Full extent of injuries from ‘brutal attack’ on Satanic Verses author in New York state in August revealedSalman Rushdie has lost his sight in one eye and the use of one hand after the attack he suffered while preparing to deliver a lecture in New York state two months ago, his agent has confirmed.The 75-year-old author, whose received death threats from Iran in the 1980s after his novel The Satanic Verses was published, was stabbed in the neck and torso as he came on stage to give a talk on artistic freedom at the Chautauqua Institution on 12 August. Continue reading...

China’s president doubles down on ruling for life, excluding potential future leaders or factional rivalsXi Jinping has stacked the senior Chinese Communist party ranks with loyalists, showing China’s ever more powerful leader favours loyalty over merit – and wants rule insulated from criticism or questioning.The appointments, which were revealed on Sunday, have raised concerns that Xi has surrounded himself with “yes men” as he leads China through what he called the “choppy waters” of the future, some of which are of his own making. The country is facing domestic economic troubles and worsening global tensions as Xi doubles down on threats to annex Taiwan. Continue reading...

Pte Addy Carter, 21, presented with coveted maroon beret after completing test of enduranceA British private has become the first female soldier to pass a notoriously gruelling army course to prove that personnel have the resilience to serve in the airborne forces.Pte Addy Carter, 21, successfully completed the three-and-a-half-week parachute regiment entry test – known as P Company, which includes loaded marches, log and stretcher races and an aerial confidence course. Continue reading...

In Predappio, supporters celebrate victory of their first female prime minister Giorgia Meloni, leader of a party with neo-fascist originsDressed in a black sweater, with “Propaganda” written in bold white letters across the back, Marco, 32, and his two friends had travelled to Predappio from their home in the Marche region to pay their respects at the grave of Benito Mussolini before the impending 100th anniversary of the fascist dictator’s march on Rome.The ornate Mussolini family crypt, located in the tiny San Cassiano cemetery of the Emilia Romagna town, has attracted thousands of admirers since it reopened on an all-year-round basis in March, with the daily flow increasingly more consistent since the late September general election victory for a coalition led by Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist origins, which was sworn into government on Saturday. Continue reading...

Shane MacGowan has no studio and draws on ‘sick bags’ with his wife’s lipstick, but Kate Moss has bought his artShane MacGowan is bemused and amazed by the positive response to his first London show. “I was just blown away by the whole thing,” he told the Observer.His name is a byword for hard living, but this month the renowned former frontman of the Pogues has revealed a hidden talent for drawing. Now the 64-year-old has learned that his Knightsbridge gallery has sold almost all of the work on display and extended the show. Continue reading...

Chancellor’s fiscal plan by Halloween would be too rushed and ‘irresponsible’, say officialsSenior Whitehall officials are concerned that Jeremy Hunt now risks going too far in cutting public spending and should delay the Halloween statement outlining his austerity plans, the Observer has been told.Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, is understood to have been made aware of concerns that the chancellor risks going too far in cutting back spending if he decides to go ahead with a sweeping programme of reductions. Continue reading...

New South Wales and Queensland have blocked access to some facilities with NSW corrections minister saying people can’t just ‘wander through at their leisure’

Funding of more than $3bn will support agricultural methane reduction, clean tech initiatives and the commercialisation of seaweed feed supplement

Speed of government collapse prompts a scramble to solve logistical problems and select candidatesLabour has gained 20,000 new members since the end of the party conference season as it gears up for a general election following the Tory party’s implosion and Liz Truss’s disastrous premiership.On Thursday alone – the day of Truss’s resignation after just 45 days in Downing Street – Labour gained 2,000 more members, with lapsed members rejoining and others signing up for the first time. One fundraising email on the same day generated almost £100,000 in donations. Continue reading...

Controversial Tory bill set to inflict further damage on businesses, with no clues yet about incoming legislationTory plans to scrap most EU laws by the end of 2023, to show that Brexit is being delivered, risk causing untold legal chaos and yet more damage to British businesses, according to the former head of the government’s legal service.With the country still reeling from the effects of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget, ministers are facing mounting opposition from business groups, environmentalists, legal experts, unions and opposition parties to what is being described as another dangerous, ideologically driven experiment by pro-Brexit Tory rightwingers. Continue reading...

President would normally step down now after 10 years as leader, but he has abolished term limits and promoted his alliesXi Jinping has eliminated key rivals from China’s leadership and consolidated his grip on the country on the final day of a Communist party meeting at which former president Hu Jintao was led away unexpectedly from the main stage. Hu’s departure was a rare moment of unscripted drama in what is usually carefully choreographed political theatre.The closing session of the 20th congress of the Chinese Communist party (CCP) ended a weekend of triumph for Xi that makes him China’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. He has swept away the last norms of a political order built since Mao’s death to prevent a return to the worst excesses of rule by a single autocrat. Continue reading...

NHS Federation chief says slashing budget will plunge crumbling service into deeper crisisRaiding the NHS budget or scrapping plans to rebuild crumbling hospitals would plunge the health service into its deepest crisis in decades. This was the stark warning this weekend from Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, who said the government is “living in a fantasy land” if it believes it can cut funds to the NHS without endangering patients.Jeremy Hunt promised spending cuts of “eye-watering difficulty” last week after becoming chancellor of the exchequer. Yet he also did not reverse his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng’s decision to scrap the £7bn health and social levy that had been earmarked for the NHS. Continue reading...

The former PM has voted in parliament once since announcing his resignation in July. But he has put in plenty of time at fancy resortsBoris Johnson could never be accused of wanting to be seen as politically engaged since announcing his resignation as prime minister in early July. Yet his apparent eagerness to abandon any pretence of parliamentary involvement would make grim reading for even his most ardent fan.For about a quarter of the considerable time that has elapsed, Johnson appears to have been abroad, enjoying a series of luxury holidays as the UK lurches through economic tumult and a deepening cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

The departure of Britain’s shortest serving prime minister and a possible comeback by her predecessor has created further divisions and infighting in the chaotic Conservative partyThe plunging pound had not done it. The wholesale dumping of a budget did not do it. A complete collapse in party discipline that led to MPs cursing colleagues and others sobbing did not do it. Even the resignation of Liz Truss, making her Britain’s shortest serving prime minister by some distance, was not enough.Yet as allies of Boris Johnson immediately let it be known that he was planning to stand for party leader again, just minutes after Truss had retreated into Downing Street at the end of her humiliating resignation speech, a Tory MP with long-lasting doubts about the party’s direction said they were now finally contemplating their future within it. Continue reading...

Wife of man from Inverness found dead in London flat is ‘traumatised’ after Home Office decides she can’t settle in UKThe widow of a British man whose “suspicious” death in London remains unexplained, according to his family, is facing deportation to Myanmar and fears being targeted by its brutal military.Pan Ei Phyu has been told by the Home Office that she cannot settle in the UK. When the “traumatised” 32-year-old’s visa expires in two weeks, she faces being sent to a country that last month jailed the UK’s former ambassador to Myanmar. Continue reading...

Xinhua news agency says former Chinese president was led from political gathering to ‘rest’ amid mystery around his departureFormer Chinese president Hu Jintao was “not feeling well” when he was escorted out of the closing ceremony of a congress of the ruling Communist party on Saturday, according to state media.China’s official news agency Xinhua said in a tweet late on Saturday: “Xinhuanet reporter Liu Jiawen has learned that Hu Jintao insisted on attending the closing session of the party’s 20th national congress, despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently.” Continue reading...

Russian attacks on energy plants across Ukraine left more than a million households without electricity, officials said on Saturday

Blackouts across Ukraine after Russian missile attacks on energy facilities and other infrastructure

Boris Johnson arrives back in UK from Dominican Republic but Penny Mordaunt so far only confirmed runner to succeed Liz Truss

Ireland’s taoiseach says party should honour mandate of people of Northern Ireland ahead of election deadlineIreland’s taoiseach has called on the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) to “honour” the mandate of the people of Northern Ireland by contributing to the restoration of the Stormont institutions as the election deadline looms.Micheál Martin said it does not appear that devolved government at Stormont will be restored by Friday’s deadline. He added that it is “not satisfactory” that the powersharing institutions are not functioning. Continue reading...

Iranian shopkeepers and factory workers said to be on strike as 80,000 protesters in Berlin hear calls for sanctionsShopkeepers and factory workers reportedly went on strike in Iran on Saturday as women-led nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini entered a sixth week and solidarity rallies were held around the globe.The death of 22-year-old Amini, after her arrest for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women, has fuelled the biggest protests seen in the Islamic Republic for years. Continue reading...

36 rockets launched in a ‘massive attack’ on Ukraine, says Zelenskiy; Russia targets energy facilities in western Ukraine

Ukrainian president says most missiles fired overnight were shot down; over 1 million people without electricity after attacks on power stations

Nearly all avoidable deaths in surgery exhibit a breakdown in communication and cooperation, research shows, as doctors call for system reform

After three riders died in September and injuries rise, doctors are pushing for better helmet compliance and a rethink on regulations

Clubs NSW says the scheme will be used to combat problem gambling, but experts warn of a lack of safeguards and regulation

Incident comes after a knife attack in East Jerusalem that left Israeli man serious conditionSoldiers shot dead a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, hours after a knife attack in East Jerusalem left an Israeli man in a serious condition.The Palestinian health ministry said Rabi Arafah Rabi, 32, was hit by “a bullet to the head” at a checkpoint south-east of the city of Qalqilya. Continue reading...

Anti-Brexit rally sees crowds from across UK waving EU flags and blaming Britain’s crises on departure from unionThousands of protesters have marched through central London calling for the UK to rejoin the EU.The national rejoin march on Saturday saw large crowds of people walk from Park Lane to Parliament Square. Marchers from across the UK travelled for hours to attend. Continue reading...

Heads say they will run out of money over the next academic year, even without cuts Jeremy Hunt is planningNine out of 10 schools will have run out of money by the next school year as the enormous burden of increased energy and salary bills takes its toll, the Observer can reveal.Early data from the National Association of Head Teachers – results of a survey of its members are due later this month – shows that 50% of heads say their school will be in deficit this year, with almost all expecting to be in the red by next September,when their reserve run out. This comes as Jeremy Hunt has made clear that all departments, including education, will be expected to make cuts as part of the government’s debt reduction plan, to be announced on 31 October. Continue reading...

School leaders’ mood turns to despair at funding crisis amid growing povertyJonny Uttley, CEO of the Education Alliance academy trust, which runs seven schools in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire, was shouting and swearing at the television news on Wednesday evening. The fracking vote in the Commons had descended into noisy chaos, with allegations that Tory backbenchers were being manhandled into voting with Liz Truss’s ailing government.The contrast between the Westminster circus and what was happening in his primary and secondary schools couldn’t have been starker. Earlier, Uttley had met his headteachers to make an impossible choice: should they cut vital teaching staff or feed hungry children who weren’t entitled to free school meals. Continue reading...

In the health secretary’s Suffolk Coastal constituency, GPs struggle to meet demand and waiting lists for surgery stretch past a yearWaiting 24 hours for an ambulance when you have a broken leg isn’t much fun wherever you are. In a market town such as Saxmundham, about half an hour’s drive from the nearest hospital, there aren’t many other options.Saxmundham is at the centre of Suffolk Coastal, the constituency represented by Thérèse Coffey, the health secretary, and offers a microcosm of the issues facing the health service. Continue reading...

In Uxbridge, locals were divided on their MP’s desire for a second stint as Tory leader, with some fearing he would forget all about their problemsOn her way to get a flu jab in Uxbridge town centre, Debbie Cusmans, 57, spots a reporter with a notebook. “Bring back Boris!” she shouts, with a grin and a thumbs up. “Make sure you get that in.”We are in Johnson’s west London constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, where he has been MP since 2015. It has been a Conservative seat since its creation in 2010: he won here with a majority of 5,034 in 2017 and 7,210 in 2019, by which time he was prime minister. On Saturday, as the rumour mill raged about whether he would attempt a return to No 10, locals were contemplating a potential further spell with a PM who’s also their local MP. Continue reading...

17-year-old boy arrested in Edinburgh after Kane Moses, 19, was killed in TottenhamA teenage boy has been charged with murder after a man was stabbed to death in north London.Kane Moses, 19, was killed in Tottenham High Road on Friday 30 September. The cause of death was confirmed as a stab wound to the chest after a postmortem examination on 2 October. Continue reading...

Tory leadership candidate describes reliance on self, NHS and people of Portsmouth in video pitch for No 10Pulling pints, playing pool, at the helm of a ship and hugging constituents: Penny Mordaunt has released a new campaign video which she said represents “the real me”.The Conservative leadership candidate, who was trailing Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson for MP nominations by a significant margin on Saturday, describes in a voiceover how she has spent her life in Portsmouth. Continue reading...

Essex police say the child died at the scene despite the best efforts of paramedicsA 12-year-old boy has died after a garage wall collapsed in Clacton-on-Sea.Essex police said a man in his 30s had been rescued from the rubble with an injury to his arm but despite the best efforts of paramedics the boy had died at the scene. Continue reading...

Meloni took the oath of office as Italy’s first female PM at the presidential palace on SaturdayThe government of Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister and leader of a party with neo-fascist origins, has been sworn in.Meloni, 45, and her cabinet took the oath before the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, on Saturday. Continue reading...

Former deputy PM says country ‘cannot go backwards’ as he throws weight behind Rishi Sunak

Aderonke Apata says she has Home Office to thank for career as she fought removal to NigeriaA refugee who has just been called to the bar says she has the Home Office to thank for her career after she became an amateur legal expert while locked up in a detention centre.Aderonke Apata, 55, from Nigeria, said she was proud to take part in a ceremony last week where she, along with dozens of other newly qualified barristers, were formally called to the bar. Continue reading...

Former PM Johnson and ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak dominate front pages as the contest for the Conservative party’s top job intensifies

Late evening declarations from Hancock, Dowden, Ellwood and Tugendhat for former chancellor. This blog is now closed

The Oscar-winner will play the opera singer in a film that explores the ‘tumultuous, beautiful, and tragic’ story of her lifeAngelina Jolie is set to play opera singer Maria Callas in a new drama from Chilean film-maker Pablo Larraín.Maria will tell “the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest opera singer, relived and re-imagined during her final days in 1970s Paris” with a script from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, who last collaborated with Larraín for Princess Diana drama Spencer. Continue reading...

Move will trigger byelection in Chester after panel finds he breached Commons’ sexual misconduct policy

One of Boris Johnson’s most vocal backers to guest-host Uncensored in week of Tory leadership contestNadine Dorries will stand in for Piers Morgan on his TalkTV show, Uncensored, next week as the Conservative leadership contest is expected to play out.The Tory MP and former culture secretary, who is one of Boris Johnson’s most vocal and prominent supporters, will guest-host on Monday and Tuesday joined by Emily Sheffield, the former editor of the Evening Standard. Continue reading...

Former PM dominates debate as contest to replace Liz Truss begins, only six weeks after he left office

A dozen people were rescued from burning homes after a tanker truck crashed into a railway overpass in the central town of AguascalientesA huge blaze erupted in central Mexico after a fuel tanker truck crashed into an overpass by a rail line, scorching homes, engulfing the area in thick smoke and leading to a mass evacuation, but causing no fatalities, authorities said.Video footage of the fire on social media showed a cargo train hurtling through the flames after Thursday’s accident in the city of Aguascalientes, as stunned drivers at the scene retreated from their cars holding children close. Continue reading...

Exclusive: British Dental Association chief says there is ‘no more fat to trim’ amid fears for health budgetJeremy Hunt has been told that any cuts to the health budget will in effect “kill” dental services across the UK and deny millions of patients access to a dentist on the NHS.The chancellor has told members of the cabinet that “everything is on the table” as he seeks to find tens of billions of pounds in savings after ditching the economic plan of Liz Truss, who said on Thursday she was standing down as prime minister. Health is one key area expected to be hit. Continue reading...

Exclusive: peers to table more than 20 changes to proposed legislation when committee stage beginsLabour peers are to step up their campaign to stop the “reckless” Northern Ireland protocol bill being passed with demands for more than 20 changes.Jenny Chapman, the shadow cabinet minister in the Lords, told the Guardian the bill was “an abomination, undermining the UK’s hard-won reputation as a responsible, trustworthy partner” and called on the government to “scrap this reckless legislation”. Continue reading...

Gregory Lee Roser has been found guilty of the 2017 murder at a property north of Brisbane

Mélanie Joly tells meeting of female foreign ministers that they must help ‘amplify the voices of women in Iran’Canada’s foreign minister has said democracies have a “moral obligation” to help the “incredibly brave” women taking to the streets of Iran in protest, as she met other female foreign ministers to condemn the ongoing violence that has rocked the country for weeks.“As women foreign ministers we have a responsibility to help amplify the voices of women in Iran,” Mélanie Joly told a gathering of 14 of her female counterparts, according to a readout of the event provided to the Guardian. “As women leaders from around the world, we can make a powerful statement of support for women’s rights in Iran, and by extension, women’s rights everywhere.” Continue reading...

The UK newspaper front pages cover another historic day in politics and speculate on who is in the running to replace Liz TrussThe resignation of Liz Truss after 45 chaotic days as prime minister leads the front page of every major newspaper in the UK on Friday.The Guardian’s front page says that “After 45 days of turmoil, prime minister bows to the inevitable”, and calls this moment “The bitter end”. Continue reading...