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Russian president signs ‘accession treaties’ at Kremlin in defiance of international law and US responds with sanctions

Russian leader’s rambling speech focuses on western sins and leaves key Ukraine questions unanswered• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates• Putin annexes four regions of UkraineEight-and-a-half years after Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of Crimea, he gathered the elites of Russia in the Kremlin’s St George Hall for another land-grab ceremony: this time laying claim to four more Ukrainian regions.The annexation formalities were preceded by an angry, rambling speech which dwelled only briefly on either Ukraine or the four regions of which Russia now claims ownership. Instead, Putin railed at the west for a litany of sins, ranging from destabilising Russia in the 17th century to allowing gender reassignment surgery. Continue reading...

Budget watchdog to give assessment of fiscal plans next week but public will have to wait until chancellor’s November statementFollowing a meeting with the prime minister, Liz Truss, and the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, the Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed it will deliver an initial forecast on 7 October.A spokesperson for the OBR said:[The forecast] will, as always, be based on our independent judgment about economic and fiscal prospects and the impact of the government’s policies.We discussed the economic and fiscal outlook, and the forecast we are preparing for the chancellor’s medium-term fiscal plan.We will deliver the first iteration of that forecast to the chancellor on Friday 7 October, and will set out the full timetable up to 23 November next week. Continue reading...

Blast tore through metal and shattered glass as people queued to travel to Russian-occupied territory

Family of French boy injured in August 2019 attack report ‘our little knight sees better and better’The family of a boy thrown from the 10th floor of London’s Tate Modern art gallery have said their “little knight sees better and better” as medics noted a clear improvement in his eyesight.The French youngster was six when he was badly hurt in an attack by Jonty Bravery at the tourist attraction in August 2019. Continue reading...

Vladimir Putin formalises annexation of four occupied regions of Ukraine; at least 25 people killed as Russian missiles hit civilian convoy

Judge tells David Ames he is a ‘menace to anybody unfortunate enough to do business with you’An Essex businessman behind a £226m luxury Caribbean holiday homes fraud in which thousands of people lost their life savings and pensions has been sentenced to a 12-year term after a judge described him as running a “gigantic Ponzi scheme”.David Ames, 70, was convicted last month at Southwark crown court on two counts of fraud by abuse of position, after a Serious Fraud Office investigation found he had deceived more than 8,000 UK investors in the Harlequin Group, a hotel and resorts development venture, using celebrity endorsements to lure people in. Continue reading...

Talks held between FCA and lenders over concern millions could struggle to afford higher payments

People seeking to clarify immigration status facing ‘hostile environment’ problems, research revealsThousands of people living lawfully in the UK are encountering delays in the visa renewal process, which then cause them problems with hostile environment policies, according to research published this week by a migrant rights charity.People seeking to extend or formalise their immigration status are given the little-understood status of “3C leave” while they wait for the Home Office to process their application. During this period, their right to work, rent property and access healthcare is in theory protected, but because they have no documentary evidence proving their status, many face difficulties with landlords and employers. Continue reading...

Threats of mass protests after former general Prayuth Chan-ocha judged not to have exceeded term limitThailand’s constitutional court has allowed the prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, to remain in his job after suspending him in August while it considered whether he had overstayed his term limit.The court ruled Prayuth, a former army general who first came to power in a military coup in 2014, had not yet reached the limit of his term, even though prime ministers are barred from serving for more than eight years under Thailand’s constitution. The case had been brought by opposition MPs who argued Prayuth had violated the limit. Continue reading...

Number of billionaires interested in superyachts said to have grown despite Russia sanctions and global economic crisis“Change the TV channels now,” the captain of a $95m (£85m) Albatross superyacht calls out to a deckhand. “That guy has probably lost two mil in the last two minutes and we’re trying to convince him to drop 95.”“That guy” is a prospective buyer of the 72-metre long vessel floating in Monaco’s Port Hercules where the world’s richest people (and their entourages) have gathered this week for the annual yacht show. With more than €4bn (£3.5bn) worth of marine luxury on display, it is as brokerage firm Burgess puts it: “The chicest way for billionaires to celebrate the end of summer”. Continue reading...

Levy could raise €140bn, and energy ministers also set targets to cut electricity useEU energy ministers have agreed to levy windfall taxes on energy companies’ profits, and to cut electricity use, but remain at loggerheads over proposals to cap the price of gas.Meeting in Brussels on Friday, the bloc’s 27 energy ministers signed off on proposals to levy a “solidarity contribution” on fossil fuel producers that have benefited from soaring energy prices. Continue reading...

Rumours rife as farmers fear PM plans U-turn on financial subsidy measures to improve environmentThe chaos in the English countryside began with the click of a civil servant’s mouse. At the end of last week, farmers who had been working with the government on environmental subsidy schemes saw that their regular meetings about it had been removed from their online diaries without warning.This appeared to hint at what had been feared – that the new post-Brexit farming subsidy scheme was in danger of being scrapped. Continue reading...

Attack comes as Vladimir Putin prepares to publicly sign annexation orders for four Ukrainian regions

Tours at sites in north of England aim to be academically rigorous and shed light on the ruins’ deeper histories“It is autumnal isn’t it, you can feel the death and decay,” said the clearly delighted historian Michael Carter as he prepared to embark on a new venture at some of England’s most spectacular and atmospheric ruins.English Heritage will this weekend begin a new series of ghost story tours at five of its northern monasteries. Continue reading...

A NSW parliamentary committee has released a scathing appraisal of the decision to build the $1.34bn project on a site with ‘very real flood risks’

Former host says broadcaster wanted her to say she was walking away when in fact it was ‘refreshing’ the formatSue Barker has said she regrets the way her 24 years of hosting Question of Sport came to an end.The former professional tennis player and broadcaster, 66, criticised the way in which her departure was handled by the BBC. Continue reading...

Fact-finding mission reports brutal massacres and sexual slavery in gold-rich arc where armed gangs fight for controlStruggling to get by amid Venezuela’s runaway inflation, widespread shortages and rampant unemployment, a young woman left the city of San Félix for the promise of a job deep in the forests of Bolívar state.The offer made on Facebook promised a good salary in exchange for working in a booming mining town. Continue reading...

As Hurricane Ian hits the Americas, Noru has been ripping through the Philippines, Vietnam and ThailandHurricane Ian has been in the headlines but it is not the only storm that has been causing havoc in the past week.On Tuesday, Typhoon Noru struck south of the city of Da Nang in Vietnam, heading westwards to Thailand. Initially a tropical storm, Noru originated in the Philippine Sea on 23 September, propagating westwards while gathering moisture and strengthening. Continue reading...

Organisation reportedly sent chest-flattening devices to children against parents’ wishesA transgender rights organisation is being investigated over reports it has given breast binders to children.Mermaids, which supports transgender, non-binary and gender diverse children and their families, reportedly sent the chest-flattening devices to children against their parents’ wishes. Continue reading...

Penny Wong defends appointing former Labor minister as a sign of the ‘eminence of Australia’s relationship with the UK’

UN refugee agency says many refugees have been traumatised by years in Australian detention camps, hampering uptake of the offerIn nearly six months, just 36 people have taken up New Zealand’s offer to resettle refugees held in Australian detention camps such as Nauru, with UN’s refugee agency saying the brutality of Australia’s immigration regime is partly to blame.In March 2022, Australia’s government accepted a longstanding offer from New Zealand to resettle up to 450 refugees from Australia’s regional processing centres over the next three years, at a rate of up to 150 per year. But after nearly six months, uptake has been slow – stymied by the dire mental health of prospective applicants. Continue reading...

Tanya Plibersek says Australian Antarctic Division’s work is ‘far too important to be tainted’

No immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in which suicide bomber detonated explosives, say policeA suicide blast at an education institute in the Afghan capital of Kabul has killed 19 people and wounded 27, police said on Friday.The explosion happened inside the centre in the Dashti Barchi neighborhood of Kabul, said Khalid Zadran, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kabul police chief. Continue reading...

Decision a blow for Aboriginal land rights and leaves traditional owners ‘voiceless’, critics say

Trend most pronounced in Melbourne and Sydney, reflecting sharper downturns in major cities

Backflip comes after resistance from real estate industry and NSW’s refusal to hand over informationThe Queensland government has scrapped a proposal to alter land tax arrangements for interstate property investors, in a move described as bowing to industry pressure and wealthy landlords.The proposal – which met fierce resistance from the real estate sector and other states – would have seen interstate property holdings taken into account when determining whether an investor meets the threshold for land tax concessions.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

New flood warning system launched as cold, wet weather expected to continue next week

Anthony Koletti says he maintains Asic was responsible for Caddick’s death due to their ‘cruelty and inhumanity’

Private letter says ‘illegal’ plan could jeopardise free trade deal between UK and Gulf Cooperation CouncilArab ambassadors in London are urging Liz Truss not to go ahead with “an illegal and ill-judged” plan to move the British embassy to Jerusalem.Some Arab diplomats have even said the plan could jeopardise talks on a highly prized free trade deal between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council due to be completed this year. Continue reading...

Dozens of women found to have been ignored, disrespected and neglected in Mackay hospital, with many suffering lifelong injuries

Optus has agreed to repay the cost of replacement passports for those affected by the huge data breach, the prime minister said

Workers in health, disability and aged care will be exempt when both measures are scrapped on 14 October, Anthony Albanese says

Stokes, a senior member of Dominic Perrottet’s cabinet, made a failed attempt to replace Gladys Berejiklian as premier last year

Each will receive distributable profit of £1,058,000 in year to end of May – 33 times UK’s average annual payPartners at Deloitte in the UK and Switzerland will receive an average income of more than £1m each for the second year in a row, after the accountancy firm enjoyed another successful year.Each partner will receive an average distributable profit of £1,058,000 in the year to the end of May, about 33 times the UK’s average annual pay. This is the first time the sum has exceeded £1m and is an increase of about 24% compared with the same period the year before. Continue reading...

New monarch depicted facing left on Royal Mint’s new coin designs, the opposite way to Queen Elizabeth IIA new 50p design featuring an image of King Charles III has been unveiled by the Royal Mint and will enter circulation by the end of the year.Meanwhile, a special memorial coin range commemorating Queen Elizabeth II will be released on Monday at 9am. Charles’ portrait will appear on a £5 crown and a 50p celebrating the Queen. Continue reading...

The radio show, which has not been repeated since first airing in 1955, will be played on Radio 4 on 18 OctoberA lost episode of 1950s radio show Hancock’s Half Hour has been found and restored and will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 next month.The episode, the only one to feature the actor and comedian Peter Sellers – who was standing in for Hancock’s regular collaborator Kenneth Williams – is from the first series of the sitcom and is called The Marriage Bureau. Continue reading...

Tehran says film-makers, athletes and actors who have backed demonstrations ‘fanned flames of riots’Iran has stepped up pressure on celebrities and journalists over the wave of women-led protests sparked by outrage over the death of Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested by the Islamic republic’s morality police.Film-makers, athletes, musicians and actors have backed the demonstrations, and many saw it as a signal when the national football team remained in their black tracksuits when the anthems were played before a match in Vienna against Senegal. Continue reading...

Watchdog said it was ready to supply information, but was not asked to do so by Kwasi KwartengQ: Can you reassure listeners that your judgment is better than that of people like the IMF and the Bank of England, who have criticised the mini-budget?Truss says:I have to do what I believe is right for the country and what is going to help move our country forward. Continue reading...

Inaugural summit of EU initiative that aims to unite Europe on issues such as security and energy to take place in PragueLiz Truss will attend the inaugural summit of the European Political Community (EPC) next week, an initiative by the EU aimed at uniting the continent to work together on security and other common projects.The prime minister plans to attend the first EPC summit in Prague on 6 October, a No 10 source told the Guardian, despite her scepticism about the EU-led initiative. Continue reading...

Search and rescue effort under way after vessel sank in Stock Island, in the Florida Keys, hours before hurricane made landfallEighteen people are missing after a boat carrying Cuban migrants sank off Florida due to Hurricane Ian, further underlining the human cost of the storm.US border patrol said on Wednesday that it responded to a migrant landing in Stock Island, in the lower Florida Keys, Reuters said. Continue reading...

As Norway steps up seabed security, experts say underwater cables carrying world’s internet traffic are also at riskNato countries are scrambling to improve security of highly vulnerable undersea pipelines and communications cables after the apparent Nord Stream attack in the Baltic Sea underlines the west’s extreme vulnerability.Four gas leaks on two Nord Stream pipelines have now been reported after blasts were detected on Monday. According to several reports citing European officials, Russian vessels were seen in the vicinity of the Nord Stream I and II pipelines where they were damaged, but an examination of the damage may not be possible for weeks for safety reasons, and no proof of Moscow’s involvement has been presented. Continue reading...

Health officials urge parents to ensure children have routine jabs amid fears of measles outbreakThousands of children face an increased risk of catching deadly diseases in England, and significant outbreaks are likely, child health experts have warned, as “alarming” figures show vaccination levels have plunged across virtually all jabs.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging parents and guardians to ensure their children have received the routine jabs against potentially serious diseases, such as polio and measles, after official data revealed a drop in vaccination rates. Continue reading...

Exclusive: health secretary has decided not to publish white paper, which was originally intended for publication by last springThérèse Coffey is ditching the government’s long-promised white paper on health inequalities, despite the 19-year gap in life expectancy between rich and poor, the Guardian has been told.The health secretary has decided to not publish a document that was due to set out plans to address the stark inequalities in health that the Covid-19 pandemic exposed. Continue reading...

Show entitled Free Your Mind will be the first production at the city’s much-anticipated new arts venueAn immersive Matrix films-themed dance, music and visual effects experience directed by Danny Boyle is to be the opening production at one of Europe’s most anticipated cultural venues.The £186m Factory International in Manchester will, its supporters say, be like no other arts venue. Continue reading...

Before conclusion of hearing, Andrew Walker says risk posed to children by online content needs to be recognisedThe senior coroner examining the death of Molly Russell has said the inquest must serve as a catalyst for protecting children from the risk that the internet has brought into family homes.Andrew Walker outlined a series of concerns about the impact of social media on children, including the use of algorithms to push content to their accounts, a lack of age verification and a lack of content regulation.In the UK, the youth suicide charity Papyrus can be contacted on 0800 068 4141 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org, and 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 counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Document registered by Princess Anne shows Queen died at 3.10pm on 8 September 2022Queen Elizabeth II’s cause of death is described as “old age” in the register of deaths released on Thursday.The registrar general for Scotland, Paul Lowe, confirmed that the Queen’s death was registered in Aberdeenshire on 16 September. Continue reading...

Ministers accused of paternalistic approach after keeping coats on indoors to promote saving energyFrench ministers have been photographed in puffer jackets and polo necks instead of suits, in an attempt to set an example on wrapping up warm as the nation struggles to afford heating this winter.But political opponents attacked the government’s winter wardrobe messaging as nannying and out of touch with people’s struggles over the energy crisis and cost of living. Continue reading...

Criminal Bar Association agrees to ballot members again after fresh government offer on legal aid feesCriminal barristers in England and Wales will vote on whether to end their indefinite strike action after the government proposed a new package of reforms and legal aid fees.A further investment of £54m has been proposed after discussions between the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Continue reading...

German carmaker Volkswagen lists 12.5% of Porsche shares to raise billions to invest in electric carsPorsche shares have risen on their first day of trading as the sports carmaker shrugged off a worsening global economy in a €75bn (£67bn) stock market float, the largest European listing for more than a decade.The shares were issued at €82.50 on the Frankfurt stock exchange on Thursday, before rising in value to €86.30 by late morning. Continue reading...