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Health visitor tells court she reported black mould to housing officers months before Awaab Ishak died of respiratory failureA health visitor wrote to housing officials expressing concern about conditions in a rented flat months before a two-year-old died after his exposure to mould.An inquest in Rochdale is investigating the death of toddler Awaab Ishak who lived with his mother and father in a one-bedroom housing estate flat managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH). Continue reading...

European diplomats say Charles Michel video referring to Russia’s ‘illegal’ and ‘brutal’ invasion was withdrawn from trade fairChinese authorities dropped a trade fair speech by the European Council president, Charles Michel, that was critical of Russia’s war in Ukraine, diplomats have said.The recorded message by Michel was meant to be one of several from world leaders and heads of international bodies played at the opening on Friday last week of China’s International Import Expo in Shanghai. Three European diplomats said Michel’s speech, which was to have been heavily critical of Russia’s “illegal” war in Ukraine, had been removed, according to Reuters, which first reported the incident. Continue reading...

Family and former colleagues pay tribute to ‘brilliant actor’ who played character from 1985 until 1996Bill Treacher, who played Arthur Fowler in EastEnders, has died aged 92.The veteran actor was one of the BBC soap’s original cast members and appeared from 1985 until 1996. Continue reading...

Guardia Civil first to be convicted after alleging video showed a Moroccan migrant raping a womanA police officer who deliberately posted a misleading video clip of a sexual assault to try to stir up hatred against migrant children has become the first person in Spain to be handed a jail sentence for using social media to publish and spread fake news.A court in Barcelona on Tuesday convicted the Guardia Civil officer of an offence against fundamental rights and public freedoms and sentenced him to 15 months in prison and a fine of €1,620 (£1,410). Continue reading...

Liverpool mayor welcomes contract for addition to fleet amid criticism boat will be built in the NetherlandsThey are older than the Gerry and the Pacemakers song that made them world famous, but now the Mersey ferries have been granted an addition to the fleet – 60 years after the last one was built.A new, more environmentally friendly ferry is being built to add to the current fleet and an older one will be refurbished, as part of a raft of funding to regenerate parts of the River Mersey. Continue reading...

Condé Nast files complaint in Manhattan federal court after rappers allegedly use trademark without permissionThe rappers Drake and 21 Savage have been sued by Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue magazine, for allegedly using the Vogue name without permission to promote their new album, Her Loss.Condé Nast claimed the musicians’ promotional campaign, including to their more than 135 million social media followers, was built “entirely” on the unauthorised use of Vogue trademarks and false representations that they would appear on Vogue’s next cover, and with the “love and support” of the magazine’s longtime editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. Continue reading...

Standoff over rescue ship in Catania is first test of migration policy under Giorgia MeloniItaly’s new far-right government has enacted its controversial new anti-migration plan, which provides for the pushback of mostly male asylum seekers of adult age rescued in the central Mediterranean who Rome does not deem qualified for international protection.The move has sparked a row in the country and has provoked the protests of jurists, lawyers and charities who consider it a breach of international law on rescue at sea. Continue reading...

Broadcaster of Iran International TV says police told two of its staff of ‘imminent, credible risk’ to lifeBritish-Iranian journalists based in the UK have been warned by police of imminent and credible death threats from Iran, prompting a call from the House of Commons for the UK to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.Volant Media, the London-based broadcaster of Iran International TV, said two of its journalists had been notified by the Metropolitan police that the threats “represent an imminent, credible and significant risk to their lives and those of their families”. Continue reading...

Large number of concrete blocks being constructed to hinder military vehicles in key locations, UK says

Retired bishop made cardinal by pope confessed to ‘reprehensible’ acts with 14-year-old girl in 1980sFrench prosecutors have opened an inquiry into child abuse by a cardinal after he confessed publicly to “reprehensible” acts with a 14-year-old girl in the 1980s.Jean-Pierre Ricard, a retired bishop made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2016, was named among 11 senior clergymen who face sexual abuse allegations in an announcement by the French Catholic Church on Monday. Continue reading...

Bipolar Commission says more specialist training needed to reduce average 9.5-year wait to get diagnosisRoutine screening for bipolar disorder should be ingrained into the NHS, alongside specialist training to help identify the condition and reduce the average 9.5-year wait to get a diagnosis, experts say.A report by the Bipolar Commission, which brings together academics and other experts in the field, also recommended appointing a national director of mood disorders to ensure everyone has access to a 12-week psychoeducation course, and a specialist doctor to oversee their prescriptions and on-going care. Continue reading...

ABF warns of ‘challenging’ market but no further price rises planned for coming months at PrimarkPrimark’s owner is expecting to take a combined hit from inflation of £2bn this year and next as it warned a weak consumer backdrop would also pose a challenge in the coming months.Associated British Foods said it had “encountered the most challenging economic conditions for many years with sharply rising and broadly based inflation”, with prices at Primark up by about 8% for autumn . Continue reading...

Legal bill grows by $248,000 in three months amid ongoing pursuit of secrecy

Equivalent of 12 cans of mid-strength beer can be carried in Pormpuraaw, leaving just five ‘dry’ communities

Linda Burney says government will propose changes to modernise the century-old act before the end of the year

Ex-ambassador John Casson warns hunger striker’s situation at crucial stage after PM meets Egyptian leaderThe release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, the detained British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist who is on hunger strike, has become the defining issue for British-Egyptian relations, the former British ambassador to Egypt John Casson has warned.His comments came as Abd el-Fattah’s aunt, the novelist Ahdaf Soueif, said there was a danger the British “are allowing themselves to be fobbed off with the excuses they have been given since last December when we started asking for consular visits”. Continue reading...

Stephen Kinnock says identity scheme would help to reassure public ‘we have control of borders’

Avanti West Coast to run very limited service all day despite strikes being called offMany train services will start later than usual on Tuesday and Avanti West Coast will run a reduced timetable all day, despite the cancellation of planned strikes this week.Three 24-hour strikes planned by railway workers for 5, 7 and 9 November were called off last Friday, as the RMT union said it would enter “a period of intensive negotiations” with Network Rail and other train operators. Continue reading...

Former prime minister and media academics criticise reports, but Jeff Kennett says questions are ‘fair play’

‘Unprecedented’ deficits will force heads to make ‘catastrophic’ cuts and reduce support for vulnerable pupils, NAHT warnsThousands of schools in England are drawing up plans to make staff redundant in the face of a crippling funding crisis, and in many cases will also have to cut mental health support and Covid catch-up tuition, according to findings from one of the largest surveys of school leaders in recent times.Two-thirds (66%) of the 11,000 school leaders who took part in the poll by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said they will have to make teaching assistants redundant or reduce their hours, while half (50%) are looking at cutting the number of teachers or teaching hours as they grapple with rising costs. Continue reading...

Adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel will premiere at Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in AprilA stage production of a poignant novel about the death of William Shakespeare’s son from plague is to have its world premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon next April.Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell, was published in March 2020, just as the world locked down in response to the Covid pandemic. It tells the story of a family racked by grief at the loss of the 11-year-old, focusing on everyday domestic detail while never naming the boy’s father. Continue reading...

Julie Inman Grant tells Senate estimates hearing she worries staff exodus and charging for blue tick could impact safety protections

The Hurun Rich list shows the Russia-Ukraine war and Beijing’s zero-Covid measures seriously affecting China’s most wealthyChina’s super-rich saw their wealth fall by the largest amount in over two decades, as the Russia-Ukraine war, Beijing’s zero-Covid measures and falling local stock markets pummelled fortunes, an annual rich list showed.The Hurun Rich list, which ranks China’s wealthiest people with a minimum net worth of 5 billion yuan ($690m), said only 1,305 people made the threshold this year, down 11% from last year. Their total wealth was $3.5tn, down 18% from last year. Continue reading...

Sessions will encourage students to call out misogyny to help prevent violence against women and girlsPupils in London are to be given “allyship training” as part of a package of measures designed to educate young people about healthy relationships and help prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG).The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has invested £1m in a new education toolkit, which is to be made available to all secondary schools in the capital to help pupils recognise and call out sexist and misogynistic behaviour. Continue reading...

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By saying he is continuing to interfere he appears to be trying to shape the idea that results can’t be trustedThe admission by Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin that he has interfered in US elections and would continue doing so in future, is both unsurprising – not least because it has long been known to be true – and, perhaps, not to be taken entirely at face value.While it is the first such admission from a figure who has been formally accused by Washington over Moscow’s efforts to influence American politics the timing of Prigozhin’s comments ahead of the midterm elections are also significant. Continue reading...

Gerald Bantag behind killing of Percival Mabasa in Manila suburb last month, authorities claimPolice in the Philippines have accused the country’s prisons chief of ordering the killing of a prominent radio journalist whose death sparked international alarm.Percival Mabasa, 63, who went by the name Percy Lapid on his programme, was shot dead in a Manila suburb on 3 October as he drove to his studio. Continue reading...

Gaffes have dogged the minister across various departments and roles, from A-levels to 5G

Users adopt Musk’s name after he announces suspension of accounts pretending to be someone elseElon Musk has banned a US comedian’s Twitter account after taking on users who impersonate him on the platform.Twitter’s new owner announced an immediate ban on accounts pretending to be someone else without flagging them as parodies. The move resulted in the removal of an “Elon Musk” account held by the comedian Kathy Griffin, who had changed her account name to match that of the Tesla chief executive. Continue reading...

António Guterres tells leaders ‘global climate fight will be won or lost in this crucial decade – on our watch’

Former president Moon Jae-in says he will give up gift of Pungsan dogs if no support from Yoon Suk-yeolSouth Korea’s former president Moon Jae-in has said he plans to give up a pair of dogs sent by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, as a gift after their 2018 summit, citing a lack of support from his successor.Moon has raised the white Pungsan dogs, named Gomi and Songgang, since their arrival and took them to his personal residence after his term ended in May. Continue reading...

Halifax reports steepest monthly drop since February 2021 amid interest rate risesUK house prices fell by 0.4% in October after Liz Truss’s mini-budget drove a sudden rise in mortgage rates, the lender Halifax said.The decline in the average price to £292,598 was the third in the past four months and the steepest since February 2021. The annual rate of growth in house prices slowed to 8.3% in October from 9.8% in September. Continue reading...

Above-average temperatures across northern hemisphere come amid an extremely warm year for BritainThe UK and much of Europe experienced well above normal temperatures during the second month of the meteorological autumn, in what was a very warm month for the northern hemisphere as a whole.Persistent low pressure in the Atlantic and higher pressure across central and southern Europe helped feed mild air from the south/south-west for prolonged periods in October. Continue reading...

Airline reports greater traffic at higher fares than the same period in 2019, before Covid lockdownsRyanair has reported a surge in profits to a record €1.4bn (£1.2bn) for the first half of its financial year, as the airline said it was seeing no letup in the demand for air travel going into winter after record summer passenger numbers.The airline reported greater traffic at higher fares than the same period in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, the first time that has been achieved since the first Covid-19 lockdowns. Continue reading...

Rival teams begin launching aerial artistic creations that explode with fireworks once (hopefully) in the skyThousands of people have gathered in the hills of central Myanmar for the annual Tazaungdaing light festival marking the end of the rainy season with a fiery display of exploding hot-air balloons.The celebration in the former British hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin has not been held for two years because of the Covid pandemic and unrest after a military coup. Continue reading...

Albanese government has agreed amendments to get business on board but independent senators won’t be bullied into passing omnibus legislation

‘Limited chance’ such a move would result in return of data or prevent it being published, health insurer chief says

Proposed laws may allow access to sensitive and confidential information and could undermine public confidence, commissioner says

Earlier document warned proposed debt recovery measures would have ‘fundamental impacts on social security policy and legislation’, royal commission told

NSW police want details of case suppressed while Gunathilaka’s lawyer has suggested T20 World Cup player could appeal bail decision

Faith centres, village halls and other warm spaces will struggle to stay open this winter, says reportThe “last line of defence” against the cost of living crisis is under threat as churches and other community hubs could be forced to close their doors because of spiralling bills and shrinking donations, two UK elder statesmen have said.Former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and ex-archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams say: “The UK’s faith and voluntary sectors find themselves as precarious as the people they are helping.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Support for developing countries will be critical issue at Cop27 but new data shows rich countries are laggingThe US, UK, Canada and Australia have fallen billions of dollars short of their “fair share” of climate funding for developing countries, analysis shows.The assessment, by Carbon Brief, compares the share of international climate finance provided by rich countries with their share of carbon emissions to date, a measure of their responsibility for the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission takes action against operator over misconductMelbourne’s Crown Casino has been slapped with a record $120m in fines for breaching gambling laws spanning more than a decade, including consistently failing to stop people gaming for long periods.The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has taken disciplinary action against Crown for ongoing misconduct, imposing two fines.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Moscow’s growing need for armaments from Pyongyang is likely to lead to greater alignment of diplomatic and military interestsRussian arms procurement from Iran and North Korea heralds an increasing convergence of military and diplomatic interests between Moscow and two countries regarded as international pariahs.Amid renewed accusations from Washington that Russia is attempting to procure large amounts of artillery ammunition from Pyongyang, on top of the missiles and kamikaze and other drones it has already bought from Iran, Moscow’s arms procurement blitz has flagged up the mounting logistical problems in Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. Continue reading...

‘We were only notified on the day’ delegation arrived in Australia, secretary of federal Attorney-General’s Department says

NSW premier believes cards will reduce crime and help problem gamblers, but industry body says measures should target ‘the bad guys’

Scandal over Malcolm MacArthur killings destabilised a government and spawned an acronymNo single adjective could do justice to the events that rocked Ireland in July and August 1982, so the then taoiseach, Charles Haughey, used four: “Grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented”. An acronym was soon born: Gubu.That summer, Malcolm MacArthur, a socialite with a yen for bow ties and cravats, had bludgeoned a young woman to death, killed a farmer with his own shotgun and attempted to rob a retired US diplomat, sparking a huge manhunt. Continue reading...

Move away from traditional date of 7 January directed against pro-Putin head of Russian Orthodox church

The southern occupied city and surrounding settlements lost power over the weekend, the first time the region has seen such an energy cut