Decision to extend pause on 18-mile stretch north of Birmingham part of reset' to troubled rail project Business live - latest updatesWork to connect HS2 to the west coast mainline will be deferred for another four years as part of a reset" of the troubled high-speed rail project.The work between Birmingham and Handsacre in Staffordshire was originally halted in early 2023 by the previous government to limit spending on HS2. Continue reading...

Wet and windy conditions expected in southern England, the East Midlands, parts of Wales and YorkshireStorm Benjamin is set to batter the UK with heavy downpours and winds of more than 70mph this week, forecasters have said.The Met Office has released three yellow weather warnings over possible disruption, flooding, power cuts and damage to buildings in a number of areas on Thursday from the storm, which has been named by Meteo France. Continue reading...

The Hollywood actor will star in a new version of the Chekhov classic by writer-director Simon Stone at the Bridge theatre from JulyStar Trek's Chris Pine will boldly go to the Bridge next summer but the actor, best known for playing James T Kirk in the sci-fi reboot, is swapping the starship for the stage.For his London theatre debut, Pine has been cast in the title role of a new version of Chekhov's early play Ivanov by Australian writer-director Simon Stone. Produced by London Theatre Company, Ivanov will open in July at the Bridge theatre, where Stone's update of Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea is now running. Continue reading...

Exclusive: In an open letter, Israeli ex-officials, artists and intellectuals say unconscionable' actions in Gaza amount to genocideProminent Jewish figures around the world are calling on the United Nations and world leaders to impose sanctions on Israel over what they describe as unconscionable" actions amounting to genocide in Gaza.Former Israeli officials, Oscar winners, authors and intellectuals have signed an open letter demanding accountability over Israel's conduct in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The letter's release comes as EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday amid reports they plan to shelve proposals for sanctions over human rights violations. Continue reading...

Treasury says trips were private while Scottish ministers point out US president met Keir Starmer and it had to stump up for extra policingThe UK government needs to step up" and reimburse the 24.5m cost of Donald Trump and JD Vance's recent visits to Scotland, Holyrood's public finance minister has said.Provisional costs of almost 24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government. Continue reading...

Senior constable will now face two charges, including grievous bodily harm which carries maximum penalty of 14 years

Liberal minister Jane Hume earlier described calls for the former prime minister to be removed as ambassador as a little bit churlish'

Operator signs 2bn deal with Alstom amid boom in international rail travel from UKEurostar is to start running doubledecker trains through the Channel tunnel to meet growing demand for international rail travel from the UK.The rail operator announced it had signed a 2bn (1.7bn) deal for at least 30 - and up to 50 - new trains from the manufacturer Alstom. Continue reading...

Declaration means government can send army to patrol streets, restrict freedom of assembly and curtail other rightsPeru's interim president, Jose Jeri, announced a state of emergency in Lima and the neighbouring port of Callao on Tuesday after weeks of anti-government protests over corruption and organised crime.The state of emergency approved by the council of ministers will take effect at midnight on Wednesday and will last for 30 days in metropolitan Lima and Callao," Jeri said in an address to the nation on state television. Continue reading...

The move, welcomed by UN, will allow thousands of people living in camps to support themselves and their familiesThailand is setting a global precedent this month by giving refugees permission to work in the country in an effort to tackle aid cuts and its own labour shortages.More than 87,000 refugees living in nine refugee camps along Thailand's border with Myanmar have been totally reliant on handouts of food and foreign aid. Continue reading...

Mike Bush says commercial flight would have been more appropriate for travel to Hobart for meeting of commissioners

Perth resident Ahmed Abumarzouq has two nephews stuck in the war-ravaged territory, who cannot get out despite the ceasefire

Lindsay Sandiford, 68, has been on death row in Indonesia since 2012, after authorities found 3.8kg of cocaine in her suitcaseA British woman will avoid execution for drug smuggling in Indonesia under an agreement between the two nations to repatriate her and another Briton serving a life sentence.Lindsay Sandiford, 68, has been imprisoned in Bali since 2012. She was arrested at the resort island's airport after authorities found 3.8kg of cocaine worth $2.5m hidden in the lining of her suitcase. During the trial, she said she was forced to carry the drugs by a gang that threatened her children. Continue reading...

Six arrests made after crowd hurled fireworks and other missiles at officers during protests following alleged sexual assault on a young girlSix people have been arrested after Irish police battled hundreds of protesters outside a Dublin hotel used to house asylum seekers after an alleged sexual assault on a young girl.The crowd burned a police vehicle and hurled fireworks and other missiles at officers outside the Citywest hotel on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

David Lammy urged to consider 1955 case in light of evidence Ellis was abused by partner before she killed himThe grandchildren of the last woman to be hanged in the UK are asking ministers to posthumously pardon her in light of evidence that she was emotionally and physically abused by her partner before she killed him.Ruth Ellis was executed in 1955 after killing David Blakely her partner, who she had met while working in the nightclub she managed two years earlier. At the time, she was portrayed as a cold-blooded killer" but evidence has since emerged that Blakely, a racing-car driver, physically and emotionally abused her. Continue reading...

Exclusive: West Midlands police were told supporters randomly attacked Muslims in Amsterdam last yearMaccabi Tel Aviv supporters were banned from watching their game against Aston Villa after police intelligence concluded the biggest risk of violence came from extremist fans of the Israeli club.The ban ignited an intense controversy and was criticised by the prime minister, as well as others claiming it was a surrender to antisemitism.Scores of extreme Maccabi fans with a past history of violence and shouting racist taunts" were expected to travel to the Birmingham game.Dutch police told their British counterparts that the Maccabi fans had instigated trouble in Amsterdam at a game last year.They had randomly picked Muslims in Amsterdam to attack. That led to reprisal violence with some Dutch Jews attacked.A huge Dutch police effort, involving 5,000 officers across three days, was needed to quell the trouble.A community impact assessment by West Midlands police recorded that some Jewish people wanted the Maccabi fans banned because of the trouble that might ensue if they attended.Any trouble started by Maccabi fans attending the Birmingham game could lead to reprisals from local people and further trouble.The process did not consider whether the ban on fans of the Israeli club could be criticised as antisemitic itself or surrendering to antisemitism. Continue reading...

Speaking in Washington, the prime minister downplayed US comments about ambiguity' but conceded he knows that the Pentagon want some updates

Ministers face growing pressure to act amid fresh allegations over prince's relationship with Jeffrey EpsteinMPs have moved to lodge a parliamentary motion to strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom, in a rarely permitted move in the Commons.The government is facing mounting pressure over the prince's residence in the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor, where it was revealed that he has not paid rent for more than two decades. Continue reading...

Museum wants to confront history of bishop of the colonies' and their involvement in slaveryBlack History Month is a great thing," said Sian Harrington, the chief executive at Fulham Palace Trust, but I think it's just not enough."The museum had always told the story of the bishop of London, who historically lived at Fulham Palace - now home to a historic house, museum and 13-acre garden. But when George Floyd was murdered in 2020, the museum was among others which concluded that more needed to be done. Continue reading...

Deng Chol Majek tells jury he had no reason to hurt Rhiannon Skye Whyte and was in hotel car park at time of attackAn asylum seeker accused of murdering a hotel worker told a jury in Wolverhampton he had no reason to want to harm or kill her and was not at the scene of the attack.Deng Chol Majek, who said he was 19, denies attacking and murdering Rhiannon Skye Whyte with a screwdriver at Bescot Stadium railway station, West Midlands, last October. Continue reading...

Police continue to search for the criminal gang behind the brazen robbery targeting France's crown jewelsThe financial loss from France's most dramatic heist in decades has been put at nearly 90m as the head of the Louvre prepared to face difficult questions over how thieves were able to steal priceless jewellery in broad daylight.As police continued to search for the criminal gang behind the brazen robbery on Sunday, the Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told the broadcaster RTL that the museum's curator had estimated the losses at about 88m (76m). Continue reading...

Netflix, Comcast and Paramount Skydance are reportedly among possible bidders in sale that could shake up industryWarner Bros Discovery is considering putting the entire company up for sale, a move that could see huge restructuring in an industry that has seen ripples of changes since Donald Trump took office.The company initially said in June that it would split up Warner Bros and Discovery, after the two companies were merged in 2022. But after receiving unsolicited interest ... from multiple parties for both the entire company and Warner Bros", according to a statement released on Monday, the entire company could be up for a transaction. The company could also split up Warner Bros and Discovery, selling off Discovery while merging Warner Bros with another company, it said. Continue reading...

Adderley, said to have made false claims about time in Navy, to be prosecuted over allegations of fraud and misconductThe former Northamptonshire police chief constable Nick Adderley has been charged with fraud and misconduct in public office over allegations he made false claims about his military service and educational achievements when applying to work for the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.Adderley is accused of making false claims of being a decorated Navy officer while applying to work for the police, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Continue reading...

Former president organised stage-managed departure from his Paris home before becoming first French postwar leader to be jailed

Poland's foreign minister says Putin's plane could be escorted down as attacks continue with four killed in drone strike in ChernihivA lawyer for Nicolas Sarkozy said a motion had been filed for his release moments after the former French president entered jail, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.Attorney Christophe Ingrain told reporters:A request has been filed for Nicolas Sarkozy's release. Continue reading...

Ecuadorian officials say they found no evidence the man had committed a crime, after Trump called people on the submarine terrorists'

Exclusive: Poverty rapporteur says governments must rethink welfare state as essential to fabric of societyDecades of efforts by mainstream politicians to roll back welfare programmes have given rise to an extremely dangerous" discourse that has helped fuel the rise of the far right and rightwing populists in countries around the world, a top UN expert has told the Guardian.From London to Lisbon, politicians from centre-right and centre-left parties alike had steadily eroded social programmes, fostering a sense of scarcity and creating fertile ground for the stirring up of anti-migrant sentiment, said Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. Continue reading...

Flight returned to Omaha airport minutes after departing for Los Angeles, after intercom was left on by accidentPilots aboard a US commercial jet mistakenly thought someone was trying to invade the cockpit on Monday, leading the flight to return to the Omaha airport fewer than 40 minutes after departing for Los Angeles.The misunderstanding on American Airlines Flight 6469 came about because the intercom that pilots and flight attendants use to speak to each other had been left on by accident, an American Airlines spokesperson said. The pilots heard some static sound over this intercom, and they mistakenly thought it meant someone was trying to break in. Continue reading...

Detroit automaker expects 2025 adjusted core profit to be between $12bn and $13bn as it faces weakening EV marketGeneral Motors lifted its financial outlook for the year and slightly lowered its expected hit from tariffs, as the automaker awaits expected relief on tariffs in the US while confronting a weakening market for electric vehicles.The company now expects its annual adjusted core profit to be between $12bn and $13bn, compared with its prior estimate of $10bn to $12.5bn. The Detroit automaker said tariffs would hit its bottom line less than anticipated, lowering its updated impact to a range of $3.5bn to $4.5bn, from a previous $4bn to $5bn. Continue reading...

New leader had promised levels of female representation comparable to those in Iceland and FinlandSanae Takaichi made history on Tuesday when she became Japan's first female prime minister. But hours after she was elected by MPs, it was evident that female under-representation in the country's political establishment would continue when she appointed just two women to her cabinet.Takaichi had promised levels of female representation in her government comparable to those in Iceland, Finland and Norway. Continue reading...

Former French president will reportedly be held in isolation and has a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo for company

Idea that apes at closed-down zoo have been abandoned is ridiculous, says CEO, after urban explorer's video made headlinesA rainy afternoon in Bristol but the troop of western lowland gorillas did not seem to mind the damp and were foraging for snacks of lettuce and cereal scattered around their zoo enclosure.To the untrained eye, their expressions might be described as lugubrious, but Sarah Gedman, the curator of mammals at Bristol Zoological Society (BZS), insisted the apes were perfectly relaxed and in tune with each other. They're not sad at all," said Gedman. Continue reading...

Central Land Council chief executive Lesley Turner alleges the Liberal senator defamed him in a 2024 press release

Lobby groups tell Victorian inquiry legitimate churches could be caught up in any proposed crackdown on coercive practices

Ex-home secretary says work and teach' visa, which thinktank finds could help reduce public concerns about immigration, is a serious, pragmatic plan'The former home and education secretary David Blunkett has backed calls for skilled migrants to train British workers in an effort to improve public feeling towards immigration.A report by the Good Growth Foundation, a thinktank with links to Labour ministers, has called for the creation of a visa route where skilled migrants spend part of their time mentoring and training British workers. Continue reading...

Pause on move to freeze preferential trade pact comes amid scramble to shore up fragile ceasefireThe EU has been criticised for pausing sanctions against Israel's government in response to Donald Trump's peacemaking efforts in the Middle East, as the fragile ceasefire came under threat.After meeting EU foreign ministers on Monday, the European foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, announced a pause on efforts to suspend preferential trade with Israel and sanctions against people responsible for fuelling the conflict on both sides. Continue reading...

German chancellor rebuffs critics and insists anyone with daughters would agree we have to change something'Critics have accused Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, of adopting dangerous" rhetoric on immigration, after he championed very large scale" expulsions of people from cities - and claimed that anyone with daughters would agree with him.Merz, who took office in May with a pledge to beat back the rise of the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party, on Monday chastised a reporter who asked if he wished to revise his hardline remarks on migration from last week in light of widespread criticism, or apologise for them. Continue reading...

Police make more than 180 arrests and capture 281 privately manufactured weapons and parts, including those made by 3D printers

In first interview since Glastonbury, frontman Bobby Vylan tells Louis Theroux the backlash was minimal' compared to the plight of PalestiniansBob Vylan frontman Bobby Vylan is not regretful" of his death, death to the IDF" chant at Glastonbury and said he would do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays".The outspoken punk duo sparked controversy when they led chants of death, death to the IDF", referring to the Israel Defense Forces, at the festival in June. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, who described it as appalling hate speech". Continue reading...

Myanmar's military moved in to tackle a major online scam operation near the Thailand border, state media reportedMyanmar's military has raided a major online scam operation near the border with Thailand, detaining more than 2,000 people and seizing dozens of Starlink satellite internet terminals, state media has reported.According to a report in Monday's Myanma Alinn newspaper, Myanmar's army raided KK Park, a well-documented cybercrime centre, as part of operations starting in early September to suppress online fraud, illegal gambling, and cross-border cybercrime. Continue reading...

Chancellor to tell business leaders at government's first regional investment summit she plans to cut pointless admin'The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is poised to launch a renewed blitz on business bureaucracy" ahead of next month's budget to target savings for companies worth 6bn.With Labour under pressure to reboot the economy, Reeves is expected to tell business leaders in Birmingham for the government's first regional investment summit that she plans to cut pointless admin". Continue reading...

Maccabi say rivals to blame for crowd trouble while UK government still wants ban lifted for Aston Villa gameBritish police will investigate whether fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv bear any blame for violence at an Israeli football match on Sunday that led to the game being abandoned.Police and authorities have faced criticism over a decision last week to ban Maccabi fans from attending a Europa League game against Aston Villa in Birmingham on 6 November. Continue reading...

Parliamentary rules forbid debates about the conduct of royals, which some consider a fig leaf for inactionThe shocking new allegations about the extent of Prince Andrew's connections with Jeffery Epstein have dominated front pages and airwaves but there is one powerful institution which is effectively barred from discussing it - parliament.There is growing disquiet among MPs about strict guidance that means the disgraced royal cannot be the subject of any parliamentary debate - including whether he can be formally stripped of his titles. Continue reading...

President says US has no better friend than Australia but tells ambassador Kevin Rudd I don't like you'

Ex-girlfriend alleged Adam Aspinall Da Encarnacao shared footage from cases of Natalie Shotter and a second womanA Metropolitan police officer has been cleared of two counts of misconduct in public office after standing trial accused of sharing footage from two rape cases.PC Adam Aspinall Da Encarnacao, 33, from Buckinghamshire, attached to the Met's Sapphire unit dealing with rapes and serious sexual assaults, had pleaded not guilty to both counts. He has acted as a sexual offences investigation trained officer supporting rape victims. Continue reading...

Feud casts doubt on future of counter-narcotics and security cooperation between two countries, analysts warnColombia has recalled its ambassador to Washington amid a furious war of words between Colombian president Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump over deadly US strikes on boats in the Caribbean.The row took a sharp turn this weekend when Petro accused the US of murdering" a Colombian fisher in an attack on a vessel in its territorial waters. Petro and his administration said the mid-September strike was a direct threat to national sovereignty" and that the victim was a lifelong fisherman" and a humble human being". Continue reading...

Subscriptions dropped at an increased rate after backlash from late-night host's temporary removal, new data showsDisney's short-lived suspension of Jimmy Kimmel under pressure from the Trump administration may have had a permanent impact on the company's subscription numbers.According to data released by Antenna, an analytics firm that tracks subscription and viewership data for major streaming services, cancellation rates for Disney+ and Hulu doubled from August to September - from 4 and 5% to 8 and 10%, respectively. So-called churn rates for Disney+ have hovered at 3-4% all year, with Hulu at 4-5%. Continue reading...

Firm behind venues falls into administration but Yum! Brands buys remainder of operation in Britain

East London Mosque received hateful emails after event for men, boys, and under-12 girls only - but organisers say women's race was undersubscribedA female leader at a British mosque accused of excluding women from a charity run has said women in the community have a voice and do not need saving" by critics who lack an understanding of Muslim values.East London Mosque, in Tower Hamlets, found itself at the centre of a media firestorm and received dozens of hate mail messages after staging the Muslim Charity Run, open to men, boys of all ages and girls under 12". The communities secretary, Steve Reed, later said he was horrified". Continue reading...

Typhoo tea owner Supreme acquires business from Irish nutrition and food firm Glanbia for 20mThe owner of Typhoo tea has snapped up SlimFast's UK and European business in a 20.1m deal as it seeks to expand in the weight management market despite fierce competition from GLP-1 weight-loss jabs.The Irish nutrition and food company Glanbia has sold the low-calorie meal replacement shakes business to the British company Supreme after putting it up for sale earlier this year. Sales at the European operations have dropped, weighing on stronger trading in the US. Continue reading...