World news | The Guardian

Siswo Pramono said the two countries remained in close talks on ensuring the safety of Australia’s plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines

There was a stark contrast between Daniel Andrews and Matthew Guy when they hit the hustings

Household earnings are taking a hit with many reporting a real pay cut despite working more hours

Forces reportedly told parents of Ghazaleh Chalabi, who died after being shot, they would withhold her body ‘if they made a noise’The parents of an Iranian woman who died six days after being shot while filming protests in her home town have been subjected to a sustained harassment campaign by security forces, a relative and a friend of the family have told the Guardian.Ghazaleh Chalabi, 33, was shot in the head in Amol on 21 September. A commemoration to mark the 40th day since her death – the end of the traditional mourning period in Islam – will be held on Thursday. Continue reading...

On Tuesday, President Guillermo Lasso announced a curfew under a new state of emergency in Guayas and Esmeralda regionsThe week began with the discovery of two headless bodies, left dangling from a pedestrian bridge. Then prison guards were taken hostage by inmates, nine car bombs detonated in two coastal cities and five police officers were shot dead.The string of horrifying attacks across Ecuador this week would once have been unthinkable, but this kind of bloodletting is now becoming almost routine in the Andean country, as gang violence escalates to levels never seen before. Continue reading...

Handover ceremony comes after turbulent year when Pacific country signed controversial security agreement with ChinaAustralia has announced the donation of police vehicles and 60 MK18 rifles to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in a move described as a “game changer” for Australia’s relationship with Solomon Islands police.The announcement comes after a turbulent year in the relationship between Australia and Solomon Islands, particularly on the question of security, after the Pacific country signed a controversial and secretive security agreement with China. Continue reading...

Pesticide Action Network calls for urgent action after analysis shows 50% increase in pesticide cocktailsHalf of bread sold in the UK contains at least two different pesticides, government data has revealed.According to analysis by Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN), this is a rise of 50% from last year, and a major increase over the past decade when, on average, roughly 25% of bread has been found to contain pesticide cocktails. Continue reading...

Girl became separated from parents and disembarked on island of Lampedusa after 26 hours at seaA four-year-old girl who was separated from her parents as they tried to board a migrant boat from Tunisia to Italy was forced to make the journey across the Mediterranean without them.The girl, referred to as Linda by Italian authorities, disembarked on the island of Lampedusa on 17 October after 26 hours at sea on a crowded wooden boat carrying a further 70 asylum seekers from Tunisia. Continue reading...

One missile landed close to South Korean territorial waters, south of the Northern Limit Line, military chiefs in Seoul say

Agent general to the UK tells inquiry of ‘open and frank’ discussion about salary and the London role with the then deputy premierThe New South Wales agent general to the UK, Stephen Cartwright, has refuted claims that his appointment was a case of “jobs for mates”, after being encouraged to apply by the then deputy premier, John Barilaro.Speaking from London before a long-running parliamentary probe into the appointment of senior trade positions, Cartwright said he had been approached by Barilaro about the job in February 2021 and encouraged to “throw [his] hat in the ring”. Continue reading...

Mette Frederiksen, the incumbent PM, can form government though may face dilemma over picking leftwingers or moderates as partnersDenmark’s left-leaning bloc will maintain a slim majority in parliament after all votes in a general election were counted, paving the way for another term for the incumbent prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, and her Social Democratic party.The Social Democrats again became the biggest force in parliament with 27.5% of votes, the party’s best election in more than two decades. Continue reading...

Food blogger was played by Amy Adams in the film inspired by her memoir, about attempting to cook more than 500 Julia Child recipes in a yearJulie Powell, the food blogger best known for her cooking memoir, Julie & Julia, which inspired a film starring Meryl Streep, has died at the age of 49.Her husband, Eric Powell, confirmed to the New York Times that she died of cardiac arrest caused by heart arrhythmia at their home in Olivebridge in upstate New York on 26 October. Continue reading...

People with unhealthy sleep patterns have increased risk of developing eye diseaseSleeping too little or too much, snoring, daytime sleepiness and insomnia may all increase the risk of glaucoma, a common eye condition that affects millions of people and can lead to blindness, according to a decade-long study.It is well known that sleeping badly can affect judgment, mood, ability to learn and retain information, and may increase the risk of serious accidents and injury. Continue reading...

Duchess of Sussex says the exam ‘is so hard’ on new episode of her podcast ArchetypesThe Duchess of Sussex has said Prince Harry was unable to answer questions on the British citizenship exam because they were too hard.The duchess said she began studying for the exam while living in Britain after the couple got engaged in November 2017, with the intention of applying for indefinite leave to remain and then citizenship. Continue reading...

Russian dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky tells UK parliamentary group of ‘terrorism’ threatThe leaders of the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary group answerable to Vladimir Putin, now have as much political influence in the Kremlin as either the foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and the defence minister Sergei Shoigu, a prominent Russian dissident and former political prisoner has told a British parliamentary group.Mikhail Khodorkovsky told the foreign affairs committee that Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman who finally admitted in September 2022 that he had founded the group, had as much access to Putin as the formal government officials. Continue reading...

Far-right supporter, found dead after migrant centre petrol attack, made no secret of admiration for Tommy RobinsonAndrew Leak, the man suspected of Sunday’s firebombing of a Dover migrant centre, had a history of sharing far-right content and posting racist comments online, prompting questions about why it took police two days to treat the attack as an act of terrorism.In October last year, Leak, 66, wrote that he had sent a parcel “to the British government”, warning it that “I will end illegal immigration into this country within one year from the French boat side.” Continue reading...

Ross McCullum has pleaded guilty to manslaughter of Megan Newborough near Nuneaton last yearA lab assistant strangled his 23-year-old colleague before cutting her throat and dumping her body in woodland, while repeatedly sending messages to her phone saying she was “amazing” and that he loved her to throw police off the trail.Ross McCullam, 30, met HR adviser Megan Newborough at the Midlands building materials company where they worked and killed her a month after the pair began an intimate relationship. Continue reading...

Country’s military placed on high alert because of mounting tensions in KosovoSerbia must decide whether it wants to join the EU or cultivate deeper ties with Russia, Germany has said, amid media reports that Belgrade had placed its military on high alert because of mounting tensions in Kosovo.Two days before a western Balkans summit in Berlin aimed at bolstering relations with the region’s six countries, a senior German official said Serbia had to decided whether it was on the side of Moscow or the EU. Continue reading...

Police name suspect as Andrew Leak, 66, from High Wycombe. He was found dead shortly after bomb attackCounter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the Dover migrant centre firebombing and suspect a “hate filled” grievance may be behind the attack.Kent police said the man suspected of carrying out Sunday’s attack was Andrew Leak, 66, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. He was found dead at a nearby petrol station shortly after the attack.. Continue reading...

Move also prevents amendments to mandate cashless gambling, which Tim Costello says is ‘devastating’

Social services minister Amanda Rishworth to announce pilot scheme aimed at lifting employment rates among people with disability

A not-for-profit firm has found buildings could be added to Barak Beacon estate and residents wouldn’t be forced to relocate

Residents accused Zhengzhou authorities of trying to reduce scrutiny of Covid lockdown’s severityAuthorities in Zhengzhou have been accused of “performative lockdown lifting” by some residents after they partially lifted restrictions amid growing pressure from residents and the reported arrival of state media.An almost month-long lockdown in the Chinese city of about 12 million people had prompted complaints of arduous conditions, sometimes violent enforcement, inadequate medical care, and worsening mental health. But a sudden decision to ease restrictions on Tuesday was greeted with some scepticism and anger. Continue reading...

Mandatory programme named after Oliver McGowan, whose mother led a campaign after his death in 2016Mandatory training for health and care staff in England to support people with a learning disability and autistic people has been launched following a grieving mother’s four-year-campaign.Paula McGowan’s 18-year-old son Oliver, who had a mild learning disability and autism, died after doctors “arrogantly” gave him antipsychotic medication despite his family’s warnings that they were unsuitable. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Energy boss says ‘virtually all’ non-nuclear power stations hit by Russian attacks

Average price of a property drops to £268,282 in October as interest rate rises hit affordabilityUK house prices fell for the first time in more than a year in October, as the Liz Truss government’s mini-budget wreaked havoc on the housing market, pushing mortgage rates sharply higher.The average price of a property was down by 0.9% compared with September, to £268,282, according to Nationwide building society’s latest monthly report, the first snapshot of a tumultuous period. This was the first fall since July 2021 and the largest since June 2020. The annual growth rate slowed sharply from 9.5% to 7.2%. Continue reading...

Online furniture retailer suspends shares after it stopped taking customer orders last weekThe online furniture retailer Made.com is planning to call in administrators after talks to find a buyer failed and it stopped taking customer orders last week.The company, which sells furniture for the home and garden to younger shoppers, put itself up for sale in September, but said rescue talks with a number of would-be buyers had not resulted in a firm offer. Trading in Made.com shares was suspended on Tuesday. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: New variants, a struggling NHS and approaching flu season suggest a coronavirus surge is still a risk. A public health expert on preparing for what lies ahead

Bodies tentatively identified as adults being secretly transported to South Africa on perilous ‘southern route’Dozens of Ethiopian people whose remains were found in mass graves in northern Malawi last month most likely suffocated to death while being secretly transported, investigators and campaigners believe.The tragedy came amid a spate of incidents underlining the dangers faced by tens of thousands of people who entrust their lives to criminal networks that promise passage to South Africa, the most developed country on the continent. Continue reading...

His journalists have fled from M23 violence but Patrick Sugira is staying put, saying people depend on his broadcastsLast Wednesday evening, Patrick Kiroha Sugira sent a text message to a friend via WhatsApp: “The security situation is very bad here. We have nowhere to go. I am at the radio.”Within days, Sugira, the director of Horizon community radio station in Rutshuru, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was in hiding with his wife and children and other terrified citizens. The town was one of two overrun by armed rebels on Saturday, in a resurgence of violence in the area that is escalating tensions across the region. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour Together leader calls for ‘laser-sharp focus’ on voters and for party’s priorities to be made clearKeir Starmer has been urged to get Labour on a general election footing with a “laser-sharp” focus on wooing voters with a small number of key pledges that demonstrate the party’s priorities rather than a sprawling plethora of policies.With activists gearing up to take on Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives in 2024, a new head of Labour Together – a network of MPs, staffers, members and thinktanks – has been appointed, who believes the party should build a more “coherent narrative”. Continue reading...

Figures underline growing prevalence of conditions related to obesity in younger demographic, says head of Diabetes UKThe number of people under 40 in the UK being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is rising at a faster pace than the over-40s, according to “shocking” and “incredibly troubling” data that experts say exposes the impact of soaring obesity levels.The UK ranks among the worst in Europe with the most overweight and obese adults, according to the World Health Organization. On obesity rates alone, the UK is third after Turkey and Malta. Continue reading...

The country’s judiciary says those marching against the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini will be triedIran’s judiciary has announced that it will hold public trials for as many as 1,000 people detained during recent protests in Tehran alone – and more than a thousand others outside the capital – as international concern grew over Iran’s response to the protests that began with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest.The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said he was shocked by the number of innocent protesters who were being illegally and violently arrested. Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has already announced that she is to ask the European Union to sanction the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. Continue reading...

Janbaz Tarin subjected Raneem Oudeh to campaign of violence before killing her and her mother in Solihull in 2018A domestic violence victim who was stabbed to death by her former partner felt too scared to tell police the full extent of his abuse over fears that social services would take her baby away, an inquest has heard.Raneem Oudeh, 22, was killed along with her mother, Khaola Saleem, 49, in Solihull in August 2018 by Janbaz Tarin, who had subjected Oudeh to a campaign of abuse and stalking in the run-up to the attack. Continue reading...

Home secretary says she ‘worked hard to find accommodation to relieve pressure’ at Manston centre in Kent

New women’s minister Maria Caulfield defends earlier decision to vote against buffer zones outside clinicsThe new minister for women has defended an earlier decision to vote against buffer zones outside abortion clinics, explaining she is concerned some people accused of harassment may be just trying to “comfort” people using the healthcare services.Maria Caulfield, who has also supported cutting the abortion time limit, was appointed as minister for women by the prime minister, Rishi Sunak. Continue reading...

Graduate fast-stream recruitment to resume but jobs target could be replaced by budget cuts

Donna Patterson awarded £60,000 after representing herself to argue Morrisons discriminated against herA woman who has been called the “Erin Brockovich of Bradford” for taking her employer to court without legal representation and winning has said she has been overwhelmed by the “unexpected” response.Donna Patterson, 38, was awarded £60,000 at a tribunal after arguing that the supermarket chain Morrisons had discriminated against her when she returned to work after maternity leave. Continue reading...

RSPCA rescues 42 Flemish giant rabbits that are now being cared for in several shelters across north-east EnglandDozens of giant rabbits are looking for new homes after being “bred for their meat” on an allotment – with one weighing as much as a jack russell terrier.The RSPCA rescued 42 Flemish giant rabbits in Ashington, Northumberland, which were found living in “dreadful conditions in cramped hutches, where they had been left to breed with each other”. Continue reading...

Accused will appear at the Old Bailey next month following stabbing near hotel in west LondonA 15-year-old boy has been charged with the attempted murder of a child asylum seeker in west London. He has been remanded into secure accommodation and will appear at the Old Bailey next month.The charges follow a stabbing incident close to a hotel in the west London area used by the Home Office to accommodate adult male asylum seekers just before midnight on 22 October. Continue reading...

Messages between Johnson and officials requested alongside cabinet minutes for second stage of inquiryThe Covid-19 public inquiry plans to scour some of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages as it seeks to identify any “plainly wrongful decision-making and significant errors of judgment” by central government in the early stage of the pandemic, the lead counsel to the inquiry has said.Opening the second stage of the statutory inquiry, examining “how central government responded to the pandemic and made the key decisions that it did”, Hugo Keith KC said it would ask whether late lockdowns cost lives and whether rule-breaking undermined public confidence. Continue reading...

Shops closed and concerts cancelled after Halloween party disaster killed more than 150 people, as police questioned over crowd control

Micheál Martin says electoral system ‘should not be one that constantly reinforces polarisation’

Kremlin pulls out of grain deal after drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea flagship vessel in Crimea; UN and US call on Moscow to reverse its decision

Home secretary’s letter of apology shows she did not tell officials about sending of document ‘as soon as I realised my mistake’

Court heard how Harry Armstrong Evans told tutor and welfare team he was struggling after ‘disastrous’ exam resultsA coroner has strongly criticised the University of Exeter over the suicide of a student, claiming it failed to respond effectively to his “cry for help” after a disastrous set of exam results that followed months of isolation in near empty halls of residence during the pandemic.Guy Davies, the assistant coroner for Cornwall, concluded that Harry Armstrong Evans’s death was due to a “mental health crisis” preceded by a “catalogue of missed opportunities coupled with systems failings” leaving him without the “safety net” the Russell Group university should have provided.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, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Videos appear to show guests rushing to locked gates as strict Covid restrictions return across ChinaVisitors to Shanghai’s Disney resort were trapped inside for the second time in 12 months after authorities and operators announced a sudden lockdown as part of China’s strict pandemic response.In a repeat of scenes from across Covid-zero China, viral videos on Monday appeared to show guests rushing to the locked gates of the theme park in an attempt to escape the lockdown. It followed extraordinary scenes on the weekend, with a mass escape of employees from a locked-down Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, to walk up to hundreds of kilometres to their hometowns. Continue reading...

Accomplished miniaturist and a household name in 19th century was born without arms and handsShe spent 20 years travelling the country as a fairground attraction, billed as the “celebrated Miss Biffin”, the “Greatest Wonder of the World”.But Sarah Biffin, who was born without arms and hands and raised in a poor farming family, became an accomplished miniaturist, patronised by royalty and nobility, and a 19th-century household name referenced in four Charles Dickens novels. Continue reading...

Many households who use non-smart prepayment meters are failing to redeem vouchers, says PayPointGovernment energy bill support worth as much as £400 over the winter is not reaching many households who use prepayment meters, according to data from a payments company.Households with prepayment energy meters are entitled to vouchers giving them monthly discounts, but only half of the expected number have been used so far, according to PayPoint, which handles top-up payments in shops across the UK. Continue reading...

David Cunningham wins apology and ‘substantial’ damages over articles published in 2005 and 2006A former partner of Kerry Katona has won an apology for phone hacking and “substantial” damages from the publisher of the Mirror.David Cunningham, an engineer, brought a claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which also publishes the People and the Sunday Mirror, over 36 articles published in 2005 and 2006 while he was in a relationship with the former Atomic Kitten singer. Continue reading...