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Joe Biden describes ambitious rail and sea plan to counter China's Belt and Road project as a really big deal'The US and the EU have backed an ambitious plan to build an economic corridor linking Europe with the Middle East and India via rail and sea, a project the US president, Joe Biden, described as a really big deal".The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the project during a Saturday afternoon session at the G20 leaders' summit, being held in Delhi this weekend. Continue reading...

UK PM meets Indian counterpart on fringes of summit to discuss cooperation on trade, education, research and defence - but not UkraineRishi Sunak and Narendra Modi met on Saturday for what the British prime minister called a very warm and productive discussion" covering everything from trade to cooperation on education, research and defence.Sunak met his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, saying afterwards he was confident they could work through" the remaining hurdles standing in the way of a free trade agreement. Continue reading...

Father, brother and cousins of Urfan Sharif, father of 10-year-old found dead in August in Surrey, held for questioningExtended family members of Sara Sharif are being questioned by police in Pakistan over the 10-year-old's death, as her father and his partner remain in hiding.Sara's father, Urfan Sharif, 41, and his partner Beinash Batool, 29, fled the UK for Pakistan the day before Sara was found dead and alone at the family home in Woking, Surrey, in August. Continue reading...

Terror suspect who absconded from HMP Wandsworth arrested by plain-clothes police officer in west London

Senior judge overturns previous ruling, saying matter is for the court to decide amid concern over use of unregulated psychologistsA mother accused of alienating her children from their father has won an appeal to overturn a decision by a district judge to instruct a psychological expert in her case.The lower court had been wrong to make an order inviting the expert to undertake psychological assessments of the parents and two children and for doing so without giving proper reasons, according to a more senior judge. Continue reading...

Continent's leaders welcome the move, which give the AU the same status as the European UnionThe African Union has been made a permanent member of the G20.In his opening remarks to the group's summit in Delhi on Saturday, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, invited the continental body, represented by its chair, Azali Assoumani, to take a seat at the table of G20 leaders as a permanent member. Continue reading...

Foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko criticises declaration for refusing directly condemn RussiaVolodymyr Zelenskiy met with Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia who is currently heading the international working group on sanctions against Russia.

Met Office says heatwave is first time temperature has exceeded 30C for five days in a row in SeptemberUK temperatures have reached their highest point of the year, with 32.7C provisionally recorded at Heathrow, the Met Office said, beating the previous provisional high of 32.6C, recorded on Thursday.The heatwave in England and Wales is the first time since records began that temperatures have been higher than 30C for five days in a row in September, according to the Met Office. Continue reading...

Male BMW driver and passenger, a nine-year-old boy, pronounced dead at scene and girl, four, died later after collision on A5A man and two children have died after a collision between a car and a lorry in Hinckley, Leicestershire police said.Officers were called to the A5 near Burbage shortly before 4.30pm on Friday to reports of a crash involving a BMW and a lorry. Continue reading...

Jordan Chadwick, 31, who served in Scots Guards, had passion to support freedom', his mother says

Rory Bremner says he may not have started doing impressions had it not been for the 70s star, who died on Friday aged 82The Mike Yarwood kicked the door down" for others in the comedy trade, Rory Bremner has said, after the death of the impressionist and satirist.Yarwood, who died on Friday aged 82, was a household name in the 1960s and 1970s. His 1977 Christmas special pipped Morecambe and Wise's festive offering to break, and still hold, the record for the highest-ever single Christmas Day audience. Continue reading...

Party off to promising start to new parliamentary term but knows it cannot be complacentIn the evening sunshine on the House of Commons terrace on Wednesday, Keir Starmer took some of his closest aides for a drink. Just three days into the new parliamentary session, and with a successful reshuffle under their belts, they were upbeat.Earlier at prime minister's questions, the Labour leader had likened Rishi Sunak's government to a group of cowboy builders" over the schools concrete crisis. With the government on the back foot, Labour aides couldn't believe their luck. Continue reading...

Met police searching west London district for escaped terror suspect after intelligence-led activity'Police have said the search for escaped alleged terrorist Daniel Abed Khalife is now focused on the Chiswick area of west London.As the search for the Wandsworth prison inmate enters its fourth day, the Metropolitan police said there had been confirmed sightings in the area, just under 5 miles from the prison, including calls overnight from members of the public. Continue reading...

Inkatha Freedom party founder prominent in liberation struggle but his rivalry with ANC led to bloodshed in 80s and 90sMangosuthu Buthelezi, a veteran South African politician, Zulu prince and controversial figure during the liberation struggle against apartheid, has died, the presidency said. He was 95.Buthelezi, who founded the Inkatha Freedom party (IFP), served two terms as minister of home affairs in the post-apartheid government after burying the hatchet with the governing African National Congress party in 1994. Continue reading...

Figures from NHS England reveal people seeking heat-related health advice as temperatures surpass 32CHot weather has led to a 552% increase in people seeking heat exhaustion advice from the NHS website this week, figures show, as temperatures look likely to hit 30C on Saturday.The UK has had five days of temperatures above 30C in September for the first time and that record is likely to continue on Saturday and Sunday.Consume plenty of cold drinks, especially when exercising.Take cool baths or showers.Wear light-coloured, loose clothing.Sprinkle water over skin or clothes.Avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm.Avoid excess alcohol.Avoid extreme exercise. Continue reading...

Former civil servant offers morale boost and promises Labour staff she has their back'When Sue Gray went from being a backroom Whitehall fixer to household name because of her Partygate report, the senior civil servant was so uncomfortable at being thrust into the limelight that she privately joked to colleagues last year she had seriously considered changing her name by deed poll.Now Gray occupies an even bigger role in frontline politics. No longer an impartial official advising ministers, she shocked Westminster by jumping ship to take up a political post as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. Continue reading...

Scottish institution once again finishes ahead of Oxford and Cambridge in the Guardian's 2024 rankings

With Odesa out of action, Izmail and Reni are now the only places grain can reliably be exported

GMB union is supporting 3,000 claims in Birmingham - and is gathering evidence from 20 other councilsCouncils in the UK are facing compensation bills running into billions of pounds over equal pay claims, campaigners have warned, as they called on the government to intervene.The GMB union is supporting more than 3,000 equal pay claims against Birmingham city council, and has disputes against councils in Coventry, Westmorland, Cumberland, Glasgow, Dundee and Fife. Continue reading...

Weekend will continue run of temperatures above 30C, with heat, flooding and air pollution warnings in placeBritain could be set to swelter through the hottest day of the year so far on Saturday, with 33C heat expected in southern England.The UK has already had five days of temperatures above 30C in September for the first time, with that record likely to continue on Saturday and Sunday. Continue reading...

Previously unseen documents to go on display at V&A alongside evidence of her collusion with NazisA major retrospective of Coco Chanel has unearthed evidence that the fashion designer was a documented member of the French resistance. The previously unseen documents will go on display, along with contradictory evidence that she operated as a Nazi agent.

Comments come as party's national conference considers Barnaby Joyce-aligned motion to abolish 2050 goal

Prime minister says example set by schools will not necessarily have to be followed by other public buildingsRishi Sunak has defended his government's decision to shut down schools because of problems with crumbling concrete, as he aims to use this weekend's G20 summit in New Delhi to draw a line under another bruising week in office.The prime minister told reporters on the trip to India that his education secretary, Gillian Keegan, had done the right thing in ordering 147 schools to shut buildings made with aerated concrete, after officials became concerned about structural defects. On Friday evening the Scottish government said 16 of 32 local authorities have identified Raac in their schools. Continue reading...

A household name in the 1960s and 70s, Yarwood was famous for his impersonations of politicians and other public figuresMike Yarwood, the television comedian and renowned impersonator, has died in hospital aged 82, the Royal Variety Charity has announced.The entertainer was one of the biggest TV stars of the 1960s and 70s with hit BBC shows, famous for his impressions of former prime ministers Harold Wilson and Ted Heath, Prince Charles and the late football manager Brian Clough. Continue reading...

Former cricket captain seen with visible scars at England match against New Zealand after leading team in fielding drillsFormer England cricketer Andrew Flintoff has been pictured for the first time since he was injured in an accident at the Top Gear test track last year that saw him airlifted to hospital.The 45-year-old, who had visible scars on his face and tape on his nose, was seen with the England team during their one-day international against New Zealand at Cardiff on Friday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Data from Dorset council shows Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 was discovered on 15 AugustNew testing of water samples on the Bibby Stockholm has confirmed the presence of a potentially deadly strain of legionella onboard, the Guardian has learned.The presence of legionella bacteria on the barge, which the Home Office has said can accommodate more than 500 asylum seekers, was initially detected in tests returned on the first day people boarded, on 7 August. It was publicly confirmed by the Home Office on 11 August and officials evacuated all 39 people onboard that day.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...

Kent police say vehicle not public safety risk and incident not linked to search for escaped prisoner Daniel KhalifeAn army bomb squad was called in and a man detained after police stopped a suspicious vehicle at the Channel tunnel terminal in Kent.Traffic was said to be backing up after access to the tunnel in Folkestone was blocked and a cordon put in place to protect the public. The incident was not linked to the hunt for the escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife, Kent police said. Continue reading...

Eduardo Verastegui, who also acts in movie embraced by QAnon followers, files paperwork for 2024 electionThe producer of a surprise US box office hit widely embraced by followers of the extremist Q-Anon conspiracy theory is attempting a long-shot run for president in Mexico.Shortly before a deadline late on Thursday, Eduardo Verastegui, producer of Sound of Freedom, filed paperwork to run as an independent candidate in the June 2024 election. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereUkraine's air force shot down 16 drones launched by Russia overnight in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, regional and military officials said on Friday.Oleh Kiper, the Odesa regional governor, wrote on Telegram:During the night the Russian terrorists attacked the Odesa region for the fifth time this week. Continue reading...

Scandal-hit group says it has sought advice on restructuring, amid reports it is within weeks of running out of cash

Voting taking place in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as well as 54 Russian regions

Cultural institutions join dozens of schools forced to shut down over use of RaacTheatres across the UK have joined the dozens of schools forced to close or partly close due to concerns over crumbling concrete, reigniting fears over cultural institutions' post-lockdown survival.In Stockport the Forum theatre had to cancel all shows scheduled for the weekend and close its doors indefinitely due to use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac). In line with updated government guidance, the theatre will remain closed until it gets the all-clear from a structural engineer. Continue reading...

Pakistan police are under pressure to find Sara's father and stepmother, who released a video saying little about the incident'When Olga Sharif went to identify her 10-year-old daughter Sara at the mortuary she could barely recognise the small battered body dressed in Mickey Mouse pyjamas.One of her cheeks was swollen and the other side was bruised", she said in an interview on Polish television channel TVN. Even now, when I close my eyes I can see what my baby looked like." Continue reading...

Maddy Lawrence waited more than five hours in agony on pitch for ambulance and then developed sepsis in hospital in BristolThere were gross" failings in the care of a student who died after after suffering a dislocated hip in a rugby accident and developing sepsis in hospital, a coroner has said.Staff at Southmead hospital in Bristol failed to carry out all the observations needed to keep 20-year-old Maddy Lawrence safe, and failed to screen her for sepsis. Continue reading...

Retailer warns there may be small stones' in four products from its range and urges customers to return them for refundCosta Coffee has recalled some of its range of sandwiches and wraps after it emerged that they could contain small stones.The UK's largest high-street coffee chain warned customers that four of its products could be affected, and that they could pose a choking hazard if they were eaten. Continue reading...

Monarch recalls late queen's long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us'The king and queen attended private prayers to mark the anniversary of the late Queen Elizabeth II's death in a day of low-key commemorations by members of the royal family.Charles and Camilla spent about 30 minutes inside Crathie Kirk after making the short car journey from nearby Balmoral Castle. Continue reading...

Complaint cites concerns that kiss planted on footballer Jenni Hermoso could constitute sexual assaultA prosecutor has filed a complaint with Spain's high court against Luis Rubiales, citing concerns that there could be grounds to charge the football chief with sexual assault as well as coercion, after he planted a kiss on the lips of footballer Jenni Hermoso.The complaint, which comes days after Hermoso filed a criminal complaint accusing Rubiales of sexual assault, requests that the court place Rubiales under formal investigation. From there, the court can decide whether charges are warranted against Rubiales. Continue reading...

In video brought to surface, Mark Dickey says he was very close to the edge' after falling ill 1km downLocal and international cave rescue teams are poised to begin an attempt to evacuate a sick American caver from a deep underground system in Turkey, in what experts are suggesting may be one of the most complex operations of its kind.Turkish-led rescuers have said the operation to bring up 40-year-old Mark Dickey by stretcher could take up to four days, and will require constant monitoring of his health. Continue reading...

IOPC apologises unreservedly' to Marcia Rigg, whose brother Sean died after being restrained in BrixtonThe police watchdog has apologised unreservedly" to the sister of a black man who died in police custody in London 15 years ago.The Independent Office for Police Conduct apologised to Marcia Rigg, whose brother Sean died after losing consciousness at Brixton police station, for delays and police failings. She said she hoped that no other family would have to endure her family's never-ending trauma". Continue reading...

Value of fast-track grocery delivery service believed to be quarter of the $11.8bn it was worth 18 months agoThe fast-track grocery delivery service Getir is reportedly now worth a quarter of what it was valued at 18 months ago, after a big shakeout in the sector amid declining consumer demand.The Istanbul-based company is raising $500m in a funding round that will value the business at $2.5bn and is expected to close later this month, according to a Financial Times report citing people familiar with the matter. Continue reading...

Public demand for Jagtar Singh Johal to be set free is not in his best interests', says Asia ministerThe UK government has decided not to call for the release of a British man held in an Indian jail for five years, saying it would not be in his best interests.There have been repeated calls for Britain to do more to secure the release of Jagtar Singh Johal, who claims to have been tortured and forced to make a confession. He faces terrorism charges and the first stages of his trial have just started after repeated delays caused by disputes over evidence. Continue reading...

Legal experts and bloggers say proposed crimes could be used arbitrarily and lead to more censorshipProposed changes to a Chinese public security law to criminalise comments, clothing or symbols that undermine the spirit" or harm the feelings" of China have triggered the concern of legal experts, who say the amendments could be used arbitrarily.The changes were first made public last week as part of a mandatory soliciting opinion" process, as concerns mount about the increasingly authoritarian and nationalistic rule of China's president, Xi Jinping. Continue reading...

Firm admits culpability after three people died in derailment in Aberdeenshire in August 2020Network Rail has been fined 6.7m at the high court in Aberdeen after admitting health and safety failings over a rail crash that claimed three lives.The train's driver, Brett McCullough, 45, the conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and a passenger, Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the derailment near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, on 12 August 2020. Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un said it heralded a new chapter but South Korea said the vessel seems not to be operationalNorth Korea has launched its first tactical nuclear attack submarine", state media reported, although the South Korean military said the vessel might not be operational.The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, presided over the unveiling ceremony on Wednesday, saying the sub was part of a push forward with the nuclear weaponisation of the navy", according to state news agency KCNA. Continue reading...

PM's crunch meeting with Indian counterpart at G20 hoped to smooth way for free trade dealRishi Sunak has insisted a trade deal with India is not guaranteed, as he prepares to meet his Indian counterpart during the G20 summit in Delhi.The British prime minister will speak to Narendra Modi this weekend at a crunch meeting that could determine the future of a free trade agreement between the two countries, as well as influence India's approach to Russia. Continue reading...

Group affiliated with al-Qaida target army base and Timbuktu river boat as violence surges in regionAl-Qaida-linked militants have killed at least 64 people in twin attacks on an army base and a crowded passenger boat on the Niger River in northern Mali.Extremists from the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) appear to have targeted the Timbuktu boat on the river and an army position at Bamba, in the northern Gao region, with a provisional toll of 49 civilians and 15 soldiers killed", according to a government statement. Continue reading...

Police also confirm they are searching for signs of former soldier Daniel Abed Khalife in Richmond Park in LondonPolice searching for the escaped terrorism suspect Daniel Abed Khalife are investigating the possibility he had help from within Wandsworth prison to carry out his clearly pre-planned" getaway, the Scotland Yard chief, Sir Mark Rowley, has said.The force also confirmed it was searching for signs of Khalife, a former British soldier, in Richmond Park, in south-west London, not far from the prison he escaped from. Continue reading...

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The spectre of intelligent technologies is looming over Australian artists, and dominating the chatter at Brisbane's Bigsound music conference