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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...

Customers call for transparency and clear information about what personal information has been compromised

Identification repair service receives a month’s worth of complaint calls in three days as government pressures telco to pay for replacement ID documents

King’s College London finds 65% believe campuses places of ‘robust debate’ – but growing number disagreesMost UK students say their universities are places of free speech and debate – although a growing number are aware of free speech being restricted on campus, a study published by King’s College London has found.The analysis, by KCL’s Policy Institute, found that 65% of students agreed that “free speech and robust debate are well protected in my university”, a higher proportion than the 63% who felt that way in a survey three years ago. Continue reading...

Oceanographer tells inquest it was entirely possible fraudulent adviser’s body entered the water when she was last seen in November 2020

No injuries have been reported and there is no significant impact on departures or arrivalsTwo aircraft have been involved in a “minor collision” on the runway at Heathrow, the airport has said.Emergency services are at the scene but no injuries have been reported. An Icelandair plane and Korean Air aircraft are understood to have had a collision on the airfield at about 8pm on Wednesday, which is being investigated. Continue reading...

Government says country ‘moving ahead’ with ceasefire as new leftist president Gustavo Petro promises ‘total peace’At least 10 armed groups in Colombia, including the Gulf Clan crime gang and dissident members of the Farc rebels who rejected a peace deal have agreed to participate in unilateral ceasefires, according to the government.President Gustavo Petro, who took office in August, has promised to seek “total peace” with armed groups, fully implementing a 2016 peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and meeting with dissidents and gangs. Continue reading...

No 10 says PM has faith in chancellor, as Treasury minister says tax cuts are the ‘right plan’. This blog is now closed

Sally Mays’ parents fought for seven years to hear details of chat outside mental health unit their daughter was turned away fromAn NHS trust has “not covered itself in glory” in its dealings with the family of a vulnerable young woman who killed herself after being refused admission to hospital, a coroner has found.The three-day hearing looked at evidence withheld from the original inquest into the death of Sally Mays, who killed herself in 2014 after being turned away from a mental health unit.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Lack of supply will prevent crash, say some, while others predict ‘simple maths’ mean property price bubble poised to burst

FoI request reveals long wait to repair roofs at risk of collapse, including those affecting Truss and Coffey constituentsDangerous roofs which could collapse at any time at hospitals across England will not be fixed until 2035, NHS bosses have admitted.The disclosure came in NHS England’s response to a freedom of information request from the Liberal Democrats about hospitals which have roofs at risk of falling down on to staff, patients and equipment. Continue reading...

Court heard Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith struck Atkinson with her baton three times as he lay on groundDalian Atkinson’s family have criticised police for taking the life of their loved one and condemned the justice system for taking six years to complete criminal trials of officers involved.The former Premier League footballer died in August 2016 after a clash with two officers in Telford, Shropshire, during which he was shot with a stun gun for 33 seconds and kicked in the head. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Edward Argar offers first public explanation for use of taxpayers’ money on Lord Pannick report

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereSweden’s foreign minister Ann Linde has said on the public television broadcaster SVT this morning that the suspected sabotage against the Nord Stream gas pipelines does not constitute an attack on Sweden, Reuters reports.If you missed it yesterday, my colleague Dan Sabbagh offered this analysis, suggesting that even if European nations decided that Russia had been behind the action, it was unlikely to generate a military response, since the suspected explosions were outside of Danish territorial waters, and technically on assets owned by Russia’s Gazprom.This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com Continue reading...

Boys, 15 and 16, appear via video link after teenager stabbed outside school in HuddersfieldTwo teenagers have appeared before a crown court judge charged with the murder of the Huddersfield schoolboy Khayri Mclean .Khayri, 15, was stabbed near the entrance of North Huddersfield Trust School last week, later dying in hospital. Continue reading...

Report says children heavily exposed to content and calls for better regulationSexual and physical abuse in France’s porn industry is “systemic” and lawmakers should better regulate the production of videos and protect children who are “heavily exposed” to the content, according to a French senate report.The report, titled Hell Behind the Scenes, was the first prepared for the French parliament to focus on the porn industry, which the authors described as “predatory”. Continue reading...

Acquittal of four who toppled statue unchanged but appeal court decision could affect future trials for ‘significant’ criminal damageProtesters accused of “significant” criminal damage cannot rely on human rights protections when on trial, the court of appeal has said.The ruling comes after the attorney general made a referral on a point of law following the acquittal of the Colston four. Suella Braverman, who is now home secretary, made the referral after Conservative MPs criticised the acquittal of protesters who toppled the Bristol statue of the slave trader Edward Colston. Continue reading...

MP tells World Transformed festival at Labour conference she experienced racism in party

Formal annexation could be declared by end of week while Ukrainian president condemns ‘farce’ vote on regions joining Russia

The woman likely to be the first transgender member of parliament says she still feels threat hanging over herNo one does political rags to riches stories quite like Brazil, but even in a nation where the most celebrated president in decades once shined shoes to survive, the story of Erika Hilton takes some beating.The transgender teenager was kicked out of her house aged 14 and spent several years as a sex worker in rural Brazil before reconnecting with her mother and studying teaching and gerontology at university. Continue reading...

Threat of sanctions from Gazprom adds to turmoil caused by damage to Nord Stream pipelines in Baltic SeaGas prices have risen on fears that Russia could halt supplies to Europe through Ukraine, adding to turmoil caused by damage to the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea.The Kremlin-controlled gas company Gazprom said it could impose sanctions on Ukraine’s Naftogaz due to ongoing arbitration. Continue reading...

Refusal to extend period defendants can be kept in jail awaiting trial in cases delayed by protest deemed error of judgmentJudges were wrong to refuse to extend the period defendants could be kept in jail awaiting trial in cases delayed by the criminal barristers’ strike, the high court has ruled.It accepted a challenge by the director of public prosecutions (DPP) to decisions made by judges at Bristol and Manchester crown courts not to extend the period that three men in two cases could be held on remand beyond the six-month limit. Continue reading...

Airline reflects diversity of workforce with policy on its Vivienne Westwood-designed outfitsVirgin Atlantic’s crew, pilots and ground staff can now wear whichever of its uniforms they feel most comfortable in, regardless of the original male or female design of its red skirt suit or burgundy trousers.The airline has announced a gender identity policy that lets its staff choose which of the Vivienne Westwood-designed outfits they wear to work – “no matter their gender, gender identity or gender expression”. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy vows to defend Ukrainian citizens after Moscow-backed officials declare victory in regional ‘referendums’ on joining Russia

Cost of living crisis blamed for fast-fashion brand’s performance, with 10% fall in total revenues in first halfBoohoo has issued a profit and sales warning as the cost of living crisis causes a slump in shopper demand for the fast-fashion brand’s products.The online clothing retailer, whose brands include Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal, reported a 10% fall in total revenues to £882m in the half year to 31 August and said it now expects annual sales to be down about the same level. Continue reading...

Detectives found Karthik Pappu’s fingerprints on a book containing information about 305 bank accounts and 68 compromised identities

Federal government believes the company should pay, not taxpayers. This blog is now closed

As lenders pull mortgage products amid interest rate turmoil, experts forecast ‘significant fall’House prices are likely to fall by at least 10% next year as mortgage providers pull deals and raise interest payments to levels not seen since before the 2008 financial crisis, property experts have predicted.Nearly 300 mortgage deals have been pulled by banks and building societies, after a fall in the pound fuelled forecasts of a jump in the Bank of England base rate to nearly 6%, with those offers remaining on the market entailing huge borrowing costs for potential buyers, reducing how much they can pay for properties. Continue reading...

The German author’s contribution will remain unseen, alongside contributions from authors including Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell, until 2114German writer Judith Schalansky has become the ninth author to be selected for the Future Library, which asks authors to create a work that will not be revealed to readers until 2114.The Future Library is an organic artwork dreamed up by the Scottish artist Katie Paterson. It began in 2014 with the planting of 1,000 Norwegian spruces in a patch of forest outside Oslo, and one writer a year is asked to contribute a manuscript to the project. Continue reading...

Fighting since country’s election in July has continued in the highlands, with women and children most vulnerableAn estimated 90,000 people have been displaced by violence in the highlands of Papua New Guinea since May, with about 25,000 children unable to attend school and reports of rape, kidnapping and other violence, say the UN and local officials.The fighting has been related in many cases to the recent national elections, in which around 50 people were killed and schools and other public buildings burnt down. Continue reading...

Film’s sudden disappearance in China prompts censorship accusations amid heightened sensitivity ahead of key Communist party meeting

Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing hears police demanded retesting, resulting in profile found to match offender

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson to announce plan to fund breakfast clubs in every primary schoolLabour will rebuild a new childcare system to ease the pressure on parents from the “end of parental leave right through to the end of primary school”, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said, starting with a pledge on free breakfast clubs.Phillipson will announce on Wednesday that fully funded breakfast clubs for every primary school in England would be funded by the revenues raised by restoring the top rate of income tax to 45p, if Labour were elected. Continue reading...

Artist dined at Mayfair restaurant almost every night in later years, and would sometimes share a table with co-founder Jeremy KingA portrait by Lucian Freud of the restaurateur behind the Wolseley, the Mayfair establishment where the artist dined nearly every evening in the last few years of his life, is to be sold next month.Freud was completing the etching of Jeremy King when he died in 2011. The two had become friends over a period of about 30 years after Freud began dining at Le Caprice, another King establishment (and a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales’s), and at the Wolseley when it opened in 2003. Continue reading...

One in five asthmatics had attack as result of cutting back on food, heat or medicine due to costs, survey findsMore than a million people in the UK have experienced life-threatening asthma attacks after cutting back on medicine, heating or food amid the soaring cost of living crisis, a survey suggests.One in five (20%) people living with asthma in the UK – of which there are 5.4 million – have had an attack as a result of changes they have been forced to make due to rising energy, food and household bills, according to the research by Asthma + Lung UK. Fuel poverty campaigners described the figures as “distressing”. Continue reading...

Inmates in England and Wales still held under ‘imprisonment for public protection’ scheme scrapped 10 years agoAlmost 3,000 prisoners in England and Wales stuck behind bars under an abolished “irredeemably flawed” indefinite sentencing scheme should be re-sentenced, MPs and peers have said.The indefinite nature of jail terms under the imprisonment for public protection (IPP) scheme has contributed to feelings of hopelessness and despair that has resulted in high levels of self-harm and some suicides among prisoners, according to the justice select committee. Continue reading...

DMZ trip comes days after North Korea warned that the South and the US risked ‘triggering conflict’ with joint naval drills

ACCC warns outlets against passing on increased excise before running down supplies of half-taxed fuel

Liberal leader urges government to ignore criticism on threshold test for public hearings and says there is ‘no place for corrupt behaviour in public life’

Australia’s drugs regulator issues 73 infringement notices over claims prescriptions could treat conditions such as cancer and epilepsy

60 properties in warning area after privately owned dam’s wall shows signs of structural failure

New role likely to grant prince sovereign immunity in case concerning journalist murdered in Saudi Arabian embassyMohammed bin Salman has been named prime minister of Saudi Arabia in a move that experts said would probably shield the crown prince from a potentially damaging lawsuit in the US in connection to his alleged role in the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that King Salman was making an exception to Saudi law and naming his son as prime minister, formally ceding the dual title of king and prime minister he had personally held until now. Continue reading...

Communication Workers Union say industrial action will cover Black Friday and the Christmas buildupRoyal Mail workers are to hold a further 19 strikes in October and November in a deteriorating and long-running dispute over pay and conditions.The Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced that the industrial action in the run up to Christmas will be a mixture of single days and rolling action across Royal Mail Group’s network. Continue reading...

While the Labour leader spoke to a party that smells power again, some big obstacles remain in the wayIn Keir Starmer’s first radio interview after becoming Labour leader he was asked what his first priority would be in opposition. From a broad slate of possible responses – social justice, a stable economy, investing in public services – he didn’t hesitate. “To win the next election.”At the time, his answer was, frankly, laughable. Labour had just suffered its biggest election defeat in more than 80 years and the party was divided, exhausted and traumatised by the defeat. But life, and in this case politics, comes at you fast. Continue reading...

Opposition leader says Tories have ‘lost control’ and Labour is now the party of ‘sound money’Keir Starmer pledged to establish a publicly owned energy company in his first year in office as he reflected Labour’s growing hope that the party is on the path back to power.In a conference speech that set out his vision for government, the Labour leader told delegates they must “spend each day” between now and the next election working to earn the trust of the British people, adding: “As in 1945, 1964, 1997, this is a Labour moment.” Continue reading...

Idea of publicly owned energy firm and policies addressing climate crisis go down particularly wellKeir Starmer has hailed a “Labour moment”, describing the party as the “political wing of the people” in his keynote speech at the Labour conference in Liverpool.Setting out his plan for a Labour-run UK, Starmer said the party would establish a state-owned energy company, increase investment in the NHS and would aim to raise home ownership to 70%. Continue reading...

Swedish seismologists says blasts detected near gas pipelines, which are leaking into Baltic sea. This live blog is now closed.