World news | The Guardian

Number of Conservatives calling for PM’s resignation has been growing though far more say so behind closed doors

Committee says ex-culture secretary’s claim that participants in reality TV show were actors is not credible

Many believe PM should resign as dozens face potentially losing whip over fracking vote

Most MPs say situation is unsustainable but it remains sustainable as long as they remain unsure about how to act

People found with small amounts of drugs for personal use, including heroin and cocaine, will be cautioned, fined or referred to drug programs

MPs face potentially losing whip after No 10 confirms chaotic vote is being treated as confidence issue

Flagship news programmes faced impossible task of distilling day’s events into succinct and punchy curtain raiserAbsolute abject chaos. A government in its death spiral. Utter turmoil. Chaos on all fronts.Extraordinary opening remarks from the nation’s broadcasters on yet another extraordinary day in British politics.It has been a night of astonishing scenes at Westminster with reports of jostling, manhandling, bullying and shouting outside the parliamentary lobbies in a supposed vote of confidence in the government.The deputy chief whip was reported to have left the scene saying, ‘I’m absolutely F-ing furious, I just don’t F-ing care any more’, before he resigned along with the chief whip. But we’ve just been told they have now officially unresigned. The home secretary has, however, definitely gone.Tonight at 10, chaos on all fronts for Liz Truss. The home secretary resigns and party discipline breaks down in the Commons.Suella Braverman is out as home secretary. She admits breaking the rules on official communications but she also criticises Liz Truss. In her resignation letter, she accuses the government of losing direction and of breaking promises to voters.A weak prime minister flailing from one crisis to the next and a big blunt question tonight: is this a government in its death spiral?Another day of utter turmoil for the government. The home secretary’s resigned and more cabinet ministers are on resignation watch. There was chaos over a fracking vote. And the prime minister was forced to make another promise, this time on pensions. So is it nearly all over for Liz Truss? Continue reading...

Shuttling police officers for Queen’s funeral also helped coach firm as revenue leaps 33%National Express has reported a further rebound in passengers and a rise in revenues after it stepped up services during rail strikes and helped shuttle police during the Queen’s funeral.The coach and bus operator said revenues rose by 33% in the three months to the end of September and were now above 2019 levels, thanks in part to strong growth in its UK and Spanish coach business. Continue reading...

Mihailuk told state’s parliament she had been left with ‘no choice’ and Labor was ‘not ready to govern’

Line across northern England to be out of service for several days after carriages of cement come off trackA rail line across northern England will be closed for several days after a freight train derailed.Network Rail said carriages carrying cement came off the track near Carlisle, Cumbria, shortly after 8pm on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Summit of officials, industry leaders, experts and advocates points to more townhouses and micro-lot homes

Unemployment has come in at 3.5% for the second month in a row. That’s good news for economic growth – if people have jobs, they’re more likely to spend

The jury could not find consensus on a further 16 charges related to inappropriately touching students, which Daniels denies

Ex-wife of Amazon founder continues to ‘empty the safe’ after 2019 divorce that netted her $38bnThe Girl Scouts has received the largest monetary donation in its history, from novelist and billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, who was once married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.An announcement from the Girl Scouts of the USA on Tuesday thanked Scott for her gift of $84.5m, which the organization pledged to use toward helping its recovery from various shutdowns associated with controlling the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...

World Health Organization welcomes country’s ‘crucial step’ in backing use of long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA)Zimbabwe has become the first country in Africa and the third in the world to approve an HIV prevention drug recently recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).Regulators in Australia and the US have already given their backing to use the long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA), and the WHO welcomed the move by Zimbabwe. Continue reading...

Economic and Social Research Institute analysis found ‘substantial reduction in number of products traded’Trade from the UK to the EU is down 16% on the levels anticipated had Brexit not happened, a new report has found.Meanwhile trade from the EU to the UK has dropped even further, by 20%, relative to a scenario in which Brexit had not occurred, according to research published on Wednesday by the Economic and Social Research Institute. Continue reading...

Producer says trial asked questions about boundaries between privacy and celebrity and what it is to be a WagA play about the “Wagatha Christie” trial is to be staged in the West End by the producers behind Agatha Christie’s seminal drama Witness for the Prosecution.Vardy v Rooney: the Wagatha Christie Trial, adapted from the original high court transcripts by Liv Hennessy and directed by Lisa Spirling, brings the legal battle between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney to life for one night only this autumn. Continue reading...

Prosecutors allege the corrections officers who shot Dwayne Johnstone outside Lismore Base hospital in 2019 intended to cause serious injury

Three prison staff and five visitors died after the bombs hit a crowd queuing to drop off parcels for inmates at prison housing political detaineesAt least eight people have been killed in explosions at Myanmar’s main prison for political detainees after two bombs exploded on Wednesday morning.Three prison staff and five visitors, including a 10-year-old girl, died after the bombs hit a crowd queueing to drop off parcels for inmates at Insein Prison, junta authorities said in a statement. Continue reading...

Truss, who became Britain’s PM last month but has already overseen two major departures from her cabinet and several policy u-turns, is facing calls to resign

The UK newspaper front pages cover a tumultuous day in politics with accusations of bullying in the Commons and the home secretary’s resignationA highly chaotic day in parliament and the resignation of home secretary Suella Braverman dominate UK front pages on Thursday.The Guardian says “Braverman’s bombshell puts Truss on the brink”, after a “chaotic fracking vote brings fresh revolt from mutinous Tories”. Continue reading...

Australian teen drama spends two weeks in streaming platform’s Top 10, while fans drive billions of views on social media

Cost of tax cuts that largely benefit wealthy increases by another $11bn as senator David Pocock calls for redesign

New bill means minimum service level must be in place or unions will lose legal protections from damagesLiz Truss has published controversial plans to make sure transport workers provide a minimum service level when they strike, ahead of a speech by Keir Starmer pledging to repeal all the Tories’ new anti-trade union laws.As the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union warned of a new wave of rail strikes all winter, Truss brought forward a new bill to ensure that transport services keep running during strike action. Continue reading...

Group claiming they carried out attack say they wish to negotiate over the insurer’s customer data

Bob Chan backs calls for UK government to expel any Chinese officials involved in peaceful protestA pro-democracy protester who appeared to be beaten up by men from China’s consulate in Manchester has condemned the attack as “barbaric” and backed calls for the UK government to expel any Chinese officials involved.Speaking for the first time since the incident, which was captured on video, Bob Chan said: “I’m shocked and hurt by this unprovoked attack,” adding he had been taking part in a “peaceful protest”. Continue reading...

Review led by Peter Shergold finds some lockdowns and border closures were not necessary and schools should have remained open

Canada’s foreign minister Melanie Joly said they will meet to discuss protests ignited by the death of Mahsa AminiCanada is to host a virtual meeting of female foreign ministers to discuss Iran’s “brutal” crackdown on protests ignited by the death of a young woman who was detained by morality police for “improper” use of the hijab.Canada’s foreign minister, Melanie Joly, said she and 14 others will meet virtually on Thursday to discuss the state of women’s and human rights in Iran, Joly’s office said, adding that it would give them an opportunity to coordinate efforts and discuss “ways to increase their collective support for the Iranian people”. Continue reading...

NSW confirms it will not allow visits, as Queensland also restricts some access despite Australia’s ratification of UN torture protocol

More than 40 Tories fail to back Liz Truss’s government amid allegations MPs were manhandledA crunch Commons vote on the future of fracking has descended into mayhem after more than 40 Conservative MPs failed to back Liz Truss’s government, with MPs alleging ministers physically pulled some wavering Tories into the voting lobbies.Shortly after the vote, there were reports that the chief whip, Wendy Morton, and her deputy, Craig Whittaker, had lost their jobs. However, Downing Street later cleared up the rumours by saying the pair “remain in post”. Continue reading...

Health experts point to late-stage liver disease, neurodegenerative diseases and heart failure as conditions that can be caused by long-term drinking

Video posted by Rebecca Clark shows her point of view as she tries to gingerly walk past bison during hike in Caprock Canyons parkA woman in Texas who recorded a cellphone video of herself surviving getting gored by a bison has admonished fellow hikers about the perils of too closely encountering such an immense animal.Rebecca Clark was on a solo hike in Caprock Canyons park, home of Texas’s state bison herd, when she came across a group of the massive bovines grazing a few feet away from the trail. Continue reading...

Purchase of 1953 painting beloved by football fans made possible by gift from charitable foundationA painting by LS Lowry beloved by football fans and art enthusiasts has been bought by the Lowry arts centre in Salford, saving it from disappearing into a private collection.The arts centre paid £7.8m including fees for Going to the Match, painted in 1953, at an auction on Wednesday evening. The purchase was made possible by a gift from the Law Family charitable foundation, which was set up by the hedge fund manager and Conservative party donor Andrew Law and his wife, Zoë. The painting had been estimated to fetch £5m-£8m. Continue reading...

Repurposing of existing accommodation and other facilities to be suggested at government-convened housing meeting

Jokes at home secretary’s expense came thick and fast on social media after her resignation

Newborn twin allegedly murdered by nurse died just over a day after birth, trial hearsThe death of a baby allegedly murdered by the nurse Lucy Letby came as a “big surprise” and was “completely out of the blue”, her trial has heard.The newborn twin died at the Countess of Chester hospital following a sudden collapse just more than 24 hours after his premature birth. Continue reading...

Annual prize awarded to Ukraine’s citizens to honour their fight against Russia’s invasion

Russian president says four Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia will be put under martial law

Outgoing home secretary sticks boot in and throws down gauntlet to embattled Liz Truss

Authorities alerted by villagers in Mzimba area, 250km north of capital, to site believed less than a month oldAuthorities in Malawi have discovered a mass grave in the north of the country containing the remains of 25 people suspected to be migrants from Ethiopia.“The grave was discovered late on Tuesday but we cordoned it off and started exhuming today. So far, we have discovered 25 bodies,” said a police spokesperson, Peter Kalaya. Continue reading...

Damning report finds ‘shocking and uncomfortable’ failings at major NHS trust caused ‘significant harm’ to familiesDozens of babies and mothers died or were injured during childbirth because of repeated failings in maternity care at a major NHS trust, a damning report has found.Dr Bill Kirkup, who led the investigation, said his findings into substandard care at the East Kent trust between 2009 and 2020 were “shocking and uncomfortable” and had a catastrophic impact on families.Squabbling between midwives, obstetricians, paediatricians and other groups of staff which involved “factionalism, lack of mutual trust and … bullying”.Junior obstetricians and midwives often got the blame for errors committed by more senior colleagues.Midwives not part of the midwifery team’s “A-team” were given the highest-risk mothers to care for – “a downright dangerous practice”.Mothers were given too little pain relief, ignored when they sought to raise concerns and spoken to with a lack of compassion, with one who had lost her baby told “it’s God’s will; God only takes the babies that he wants to take”.Missed eight opportunities during 2009-20 to acknowledge the extent of problems and solve them.Saw the trust as a “victim” of external factors that were causing its poor maternity care, such as lack of staff and its coastal location, and did not see that the real causes were internal and involved “failures in team-working, professionalism, compassion and listening”.Compounded families’ suffering by not being open and honest. Continue reading...

Kevin Michael Brophy says his back tattoo was superimposed on to a male model who seemingly performs oral sex on the cover of Gangsta Bitch Music Vol 1A “man of faith” is suing Cardi B for superimposing his back tattoo on to a male model who seemingly performs oral sex on the rapper on the cover of her debut mixtape.Kevin Michael Brophy is suing the Grammy-winning musician in a copyright-infringement lawsuit in federal court in southern California, seeking $5m in damages. Belcalis Almánzar, the rapper’s real name, was in court and is expected to testify during the trial. Continue reading...

John Lee pledges to enact anti-subversion law while emphasising need to alleviate brain drainHong Kong’s new leader has pledged to enact an anti-subversion law, tighten up cybersecurity and crack down on false information and crowdfunding activities, after China’s Xi Jinping issued calls to reinforce national security.In his first policy address since becoming the city’s chief executive in July, John Lee also emphasised the need to “proactively trawl the world for talents” to help alleviate a brain drain, acknowledging that the local workforce had shrunk by about 140,000 in the last two years, after a national security law came to force. Continue reading...

Recent Tory leaders had also attempted to underline their fighting credentials as they reached the end of the lineLiz Truss channelled Peter Mandelson at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, when she repeatedly insisted she was “a fighter not a quitter”.Mandelson, a key figure in the creation of New Labour alongside Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, used the phrase in Hartlepool on the night of the 2001 general election result when he was returned as an MP after his second resignation from cabinet – this time after being accused of helping an Indian billionaire get a British passport. Continue reading...

Former Wimbledon champion trains at Huntercombe prison where he is serving time for hiding assets, German tabloid reportsBoris Becker is reported to have lost weight and won friends in the UK prison where he is serving a sentence related to his 2017 bankruptcy, according to a German newspaper.The former Wimbledon champion was transferred from Wandsworth prison to Huntercombe prison near Nuffield, Oxfordshire, in May. In April he was jailed for two and a half years for concealing £2.5m of assets to avoid paying money he owed after his bankruptcy. Continue reading...

Mark Fullbrook’s stake in CT Group while holding Downing Street role creates potential conflict of interestLiz Truss’s chief of staff still owns a stake in Sir Lynton Crosby’s lobbying company despite his Downing Street role, meaning he could benefit financially from the firm’s work for corporate clients.Mark Fullbrook, who is in charge of the prime minister’s political operation, co-founded the British arm of the lobbying business CT Group with Crosby. Its clients have included the tobacco company Philip Morris, the Saudi Arabian government, and the mining firm Glencore. Continue reading...

Law gives Russian-installed heads of four Ukrainian provinces sweeping powers

Exclusive: Prime minister Liz Truss met Braverman in the House of Commons

Senior Tory MPs complain reprimand was not delivered by minister but by FCDO official

Mallikarjun Kharge, a Gandhi loyalist, aims to lead fightback against Narendra Modi’s BJPIndia’s Congress party has appointed its first president in 24 years not from the Gandhi dynasty, in an effort to reverse its apparent decline and take on the seemingly invincible Narendra Modi.Mallikarjun Kharge, 80, a loyalist in the court of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty which rules the party, defeated the rival candidate Shashi Tharoor by almost 7,000 votes in a poll of 9,000 party delegates. Continue reading...