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Elizabeth Lee gave one-fingered salute to reporter after leaders' debate with chief minister Andrew Barr

This blog has now closed. You can read our latest report on the conflict here and all our coverage from the region here.Aid has arrived in northern Gaza for the first time in two weeks, according to an update by Cogat, the Israeli body that oversees the Palestinian territories and coordinates with aid groups.In a social media post shared on Wednesday morning, Cogat said that 145 humanitarian aid trucks, containing food, hygiene products, baby formula, and shelter equipment, had entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings.A convoy of 28 trucks entered Gaza directly through Gate 96. The rotation coordination of humanitarian personnel has been successfully completed. 12 bakeries are operational in Gaza, 4 bakeries in northern Gaza, and 8 bakeries southern Gaza." Continue reading...

Jurgen Maier's vision for company includes the potential to borrow its own money in order to rival multinationalsBritain's new national energy company will eventually become a major power generator, running its own windfarms, tidal power and carbon capture schemes and potentially borrowing its own money, according to its new chair.Jurgen Maier, the chair of Great British Energy (GBE), told the Guardian in an interview that his vision for the company far outstrips its current scope and would put it on a par with multinational firms such as Denmark's Orsted or Sweden's Vattenfall. Continue reading...

Refugee Council says nearly 120,000 people await case processing with 63,000 set to be granted asylum by Labour governmentNearly 63,000 people who were waiting for their cases to be processed at the time of the general election are expected to be granted asylum by the Labour government, an analysis has found.The Refugee Council said the government's decision to scrap the plan to deport people to Rwanda and accelerate claims meant the asylum backlog was forecast to be 118,063 at the start of 2025 - 59,000 cases lower than if the government had continued with the policy. Continue reading...

Accusation against former Philippines president increases pressure on successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr to allow access to international criminal courtA Philippines former police colonel has testified that Rodrigo Duterte's office offered police up to $17,000 to kill suspects as part of his war on drugs", sparking calls for the evidence to be referred to the international criminal court.Royina Garma, a former police colonel who had close ties to Duterte, gave the most damning evidence yet against the former president, when she told a parliamentary committee last week he had called her in May 2016, asking her to find a police officer capable of implementing a nationwide war on drugs". Continue reading...

British musician found dead outside a hotel in Buenos Aires, according to local policeLiam Payne, a former member of the boyband One Direction, has died aged 31 after falling from a third floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, police have confirmed.The singer died on Wednesday at 5pm local time. Continue reading...

Canada prime minister testifies at public inquiry amid worsening diplomatic row over murder of Sikh separatist

Rachel Reeves aims to find 40bn in budget but several ministers have written to Keir Starmer about spending cutsCabinet ministers have pushed back against planned cuts to their departments in the upcoming budget, with several writing to Keir Starmer to contest them.Several are understood to have shared their concerns at the likelihood of deep cuts to unprotected departments such as housing and transport. Continue reading...

Mayor among 16 people killed when airstrike hit municipal building in Nabatieh in south of country

Ten-year-old found dead at home in Woking in August 2023 had constellation' of grazes, burns, puncture wounds and bruisesSara Sharif suffered at least 71 injuries shortly before she was killed, a court has heard.The 10-year-old schoolgirl's constellation" of injuries included grazes, burns, puncture wounds and bruises, some of which were the result of repetitive blunt trauma" and blunt impact or solid pressure, or both". Continue reading...

Three people, two women and one man, have been arrested in connection with murder of 23-month-old Tavia Michella Ximenes Da Costa in Co TyroneDetectives in Northern Ireland have launched a murder investigation after the death of a young child in County Tyrone.Officers have named the 23-month-old victim as Tavia Michella Ximenes Da Costa. Continue reading...

Pressure grows on Israel to allow in more aid, as UN ambassador says US will be watching' its actions on the ground

Cumbria police say five people killed in crash involving koda and Toyota on motorwayA car involved in a motorway crash in which five people, including two children, died had been travelling on the wrong side of the road at the time, it has emerged.Cumbria police said officers were called to a report of a Skoda travelling south on the northbound carriageway of the M6 near Tebay Services at 4.04pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...

People were collecting fuel from tanker that had crashed when it blew up, according to local policeMore than 140 people have died in an explosion while rushing to scoop up fuel from a crashed tanker in north-west Nigeria, in one of the country's worst such incidents in recent times.Local authorities said the vehicle crashed late on Tuesday night after the driver lost control on the Kano-Hadejia expressway near the town of Majiya in Jigawa state. It then exploded while onlookers were scooping spilt fuel with cups and buckets. Continue reading...

Mikhail Pichugin, 46, fought the cold and drank rainwater after engine of inflatable boat failed in Sea of OkhotskA Russian man rescued after 67 days adrift in a small inflatable boat in the Sea of Okhotsk has described how he survived by battling shivering cold and drinking rainwater.Mikhail Pichugin, 46, had set off to watch whales with his 49-year-old brother and 15-year-old nephew. But the boat's engine shut down on their way back on 9 August. Continue reading...

Elon Musk is donating huge amounts to Donald Trump's re-election campaign. What might he want in return? Adam Gabbatt reports from New York City Continue reading...

Exclusive: Police investigate whether spies placed incendiary package that caught alight in BirminghamCounter-terrorism police are investigating whether Russian spies planted an incendiary device on a plane to Britain which later caught fire at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham, the Guardian can reveal.Nobody was reported injured in the fire on 22 July at a warehouse in the suburb of Minworth that handles parcels for delivery, and the blaze was dealt with by the local fire brigade and staff. Continue reading...

Two infants and two women were among group of 31 people trying to reach Italy from Turkish coastFour people, including two toddlers, died after falling overboard from an overcrowded speedboat in which they were travelling off the island of Kos, the Greek coastguard has said.After scouring the seas throughout the night, officials confirmed the fatalities on Wednesday, saying the two infants and two women" who had died had been among a group of 31 people trying to reach Italy from the Turkish coast. Continue reading...

Indigenous leaders say David Crisafulli's use of term is a racialised dog whistle', whether he knows it or notThe Queensland Liberal National party leader, David Crisafulli, has been accused of racialised dog whistling" for his repeated use of a phrase common in anti-crime social media groups, where it is used as a derogatory reference to Aboriginal children.First Nations academics and other experts says Crisafulli's repeated use of the phrase generation of untouchables" - whether known to him or not - has coded racist undertones".Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

Explosion and fire in residential Benwell and Elswick area destroyed house with six people also taken to hospitalA seven-year-old boy has died after what was described as a devastating explosion" destroyed houses in a residential street.Northumbria police confirmed that a child had died and six people were taken to hospital after a large fire in Newcastle in the early hours of Wednesday. Continue reading...

Drivers and other staff to stop work as Aslef union says management will not negotiate properlyWorkers on the London Underground, including tube drivers, plan to stage a series of strikes in November amid a dispute over pay.Members of the Aslef union, whose 2,000 members include tube drivers and instructors as well as those in management and engineering, will take action on different days during the first half of November. Continue reading...

The Slow Horses star will perform the monologue Krapp's Last Tape at York Theatre Royal in the springAfter decades away from the theatre, Gary Oldman is to return to the Yorkshire playhouse where he once starred as a pantomime cat. The Oscar winner, who is currently back on TV screens in Slow Horses, will perform Samuel Beckett's monologue Krapp's Last Tape at York Theatre Royal next spring.It is a long-awaited return to the stage for the star, who started his acting career performing in York and with Glasgow's Citizens theatre before moving on to London's Royal Court and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Continue reading...

Deputy premier says Gary Williamson, who is running in the seat of Redlands, should be disendorsed immediately'

Justin Welby warns new law risks turning right to die into a duty ahead of bill being formally introduced in parliamentThe archbishop of Canterbury has warned that legalising assisted dying is dangerous and risks turning the right to die into a duty.His intervention came before the formal introduction of a private members' bill in the Commons on Wednesday that aims to offer choice at the end of life. Continue reading...

LNP leader and Labor premier face off in second leaders debate ahead of Queensland election day on 26 October

Bureau of Meteorology expects damaging winds, large hail and heavy rainfall' to strike large areas of the country, particularly in the west and south-east

Institute for Public Policy Research says firms that fail to offer options such as subsidised nutritious food should face censureEmployers should be fined if they create unhealthy workplaces, as part of Wes Streeting's plan to get unemployed people fit to work, according to a leading thinktank.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said employers that fail to provide a healthier work environment for their staff, such as subsidised nutritious food, should face regulatory action, including fines and public censure. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Rachel Reeves will meet senior City figures on Friday to discuss funding of national investment projectsThe chancellor will summon City bosses to Downing Street on Friday for the first post-election meeting of Labour's British infrastructure taskforce", as the government hopes to steer more private cash towards a string of national investment projects.Banking and asset management bosses - including Lloyds Banking Group's Charlie Nunn, HSBC UK's Ian Stuart and Phoenix Group's Andy Briggs - will gather in No 11 as the government asks private sector leaders for advice on how best to fund and implement a series of infrastructure programmes. Continue reading...

Minutes of meeting between then business secretary Badenoch and businessman James Dyson show her defending the flexible working billKemi Badenoch defended legislation introducing the right to flexible work in a conversation with the businessman James Dyson, despite being outspoken in her opposition to the measures during the Conservative leadership contest.Minutes of a meeting during her time as business secretary last June, seen by the Guardian, show the pair discussed the Tory government's plans for flexible working laws, with Dyson raising concerns about the impact they would have on his business. Continue reading...

Eon Productions, based at Pinewood Studios near London, reported pre-tax profits down by three-quarters in 2023Profit at the maker of the James Bond films fell by three-quarters last year as it went another year without a new blockbuster release in the multibillion-dollar 007 franchise.Eon Productions, which is headquartered at Pinewood Studios in the countryside west of London, reported pre-tax profits of 224,985 last year. Continue reading...

Peers say protections have been undermined by three immigration acts passed by the previous governmentLabour should restore protections for victims of modern slavery, which have been undermined by recent Tory immigration laws, a House of Lords committee chaired by former TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady has said.There are an estimated 130,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK, trapped in sectors including agriculture, prostitution and care. Continue reading...

Seventy-year-old comedian walks back contentious comments about PC crap', saying: You can't say certain words about groups. So what?'Jerry Seinfeld has backtracked on comments he made earlier this year blaming the extreme left and PC crap" for negatively affecting comedy, saying he now believes it is not true".The 70-year-old comedian told the New Yorker in April that he believed television comedy was suffering because people [are] worrying so much about offending other people". Continue reading...

Respectful relationships content will teach students how to recognise hate speech and coercive control, education minister Ben Carroll says

Magistrate finds Geason's story - that the woman hit her head while possibly inebriated - contrived'

Foreign affairs minister filmed walking away from podium as moderator asks some audience members to leave University of Tasmania venue

This blog has now closed. You can read our latest report on the Israel-Gaza war here and all our coverage from the region here.Israeli military strikes killed at least 40 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces tightened their squeeze around Jabalia in the north of the enclave on Tuesday, amid fierce battles with Hamas-led fighters.Palestinian health officials said at least 11 people were killed by Israeli fire near Al-Falouja in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, while 10 others were killed in Bani Suhaila in eastern Khan Younis in the south when an Israeli missile struck a house. Continue reading...

Airline says postponement will last until at least 31 March and is providing travel waivers to some customersDelta Airlines has postponed all flights between New York's John F Kennedy airport and Tel Aviv until at least 31 March because of the conflict in the Middle East, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed," the airline said. Continue reading...

Learners trying to beat backlog can pay up to 195 with brokers who buy up slots and sell them on, according to motoring organisationThe RAC has issued fresh warnings to desperate learner drivers trying to beat the backlog by booking tests through unregulated websites after it found they could be paying up to four times the going rate.The average waiting time for a test across England, Scotland and Wales is about four and a half months and many learners have turned to brokers who book out slots and resell the tests for hundreds of pounds. Continue reading...

St John Ambulance research cites public concern about touching female breasts when giving chest compressionsWomen who go into cardiac arrest in public are less likely than men to receive chest compressions from bystanders as people worry about touching their breasts", according to a study.The research by St John Ambulance said nearly a quarter of the 1,000 Britons surveyed admitted they were less likely to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a woman in public, with a third of men worrying they would be accused of inappropriate" touching when giving CPR to a woman compared with 13% of females. Continue reading...

Exclusive: overhaul of system that imposed draconian penalties for innocent errors in benefit claims is expectedDraconian penalties that caused unpaid carers to rack up thousands of pounds of debt after unwittingly falling foul of benefit rules are to be overhauled, the government has announced.The move comes six months after a Guardian investigation revealed tens of thousands of vulnerable carers were being ordered to repay hefty overpayments - and even threatened with criminal prosecution - over minor breaches of carer's allowance earnings limits. Continue reading...

The soldier was also chief of the general staff and commander of British forces in the 2003 Gulf warGeneral Sir Mike Jackson, the former head of the British army who commanded troops in the 2003 Iraq war, has died aged 80.The former chief of the general staff died on Tuesday surrounded by his family. Continue reading...

The 3,800-seat Bradford Live to be part of city of culture 2025 activities but NEC Group backed out of deal to run itBradford council's leadership has seen off a vote of no confidence amid growing criticism over its handling of Bradford Live, a 50.5m publicly funded venue that has been completed with no operator in place to run it.The 3,800-seat Bradford Live building was due to open in November but performances were cancelled when NEC Group, which runs a number of large venues in and around Birmingham, pulled out of the deal. Continue reading...

Move reignites row over Labour figures with private interests having access to government

The PM is surrounded by Blairites, from Pat McFadden and Liz Kendall to Jacqui Smith and Jonathan Powell

European Commission president cites Italy-Albania deal as possible model for reducing irregular arrivals to EuropeThe European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for an exploration of return hubs" outside the EU in a letter to the bloc's national leaders on irregular migration, citing a deal between Italy and Albania as a possible model.EU leaders are to meet on Thursday and Friday for a summit on migration as the commission has said it will propose new measures. Continue reading...

Date for official opening still not announced for $1bn-plus mega-project more than a decade in the makingEgypt's vast and much-delayed antiquities museum will partly open its main galleries on Wednesday, including 12 halls that exhibit aspects of ancient Egypt.The Grand Egyptian Museum, a mega-project near the famed Giza pyramids that has cost considerably more than $1bn (765m) so far, will open its halls to 4,000 visitors as a trial run until the official opening date, which is yet to be announced, according to Al-Tayeb Abbas, assistant to the minister of antiquities. Continue reading...

Cost-cutting also includes axing of world affairs programme HARDtalk and BBC Asian Network's bespoke news serviceThe BBC has announced its latest round of job cuts, involving a net reduction of 130 roles across news and current affairs departments, as part of a wider cost-cutting drive.The chief executive of BBC News, Deborah Turness, announced the changes in an email on Tuesday, saying the corporation sought to cut 185 roles and open 55 new ones with the aim of saving 24m, amounting to 4% of the current news budget. Continue reading...

Classic ballad was played during bizarre campaign event in which Trump told audience: Let's just listen to music'The estate of Leonard Cohen has issued a cease and desist order to Donald Trump, after a recording of Rufus Wainwright singing Cohen's song Hallelujah was played at a bizarre campaign event.Wainwright has also condemned Trump's use of the song at the town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania. The singer characterised Hallelujah as an anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth. I've been supremely honoured over the years to be connected with this ode to tolerance. Witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy. Of course, I in no way condone this and was mortified, but the good in me hopes that perhaps in inhabiting and really listening to the lyrics of Cohen's masterpiece, Donald Trump just might experience a hint of remorse over what he's caused. I'm not holding my breath." Continue reading...

Abrupt landing comes a day after flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi after a false bomb threatAn Air India plane bound for Chicago has made an abrupt landing in the Arctic city of Iqaluit, after a false bomb threat. The emergency stop before sunrise on Tuesday, came less than a day after Canada and India expelled senior diplomats in a widening feud between the two countries.The flight's 211 crew and passengers disembarked at the Iqaluit airport some 300km (186 miles) north of the Arctic circle, the Royal Canadian Mounted police said in a news release. According to local media in Iqaluit, an unspecified bomb threat from a person in India to Air India" was relayed to the flight's captain. Continue reading...

Court sees videos prosecution says show Martyn Blake got wrong key parts of claim fatal shot was fired in self-defenceThe Metropolitan police officer who shot dead Chris Kaba in south London with a supersonic" bullet to the head denied making false or exaggerated claims to justify opening fire.Martyn Blake, 40, denies murder. His evidence continued into a second day on Tuesday as he was questioned by the prosecutor Tom Little KC. Continue reading...