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Poetry in protest event on 30 October will showcase how political change can be brought about through verseThe British Academy is to pay tribute to the late poet Benjamin Zephaniah next week as part of a night of discussion and performance.The award-winning poet Jackie Kay is among guest speakers at the first Poetry in protest event on 30 October, which explores how political change can be brought about through verse. Continue reading...

HMRC and FCA asked to look into property deals with Saifuzzaman Chowdhury now under investigation for corruption in DhakaBritish regulators have been urged by MPs to examine the relationship between London estate agents, lawyers and lenders and a former Bangladeshi government minister under investigation for alleged corruption.Saifuzzaman Chowdhury was the land minister in Bangladesh until earlier this year, when the government of Sheikh Hasina was spectacularly toppled, after her regime's violent suppression of student protests. Continue reading...

Survey shows many consumers unaware that previously standalone businesses now owned by big corporationsSmall breweries in the UK are ditching the term craft beer" in favour of indie beer", warning that global corporations have bamboozled many drinkers into believing that formerly independent brands are still artisanal hidden gems.In a survey by YouGov that marks a new phase of the bitter war over what constitutes craft beer", consumers were asked to say whether 10 beer brands were made by independent craft breweries". Continue reading...

Gardeners' World presenter is bucking the trend to make the event more inclusiveSome gardeners at the Chelsea Flower Show may balk at the idea of a dog scrabbling around near their prize roses.But Monty Don is designing his first Chelsea garden for next year's event - and making it dog-friendly. Continue reading...

4.3m hoard acquired for the nation by South West Heritage Trust will be displayed at British Museum next monthIt began with a speculative trip to a soggy field in south-west England by a seven-strong band of metal detectorists more intent on figuring out how to use some new kit rather than unearthing anything of great historical importance.But the friends came upon an astonishing hoard of coins - 2,584 silver pennies - from the time of the Norman conquest, which has been valued at 4.3m, making it the highest-value treasure find ever in England. Continue reading...

Government issues official document to Peruvian-born character, listing him as Bear' under its observationsHe has been one of the UK's favourite and most prominent refugees for two-thirds of a century. Now Paddington Bear - official name Paddington Brown - has been granted a British passport.The co-producer of the latest Paddington film said the Home Office had issued the document to the fictional Peruvian-born character - listing for completeness the official observation that he is, in fact, a bear. Continue reading...

Independent senator, who made international headlines for heckling King Charles about Indigenous injustices, says people should get used to truth-telling'

Justin Welby says ancestor owned enslaved people in Jamaica and was paid compensation upon abolitionJustin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, has revealed that his ancestor owned enslaved people on a plantation in Jamaica and was compensated by the British government when slavery was abolished.Welby disclosed his ancestral links in a personal statement that reiterated his commitment to addressing the enduring and damaging legacies of transatlantic slavery. Continue reading...

X-ray add-on at estimated 1 a scan aimed at reducing missed diagnoses in initial assessmentMillions of patients in England with suspected broken bones could have their X-rays checked with a 1 artificial intelligence scan to help NHS doctors avoid missing fractures.Overlooked broken bones are among the most common mistakes made in A&E units and urgent care centres, with as many as 10% of fracture cases either not spotted at all by medical professionals or diagnosed late. Continue reading...

Government analysis says those on low pay stand to benefit most, with some potentially earning extra 600 a yearEmployment rights reforms could cost businesses up to 5bn a year, according to the government's own analysis, which also found the changes will benefit low-paid employees the most, with some shift workers potentially earning an extra 600 a year.In the analysis the government acknowledges that businesses will end up paying more, including for changes to sick pay, paternity leave and zero-hours contracts as well as on administrative costs. Continue reading...

Ovidio Guzman and Joaquin Guzman Lopez may become cooperating witnesses in case against drug lord El MayoTwo of drug lord Joaquin El Chapo" Guzman Loera's sons have confirmed they are negotiating for a plea deal with the US government, an attorney for the pair confirmed during a federal court status hearing in Chicago on Monday.The hearing confirmed an August report from the Mexican news organization Milenio that Ovidio Guzman and Joaquin Guzman Lopez were negotiating a deal for a more lenient sentence and to become cooperating witnesses for the US government. Continue reading...

Documents obtained by Ottawa Citizen show officials were concerned about negative media in case of Kristen AdamsCanada's military decided not to apologize to an employee after she was sexually assaulted while working with Nato allies, over fears that any apology would be reported by an Ottawa newspaper.For years, the country's armed forces has publicly acknowledged a culture that bred abuse and assault, and a longstanding failure to root it out. The crisis, which prompted a shake-up at the most senior ranks, has eroded public trust in the institution and weakened morale within the military's ranks. Continue reading...

Move by Italian PM overturns ruling by a Rome court that could have blocked deal to curb migrant arrivalsItaly's far-right government has passed a new law to overcome a court ruling that risks blocking the country's multimillion-dollar deal with Albania aimed at curbing migrant arrivals.On Friday, a court in Rome ruled to transfer back to Italy the last 12 asylum seekers being held in the new Italian migration hub in Albania. The ruling has cast doubt on the feasibility and legality of plans by the EU to explore ways to establish migrant processing and detention centres outside the bloc as part of a new hardline approach to migration. Continue reading...

Martyn Blake shot Kaba, who was unarmed, in 2022, saying he feared Kaba would use car to kill officers

Deluge causes landslides and tears house roofs as engineers try to get country's electricity grid up and running againHurricane Oscar has dumped heavy rain across the eastern end of Cuba, adding to a list of woes already besetting the Caribbean's biggest island, which was hit over the weekend by a huge power cut.The deluge caused landslides, and winds of 75mph tore the roofs off houses, making work even more difficult for the engineers trying to get Cuba's electricity grid up and running again, after a weekend when the entire country of about 10 million people was plunged into darkness. Continue reading...

Suspects are accused of photographing and collecting information about Israeli bases and facilities

In pitting millennials against boomers, the Victorian premier is setting the stage for a 2026 election fought on housing

Former Verve frontman says the songwriting talent of Noel and Liam's pure spirit as a lead singer helped to inspire me to create some of my best work'Richard Ashcroft has been named as the support act for Oasis's 2025 reunion tour in the UK and Ireland.The former Verve frontman will appear at the 19 dates in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin between July and September, confirming earlier rumours of his appearance.As a fan from day one I was buzzing for many reasons when the news of Oasis's return was announced. I can say with no exaggeration that the songwriting talent of Noel and Liam's pure spirit as a lead singer helped to inspire me to create some of my best work. It was the perfection of Live Forever that forced me to try and write my own. They dared to be great, made the dreams we had real and I will always remember those days with joy. Now it's time to create more memories and I'm ready to bring it. See you next summer. Music is power. Continue reading...

Ahmed Ouf, a pharmacist from Egypt, says local election success means he can take Blaxland from Jason Clare

Charles and Camilla entered the Great Hall from a door behind the stage - not from the foyer, down the centre aisle, and past Thorpe. Now we may know why

King says Australia's climate leadership of critical importance' in Parliament House address disrupted by Indigenous senator's protest

Seoul demands immediate withdrawal of elite soldiers reportedly helping Russia in its war against UkraineSouth Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul to protest in the strongest terms" about the reported dispatch of thousands of North Korean troops to help Russia in its war against Ukraine.The first vice-foreign minister, Kim Hong-kyun, told the Russian envoy Georgy Zinoviev that the participation of North Korean troops in the war violated UN resolutions and demanded their immediate withdrawal, South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. Continue reading...

Trial begins of second teen accused over stabbing death of 41-year-old on Boxing Day 2022

Oscar, 10th hurricane of 2024 season, batters Turks and Caicos and Bahamas and threatens Cuba and CanadaHurricane Oscar has become the 10th hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, battering the Turks and Caicos Islands on Saturday night and the far southern Bahamas on Sunday.The disturbance that eventually became Oscar was initially given a low chance of tropical development by the US National Hurricane Center. It began on 10 October as a tropical wave across western Africa, bringing thunderstorms and gusty winds to the Cabo Verde Islands, before moving westwards over the Atlantic. However, it struggled to become sufficiently organised at it progressed, as dry air inhibited further thunderstorm development. Continue reading...

Motoring organisation estimates introduction of graduated driving licences would save at least 58 lives a yearNew drivers under 21 in the UK should be banned from carrying passengers of a similar age for six months after passing their test, a motoring organisation has urged.The AA estimated that introducing a graduated driving licence (GDL) would save at least 58 lives and prevent 934 people being seriously injured in road crashes each year. Continue reading...

Premier announces stamp duty cut on off-the-plan apartments, townhouses and units purchased in next year

Those aged 50 to 69 will be the worst affected, with some left in such pain that they cannot workAlmost 2 million more people will be suffering from sore backs, necks and other body parts by 2040 due to a surge in chronic pain caused by England's ageing population, new research shows.The number of people in England aged 20 and over with chronic pain is set to soar from 5.345 million in 2019 to 7.247 million by 2040, according to projections by the Health Foundation thinktank. Continue reading...

Health secretary launches consultation on government's move to transform NHS in England from analogue to digital'Wes Streeting is to unveil plans for portable medical records giving every NHS patient all their information stored digitally in one place on Monday, despite fears over breaching privacy and creating a target for hackers.The health secretary is launching a major consultation on the government's plans to transform the NHS from analogue to digital" over the next decade. It will offer patient passports" containing health data that can be swiftly accessed by GPs, hospitals and ambulance services. Continue reading...

Autumn price bump failed to emerge as buyers spoiled for choice, with properties on market at a 10-year highThe number of homes being sold is up almost a third, year on year, so far this month, although the traditional autumn price bump has failed to emerge due to buyers being spoilt for choice, with the number of properties for sale at a 10-year high, according to Rightmove.The number of sales agreed is up 29%, with the number of house hunters contacting estate agents up 17%, despite some market uncertainty caused by the looming budget at the end of October. Continue reading...

Met Office issues warnings for across the UK as the first named storm of the season sweeps inParts of the UK have been battered by strong winds and heavy rain, as Storm Ashley - the first named storm of the season - swept in.The Met Office said the storm was likely to bring a threat of injuries and danger to life, with winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain expected in some areas. Continue reading...

Third of total comprises bonuses at Severn Trent as indebted Thames nearly doubles payouts to executivesBonuses for water company bosses in England and Wales rose to 9.1m this year despite record sewage discharges into rivers and seas.

UN special coordinator says nightmare in Gaza is intensifying' and calls for immediate end to violence

Formal identification has yet to take place but family of missing man have been informed, say Surrey policeA body has been pulled from the River Thames during a search for a man who went missing after a rowing boat capsized.A man in his 60s was the only person who was not accounted for after the vessel capsized at Sunbury Lock in Surrey on 11 October, which sent six people into the water. Continue reading...

Indoor facility in Cirencester removes objects resembling corpses covered in plastic after parents complainA children's soft play centre has removed its hanging body bag" Halloween decorations after concerns were raised by parents.Rugrats and Halfpints in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, has apologised over the objects resembling human corpses covered in black plastic. Continue reading...

Emmanuel Macron has banned Israeli companies from the Euronaval Salon defence fair in Paris next monthIsrael's foreign minister has announced he is taking legal and diplomatic measures" against the decision by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to ban Israeli companies from showing their wares at an arms fair in Paris next month.Israel Katz described the boycott" as an anti-democratic measure that was not acceptable, especially between friendly nations". Continue reading...

Growth in earnings from smart TV, mobile, broadband and streaming offset by drop in popularity of Q boxSky reported a doubling of its annual losses last year as the media and telecoms company spent more on programming and costs relating to its broadband services and hardware such as mobile devices and Sky Glass TVs increased.The company, which earlier this year cut 1,000 jobs, reported an operating loss of 224m for 2023. Continue reading...

Watergate reporter says Trump is far worse than Nixon and most reckless and impulsive president in American history'The Middle East and Ukraine are ablaze, the US mired in turmoil. An octogenarian president recedes from view. The threat of a second Trump term hangs like the sword of Damocles. Fifty years ago, with Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward captured Watergate and the downfall of Richard Nixon. Now, the US sits at an inflection point once again. Woodward's fourth book at least in part about Donald Trump is a sober but alarming must-read.War depicts an administration under Joe Biden that is often behind the curve, at times captive to its own wishful thinking. The withdrawal from Afghanistan haunts. Trump mesmerizes. Yet as Woodward tells it, Biden and his team did clearly see the menace Russia posed. Unlike George W Bush, Biden did not need to gaze into Vladimir Putin's blighted soul. Unlike Trump, he did not feel compelled to fluff his ego like a besotted fanboy.War is published in the US by Simon & Schuster Continue reading...

Exclusive: Rebooted Downing Street operation seeks to smooth over reports of tensions with deputy prime ministerAngela Rayner has been given a permanent seat on the UK government's national security council as the rebooted Downing Street operation seeks to smooth over reports of tensions between Keir Starmer and his deputy.Allies of the deputy prime minister had shared concerns she was being sidelined when it emerged two weeks ago that she had been given only a temporary place on the committee that brings together ministers with military and intelligence chiefs. Continue reading...

Review to examine scrapping short sentences and treating more offenders in the community, with prisons filling up againFewer women could be sent to jail under a review to be announced by ministers this week that is expected to cut sentences for thousands of criminals.The government will lay the groundwork for the task of reshaping the sentencing regime in England and Wales, with the aim for it to be completed within six months.Internal data shows that prisons are expected to be full again by the summer of 2025.Ministers are examining measures to ease pressure on prisons to cover a period of at least nine months before the sentencing review's proposals can be introduced.The outsourcing company Serco has seconded extra staff to tag prisoners, after being handed a six-figure fine for failing to tag dozens of offenders released last month. Continue reading...

Internet chatter and Oklahoma arrest of alleged would-be IS attacker indicate terror group's planningAfter the FBI arrested an Afghan man in Oklahoma planning an election day shooting on behalf of the Islamic State, the terrorist organization re-entered what has become one of the most chaotic news cycles leading up to a November vote.Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, of Oklahoma City admitted to investigators he and a co-conspirator expected to die as IS martyrs as they opened fire on crowds on election day, according to charging documents. Continue reading...

Former Top Gear host, 64, says he had stent fitted for blocked artery after sudden deterioration' in his healthJeremy Clarkson has revealed he had a heart procedure after waking up feeling clammy" with a tightness in his chest and pins and needles in left arm.The 64-year-old former Top Gear host said he was taken to hospital by ambulance before having a stent fitted to open up a blocked artery, which left him thinking: Crikey, that was close." Continue reading...

UK health secretary says people will not be involuntarily jabbed' but that medications could be gamechanging'Wes Streeting has denied his plans to give new weight-loss jabs to unemployed people to help them back into work would result in a dystopian future" where overweight people would be involuntarily jabbed".The UK health secretary acknowledged that weight-loss drugs were not, on their own, the answer to the nation's obesity crisis after he suggested this week that they could have a monumental" impact on getting more people working. Continue reading...

A fresh look at cultural identity will follow outline of 60-year-old Survey of Language and Folklore, conducted by two academics driving a red MiniIn 1964, two young academics clambered into a red Mini and, armed with a mountain of printed slips, set out to conduct what would become the definitive survey of English folklore and traditions for the next 60 years.John Widdowson and Paul Smith went to town centres, community halls, Women's Institute meetings. They handed the simple forms out to anyone who visited Sheffield University, where they were based. And they wanted to know the answer to one simple question: what do you know to be true? Continue reading...

Presidential election and EU referendum take place amid concerns over interference from MoscowMoldovans are voting in a presidential election and an EU referendum that will mark a pivotal moment in the tug-of-war between Russia and the west over the future of the small, landlocked south-east European country of fewer than 3 million people.The pro-western president, Maia Sandu, hopes to advance her agenda by winning a second term and securing a yes" in a referendum to affirm EU accession as a irreversible" goal in the constitution. Continue reading...

After a day of rest, monarch appears at Sydney lunch in his honour and gives hosts an hourglass while joking about swift passage of timeKing Charles III did not linger long at the luncheon put on in his honour, at the second scheduled event of his short Australian visit. And his gift to the gathering was a reminder of the fleeting passage of time.There was a menu fit for a king, and very Sydney: chargrilled asparagus and olive dust; marinated octopus and squid ink wafer; barramundi and duck confit.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

Charity Commission finds range of shortfalls' at Narconon facility after Observer investigationA Scientology-linked addiction charity accused of putting vulnerable people through psychological drills that left them traumatised" and in trance-like states" has been reprimanded by the Charity Commission.Narconon UK was ordered by the watchdog to address a range of shortfalls" after an investigation identified breaches of charity law and issues with management. Continue reading...

Guy Chambers among industry figures calling for changes in wake of former One Direction star's tragic deathUnder-18s should not be pushed into pop stardom, one of the UK's leading songwriters has said, in the wake of the tragic death of former One Direction star Liam Payne.As Payne's father, Geoff, arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to arrange the repatriation of his son's body, fans were still taking in the news of the 31-year-old's fall from a third-floor hotel balcony. Many also joined the Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy, an ex-partner, in decrying the lurid coverage of Payne's death scene in some news outlets. Continue reading...

At least 73 killed strike on northern Gaza, health ministry says, after drone attack on Netanyahu's home. This blog is now closed.Here are some of the latest images coming in via the news wires:Naval drills hosted by Iran with the participation of Russia and Oman and observed by nine other countries began in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, Iran's state TV said, according to Reuters. Continue reading...

Authorities say they are gradually re-establishing electrical service across the island, including to hospitalsCuba's government said on Saturday it had made some progress in gradually re-establishing electrical service across the island, including to hospitals and parts of the capital, Havana, after state-run media earlier reported the national grid had collapsed for a second time in 24 hours.Most of Cuba's 10 million people, however, remained without electricity on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading...

John Taylor, 44, found with serious injuries outside Kilwinning home in what police believe was targeted attack'A murder investigation has been launched after a man died in what police believe was a targeted attack" outside his home in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.John Taylor, 44, was found with serious injuries outside his home in Pollock Crescent on Friday at about 1.55pm, Police Scotland said. Continue reading...