In today’s newsletter: New variants, a struggling NHS and approaching flu season suggest a coronavirus surge is still a risk. A public health expert on preparing for what lies ahead

Bodies tentatively identified as adults being secretly transported to South Africa on perilous ‘southern route’Dozens of Ethiopian people whose remains were found in mass graves in northern Malawi last month most likely suffocated to death while being secretly transported, investigators and campaigners believe.The tragedy came amid a spate of incidents underlining the dangers faced by tens of thousands of people who entrust their lives to criminal networks that promise passage to South Africa, the most developed country on the continent. Continue reading...

His journalists have fled from M23 violence but Patrick Sugira is staying put, saying people depend on his broadcastsLast Wednesday evening, Patrick Kiroha Sugira sent a text message to a friend via WhatsApp: “The security situation is very bad here. We have nowhere to go. I am at the radio.”Within days, Sugira, the director of Horizon community radio station in Rutshuru, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was in hiding with his wife and children and other terrified citizens. The town was one of two overrun by armed rebels on Saturday, in a resurgence of violence in the area that is escalating tensions across the region. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour Together leader calls for ‘laser-sharp focus’ on voters and for party’s priorities to be made clearKeir Starmer has been urged to get Labour on a general election footing with a “laser-sharp” focus on wooing voters with a small number of key pledges that demonstrate the party’s priorities rather than a sprawling plethora of policies.With activists gearing up to take on Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives in 2024, a new head of Labour Together – a network of MPs, staffers, members and thinktanks – has been appointed, who believes the party should build a more “coherent narrative”. Continue reading...

Figures underline growing prevalence of conditions related to obesity in younger demographic, says head of Diabetes UKThe number of people under 40 in the UK being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is rising at a faster pace than the over-40s, according to “shocking” and “incredibly troubling” data that experts say exposes the impact of soaring obesity levels.The UK ranks among the worst in Europe with the most overweight and obese adults, according to the World Health Organization. On obesity rates alone, the UK is third after Turkey and Malta. Continue reading...

The country’s judiciary says those marching against the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini will be triedIran’s judiciary has announced that it will hold public trials for as many as 1,000 people detained during recent protests in Tehran alone – and more than a thousand others outside the capital – as international concern grew over Iran’s response to the protests that began with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest.The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said he was shocked by the number of innocent protesters who were being illegally and violently arrested. Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has already announced that she is to ask the European Union to sanction the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. Continue reading...

Janbaz Tarin subjected Raneem Oudeh to campaign of violence before killing her and her mother in Solihull in 2018A domestic violence victim who was stabbed to death by her former partner felt too scared to tell police the full extent of his abuse over fears that social services would take her baby away, an inquest has heard.Raneem Oudeh, 22, was killed along with her mother, Khaola Saleem, 49, in Solihull in August 2018 by Janbaz Tarin, who had subjected Oudeh to a campaign of abuse and stalking in the run-up to the attack. Continue reading...

Home secretary says she ‘worked hard to find accommodation to relieve pressure’ at Manston centre in Kent

New women’s minister Maria Caulfield defends earlier decision to vote against buffer zones outside clinicsThe new minister for women has defended an earlier decision to vote against buffer zones outside abortion clinics, explaining she is concerned some people accused of harassment may be just trying to “comfort” people using the healthcare services.Maria Caulfield, who has also supported cutting the abortion time limit, was appointed as minister for women by the prime minister, Rishi Sunak. Continue reading...

Graduate fast-stream recruitment to resume but jobs target could be replaced by budget cuts

Donna Patterson awarded £60,000 after representing herself to argue Morrisons discriminated against herA woman who has been called the “Erin Brockovich of Bradford” for taking her employer to court without legal representation and winning has said she has been overwhelmed by the “unexpected” response.Donna Patterson, 38, was awarded £60,000 at a tribunal after arguing that the supermarket chain Morrisons had discriminated against her when she returned to work after maternity leave. Continue reading...

RSPCA rescues 42 Flemish giant rabbits that are now being cared for in several shelters across north-east EnglandDozens of giant rabbits are looking for new homes after being “bred for their meat” on an allotment – with one weighing as much as a jack russell terrier.The RSPCA rescued 42 Flemish giant rabbits in Ashington, Northumberland, which were found living in “dreadful conditions in cramped hutches, where they had been left to breed with each other”. Continue reading...

Accused will appear at the Old Bailey next month following stabbing near hotel in west LondonA 15-year-old boy has been charged with the attempted murder of a child asylum seeker in west London. He has been remanded into secure accommodation and will appear at the Old Bailey next month.The charges follow a stabbing incident close to a hotel in the west London area used by the Home Office to accommodate adult male asylum seekers just before midnight on 22 October. Continue reading...

Messages between Johnson and officials requested alongside cabinet minutes for second stage of inquiryThe Covid-19 public inquiry plans to scour some of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages as it seeks to identify any “plainly wrongful decision-making and significant errors of judgment” by central government in the early stage of the pandemic, the lead counsel to the inquiry has said.Opening the second stage of the statutory inquiry, examining “how central government responded to the pandemic and made the key decisions that it did”, Hugo Keith KC said it would ask whether late lockdowns cost lives and whether rule-breaking undermined public confidence. Continue reading...

Shops closed and concerts cancelled after Halloween party disaster killed more than 150 people, as police questioned over crowd control

Micheál Martin says electoral system ‘should not be one that constantly reinforces polarisation’

Kremlin pulls out of grain deal after drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea flagship vessel in Crimea; UN and US call on Moscow to reverse its decision

Home secretary’s letter of apology shows she did not tell officials about sending of document ‘as soon as I realised my mistake’

Court heard how Harry Armstrong Evans told tutor and welfare team he was struggling after ‘disastrous’ exam resultsA coroner has strongly criticised the University of Exeter over the suicide of a student, claiming it failed to respond effectively to his “cry for help” after a disastrous set of exam results that followed months of isolation in near empty halls of residence during the pandemic.Guy Davies, the assistant coroner for Cornwall, concluded that Harry Armstrong Evans’s death was due to a “mental health crisis” preceded by a “catalogue of missed opportunities coupled with systems failings” leaving him without the “safety net” the Russell Group university should have provided.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 counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Videos appear to show guests rushing to locked gates as strict Covid restrictions return across ChinaVisitors to Shanghai’s Disney resort were trapped inside for the second time in 12 months after authorities and operators announced a sudden lockdown as part of China’s strict pandemic response.In a repeat of scenes from across Covid-zero China, viral videos on Monday appeared to show guests rushing to the locked gates of the theme park in an attempt to escape the lockdown. It followed extraordinary scenes on the weekend, with a mass escape of employees from a locked-down Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, to walk up to hundreds of kilometres to their hometowns. Continue reading...

Accomplished miniaturist and a household name in 19th century was born without arms and handsShe spent 20 years travelling the country as a fairground attraction, billed as the “celebrated Miss Biffin”, the “Greatest Wonder of the World”.But Sarah Biffin, who was born without arms and hands and raised in a poor farming family, became an accomplished miniaturist, patronised by royalty and nobility, and a 19th-century household name referenced in four Charles Dickens novels. Continue reading...

Many households who use non-smart prepayment meters are failing to redeem vouchers, says PayPointGovernment energy bill support worth as much as £400 over the winter is not reaching many households who use prepayment meters, according to data from a payments company.Households with prepayment energy meters are entitled to vouchers giving them monthly discounts, but only half of the expected number have been used so far, according to PayPoint, which handles top-up payments in shops across the UK. Continue reading...

David Cunningham wins apology and ‘substantial’ damages over articles published in 2005 and 2006A former partner of Kerry Katona has won an apology for phone hacking and “substantial” damages from the publisher of the Mirror.David Cunningham, an engineer, brought a claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which also publishes the People and the Sunday Mirror, over 36 articles published in 2005 and 2006 while he was in a relationship with the former Atomic Kitten singer. Continue reading...

Brazil’s far-right president has yet to concede after receiving 58.2m votes to Lula’s 60.3mBrazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has fallen silent after his chastening election defeat to his leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.A stream of world leaders have stepped forward to recognize Lula’s stunning political comeback, including the US president, Joe Biden, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, and China’s Communist party chief, Xi Jinping. Continue reading...

Parents say Harry Armstrong Evans was let down by university where 11 students are believed to have killed themselves in space of six yearsThe family cat, Berlioz, still seems to be waiting for Harry Armstrong Evans to appear and often sleeps on his bed, surrounded by an untidy collection of computers and electronic games.When Harry’s parents, Alice and Rupert, trip over something at their Cornish watermill home, they think at first their son has left his large shoes lying around, before they remember he is gone. Continue reading...

UK entrepreneur turns down live TV debate and says government should instead engage with local activistsThe British entrepreneur Richard Branson has rejected an invitation from Singapore’s home affairs minister to debate the death penalty, urging him to instead engage with local activists who oppose the “inhumane, brutal practice”.Branson had been invited by the ministry of home affairs to debate capital punishment live on TV, after he described it as “a serious stain on Singapore’s reputation”, and condemned the execution earlier this year of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam. Continue reading...

People at pro-democracy vigil were beaten and threatened at gunpoint by unknown assailants, say policeProtesters holding a pro-democracy vigil outside the Iranian embassy in Berlin were beaten and threatened at gunpoint by unknown assailants over the weekend, German police have said.An officer guarding the building saw three men with face coverings tear down flags and banners reading “Iranians want democracy” and “Women Life Freedom” from a caravan parked in Dahlem district, in the capital, at just after 1am on Sunday morning. Continue reading...

Michel Mercier accused of embezzling public funds by employing wife, daughter and phantom assistantA former French justice minister is due to appear in a Paris court accused of embezzling public funds by allegedly creating fake jobs, including one for a phantom part-time parliamentary assistant called Hubert Devillers.Michel Mercier is also said to have employed his wife as his assistant in the senate – the upper house – for four years, and then one of his daughters who was reportedly living in London at the time. Continue reading...

Retailer says proceeds will be reinvested in grocery stores, keeping down prices and reducing debtThe Co-operative Group has completed the sale of its petrol forecourt business to its supermarket rival Asda for £600m, saying the money will be reinvested in its grocery stores, keeping prices down and reducing debt.The group, known for its supermarket chains and businesses including a funeral service, had agreed to sell its 129 petrol stations to Asda in August 2022. Continue reading...

‘Grace always made others feel important and her kindness left an impression on everyone she ever met.’

Initially slated for 2025 at a cost of $200m, the Tarrkarri project is now $50m over budget and will be reviewed early next year

Interactive map shows spread of demonstrations over five weeks after woman’s death in custodyIran has been gripped by protests since the death in custody on 16 September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin who had been arrested three days earlier for allegedly breaching the Islamic dress code for women. This interactive map shows how protests spread between 16 September and 21 October, fuelled by public outrage over a crackdown that has led to the deaths of other young women and girls. Now in their seventh week, the protests show no sign of ending.Methodology Continue reading...

First trial of Lehrmann – who has pleaded not guilty – was aborted last week after a juror brought research material into jury room

More than 150 people were killed as mostly young people flooded the narrow, sloping streets of Itaewon to celebrate Halloween

Rush to build courts ahead of expected boom in sociable participation sport that counts Andy Murray as a fanIf Andy Murray and Virgil van Dijk are right, padel, a hybrid of squash and tennis characterised by an addictive “pock” sound, is poised to break out as the next big UK participation sport.Better, one of the country’s biggest leisure centre chains, is preparing its first courts for mass use, councils are planning municipal courts and a company backed by the tennis champion and the Liverpool FC player expects to erect courts in at least 50 venues by the end of 2023. Continue reading...

At Goodstart, between 80 and 100 centres have capped enrolments due to staff shortages, a Senate hearing has heard

Police sent ambulance to local airport in 2019 to give impression teenager was being transferred to Alice Springs for treatment, inquest told

About 400 people were on the bridge in Gujarat to celebrate a Diwali religious ritual when it collapsed, with many children among the deadThe death toll from the collapse of a pedestrian bridge over a river in Gujarat, western India, has risen to at least 130 as more stories emerge of the terrifying moment the structure gave way .Local officials say about 400 people were on the suspension bridge over the Machchu River in the city of Morbi on Sunday and the atmosphere was festive. Families had come out on to the bridge to celebrate a post-Diwali religious ritual in which idols are immersed into the river. Continue reading...

David Taylor began his undercover career targeting small-time drug dealers before going deeper into the world of organised crime. But it ended when he was suddenly pulled from a major investigation and he wants to know whyIt’s very rare for an undercover police officer to talk about their work. It’s a job that combines a knack of assimilating into different characters, winning the trust of people from all walks of life and specifically from the criminal underworld.David Taylor has chosen to speak to the Guardian because he feels he was unfairly treated when he was abruptly taken off a covert operation. His superiors alleged that he had misbehaved, but he counters that any misdemeanours were trivial. Continue reading...

Paul Webster was passed over for the job that went to former Business NSW executive Stephen Cartwright

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former leftist president, has reclaimed the leadership and vowed to reunify his country

Frances O’Grady says YouGov survey shows key workers who got UK through Covid face more ‘pay misery’Nearly 2 million public sector workers could be close to quitting over poor pay, their representatives have warned, leaving the UK’s public services facing a looming crisis.The Trades Union Congress (TUC) said the efforts of millions of key workers got the UK through the worst of the Covid pandemic, but now those same workers were facing another year of “pay misery” at the hands of the government – while the cost of living continues to soar. Continue reading...

Despite overall stability in results, almost one in seven year-9 boys are not at national minimum standard for reading

Russia blames Ukraine for attack on Saturday; calls grow for Moscow to rejoin grain deal as US accuses Kremlin of weaponising food

Police confirm suspect died after throwing two or three petrol bombs at site in KentA man threw petrol bombs attached with fireworks at a new Border Force immigration centre in Dover, police have confirmed, adding the suspect was found deceased nearby.The attacker, a white man in a blue-and-white gingham shirt, drove up to the centre in a white Seat sports utility vehicle. He threw three petrol bombs, one of which did not go off, according to a photographer for Reuters. The suspect was identified and located at a nearby petrol station where he was confirmed dead, police said. Continue reading...

Shiloh George Pottinger, 19, is due to appear at Manchester and Salford magistrates court on MondayA teenager has been charged with the murder of a student who was stabbed to death on Wednesday in Manchester.Shiloh George Pottinger, 19, was also charged with possession of a bladed article. He was remanded into custody after his arrest on Friday and interviewed by detectives from the Greater Manchester police’s major incident team. Continue reading...

Risk of soaring food prices and global food crisis after Moscow’s decision to end export corridor following drone attack on its fleet

Tens of millions of progressives turn out in hopes of unseating Jair Bolsonaro from presidency after bitterly fought campaignThe future of one of the world’s largest democracies and the Amazon rainforest was on a knife-edge as Brazil held its most important election in decades and its far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, battled to cling to power amid claims that security forces were engaged in a pro-Bolsonaro voter suppression campaign.Polls on the eve of the election had showed Bolsonaro trailing his leftist rival, the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, by a margin of four to eight percentage points, although first-round polls had underestimated support for the incumbent. Lula won the recent first round by about 6mvotes but fell just short of the overall majority that would have guaranteed him an outright win. Continue reading...

CWU is involved in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions with the companyPlanned strikes by Royal Mail workers in the next two weeks have been called off after a challenge by the company.Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are involved in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. A series of strikes has taken place in recent weeks and more had been planned on 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 10 November. Continue reading...