World news | The Guardian

Investment vehicle of tech disruptor Xavier Niel cites chance to spur ‘streamlining’ of UK telecoms groupThe French telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel has acquired a 2.5% stake in Vodafone, citing opportunities to accelerate a “streamlining” of the London-listed group’s business.Niel, who founded the telecoms company Iliad, has taken the stake through his investment vehicle Atlas Investissement, which said it was “supportive of Vodafone’s publicly stated intention to pursue consolidation opportunities”. Continue reading...

Eight people are on trial for helping the gunman, who drove a truck into the crowd killing 86Survivors of the 2016 Bastille day attack in Nice have described how the seafront was turned into a “war zone” when a gunman drove a heavy truck at high speed into the crowd gathered to watch fireworks in the French Riviera city.“It was war, people were crushed, I saw a woman being run down with a baby in her arms,” said Abdallah Kebaïer, a retired maintenance worker, who was catapulted into the air by the truck and suffered seven broken ribs, head trauma and injuries to his liver and pancreas. Continue reading...

Russian leader’s speech marks biggest escalation of Ukraine war since it began, and raises fears around the world of unprecedented nuclear disaster

Majority of cases are from escorts accompanying refugees from immigration centres for deportationDozens of security staff who detain and deport people for the Home Office are taking legal action over race, sex, disability discrimination and unfair dismissal, the Guardian has learned.The detention and deportation officers work for Mitie Care & Custody, part of the company Mitie, which is one of the government’s 40 strategic suppliers and has been awarded 400 contracts since 2015 valued at £2.55bn, according to the procurement analysts Tussell. Continue reading...

Police reportedly use teargas to disperse crowds as protests spread following death of Mahsa AminiIran has sent police to the streets in a scramble to end protests that have spread to at least 15 cities, as rights groups and local media reported up to six people had been killed in crackdowns.There were reports of internet blackouts in parts of the country in an apparent attempt to quell growing anger. The telecommunications minister, Issa Zarepour, was quoted by the official Irna news agency as saying there had been some “temporary restrictions in some places and at some hours”. Continue reading...

Ian Russell said everyone touched by his daughter’s story should know there is always ‘help and hope’The father of Molly Russell has called for action to “prevent such a young life being wasted again” as the inquest into her death nearly five years ago opened.Molly, 14, from Harrow, north-west London, killed herself on November 2017 and had viewed online content linked to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide before ending her life.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Police had been searching for Mousa Sarsour after attack on Shulamit Ovadia, 84, near her home in HolonA Palestinian suspect accused of beating an 84-year-old Jewish Israeli woman to death near Tel Aviv has been found dead, ending a massive police manhunt.The woman, named by Israeli media as Shulamit Ovadia, was attacked on a street near her home in the city of Holon on Tuesday afternoon.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Special unit searches properties registered to Russian citizen at three addresses in Bavaria, says prosecutorGerman police have raided several properties understood to belong to the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, including his villa on Tegernsee lake in the southern state of Bavaria, on suspicion of money laundering and violations of EU sanctions.A special unit consisting of over 250 police officers on Wednesday morning searched properties registered to a Russian citizen at three addresses in the municipality of Rottach-Egern in Upper Bavaria, the Munich state prosecutor said in a statement. Continue reading...

Move by Amazon-owned site apparently prompted by revelations popular streamer scammed fellow usersTwitch, the Amazon-owned streaming site, will ban users from posting videos of themselves playing slots, roulette or dice games on unlicensed gambling sites, the company has said.The ban, which is effective as of 18 October, comes in the wake of a wide-ranging scandal among top-tier streamers after British streamer ItsSliker admitted to scamming other hosts out of thousands of dollars to fuel what he described as a gambling addiction. Continue reading...

Muhammad Khan, 28, appears in Westminster magistrates court over public order chargesA man who appeared to grab the flag draped over the Queen’s coffin planned to trespass at royal residences including Buckingham Palace because he did not believe she was dead, a court has heard.Muhammad Khan, 28, allegedly left the queue in Westminster Hall on Friday night while the monarch was lying in state as the live feed briefly cut away. Continue reading...

Brazil’s far-right president claims that leftwing rival Lula will repress clergy like Ortega but so far with little apparent successMore than 4,000km and an ideological abyss separate the capitals of Nicaragua and Brazil, where an acrimonious race for the presidency is under way.But the Central American country has found itself at the centre of Brazil’s election debate as its far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro seeks to weaponise Daniel Ortega’s authoritarian crackdown on the Catholic church to attack his leftist challenger, the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...

Complaints filed by charity named after ex-president reopen the debate over legal action against public interest journalismFour media outlets in the UK and the US are facing libel claims after publishing investigative reports into allegations about the assets of a fund named after the former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev.The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), openDemocracy and the Telegraph received several “pre-action” letters between May and August claiming their reporting was inaccurate and caused financial losses to a UK-registered company. Continue reading...

Angela Rayner asks when PM knew about chief of staff being questioned as witness in FBI investigation into alleged bribery

Tens of thousands of people are planning to enter EU country together, after alleged racist attacks and rising tensionsThousands of Syrian refugees are assembling in Turkey in a convoy, which organisers have dubbed the Caravan of Light, in an audacious and desperate attempt to enter the EU en masse.Since early September, Syrians have been drawing up plans for the journey via a Telegram channel, which now has more than 85,000 members. Continue reading...

Tributes flow for ‘unforgettable presenter’ of ABC TV children’s show who was affectionately known as ‘Naughty John’

Newly released audio reveals David Ibbotson had concerns about aircraft in run-up to crash in 2019The pilot of a plane in which the footballer Emiliano Sala died told a friend the aircraft was “dodgy”, after an outward flight from Cardiff to Nantes.The 28-year-old player was flying from Nantes in France to Wales to join then Premier League club Cardiff City when the plane crashed in the Channel close to Guernsey. Continue reading...

Deal includes €8bn cash injection for Uniper, which had been controlled by Finnish energy group Fortum

Hodge said he was not previously aware of the allegations or ‘anything to the extent of what was written in the article’

Premier reiterates opposition to the ‘bare minimum’ recommendation of scathing inquiry into the state’s drug laws, nearly three years after it reportedThe New South Wales government has categorically ruled out decriminalisation in its long-awaited response to a landmark inquiry into drug laws in the state, but will expand pre-court diversion for people caught with illicit substances.On Wednesday the government finally released its response to the recommendations from Prof Dan Howard’s scathing inquiry, announcing a $500m investment in health and justice reforms. Continue reading...

Scottish producer Eden Mill made claims about ingredients on its Instagram and Facebook pagesAn ad campaign for celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s new gin has been banned for making nutritional claims that are not allowed under UK marketing rules.Ramsay, known for his restaurant empire and shows such as Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen, launched his first gin last year in partnership with the Scottish producer Eden Mill. Continue reading...

Exclusive: about 50 peers due to meet on Wednesday morning to discuss how to amend or halt proposed legislationLiz Truss is facing a potential House of Lords rebellion over proposed legislation to rip up part of the Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland amid concerns that it gives ministers “dictatorial” powers to pen and pass laws without scrutiny.About 50 Conservative, Labour and cross party peers are due to meet on Wednesday morning to discuss how they can amend or halt the Northern Ireland bill which has already passed through the House of Commons. Continue reading...

Kurdistan governor blames deaths on ‘plot by the enemy’ on fourth day of protests over 22-year-old’s death in custodyIranian government officials have denounced a fourth day of protests after the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman in police custody, claiming the demonstrators have fallen victim to a conspiracy by its enemies.Mahsa Amini died on Friday after she was arrested by the morality police for not wearing the hijab and her trousers correctly, a tragic episode that has unleashed fury in the streets against the unaccountable and sometimes brutal treatment handed out to women by this branch of the police. Continue reading...

Israel’s Operation Breakwater aims to reduce the enemy’s ability to attack, but seems to be galvanising a new generation of fightersThere is almost nothing left of the Ottoman-era house in the old city of Nablus where Ibrahim al-Nablusi, an 18-year-old fighter with the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, made his final stand against the Israeli army.Every inch of the remaining walls and ceiling is pockmarked by bullet holes; witnesses said that after a gun battle lasting hours, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) used shoulder-launched rockets to blast open the metal doors. The missiles brought down heavy stonework that crushed the immensely popular young “Lion of Nablus”, wanted for shooting attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. Continue reading...

Human Rights Watch says failure to enforce laws worsens health impact at centres, amid steep rise in EU and UK waste exportsChildren as young as nine are working in plastic waste recycling centres in Turkey, putting them at risk of serious and lifelong health conditions, according to Human Rights Watch.Workers including children, and people living in homes located “dangerously close” to the centres, told researchers they were suffering from respiratory problems, severe headaches and skin ailments. Continue reading...

Protester sustains widespread burns as Japan wrestles with legacy of leader whose death revealed scale of politicians’ links to Unification churchA man has set himself alight near the Japanese prime minister’s office, apparently in protest against next week’s state funeral for the country’s former prime minister, Shinzo Abe.The man, who has not been named, was initially unconscious and sustained burns over his entire body after the incident in Tokyo on Wednesday morning, less than a week before the controversial send-off for Abe, who was shot dead in July. Continue reading...

Former Liberal staffer to give additional evidence to court alongside her complaints to police and a reporter about the alleged 2019 sexual assault at Parliament House

AFL boss says panel will examine allegations Hawks separated Indigenous players from their families and pressured one couple to terminate a pregnancy

Antony Blinken calls referendums plan a ‘sham’ and Moscow’s possible mobilisation of extra forces ‘a sign of Russian failure’ ahead of Biden speechJoe Biden will use his speech at the United Nations on Wednesday to rally the world to stand firm in the face of Russian plans to hold referendums in occupied parts of Ukraine and possibly introduce widespread conscription, which the US described as signs of desperation unlikely to halt Ukrainian military gains.Biden will seek the broadest possible support for Ukrainian resistance at the UN general assembly (UNGA) by depicting it as a direct violation of the UN’s founding charter, and will make new announcements about the US funding of measures to address global food insecurity, caused in part by the Russian invasion, which has threatened developing countries with famine. Continue reading...

The acclaimed Argentinian sculptor’s immersive installation will headline the gallery’s $344m expansion, which opens in December

MTC, which has been accused of ‘gross negligence’ that allegedly led to gang rape, will be paid during same period as previous contractor Canstruct

Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey – the first woman to be appointed permanently in the role – take up their posts in JuneThe Royal Shakespeare Company has appointed two people to be co-artistic directors for the first time in four decades.Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey – the first woman to be permanently appointed artistic director at the RSC – will take up their post in June next year. Continue reading...

The actor, 45, quietly entered the 2022 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship in Milton Keynes and won all his matchesActor Tom Hardy made a surprise appearance in a martial arts competition on Saturday, ultimately winning the event.Hardy, 45, entered the 2022 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship, a competition held by Ultimate Martial Arts Championships at Oakgrove school in Milton Keynes, Hyde News & Pictures reported. Continue reading...

PM uses first foreign trip to rally UN allies to keep up the pressure on RussiaRussian president Vladimir Putin must leave Ukraine and pay “proper recompense” for his invasion through financial reparations before he can ever return to the international fold, Liz Truss has warned.The prime minister used her first foreign trip to rally UN allies to keep up the pressure on Russia, with government sources insisting pulling out of Ukraine was a ‘red line’ for any resumption of diplomatic relations. Continue reading...

Mike Ashley is stepping down from Frasers Group board, but Sports Direct founder leaves lasting legacy• Mike Ashley to step down from Frasers Group boardMike Ashley’s retreat from the public face of the business he founded is a return to form for the reclusive retailer.Before his group, then called Sports Direct, floated on the stock exchange in 2007, the only pictures of Ashley available were those from his days as a county squash player back in the 1970s. Continue reading...

Russian leader’s escalatory threat to annex parts of Ukraine in effort to halt counteroffensive is fraught with riskVladimir Putin has backed himself into a corner in Ukraine. And true to form, the Russian leader is ready to escalate, perhaps up to the brink of nuclear war, rather than admit defeat.Seven months after Putin launched his invasion, Russian troops have been driven back in the Kharkiv region, and Ukrainian forces are advancing in Luhansk and squeezing his troops and supply lines in Kherson. Continue reading...

Coroner says evidence must provide safeguards for authors of material accessed by teenager before her deathThe inquest into the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell was delayed by legal discussions on Tuesday as the coroner raised concerns about protecting people whose social media posts appear at the hearing.The teenager, from Harrow in north-west London, took her own life in November 2017 after viewing content including posts linked to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide.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...

Richard Boyle alleges tax office blocked him from helping individuals and one senior staff member said ‘I am sick of taxpayers threatening suicide’

Academics, economists and tenant groups have dismissed the claims by state opposition and real estate group

Elizabeth II ‘had a deep affection with Australia and Australians have remembered her fondly since her passing’, the prime minister says

Activists barred from accessing hundreds of miles of land earmarked for UK high-speed rail project

Prime minister says chancellor will explain how tax cuts will be paid for on Friday. This live blog is now closedRosie Cooper has indicated that she intends to stand down as Labour MP for West Lancashire to take up a new job as chair of the Mersey Care NHS foundation trust. In her statement announcing the move Cooper says that events in recent years have “undoubtedly taken their toll” – a reference to Cooper being targeted by a neo-Nazi who was jailed for life in 2019 for plotting to kill her.Cooper’s statement implies she will resign and trigger a byelection. At the last election she had a majority of more than 8,000 over the Conservatives, and in a byelection Labour would be expected to hold the seat very easily. Continue reading...

Deal does not include Butlin’s property assets which were sold earlier this year to a private pension fundButlin’s has been bought by one of the holiday camp’s family backers for an estimated £300m.The seaside resort group, founded in 1936 in Skegness by Billy Butlin, includes sites in Minehead and Bognor Regis, which have played host to generations of entertainers. Recent bookings include Peppa Pig and Mister Maker to Peter Andre, Leo Sayer, Jason Donovan, Fatboy Slim and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Continue reading...

British island territory imposes curfew and urges people to flee flood-risk areas after Category 3 storm lashes Dominican RepublicHurricane Fiona has blasted the Turks and Caicos Islands as a Category 3 storm after cutting a path of devastation through the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico – where most people remained without electricity or running water.The storm’s eye passed close to Grand Turk, the small British territory’s capital island, on Tuesday morning after the government imposed a curfew and urged people to flee flood-prone areas. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 30 miles (45km) from the center. Continue reading...

Hae Min Lee’s family, however, are ‘deeply disappointed’ at how quickly developments have progressedThe conviction of Adnan Syed for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee – which was overturned on Monday – had “systemic problems”, the host of the Serial podcast, Sarah Koenig, said, as the slain young woman’s family said they were “deeply disappointed” at how quickly developments had progressed.A Baltimore judge ordered the release of Syed – whose case was chronicled in Serial as well as projects that separately followed up on that true crime series – after ruling that the state violated its legal obligation to share potentially exculpatory evidence with Syed’s defense. Continue reading...

Mark Fullbrook spoken to as witness in bribery case against financier and Tory donor Julio Herrera VelutiniLiz Truss has given her full support to the No 10 chief of staff, Mark Fullbrook, after it emerged he was questioned as a witness as part of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) inquiry into alleged bribery in Puerto Rico.Truss’s spokesperson said she was backing Fullbrook, who is not travelling with her to the UN general assembly in New York this week. Continue reading...

Actor appears alongside Australian musician Nick Cave and British sculptor Thomas Houseago to reveal his first ever public art exhibition

United Nations mission says President Nicolás Maduro and others ordered ‘grave crimes’ including torture to stifle oppositionVenezuela’s intelligence agencies are committing crimes against humanity as part of a plan orchestrated at the highest level of government to repress dissent, UN experts have concluded.A team tasked with investigating alleged violations in Venezuela said it had uncovered how members of intelligence services implemented orders by President Nicolás Maduro and others in a scheme to stifle opposition. Continue reading...

Credit Suisse finds those with assets exceeding $50m total 218,200 after post-pandemic ‘explosion of wealth’The ranks of the global “ultra high net worth” (UHNW) individuals swelled by 46,000 last year to a record 218,200 as the world’s richest people benefited from “almost an explosion of wealth” during the recovery from the pandemic.The number of UHNW people – those with assets of more than $50m (£43.7m) – jumped in 2021 as the super-rich benefited from soaring house prices and booming stock markets, according to a report by investment bank Credit Suisse. The number of people in the UHNW bracket has increased by more than 50% over the past two years. Continue reading...

Ronson Chan was due to travel to the UK when he was arrested for ‘obstructing police’The head of Hong Kong’s journalist union was charged with obstructing police on Monday, 10 days before he was set to leave the city and begin an overseas fellowship at Oxford University.Ronson Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), was arrested on 7 September over a dispute with two officers who asked to see his identification while he was covering a residents’ meeting at a public housing estate. Continue reading...