World news | The Guardian

Big names including Majestic and Laithwaites hope to head off price rises whereby drinks will be taxed on ABVAs a rule, retailers tend to trumpet price cuts and keep quiet about increases but wine sellers are breaking ranks to warn customers of looming rises due to a shake-up of the way wine is taxed.The big names behind the campaign include Majestic Wine, Laithwaites, Cambridge Wine Merchants and the Wine Society, who are trying to head off a new alcohol duty system before it's too late". The industry has previously said the price of 75% of red wines would increase on the back of the new rules. Continue reading...

Campaigners say groups' online channels contain white nationalism, fascist imagery and misogynistic languageConcerns about the growth of self-styled fitness clubs organised by the far right have prompted calls for action to counter misogynistic messaging targeted at young men and boys.Campaigners want the UK government to recognise the danger presented by so-called active clubs" - a loose movement imported from the US - and use moments such as a review of the school curriculum to challenge their ideology. Continue reading...

Suspect arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm as 14-year-old girl left with potentially life-changing injuriesA 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after what is believed to have been an acid attack outside a school in west London earlier this week.Detectives said a 14-year-old girl has been left with potentially life-changing injuries after the incident at Westminster academy on Monday afternoon, while a 16-year-old boy and a teacher were hospitalised then discharged, having suffered less severe injuries. Continue reading...

Hopes occasionally soared only to be dashed as legal challenges came and went until a critical judgment in 2019The view from the decaying jetty on the atoll of Peros Banhos takes in a vast lagoon surrounded by palm trees and sun-bleached beaches. From there, more than 50 years ago, some of the last Chagos Islanders were forcibly deported by British colonial administrators.Their pet dogs, several of which swam out to departing boats, were rounded up; the animals were shot or gassed. Clearance of about 2,000 people from the remote but strategically important archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean was complete by 1973. Continue reading...

Disability charity says Labour plan must not become punitive measure exacerbating culture of mistrust and fear'

Venezuela's president attempts to move on from bitterly disputed election result by declaring Christmas in October'Twas 85 nights before Christmas when the decorations went up - at least in Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro has decided festivities should start early in an apparent attempt to lift spirits and distract minds after the recent election scandal.A month after Maduro announced that Christmas 2024 would begin in October, residents of Caracas left home on Tuesday to find the capital's boulevards and plazas decked with LED light strings and sculptures declaring: Feliz Navidad." Continue reading...

Announcement that PM is returning gifts comes after news Labour peer Lord Alli is under investigation by Lords commissionerRichard Fuller, the Tory chair, is on the conference platform now introducing the morning session.He starts with thanks to various people who have helped with the conference.After a frenetic Conference for Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat and Robert Jenrick the tiredness will be kicking in, but also for the teams of advisers who want, and maybe need, their principal to take another go at delivering the twenty-minute speech of their career.It's a four hoarse race.The problem for the party, and for me, is that none of this gossipy chatter has taken the conference attendees much further forward - nor has any of the four taken conference by storm. Continue reading...

By the end of the four candidates' conference speeches, the audience was screaming to be let out. Even before the national anthemWelcome, my friends, to the Show That Never Ends. At least, that's the way it feels. Hard to believe, after weeks of nonsense and four days of the Fearless Four saying the same thing minute after minute, that we've still got a month of the Tory leadership election to go. I guess we just need to be thankful for small mercies: we may not be at the beginning of the end, but we are at the end of the beginning.God it's been one hell of a slog. People have died, long service medals have been won and my therapy bills have gone through the roof. Spare a thought for those who have had to listen to all this doggybollox. Continue reading...

Lord Alli is under investigation by commissioner over alleged non-registration of interests'The Labour peer Waheed Alli is under investigation by the Lords' commissioner over alleged non-registration of interests", leading to a possible finding of breach of the members' code of conduct.According to an update published on parliament's website on Wednesday, Lord Alli is being investigated by the Lords' commissioner for alleged non-registration of interests leading to potential breaches of paragraphs 14(a) and 17 of the thirteenth edition of the code of conduct". Continue reading...

Figure of 21.8 million international visitors to Spain is 7.3% rise on 2023, says national statistics instituteSpain logged a record 21.8 million international visitors this summer, official data has revealed, during a period when anti-tourism protests also took place across the country.The figure is a 7.3% rise on 2023, the national statistics institute (INE) said. Continue reading...

Salome Zourabichvili opts not to advance bans on same-sex marriages and on adoptions by same-sex couplesGeorgia's president has refused to sign into law a bill aimed at severely curtailing LGBTQ+ rights, weeks after the controversial legislation was passed by the country's parliament.Last month Georgia's parliament was heavily criticised after it approved the legislation, which sets out sweeping bans on same-sex marriages, adoptions by same-sex couples and curbs on gender-affirming treatments. Continue reading...

Case left in March after the Guardian published names of senior public figures who were in the then men-only clubSimon Case, the head of the civil service, has returned to the Garrick six months after his high-profile departure, and is understood to be among a number of members whose resignations have been withdrawn by the club's management.Case quit the Garrick in March after the Guardian published the names of about 80 senior politicians, lawyers, leaders of arts organisations and actors who were members of the then men-only club, which until this year was notorious for rejecting proposals to admit women. Continue reading...

Jury at teenager's trial hears about playground attack in April at school in Ammanford, CamarthanshireTwo teachers who were stabbed repeatedly by a 13-year-old girl in a school playground in south Wales believed they were going to be killed in the attack, a jury has heard.Fiona Elias, an assistant headteacher, said when the teenager began stabbing her during the morning breaktime at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, she thought: I'm going to die." Continue reading...

Almost $10m of cryptocurrency was seized from Jay Je Yoon Jung, who faces charges including dealing with suspected proceeds of crime

Two waves of missiles pass over Jerusalem towards coastal cities with some being intercepted en route

Exclusive: departments asked to model cuts of up to 10% despite Rachel Reeves' vow to invest in growthMinisters are being asked to draw up billions of pounds in cuts to infrastructure projects over the next 18 months despite Rachel Reeves pledging to invest more to grow the economy, the Guardian has learned.Members of the cabinet have been asked to model cuts to their investment plans of up to 10% of their annual capital spending as part of this month's spending review, government sources said. Continue reading...

If Hezbollah is substantially diminished, there could be an opportunity to rebalance power in the countryTo drive away from Beirut's Mediterranean coastline is to climb, up into the rugged, unrelenting ridges of Mount Lebanon. The limestone mountain range that traverses huge lengths of Lebanon lent the country not just its name but beauty, diversity - and a combustible political culture that risks being inflamed again as Israeli forces invade.For centuries before modern Lebanon was established, its mountains were a natural barrier to invading armies. For the region's religious minorities - especially Christians and Druze - they became a sanctuary. Ensconced in remote mountain villages, the kaleidoscope of communities that would eventually form the Lebanese nation developed distinct identities, histories and anxieties over their own survival. Lebanon, wrote one of it great historians, Kamal Salibi, was a house of many mansions". Continue reading...

Leadership candidate tells Conservative conference he thought it was good way to remind her of a great PMThe audience at Conservative conferences is not generally easy to surprise, but Robert Jenrick's revelation drew some audible gasps: yes, he said, his daughter's middle name was really Thatcher.The unexpected diversion took place on the main conference stage, where Jenrick was the third of four candidates for the party leadership to face an hour-long interview with Christopher Hope of GB News in front of 4,000 delegates in Birmingham. Continue reading...

Actor, who appeared in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Waitress, Hair and Hello, Dolly!, has died of a rare form of cancerGavin Creel, a Broadway musical theater veteran who won a Tony award for Hello, Dolly! opposite Bette Midler and earned nominations for Hair and Thoroughly Modern Millie, died Monday of a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He was 48.Publicist Matt Polk said Creel died at his home in Manhattan of metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma. He was diagnosed in July of this year. Continue reading...

Closures will affect 465 jobs and retailer will also try to reduce its rent bill at nine sites if creditors approve its strategyDobbies is planning to shut 17 of its 77 stores affecting 465 jobs as its new owners try to return the garden centre group to profitability.The company, which employs 3,600 workers, said it was seeking the approval of creditors for a restructuring plan that would reduce its rent bill. Continue reading...

John Gibbs tells inquiry into deaths at Countess of Chester hospital that police should have been contacted soonerA senior doctor has said he is ashamed" he failed to stop the nurse Lucy Letby from harming babies and that police should have been contacted a year earlier.John Gibbs told a public inquiry that doctors received very firm pushback" from senior nurses when they raised growing suspicions about Letby in early 2016. Continue reading...

Arrigo Cipriani said waves from vessels that ignore speed limits on Giudecca canal are leaving diners with wet feetThe Harry's Bar culinary empire is as synonymous with Venice as its canals, inventing the bellini cocktail and hosting noted guests including Orson Welles, Ernest Hemingway and Charlie Chaplin during its 93 years in business.But the lapping of the city's waters has proved too much for the owner, Arrigo Cipriani, who is suing the city's council and port master's office because the feet of his well-heeled customers keep getting soaked by waves from speeding boats. Continue reading...

Arthur Schubarth of Montana used tissue and testicles from Marco Polo sheep to clone animal and create hybridAn 81-year-old Montana man was sentenced on Monday to six months in federal prison for illegally using tissue and testicles from large sheep hunted in central Asia and the US to create hybrid sheep for captive trophy hunting in Texas and Minnesota.The US district court judge Brian Morris said he struggled to come up with a sentence for Arthur Jack" Schubarth of Vaughn, Montana. He said he weighed Schubarth's age and lack of a criminal record with a sentence that would deter anyone else from trying to change the genetic makeup of the creatures" on the Earth. Continue reading...

After tickets quickly sold out, some began to reappear on unauthorised third-party websites for more than 750Indian police have opened an investigation after touts bought up tickets for Coldplay's upcoming Mumbai shows and put them back on sale for more than 750 each.India is often missed off global tours by popular western artists and news that Coldplay would be coming to India for the first time in January to perform two nights of their world tour in Mumbai had been greeted with wild excitement by music fans. Continue reading...

Consumer champion urges people to head to a price comparison website to find a cheaper deal

Exclusive: police say they will fight to prevent the protests due to safety concerns as Palestine Action Group says it unequivocally opposes' moveThe organisers behind the weekly pro-Palestine protests have criticised New South Wales Police for their decision to apply to the state's supreme court to prevent two pro-Palestine protests from going ahead on 6 and 7 October.Palestine Action Group (PAG) had informed police of the protests and submitted the required paperwork request, known as form 1, for both. Continue reading...

New Jersey appeals court sides with ride-hailing company, saying arbitration provision in terms was valid'A New Jersey couple seriously injured when their Uber driver ran a red light and collided with another car has lost a bid to take legal action against the company in court.John McGinty and Georgia McGinty argue Uber is enforcing an arbitration agreement after their daughter clicked agree" when presented with updated terms and conditions while ordering food via her mom's Uber Eats account. Continue reading...

Villa Vie Odyssey forced to sail back to Northern Ireland to complete paperworkA luxury cruise ship that finally set sail after unexpectedly spending four months in Belfast before a three-year voyage is expected to return to the city.Passengers cheered, applauded and hugged the liner's chief when he confirmed on Monday night that they were ready to leave Northern Ireland. Continue reading...

Substance, believed to be acidic, was thrown at pupils and staff at a west London school, say policeA teenage girl has been left with potentially life-changing injuries after a substance, believed to be acidic, was thrown at pupils and staff at a west London school, according to police.Officers on patrol were flagged down at 4.42pm on Monday by staff at Westminster academy in Alfred Road after the substance was allegedly thrown. Continue reading...

David Jones navigated tangled mess' of flooding and debris in trek to Tennessee after hurricane ravaged south-eastA US man has made his case for all pending father of the year contests after reportedly walking 30 miles (48km) through flooding and debris inflicted by Hurricane Helene to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding in Tennessee.David Jones's determined trek took him through some of the areas most devastated by Helene after the powerful category 4 hurricane made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region and crossed much of the south-eastern US. Continue reading...

Driver is not thought to have serious injuries after vehicle fell from Thelwall viaduct between junctions 20 and 21A lorry has fallen 18 metres (60ft) from a bridge on the M6 in Cheshire, and police have advised motorists to avoid the area.The vehicle plummeted from the Thelwall viaduct between junctions 20 and 21, landing on the embankment below, Cheshire constabulary said. The driver of the lorry is not believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. Continue reading...

Premier issues show cause notice to Troy Thompson as investigation into the Townsville mayor's military service record continues

Bakery chain's shares fall as it says outlook for 2025 is better than for this year

Emergency services unable to save 22-year-old after responding to reports of a distressed man in Katherine on Monday night

British handbag maker says it is raising cash for turnaround and does not need offer from Sports Direct owner

Phil Shiner sought up to 200,000 of legal aid funding to represent clients including Khuder Al-SweadyThe former human rights lawyer Phil Shiner has pleaded guilty to fraud charges linked to claims made against Iraq war veterans.Shiner, 67, appeared at Southwark crown court on Monday and pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). He will be sentenced on 2 December. Continue reading...

Sub-Antarctic fur seal euthanised after being found on Lake Bunga Beach near Lakes Entrance on 17 September

Premier Steven Miles visited the governor on a 50 cent bus fare to start the election campaign, while David Crisafulli pushed controversial coal power plan

Two Las Vegas stations pull band's songs from rotation after Billie Joe Armstrong criticises decision to move his favourite baseball team to the cityAt least two Las Vegas radio stations have removed Green Day from their playlists after frontman Billie Joe Armstrong called the city the worst shithole in America".Speaking on stage on 20 September during a performance at San Francisco's Oracle Park, Armstrong complained about the decision of John Fisher, the current owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, to move it to Las Vegas. Continue reading...

This live blog has closed, you can continue to follow live coverage on our new liveblogHere is the video clip of US president Joe Biden saying a broader war in the Middle East had to be averted". Despite diplomatic efforts the US, Egypt and Qatar have been unable to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza since the 2023 deal ended ten months ago on 30 November.Itay Blumental, who is military correspondent at Israel's Channel 11, reports on social media that the UAV intercepted earlier by Israel's military was targeted at infrastructure in the Karish gas field out at sea. Israel's military has also issued a video which it says shows the interception. The Karish gas field belongs to Israel as part of a deal brokered with Lebanon over disputed waters in 2022. Continue reading...

Review led by Indigenous lawyer Dr Terri Janke spoke to 120 current and former staff, with all but one saying they had personally experienced racism at the national broadcaster

IDF says it has launched raids on villages close to the border that pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities', as Lebanon says Israeli strikes have killed 95 people in past 24 hours

South Korean court hands out three jail terms, one of them suspended, to officers for professional negligence after 159 mostly young people diedA South Korean court has given three police officers prison sentences over their handling of a 2022 Halloween crush in a Seoul nightlife district that killed 159 people.The convictions on Monday are the first over the failure by authorities to prevent or adequately respond to the overcrowding that occurred in the popular Itaewon district. No top-level officials have been charged or held accountable, prompting criticism from bereaved families and opposition politicians. Continue reading...

In latest response to rivals such as Depop and Vinted, users now only pay transaction fees on sales of vehiclesOnline retailer eBay has scrapped fees for private sellers across almost all of its categories as it attempts to keep fast-growing rivals such as Depop and Vinted at arm's length.The move means eBay's UK sellers no longer have to pay transaction fees, except for cars, motorcycles and other vehicles. Continue reading...

London property once home to Malcolm X gets blue plaque, and Bristol exhibition explores 1833 slavery abolitionExhibitions and plaques celebrating leading Black figures and highlighting the harrowing legacy of the enslavement of African people will be part of Black History Month.First run in the UK in October 1987, Black History Month is the largest and most widespread celebration of Black culture and the historical and contemporary contributions of black Britons. Continue reading...

Russia is suspected of deliberately leaking chemical waste into a river, with deadly consequences for wildlifeSerhiy Kraskov picked up a twig and poked at a small fish floating in the Desna River. It's a roach. It died recently. You can tell because its eyes are clear and not blurry," he said. Hundreds of other fish had washed up nearby on the river's green willow-fringed banks. A large pike lay in the mud. Nearby, in a patch of yellow lilies, was a motionless carp. Everything is dead, starting from the tiniest minnow to the biggest catfish," Kraskov added mournfully.Kraskov is the mayor of the village of Slabyn, in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region. The rustic settlement - population 520 - escaped the worst of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion. But the war arrived last week in a new and horrible form. Ukrainian officials say the Russians deliberately poisoned the Seym River, which flows into the Desna. The Desna connects with a reservoir in the Kyiv region and a water supply used by millions. Continue reading...

Lachlan Morganti to complete 400 hours of community service after gambling money raised online

UK arranges flight from Beirut while Germany evacuates embassy staff and others urge citizens to leave as Israel launches limited ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon

Home affairs minister says he will cancel visas of people waving Hezbollah flags at rallies if they are not Australian citizens

Australia's grocery duopoly has leapfrogged peers when it comes to profitability - these charts prove it