Jailed campaigner Ales Bialiatski, Memorial and Center for Civil Liberties win award that will be seen as condemnation of PutinThe jailed Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties have won the 2022 Nobel peace prize, in an award the committee said was to honour champions of “peaceful coexistence” during the most tumultuous period in Europe since the second world war.“The peace prize laureates represent civil society in their home countries,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee. “They have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: British Transport Police worker allegedly shared photo of Lewis Williams after train deathPolice have been hit by a new WhatsApp controversy, with a control room worker accused of sharing a picture from the scene where a teenager died after being struck by a train.The accused worker was employed by British Transport Police (BTP) at the time. Continue reading...

Munib al-Masri has drawn up a 300-page dossier of evidence alleging killings and torture in the region between 1917 and 1948A Palestinian businessman and former politician is to petition the UK government for an apology for abuses in the region during the period of British rule in the first half of the 20th century.Munib al-Masri, 88, a close friend and supporter of the late Palestinian political leader Yasser Arafat, working with two international lawyers, has drawn up a 300-page dossier of evidence alleging abuses by the British between 1917 and 1948, the BBC reported. Continue reading...

Untitled (Bubble) reflects microscopic form of virus and will be displayed in government offices in UK and abroadA print inspired by the Covid pandemic will be displayed in government buildings in the UK and embassies abroad after Rachel Whiteread was announced as the fifth British artist to be commissioned by the Government Art Collection.Untitled (Bubble) uses circular motifs reflecting the microscopic form of Covid-19 and a time when physical contact between people was reduced to bubbles. It was created with various domestic items and washing-up liquid. Continue reading...

Documents from early 19th century show foreign secretary helped Elgin import huge shipments of sculpturesLord Elgin imported the Parthenon marbles into Britain without paying customs tax after the foreign secretary intervened on his behalf, newly discovered letters reveal.The documents, dating from the early 19th century, show that after he controversially stripped them from the frieze of the Parthenon in Athens, Elgin was helped to bring huge shipments of the sculptures to Britain by the senior minister, who “knew what Elgin was up to”, according to a historian of the period. Continue reading...

Rail firm has been criticised after reducing train services and releasing tickets only a few days in advanceAvanti West Coast has been told it must “drastically improve services” as the government awarded the operator of the London to Glasgow line a six-month extension to its contract.The government’s controversial decision means the rail company, which runs trains between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, will be able to continue running services until next April. The current contract had been due to expire on 16 October. Continue reading...

Heavy rainfall and rough surf has contributed to large numbers of stingers appearing along the NSW coast in the third, and biggest, bluebottle event of the year

Boy, who cannot be named, to appear before magistrates over death of 14-year-old Tomasz OleszakA 14-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a boy of the same age in a knife attack in Gateshead.Tomasz Oleszak, a “kind and caring” teenager who came to Britain from Poland aged six, died from a stab wound after an altercation on Monday evening. Continue reading...

Steven Hastings Barker is accused of murdering his wife, Christine Barker, at their Bronte home on Thursday evening

Emergency services in NSW and Victoria have responded to hundreds of calls for assistance. This blog is now closed

Average house price fell by 0.1% month on month in September to £293,835, says Halifax

Cabinet minister says ‘of course I’m sorry’ during clash with Piers Morgan on BBC One’s Question TimeThe cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi has apologised for the economic turmoil that followed the government’s mini-budget.The chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster made the apology after clashing with the Talk TV presenter Piers Morgan on Thursday night’s Question Time on BBC One. The pair appeared on the political panel show, along with the Succession actor Brian Cox, the farmer Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones and the Labour MP Lisa Nandy. Continue reading...

Case of Peter Ellis marks first time a court in the country has overturned a conviction posthumouslyNew Zealand’s supreme court has quashed the convictions of Peter Ellis, a Christchurch creche worker convicted of child sexual abuse in 1993 in a highly controversial case that included allegations of large-scale ritual abuse.On Friday, the court found that a “substantial miscarriage of justice” had occurred. It is the first time in New Zealand’s history that a conviction has been quashed posthumously – Ellis died from cancer in late 2019. Continue reading...

A heatwave that began in March led to the country receiving almost triple its average rainfall from June to AugustTraditionally, the Asian monsoon is a time to celebrate. But after devastating floods in Pakistan, people in the country may feel differently. At their greatest extent in September, floods covered one-third of Pakistan’s surface. About 15% of the population have been displaced or otherwise affected, and an estimated 1,700 have died.This year’s monsoon was the wettest on record. The numbers are mind-boggling. Between June and August, Pakistan received almost triple its average rainfall. The Sindh province received over eight times the usual amount. However, the situation is far more complicated than just extreme downpours. Continue reading...

Nation in shock after 37 people, most of them children, killed by sacked policeman – whose drug history should have raised red flags, says mediaThailand was plunged into mourning on Friday after 37 people were killed, most of them young children, in a brutal gun and knife attack at a preschool centre in the rural north-east.The attacker, a former police officer, opened fire and stabbed children as they slept at the centre in Uthai Sawan, a town 500km (310 miles) north-east of Bangkok at about noon on Thursday, police and witnesses said. Continue reading...

Former Liberal staffer also told court she had thought of writing a book ‘to document her experience’ before receiving interest from publishers

Number of women not working to look after family has risen by 5% in past yearFull-time nursery for children under the age of two costs almost two-thirds of a parent’s weekly take-home pay in England, according to new analysis.Parents in Scotland fare slightly better, paying half (51%) of one salary for childcare, while in Wales the figure is 63%, and in England 65%, according to analysis by Business in the Community (BITC), the Prince’s Responsible Business Network.51% of mums said the cost of living was affecting their childcare decisions58% of mums were looking to change jobs, increase their hours or do an additional job, but 49% said lack of childcare was stopping them working more hours49% had not had a pay rise in line with inflation68% said their careers had stalled after having kids Continue reading...

Williamson Pink Star is second largest ‘fancy vivid pink’ diamond to ever appear at auctionThe second largest, internally flawless “fancy vivid pink” diamond ever to appear at auction is expected to sell for more than £20m when it goes under the hammer at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong on Friday.The 11.15-carat, cushion-shaped diamond, known as the Williamson Pink Star, is named after two other huge pink diamonds: the 59.60-carat, mixed-cut, oval Pink Star diamond that sold for a record $71.2m at auction in 2017, and the Williamson stone, a 23.60-carat diamond given to the late Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding gift by the Canadian geologist and ardent royalist John Thorburn Williamson in 1947. Continue reading...

Prime minister says government ‘hasn’t changed our position’ but does not rule out doing so in future

NSW Farmers Association says independent review of project is opportunity to analyse ‘where we can get the greatest gain’

Experts warn using any single system could have its own cybersecurity weaknesses leaving data vulnerable to misuse

Police and match organisers among those to be charged after 131 were killed in one of the worst sports disasters in historySix people, including police and match organisers, are facing criminal charges in Indonesia after a crowd crush at a football game killed at least 131 people at the weekend.Saturday’s tragedy in the Malang region of East Java was among the worst sporting disasters ever, as hundreds of fans tried to flee a riot in the stadium and teargas being fired by police, leading to a crush worsened by several locked exits. Continue reading...

Damaging review finds Amrita Varshini Lanka died about 21 hours after she initially presented to emergency department

Ian Leavers says many officers feel ‘under siege’ as a result of serious allegations heard at an inquiry

Higgins tells court she shared audio files before deleting them from her phone because she was worried about what the police might do with the contents

Forest fire that swept through more than 100 hectares of national park, with some moai ‘totally charred’A forest fire that tore through part of Easter Island has charred some of its monumental carved stone figures, known as moai, authorities have said.The blaze reportedly swept through the Rapa Nui national park, 3,500km (2,175 miles) off the west coast of Chile, causing “irreparable” damage to the archaeological site. Continue reading...

Elite private school reportedly planned to install plunge pool at headteacher’s house. The school says it takes its obligations seriously and is cooperating with the department

Myles Sanderson, who died in RCMP custody, was responsible for deaths of all 11 victims, including that of his brother DamienCanadian police have concluded that Myles Sanderson, who led officers on a multi-day manhunt after a mass stabbing last month, was responsible for all 11 deaths – including that of his brother.Officers initially named Sanderson’s brother Damien as a suspect in the stabbings in James Smith Cree Nation and the nearby town of Weldon, Saskatchewan. Continue reading...

US ambassador to the UN said Wagner Group are trafficking natural resources from African nationsThe United States has accused Russian mercenaries of exploiting natural resources in Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan and elsewhere to help fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine, a charge Russia rejected as “anti-Russian rage”.The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the Wagner Group of mercenaries are exploiting natural resources and “these ill-gotten gains are used to fund Moscow’s war machine in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine”. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president addresses first meeting of the European Political Community in Prague attended by leaders of 44 countriesUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has appealed to European leaders across the continent for security guarantees in support of his bid to join Nato, as he described Russia as “the most anti-European state in the world”.Addressing leaders attending the first meeting of the European Political Community, a gathering that brought together almost every nation on the continent except Russia and Belarus, Zelenskiy urged them to support Ukraine in their own self-interest. Continue reading...

Allegations relate to 55-year-old man who was moved from a ward to the morgue on 5 September without his time of death recordedWest Australian officials have denied claims a palliative care patient may have been alive when he was transferred to a Perth morgue.The state coroner’s court is examining the allegations relating to a 55-year-old patient at Rockingham General Hospital, who was moved from a ward to the morgue on 5 September without his death having been formally certified. Continue reading...

Prime minister hints at setting up new governing body after major firms pull support for Hockey Canada over handling of allegationsJustin Trudeau has warned Canada’s ice hockey governing body that it has “lost the confidence” of Canadians and could be easily replaced by a new organization, amid growing outcry about its handling of a string of sexual assault allegations.The prime minister’s comments come as a wave of major companies publicly pulled support for the embattled organization on Thursday. Continue reading...

Dispute between rival gangs lead to fatal shooting of lawmaker and his father in southern state of GuerreroA conflict between two rival gangs in the violence-plagued southwestern state of Guerrero has left 20 dead, including a local mayor, and two more wounded.The Guerrero state security council said gunmen burst into the town hall in the village of San Miguel Totolapan on Wednesday and opened fire on a meeting the mayor was holding with other officials. Continue reading...

Nika Shahkarami, 16, disappeared on her way to anti-hijab protests sparked by death of Mahsa AminiThe mother of an Iranian teenager who died after joining protests over Mahsa Amini’s death has accused the authorities of murdering her daughter and pressuring her into saying that her death was a suicide, caused by jumping from the roof of a building.In a video sent on Thursday to Radio Farda, a US-funded media outlet, Nasrin Shahkarami said she was under pressure to give a false statement about the death of 16-year-old Nika, who went missing on 20 September after leaving to join an anti-hijab protest in Tehran. Continue reading...

Energy companies urged to prioritise at-risk consumers, including those on dialysis, as National Grid warns of rolling blackoutsRolling power cuts enforced this winter if gas supplies run extremely low could endanger thousands of people who use life-saving machines at home, health leaders have warned.They spoke out after National Grid warned on Thursday that households could experience a series of three-hour electricity outages this winter to manage extreme gas shortages, for example if Vladimir Putin shuts off supplies from Russia and cold weather sends demand soaring. Continue reading...

European unity ‘is our north star’ says Department of State official, as protocol standoff appears to easeA senior adviser in the Biden administration has urged the UK not to cause more “flare ups” over Northern Ireland as Brexit talks reopen in London.In an unusually blunt intervention for a policy adviser, the US Department of State counsellor Derek Chollet said the row over the Northern Ireland protocol needed to be resolved. Continue reading...

Toy fox terrier from South Carolina who was crowned oldest dog by Guinness World Records died of natural causes, owners sayPebbles, the world’s oldest dog, has died.The 22-year old toy fox terrier from South Carolina died on Monday of natural causes, the dog’s owners said, via Instagram. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereTwo people have been killed after an alleged Russian missile attack hit Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia in the early hours of Thursday morning.Regional governor, Oleksandr Starukh, said one woman was confirmed to have died in the attack while another person died in an ambulance. Continue reading...

Sara Arfaoui told to branch out from ‘Instagrammable spots’ after saying city’s food was ‘horrible’A Manchester City footballer’s wife has been told to get out more and to stop choosing restaurants on the basis of their Instagram appeal, after claiming food in her new northern English home town was “horrible” and “all frozen”.Sara Arfaoui, an Italian model who married the Man City captain, İlkay Gündoğan, earlier this year, said in an Instagram Q&A that she had “tried so bad to find a good restaurant” but that Mancunian eateries were focused on “making money with drinks and shot[s] like a nightclub” instead of providing quality food. Continue reading...

Famous figures including Elton John accuse Associated Newspapers of ‘gross breaches of privacy’Doreen Lawrence and Prince Harry are among a list of famous figures launching legal action against the publisher of the Daily Mail over the alleged misuse of their private information, including an accusation relating to the placing of listening devices in private homes.Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost have also issued claims. Their lawyers issued a statement claiming they have “compelling and highly distressing evidence” they have been the “victims of abhorrent criminal activity and gross breaches of privacy” by Associated Newspapers.The hiring of private investigators to secretly place listening devices inside people’s cars and homes.

Opposition activist who has spoken out against war in Ukraine faces 20 years in prison if convicted

This live blog has now closed, you can find our latest political coverage hereIn his interview with LBC Jake Berry, the Tory chairman, was asked if he was channelling When Harry Met Sally when he described Liz Truss as the “Yes, yes, yes prime minister” in his speech to the conference yesterday. (Robert Hutton is very funny about this, and much else, in his sketch for the Critic.) Berry said he was referring to Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister when he delivered that line.In the same interview, Berry revealed that his joke-making has not improved since yesterday. Talking about the conference in general, Berry said:I think colleagues saw yesterday that when the going gets tough, the Truss gets going.I do think my language was a bit clumsy in that regard and I regret it.The point I was making ... is that the government needs to go for growth to ensure that it can grow the economy and Britain can get a pay rise. You don’t have to tell me how hard people graft in this economy. I know how hard people work.We’ve got to wait until those figures are available … You simply cannot make a decision on figures you do not currently have. Continue reading...

ONS data comes as NHS England figures show rise in hospital admissions of people with coronavirusMore than 1 million people in the UK have long Covid at least one year after they were first infected, new figures reveal.The data, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday, comes as other figures suggest the number of Covid patients admitted to hospital in England is continuing to rise amid a new wave of the virus. Continue reading...

West Oxfordshire council says setup at Diddly Squat farm is ‘visually intrusive and harmful’Jeremy Clarkson has been ordered to shut down his restaurant and cafe less than three months after saying he had found a planning loophole that would allow them to open.The broadcaster is appealing against the enforcement notice served on his Oxfordshire farm, Diddly Squat, where he has been involved in a long-running planning dispute with the council. Continue reading...

Ailing Swiss bank’s share price has collapsed after being hit by series of crisesCredit Suisse, the investment bank whose shares plummeted to record lows this week over fears it could be on the brink of collapse, is selling the five-star Savoy hotel in the centre of Zurich for as much as 400m Swiss francs (£361m).The bank, whose stock has fallen by more than 40% in the past six months, said on Thursday it had put the 184-year-old hotel on Paradeplatz in the heart of the city’s financial district on the market as part of a regular review of its global real estate assets. Continue reading...

Network Rail tells passengers to travel only ‘if absolutely necessary’Only about 20% of normal train services will run on Saturday as another strike by railway workers brings disruption to lines across Great Britain.Network Rail urged passengers to “only travel by train if absolutely necessary”, with about half of the network closed all day and those trains running only operating between 7.30am and 6.30pm. Continue reading...

Missile strike on Zaporizhzhia residential buildings; Putin appears to admit severe losses in Ukraine; IAEA chief heads to Kyiv

Former judge appointed to investigate claims prominent dance schools have rigged competitionsThe ostensibly quaint world of Irish dancing has been rocked by allegations of competition fixing and cheating, with some parents and teachers saying there is a code of omertà akin to The Godfather and The Sopranos.The Irish Dancing Commission, a governing body known in Irish as An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG), has appointed a former judge to investigate claims that prominent dance schools and teachers have rigged competitions, it emerged this week. Continue reading...

Analysis: The opportunity to be a deal-maker in a wartime era is not lost on Liz TrussIt was the day before the Queen’s funeral that Ireland finally got the signal it was waiting for – Liz Truss was in the market for a deal over the Northern Ireland protocol.As is often the case, it was not so much what Truss said but what she did not say, said one source, that made it clear the UK was ready to end its 20-month standoff and resume talks with the EU. Continue reading...

38 people, most young children, killed by former police officer at preschool centre in north-east of countryThirty-eight people have been killed, most of them young children, in an unprecedented gun and knife attack at a preschool centre in north-east Thailand that has horrified the country.The attacker, a former police officer, opened fire as children were sleeping at the centre in Na Klang district in Nong Bua Lamphu province at about noon on Thursday, police and witnesses said. Continue reading...