality Street is bringing back the coffee creme, while Cadbury Dairy Milk Coins are returning for the first time since 2014. The Malteser is also set to defend its surprise title of the UK's favourite festive chocolate with a new offering for 2023. Continue reading...

As Islamophobia and antisemitic attacks grow, people wait anxiously for news of their loved onesFor Brighton resident Adam Ma'anit the horrors of the last week have - as they have for many Jewish and Palestinian families in the UK - reprised previous tragedies.Ma'anit's 18-year-old cousin, Maayan Idan, was among the first civilians to be killed as Hamas's attack unfolded last Saturday. Her father, Tsachi Idan, remains missing, presumably held hostage within the embattled Gaza enclave, 500m from the kibbutz from where he was taken. Continue reading...

Analysis of aerial photos and social media posts confirms attack on road identified as safe by Israeli army

Hospital staff said procedure could not be done at weekends and gave her aspirin. But help was available just a short drive awayA primary school teaching assistant died from a stroke after hospital staff told her family that the life-saving treatment she needed was not available at weekends.Jasbir Pahal, 44, who had four children and was known as Jas, died in November last year after suffering a stroke. Her family was told she could only be treated with aspirin because a procedure to remove the blood clot was only available from 8am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Continue reading...

Covid inquiry expected to quiz Simon Case over treasure trove' of official correspondenceCivil service chief Simon Case - who described the government as a terrible, tragic joke" in private WhatsApp messages at the height of the pandemic - is expected to be questioned over a treasure trove" of further correspondence when he appears before the official Covid inquiry.Case, who became cabinet secretary in September 2020, having previously served as permanent secretary in No 10, will give evidence to Lady Hallett's inquiry either on 30 or 31 October, or in the first week of November. Continue reading...

Saturday's referendum vote reinforces sense that contemporary Liberal party has decoupled from its blue-ribbon metropolitan heartland

Rallies held in Sydney's Hyde Park and also in Melbourne and Adelaide