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Tuesday’s budget will include provisions for faster internet to mainly regional areas across Australia at a cost of $2.4bn

Elnaz Rekabi says she did not intend to compete without headscarf amid fears among public over how regime will reactThe Iranian competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi has received a hero’s welcome on her return to Tehran after competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf as required of female athletes from the Islamic Republic.Video shared online showed large crowds at Imam Khomeini international airport terminal outside Tehran despite the 4am arrival time for Rekabi’s flight. People clapped and chanted the 33-year-old’s name and handed her flowers inside the terminal. Continue reading...

Home Office criticised after inspectors discover workers without criminal record checks had access to master keysUnaccompanied children seeking asylum have been living in hotels alongside adults whose backgrounds have not been checked, a damning report has revealed.An independent inspection has severely criticised the Home Office after staff in two hotels were found not to have been checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), as is required by government rules. Staff had access to master keys while young refugees stayed in the building.The Home Office’s practices and procedures did not represent a child-centred approach.A lack of consistent and effective oversight of contractors.A lack of planning on how to end the use of hotels for unaccompanied child asylum seekers. Continue reading...

Chief executive says territory will ‘trawl world for talent’ after lockdowns and political unrest cause brain drainHong Kong has unveiled a HK$30bn ($3.8bn) co-investment fund to attract overseas businesses back to the city after an exodus of talent prompted by strict lockdowns and a tumultuous political climate.A raft of measures to address the brain drain were announced by Hong Kong’s chief executive, John Lee, in his first policy address on Wednesday – although his plans have largely failed to reassure investors. Continue reading...

International Centre of Justice for Palestinians says diplomatic move in Israel in breach of international obligationsA legal group that supports the rights of Palestinians has written to Liz Truss to tell her that it plans to launch a judicial review in an attempt to block any UK government movement of the British embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has commissioned a legal opinion in support of its argument that such a move would be in breach of the government’s international obligations. Continue reading...

Proposed sanctions will also target firm that develops drones believed to have been used in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine

Transport secretary says scrapping of transport bill means plan will not go ahead in 2024A plan to create a public sector body to oversee Britain’s ailing rail network has been delayed.Great British Railways (GBR), which would take over from the infrastructure management company Network Rail and be responsible for handing out rail contracts, will not be going ahead in 2024 due to the scrapping of the transport bill. Continue reading...

In a podcast, Faris said Reitman’s ‘reign of terror’ on the set of My Super Ex-Girlfriend, which included yelling at her and slapping her, left her angry and humiliatedAnna Faris has accused director Ivan Reitman of abusive and bullying behaviour on the set of the 2006 romcom My Super Ex-Girlfriend.On an episode of her podcast Anna Faris Is Unqualified, Faris told guest Lena Dunham that the director “slapped [her] ass” in public, “yelled” at her as part of a “reign of terror”, and left her “angry, hurt and humiliated”. Continue reading...

Analysis reveals cost of shooting down cheap drones, but experts say deployment is sign of Moscow’s weakness

The issues on MPs’ and voters’ minds, from pensions and fuel bills to the prime minister’s personal credibility

The production, beginning next February, will be directed by Dominic Cooke for @sohoplace in LondonSophie Okonedo is to star as Medea at the new West End theatre @sohoplace in a production directed by Dominic Cooke next year.Cooke described Euripides’s Medea as “a play defined by the actor who plays it” and said that Okonedo has the “visceral power, intelligence and courage to … go to the extreme places that the part demands”. When he first approached her with the idea, the Oscar-nominated actor had a busy schedule and was unconvinced but agreed to a rehearsed reading, which the director described as electrifying. Continue reading...

Errol Lloyd hopes for emergence of new crop of writers, as Newcastle exhibition opensAn artist who illustrated the first British children’s picture book featuring a Black main character almost 50 years ago says not enough Black children’s writers or illustrators have come to prominence since then.The Jamaican-born illustrator Errol Lloyd was nominated for a Kate Greenaway medal for his illustrations for My Brother Sean, written by the late British-Surinamese author Petronella Breinburg. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary blames global conditions for economic problems and offers no guarantee on pensions triple lock

Body believed to be that of missing 63-year-old last seen in Hillston on Tuesday. This blog is now closed

Expert who led 2015 Morecambe Bay investigation speaks out ahead of publication of report into NHS trustThe author of a report into the care provided to women and babies at an NHS trust has said things need to be done differently ahead of its publication.Dr Bill Kirkup, who chaired an expert panel into the study on East Kent Hospitals University NHS foundation trust, said he “did not imagine” he would be talking about similar circumstances again following his investigation into Morecambe Bay in 2015. Continue reading...

Online retailer reports disappointing sales growth and £32m pre-tax losses as it agrees £650m banking facilityAsos is to write off more than £100m of stock and cut costs after diving into the red after its annual sales growth almost halted as shoppers hit by the cost of living crisis reined in spending on fashion.The online fashion retailer said it had agreed a £650m banking facility to give it “financial flexibility” and was aiming to rearrange its operations by cutting costs, improving management of stock and “refreshing the culture” of the business. Continue reading...

RTBU agrees not to take action while the case progresses, with another hearing scheduled for Friday

Growers say prices for fertiliser, fuel and transport have also skyrocketed because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine

Lawyer says it’s ‘inevitable’ LGBTQ+ teachers will be sacked under change endorsed by Matthew Guy

A survey put the eastbound M62 Hartshead Moor services at the bottom of the pile. Our writer went to find out whyThere are various points of interest on the M62 between Manchester and Leeds. The farmhouse sandwiched between the fast lanes near Huddersfield; the sign marking the highest point of England’s motorway network; the moors where Ian Brady and Myra Hindley buried their victims.To this list we may now add: Britain’s worst service station. Continue reading...

Civilians likely biggest losers after Russia delivers rapid knockout to nearly a third of country’s power plants

Labour says people are being ‘priced out and shut out of work’ at a time of record employment vacanciesThe number of people who aren’t working because of caring commitments is the highest since May 2020, with the last year marking a sustained increase in stay-at-home parents and carers after three decades of decline, new analysis from the Guardian reveals.The figures are a stark warning that at a time of record employment vacancies and skills shortages, families are being “priced out and shut out of work”, said Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner. Continue reading...

Wet weather and ‘prolific thunderstorm activity’ expected to result in renewed or prolonged river rises

ACT chief justice Lucy McCallum sums up case and directs jurors to ignore significant media interest in trial over alleged rape of Brittany HigginsThe jury has begun deliberating in the trial of Bruce Lehrmann, who is accused of raping fellow political staffer and colleague Brittany Higgins in parliament house in the early hours of 23 March 2019.Chief justice Lucy McCallum summed up the case and concluded her directions to the jury on Wednesday afternoon, instructing them on how they should approach their task of weighing up the almost three weeks of evidence heard in the ACT supreme court. Continue reading...

Greenberg confirmed to take over from Kathryn Stone, who came under attack from Tories during Geoffrey Cox and Owen Paterson controversiesDaniel Greenberg has been confirmed as the UK’s new parliamentary standards commissioner and will take over from Kathryn Stone in January.Stone has served in the position since 2018, her term coinciding with a number of high-profile sleaze scandals. Earlier this year, the Commons standards committee published a report that included a number of recommendations for tightening the rules at Westminster, including an outright ban on MPs providing paid parliamentary advice, consultancy or strategy services. Continue reading...

Former sentaor launched the defamation suit in 2020 over what he said were false claims of sexual harassment made on TV, social media and via text

Peter Morgan says he has ‘enormous sympathy’ for royal family, while Netflix reportedly pauses Harry and Meghan documentary over criticismThe creators and cast of The Crown have rejected criticism that the series is “exploitative” of Britain’s royal family following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.The upcoming fifth season will cover some of the worst years for the British monarchy, including the bitter divorce between the then Prince Charles, now the King, and his first wife, Princess Diana. Continue reading...

Environment minister says Australians free to call it whatever they want after Bureau of Meteorology updates name

The ACT supreme court trial of Lehrmann is in its final stages, with the jury set to begin deliberations later on Wednesday

Criminal case alleges Facebook did not take sufficient steps to take down scam advertisements featuring the billionaire

Close to 100 clubs already using the technology to prevent people with self-imposed bans from playing poker machines

UK data shows authoritarian or neglectful parenting linked to higher weight in children and adolescentsChildren whose parents lack warmth are more likely to grow up overweight or obese, according to the first study of its kind.The effects of different parenting styles on children’s weight have been determined for the first time – and suggest parental warmth is key to a healthy weight, researchers at the International Congress on Obesity in Melbourne, the biennial congress of the World Obesity Federation, will say on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Leaders tell TUC congress they stand ready to coordinate action, although there are no calls for a general strikeTrade union leaders are warning of a wave of synchronised strikes by civil servants and public sector workers in Britain this winter, as a new poll for the TUC showed one in seven people across the UK are skipping meals because of the cost of living crisis.As trade unionists met for the annual TUC congress in Brighton, Mark Serwotka, the head of the PCS union, representing 150,000 civil servants, said it stood ready to strike on the same day as others if its workplaces voted for industrial action in November. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Whistleblower says pressure to meet deadlines has led to a culture of trying to avoid delay at all costs, including those caused by safety concerns

Sergei Surovikin says Russia’s defence of occupied southern city ‘not easy’ as Ukraine introduces local news blackoutThe new commander of Moscow’s army in Ukraine has announced that civilians were being “resettled” from the Russian-occupied southern city of Kherson, describing the military situation as “tense”.“The enemy continually attempts to attack the positions of Russian troops,” Sergei Surovikin said in his first televised interview since being appointed earlier this month, adding that the situation was particularly difficult around the occupied southern city of Kherson. Continue reading...

NI secretary Chris Heaton-Harris indicates second poll of the year in mid-December unless power sharing quickly restoredNorthern Ireland will face assembly elections before Christmas unless power-sharing is restored in the next 10 days, the government has confirmed.Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, hinted at an 8 or 15 December polling day during evidence at a House of Commons select committee. It would be the second election for Northern Ireland this year. Continue reading...

La Presse agency publishes audio suggesting 20 bottles arrived for 86th birthday after pair ‘re-establish’ tiesSilvio Berlusconi has allegedly said Vladimir Putin gave him 20 bottles of vodka for his birthday after he “re-established” relations with the Russian president.Berlusconi turned 86 on 29 September, four days after a coalition including his Forza Italia party won the general election. Continue reading...

Lafarge agrees to $778m fine after pleaded guilty in US trial to conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organisationThe French cement company Lafarge pleaded guilty on Tuesday to paying millions of dollars to the Islamic State group in exchange for permission to keep open a plant in Syria, in a case the US justice department called the first of its kind. The company also agreed to penalties totalling about $778m (£688m).Prosecutors accused Lafarge of turning a blind eye to the conduct of the militant group, making payments to it in 2013 and 2014 as IS occupied a broad swath of Syria and as some of its members were involved in torturing or beheading kidnapped westerners. The company’s actions occurred before it merged with a Swiss company Holcim, to form the world’s largest cement-making business. Continue reading...

Critics blame poor management of cemeteries in Italian city after collapse at Poggioreale cemetery exposed at least a dozen coffinsAt least a dozen coffins have been left dangling in the air following the collapse of a four-storey building containing burial niches at the oldest cemetery in Naples.It is the second such incident at the site this year, with critics blaming the poor management of cemeteries in the southern Italian city. Continue reading...

With one demanding stronger sanctions and the other blaming the EU for soaring energy prices, relations remain tenseIn December 2021, Poland’s ultraconservative, nationalist government hosted some of the biggest names in European far-right politics, including France’s Marine Le Pen and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. At the close of the Warsaw gathering, the group issued a declaration against “social engineering” aimed at creating “a new European nation” and made promises, largely unfulfilled, to work together in the European parliament.Only a few months after the Warsaw summit, the governments of Poland and Hungary, who have been ideological soul mates in the EU for years, fell out over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While Warsaw has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters, urging tougher sanctions, Hungary’s leader, Orbán, has described Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as his “opponent” and blamed the EU’s Russia policy for inflation and soaring energy prices. Despite a few tentative olive branches, Polish-Hungarian relations remain tense. Continue reading...

Twelve-year-old was asphyxiated and her body was found outside building where she livedFrench authorities have arrested a 24-year-old woman on suspicion of killing a 12-year-old girl whose body, covered in cuts and bruises, was found in a plastic suitcase outside her home in Paris.The death of the girl, named Lola, quickly became a source of political tension, with opposition parties seizing on the profile of the suspect – who had entered the country illegally – to call for tougher immigration policies. Continue reading...

TotalEnergies workers extend stoppages in row over pay, with transport workers joining movementThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, is facing the biggest challenge of his second term as long-running oil depot and refinery blockades create fuel shortages, transport workers join the strike for higher wages and the government prepares to force its budget through parliament without a vote, unable to find a compromise with the opposition.The leftwing CGT union on Tuesday voted to extend stoppages at several oil refineries and depots operated by the French energy giant TotalEnergies, as they demanded an immediate 10% pay rise to counter the cost of living crisis and a share of companies’ profits amid the surge in energy prices heightened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Retailer to open its first two standalone convenience stores before ChristmasAsda is opening is first convenience stores outside a petrol station as its new owners search for ways to expand the UK’s third largest supermarket chain and overtake Sainsbury’s.The two Asda Express stores – in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, and Tottenham Hale, north London – will open before Christmas with 30 sites planned over the coming year. Continue reading...

Haitians currently facing series of crises that are becoming deadlier by the day with gangs, hunger and cholera outbreakNGOs operating in Haiti warn that the chaos engulfing the country has become so total and the social fabric so torn that the country is on the verge of collapse, as discussions continue at the UN security council on how to restore order.Haitians are currently facing a series of overlapping crises that are becoming deadlier by the day as heavily armed gangs continue to blockade the country’s principal port and fuel terminal. Continue reading...

Policymakers attempt to insulate households from worst of impact from Russia’s invasion of UkraineThe EU has proposed a cap on “excessive and volatile” gas prices this winter as part of a package to protect consumers.Brussels has put forward a new mechanism to control prices by blocking transactions above a certain level, which can be triggered “when needed”. Continue reading...

Drivers with GXO Logistics, which makes 40% of beer deliveries, to strike over pay and job cutsThe prospect of a UK beer shortage is looming as drivers and workers at a firm that makes about 40% of deliveries to UK pubs and clubs are to stage five days of strike action over pay and job cuts.About 1,000 drivers and dray workers – a person who delivers beer for a brewery – at GXO Logistics plan to stage a first round of strikes between 31 October and 4 November at depots across the UK. Continue reading...

Founder of online shopping group cements control as Japanese firm offloads its holding at £450m lossTHG shares have jumped on the news that Japan’s SoftBank will sell its stake in the troubled British online shopping group to its co-founder Matthew Moulding and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.The move has cemented Moulding’s control of THG, formerly known as The Hut Group, which owns a range of internet health and beauty retailers, and ended speculation about SoftBank’s disastrous investment. Continue reading...

Prominent Jewish community leaders in Australia say Albanese government’s withdrawal of recognition ‘a gratuitous insult’ – but criticism is not universal

Marshall Jefferson and Adonis are among more than a dozen artists suing the pioneering Chicago house labelMore than a dozen artists are suing the pioneering Chicago house label Trax Records, the estate of co-founder Larry Sherman, and current owners Screamin’ Rachael Cain and Sandyee Barns, Rolling Stone reports.The plaintiffs, among them Trax co-founder Vince Lawrence and musicians Marshall Jefferson, Adonis and Maurice Joshua – allege that the label owes them unpaid royalties and in some cases that the label never paid them anything at all, according to a copy of the lawsuit seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...