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Government watchdog said it could not investigate allegations made outside of parliament

Members of ethnic group, which has largely opposed Russian rule since 2014, say they are being disproportionately targeted

Revelation about Mark Fullbrook follows last week’s repeal of rules to stop people paying themselves through companies to minimise taxMark Fullbrook, Liz Truss’s new chief of staff, is being paid for through his lobbying company in a move that may help him minimise tax.In a highly unusual move, the prime minister’s most senior adviser is receiving his salary through Fullbrook Strategies. Continue reading...

MotherRED gives grants and support to 50 women, who commit to family-friendly policies, to stand for public officeWhen Miatta Fahnbulleh told her children her bid to become the Labour candidate for Camberwell and Peckham might mean she would sometimes miss their bedtime, her eldest said it would be really tough – for her.She acknowledges it will be hard, but no harder than getting mothers’ voices heard in parliament. “The barriers to entry for mothers are massive,” she says. “So yes, it will be tough, but if we don’t get more mothers in parliament that will never change.” Continue reading...

Experts say scheme’s rules urgently need significant changes to prioritise worker protection

Aiden Aslin recounts how he was beaten, stabbed and asked whether he wanted quick or ‘beautiful’ deathA British man captured by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine has revealed how he was beaten up, stabbed and asked whether he wanted a “quick” or “beautiful” death.Aiden Aslin, who has now returned to the UK, told the Sun on Sunday that he was kept in solitary confinement for five months and “treated worse than a dog”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Andy George ‘baffled’ by Mark Rowley’s refusal to meet when confidence among BAME officers at rock-bottomThe new Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, is at loggerheads with the National Black Police Association after refusing to meet its president and suggesting he will ban officers from “taking the knee”.A request by the group’s head, Andy George, for an urgent meeting with Rowley, who returned to lead Scotland Yard a fortnight ago, was said to have been rejected in an email on Wednesday morning.The Met was “gaslighting”black and ethnic minority communities and the police officers who served them on the issue of stop and search. “Report after report we have: ‘We are going to get things right and move on but our officers do a great job.’ But that does not lead to improvement,” said George. “It kind of almost gaslights the communities that are coming out with the problems. It gaslights the frontline officers as well, if I am to be honest. They are saying: ‘You are telling me I need to do more stop and search and I am going to do that to prevent serious violence and knife crime issues and then I am the one facing an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation for doing exactly what you have told me.’”In recent years, there had been four-fold surge – from 15 to more than 60 – in the number of officers being supported by the Met Black Police Association over grievances or during disciplinary processes. George said: “We are supporting officers with grievances that just aren’t being dealt with. Even when there are two or three people complaining about the same person, that discrimination is still being justified. They are still protecting the reputation of the Met over learning and improving.”The career structures within the Met appeared to “operate like an organised crime gang”. George said: “You will not get promoted unless you take the party line. We have bosses and leaders that end up developing and sponsoring people that they like and [are] loyal to them, and they will pull them through.” Continue reading...

Coalition led by Giorgia Meloni would be country’s most radical government since MussoliniItalians are voting in an election that is forecast to deliver the country’s most radical rightwing government since the end of the second world war, and a prime minister ready to become a model for nationalist parties across Europe.A coalition led by Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist origins, is expected by polls ahead of the vote to secure a comfortable victory in both houses of parliament while taking between 44 and 47% of the vote. Continue reading...

Government likely to lift cap on agricultural and broadband workers, and alter shortage occupations list

Scheme includes tax breaks and gives Britons and other non-EU citizens chance to stay up to five yearsSpain plans to issue “digital nomad” visas giving Britons and other non-EU citizens the chance to work in the sun and enjoy a lower cost of living with tax breaks thrown in for good measure.The visas will be offered to people who work remotely for enterprises outside Spain and who derive a maximum of 20% of their income from Spanish firms. Continue reading...

Reports chancellor is considering further changes to taxation after mini-budget ‘for the rich’The government is considering a series of further tax cuts that could hand thousands of pounds to high earners, shortly after it announced the biggest giveaway in 50 years.Plans under consideration could include bringing back a tax-free allowance for workers paid more than £100,000 a year, and lifting the amount pensioners can save before taxes kick in, the Sunday Telegraph reported. Continue reading...

Seizures of cocaine and contraband cigarettes behind last month’s vote of no confidence, says Dritan AbazovićMontenegro’s outgoing prime minister, Dritan Abazović, has said he is being ousted by the political influence of organised crime after he took on cocaine and cigarette smugglers.Abazović was overwhelmingly defeated in a vote of no confidence on 20 August. However, he said the real reason for his defeat was that he broke with decades of Montenegrin government indulgence of criminal gangs by overseeing huge seizures of cocaine and contraband cigarettes. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer opens party conference with tribute to the Queen and singing of God Save the King

Garvey and Glover will launch a new podcast plus a live weekday afternoon showThe broadcasters Jane Garvey and Fi Glover are leaving the BBC to host a new programme and podcast for Times Radio.Garvey has hosted shows for the BBC for almost 30 years and, together with Glover, has presented the popular Fortunately podcast for the BBC since 2017. Continue reading...

Labour leader’s promise to keep basic rate cut at odds with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham

Giorgia Meloni, who leads Brothers of Italy, looks likely to become the first woman to head a governmentItalians were braced for seismic change on Saturday, on the eve of an election forecasted to hand Italy the most rightwing government since the second world war.Giorgia Meloni, the head of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, is widely tipped to become the country’s first woman to head a government. Continue reading...

Inspired by a book by Princess Diana’s brother, the actor is researching flight of Charles II from Oliver Cromwell’s troopsSteve Coogan, fresh from the story of the discovery of Richard III’s bones in The Lost King, is now to tackle the life of King Charles, with the help of Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, and his longtime writing collaborator, screenwriter Jeff Pope. The monarch in question is not, however, our current king, but one of his predecessors, Charles II.“Rather than a sequel to The Lost King, I suppose you could call it a prequel to where we are now, with King Charles III,” the actor told the Observer. Continue reading...

Club’s chairman says AFL investigation into allegations of misconduct at Hawthorn Football Club will provide ‘procedural fairness’Chris Fagan, senior coach of the Brisbane Lions, has been defended by the club as he takes a leave of absence to cooperate with an AFL investigation into allegations of serious mistreatment of First Nations former players at Hawthorn Football Club.The AFL chief executive, Gillon McLachlan, announced on Wednesday that an external independent panel would investigate “challenging, harrowing and disturbing” allegations detailed in a Hawks-commissioned review. Continue reading...

The trend can be seen everywhere – from the catwalk and films, to celebrities such as Zendaya and Kendall Jenner – and even IkeaThe preppy look, first popularised in the 50s, is back, with staples such as varsity jackets and loafers in vogue again this autumn.The trend can be seen on the catwalk – at shows from the likes of Celine and Coach – and on celebrities such as Zendaya, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber. Continue reading...

Proposal to fast-track submarines by having them produced by US ‘would not be acceptable’, Peter Malinauskas says

Taking in lodgers and sharing meals with family and friends are just some of the ways people can bear down on heating expensesWhen they finally moved in to their first home together last summer after four years of housesharing, Rosie Macdonald and her partner didn’t expect they’d be returning to living with another person so soon. But with rising living costs and concerns over energy prices, in April the couple organised for a housemate to move into their home in Leeds.“We were struggling to keep our heads above water before the increase in inflation,” says Macdonald, 27, a senior digital PR strategist at Love Energy Savings, a business utilities and price comparison retailer. “While we’re good with our finances, I worked out what the increases might be with each cap – my job means I have my ear to the ground in that sense – and calculated how much extra we might need.” Continue reading...

Troops to remove trees and restore transport links after Fiona caused severe damage including torn-off roofs and floodingCanadian troops are being sent to assist the recovery from the devastation of storm Fiona, which swept away houses, stripped off roofs and knocked out power across the country’s Atlantic provinces.After surging north from the Caribbean as a hurricane, Fiona came ashore before dawn on Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone, battering Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec with hurricane-strength winds, heavy rains and huge waves. Continue reading...

Cargill was taken to court 20 years ago in Oklahoma over the same pollution issue it is now linked to in UKOne of the world’s biggest food giants with a supply chain linked to the ecological decline of the River Wye faced claims over similar pollution scandals in the US, the Observer can reveal.Campaigners warned two years ago that the clear waters of the Wye, one of Britain’s best-loved rivers, were being blighted by thick green algae blooms linked to poultry production. Continue reading...

Australia’s defence minister says Vladimir Putin’s threat ‘cannot be allowed to stand’

Launch of an unidentified missile is the latest in a record-breaking blitz of weapons tests by nuclear-armed Pyongyang this yearNorth Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday towards its eastern seas, extending a provocative streak in weapons testing as a US aircraft carrier visits South Korea for joint military exercises in response to the North’s growing nuclear threat.South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said the missile launched from the western inland town of Taechon flew 600km (370 miles) cross-country on a maximum altitude of 60km (37 miles) before landing in waters off North Korea’s eastern coast. Continue reading...

Dutch cyclist retires early from Wollongong race following alleged night-time altercation with teenagers at hotel

More than 700 arrested in latest Russian protests against Putin’s military call-up as people who refuse to fight face jail sentences

Moscow isolated at United Nations assembly, with no major country siding with itChina and India have called for a negotiated end to the Ukraine war, stopping short of robust support for traditional ally Russia.After a week of pressure at the United Nations general assembly, Russia’s foreign minister took the general assembly rostrum to deliver a fiery rebuke to western nations for what he termed a “grotesque” campaign against Russians. Continue reading...

Tax cuts for the rich have not gone down well in Ladywood, the city constituency due to host the Conservatives’ annual gatheringOnly the most bullish Conservative party strategist would have dared forecast the centre of Britain’s second-biggest city turning Tory anytime soon.Yet as the real-life implications of the government’s mini-budget continued to crystallise on Saturday, anyone even contemplating a Conservative victory in central Birmingham should now be judged beyond delusional. Continue reading...

NSW and Victoria have dragged their heels and now risk the federal government taking over Australia’s most important river system

Australia Post offers a priority service for $225 but there are fears it will just push those already waiting further into a backlog

Canadian actor had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder over shooting near VancouverThe actor Ryan Grantham – featured in the CW show Riverdale and the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid – has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting his mother in their home in Canada.Grantham, 24, was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder, which carries an automatic sentence of life in prison, reported the New York Times. Continue reading...

Pink Floyd co-founder's stance on Russia's war against Ukraine has sparked ‘indignation’ in KrakowPink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has cancelled concerts planned in Poland amid outrage over his stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine, Polish media reported on Saturday.An official with the Tauron Arena in Krakow, where the musician was scheduled to perform two concerts in April 2023, said they would no longer take place. Continue reading...

With more than 400 people dying daily, many experts say his remarks were premature – but it is unclear what impact they may haveJoe Biden’s recent declaration that the Covid-19 pandemic was over was premature, according to several infectious disease experts, but there was not a consensus among them about whether the remarks will cause a significant change in Americans’ attitude towards the virus and lead to worse public health outcomes.That’s partly because Biden was simply catching up to most of the US population, who see how much lower the case and death counts are than earlier in the pandemic, and as such, have stopped wearing masks in public and now gather regularly indoors, the experts said. Continue reading...

Arrests made in 32 cities at rallies against mobilisation; border crossings from Russia to Finland have doubled and 10km queue reported at frontier with Georgia

Scrapping top rate of tax could save hundreds of thousands for some of the highest earners, analysis revealsThe abolition of the 45p top rate of tax will deliver millions of pounds in savings for Britain’s best-paid bosses, including those in charge of energy firms benefiting from high domestic gas and electricity prices, Observer analysis shows.Likely beneficiaries range from Britain’s best-paid woman, Bet365 chief executive Denise Coates, who could save £20m, to the boss of pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca. Continue reading...

Tories are nervous of the ‘song and dance’ about doing more for high earners and the shift away from levelling-upLiz Truss is being warned that she risks abandoning a winning coalition of voters in the “red wall” as she pursues “cavalier” tax cuts, amid revelations that her giveaway package disproportionately benefits more traditional Conservative heartlands.With huge nervousness among MPs over the £45bn tax-cutting package announced on Friday, including abolition of the top rate tax band and the end of the bankers’ bonus cap, several Conservatives said they feared the new prime minister has already shifted away from the levelling up agenda that helped secure red wall seats from Labour in the Midlands and north of England. Continue reading...

Demonstrations that began with death of Mahsa Amini while detained by morality police pose biggest threat to regime in 13 yearsIran’s president has vowed to “deal decisively” with protests that are gathering momentum across much of the country one week after the death of a woman in custody who had been detained by the morality police.Demonstrations have spread to most of Iran’s 31 provinces and almost all urban centres, pitting anti-government demonstrators against regime forces, including the military, and posing the most serious test to the hardline state’s authority in more than 13 years. Continue reading...

Relatives say delay in seeing bodycam footage of officers using stun gun on Oladeji Omishore at Chelsea Bridge was ‘cruel’The family of a man who died after plunging into the River Thames during a confrontation with police who repeatedly fired a Taser at him have condemned their “cruel” three-month wait to see bodycam footage.The police watchdog launched an investigation, which is still under way, into Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore’s death after officers were called to reports of a disturbance on Chelsea Bridge, London, on the morning of 4 June. Continue reading...

Black marble stone in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, bears names of late monarch, her husband and parentsThe first picture of the new ledger stone marking Queen Elizabeth II’s final resting place in Windsor has been released.The hand-carved Belgian black marble slab bears in brass lettering the names of the Queen, her husband, Prince Philip, and her parents, George VI and Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Continue reading...

Storm surges and heavy rainfall expected before weather event gradually weakens this weekend, say meteorologistsA powerful storm has hit eastern Canada with hurricane-force winds nearly a week after devastating parts of the Caribbean.The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said the centre of Fiona, which transformed from a hurricane into a post-tropical cyclone late on Friday was crossing eastern Nova Scotia, bringing high winds and heavy rains. Continue reading...

Fresh wave of protests across Russia on Saturday after Putin’s ‘partial mobilisation’ of civilian men

Every cabinet minister to benefit from change that ends top rate of tax for people on more than £150,000 a yearAn estimated 41 MPs will benefit from the scrapping of the top rate of income tax – including every cabinet minister.Owing to MPs’ standard pay increasing to £84,144 from April this year, 2022-23 would have been the first year that senior government ministers would have to pay the 45p rate of tax. Continue reading...

Two of those injured in collision in Gonalston taken to Queen’s medical centre with potentially life-threatening injuriesTwo teenagers have been killed and three other people injured in a car crash in Nottinghamshire.A 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man were pronounced dead at the scene after the two-car collision in Gonalston at 10.45pm on Thursday. Continue reading...

Police watchdog has been called in to investigate death of John Winton McNab, 86, found near Invermoriston in HighlandsThe police watchdog has been called in to investigate the death of an elderly man whose body was found in a crashed car two days after he was reported missing.John Winton McNab, 86, was the driver of a grey Mercedes B discovered in the Highlands at about 1.20pm on Sunday 18 September. Continue reading...

Rafael Nadal, longtime rival and friend, was also weeping during an emotional retirement ceremony after final matchThroughout the final week of Roger Federer’s life as a professional tennis player, he handled his emotions far better than he had envisioned. But at the end of his final match alongside his rival Rafael Nadal, a tense 4-6, 7-6 11-9 loss representing Team Europe against Team World’s Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the Laver Cup in London’s O2 Arena, the 41-year-old finally succumbed.As the tears began to fall, alongside him Nadal wept, too. After 18 years of meeting each other on the court, contesting some of the fiercest battles in the biggest finals around the world, they spent the final moments of Federer’s career on the same side. Continue reading...

BBC presenter received death threats after false reports that she was to replace Sue Barker on A Question of SportAlex Scott said she has been left in fear of her life by trolling and racist abuse, which has taken the pundit and former footballer to some “dark places”.The 37-year-old, who played for Arsenal and England and had a key role on the BBC commentary team during the Lionesses’ winning run in the Women’s Euros, said she received death threats last summer after it was incorrectly reported that she was to replace Sue Barker as the presenter of A Question of Sport. Continue reading...

Revered spiritual jazz saxophonist was known for his unique playing style and collaborations with John ColtranePharoah Sanders, the revered American jazz saxophonist, has died aged 81. The news was confirmed by Sanders’ label, Luaka Bop, on Twitter.“We are devastated to share that Pharoah Sanders has passed away,” the label’s statement read. “He died peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends in Los Angeles earlier this morning. Always and forever the most beautiful human being, may he rest in peace.” Continue reading...

Bid to move pop star’s Colombian tour date to capital’s biggest venue has united supporters of clubs who play thereRival Colombian football fans, more used to hurling insults at each other on the terraces, have united against a common enemy: Harry Styles. At stake is what takes place at Bogotá’s football stadium on 27 November: either the Colombian football championship final, or the latest leg of the British pop star’s world tour.Styles had been scheduled to play in the car park of an amusement park in the capital city, but fans started a social media campaign for the concert to be moved after pop star Dua Lipa’s show there last weekend was plagued by logistical and technical problems. Continue reading...

At least 35 dead in eight nights of demonstrations after death of Mahsa Amini in custody, state media reportIran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, has said authorities must “deal decisively with those who oppose the country’s security and tranquility”, Iranian state media have reported.Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Tehran and other major cities for eight straight nights since the death of Mahsa Amini. Continue reading...