Covid-19 patient numbers in Leeds now higher than during first wave; total number of deaths from Covid-19 across UK reaches 61,116

An allowance worth 60% to 63% of the base rate pay is given to marine unit officers if they take 18 days or fewer of leave in a financial yearBorder Force has been warned that bonus allowances for seagoing staff are deterring workers from taking sick leave, leading them to risk their physical and mental health.The seagoing commuted allowance is paid to Australian Border Force officers in the marine unit, and is worth between 60% and 63% of their base rate of pay. Continue reading...

An assessment of 428 Australian and international fashion brands has found that while most took some positive actions to protect workers, none could ensure all workers were coveredA special report by Baptist World Aid Australia has found that, throughout the Covid pandemic, 35% of fashion companies assessed did not show evidence that they had made regular payments to their suppliers.The Covid Fashion Report – which this year takes the place of Baptist World Aid Australia’s annual Ethical Fashion Report – assessed 96 Australian, New Zealand and international companies, representing 428 brands, on specific positive actions taken amid the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...

YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project shows most people believe China was not transparent

Unrest grows as John Magufuli looks on course for second presidential term

Royals begin ‘new chapter’ as Delphine Boel recognised after two-decade court battleThe long-running royal scandal that has riveted Belgium and damaged those involved reached a new milestone when the former king Albert II reunited with the daughter he fathered out of wedlock more than half a century ago.Albert II sat between his wife, Queen Paola, and the former Delphine Boel, who has been recognised as Her Royal Highness Princess Delphine after a bitter two-decade paternity fight. Continue reading...

The Kazakh American Association has released a letter on social media accusing Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest Borat film of ‘justifying harassment’A group of Kazakh-Americans has demanded that Amazon withdraw Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Sacha Baron Cohen’s new satirical comedy which – like its 2006 predecessor Borat – identifies Kazakhstan as the home country of its fictional journalist character Borat Sagdiyev.In a letter published on social media shortly before the film’s official launch, addressed to three senior Amazon executives, the Kazakh American Association says that Borat Subsequent Moviefilm “may cause irreparable harm to to Kazakhstan’s national image and people as its comedic nature may justify ethnicity-based harassment”. It adds: “This film incites violence against a highly vulnerable and under-represented minority ethnic group.” Continue reading...

Iran calls Paris’s response to teacher’s killing ‘unwise’ amid protests across Muslim worldThe backlash against Emmanuel Macron following his insistence that publication of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad is fundamental to freedom of speech has spread, with angry international protests, cyber-attacks against French websites and warnings that the president’s response is “unwise”.Muslims in France – and elsewhere – are also furious at what they claim is a heavy-handed government clampdown on their communities in the wake of the killing 11 days ago of the high school teacher Samuel Paty. Continue reading...

After shaky start in lockdown, Bloomsbury sales soar as people pick books over box sets

Video shows riot police in Minsk bursting into an apartment in the city searching for protesters who had been seeking refuge after officers used stun grenades at a rally against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, who continues to hold on to power despite two months of mass protests since he declared victory in the presidential election in August.The footage, filmed on Sunday and later posted to social media, shows a policeman using a baton to beat a man who was draped with the pre-Soviet red-and-white flag, the symbol adopted by the opposition. Police detained at least three other men, while several others were sheltering on the upper floors of the building, a witness said.Officials in Belarus detained more than 500 people at nationwide anti-government protests on Sunday, including 160 in the capital, Minsk, the interior ministry said on Monday

Tony Chung, 19, was on bail on suspected national security offences when he was reportedly ‘snatched away’Tony Chung, a 19-year-old Hong Kong activist on bail after his arrest on suspected national security offences, has been detained by authorities while attempting to seek asylum at the US consulate.Two other members of Chung’s now-disbanded activism group, Yanni Ho and William Chan, were also arrested later on Tuesday. Continue reading...

People in most of 25 countries think governments failed to act well or quickly

SS uniforms, firearms, parachutes among Nazi memorabilia targeted in apparent thefts to orderWar museums across the Netherlands are scrambling to tighten their security after raids by highly organised thieves targeting memorabilia linked to Adolf Hitler’s Waffen-SS and other parts of the Nazi regime.Amid huge global demand for second world war memorabilia, museums in Ossendrecht, in north Brabant, and in Beek, Limburg, have been ransacked in recent days and months. Continue reading...

Tory former minister calls for clear information showing progress on tackling Covid-19

Campaigners seek judicial review of renewal of sales after court ruled them unlawful

Acting chair Karen Chester confirms at Senate inquiry that some of the advice KPMG gave its chairman related to tax minimisationThe acting chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Karen Chester, has admitted to parliament that the regulator acted with “glacial” speed in dealing with concerns about rent payments to its deputy chairman, Daniel Crennan QC.Last week the auditor general, Grant Hehir, told the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, that payments of about $70,000 to Crennan and $118,000 to KPMG for tax advice it gave to the Asic chairman, James Shipton, breached public service pay rules. Continue reading...

Children among those killed after explosives hidden in bag detonateAn explosion at a religious seminary in Pakistan’s northern city of Peshawar has killed at least seven people and injured 110 others, officials have said.The deadly blast took place at about 8.30am at the Jamia Zuberia religious school in Dir Colony, where about 500 students were gathered to hear a lecture by influential cleric Rahimullah Haqqani. Most of them were between 20 and 30 years old and from the Khyber Pakthunkwa and Balochistan regions of Pakistan, as well as some from Afghanistan. Continue reading...

Tasmania to reopen to travellers from NSW on 6 November; federal parliament and Senate estimates return and questions continue over management of Australia Post. Follow latest updates

You asked us about the politics of the coronavirus. Here are the answersWe asked readers what they wanted to know about the government’s response to coronavirus. Our political correspondent, Peter Walker, has the answers.What are the protocols for taking places out of local lockdown? Continue reading...

Solitary confinement to stop virus spread increases risk of self-harm and suicide and could have a lifelong impact, M0J warned

One young inmate tells how being locked up alone for hours and not being able to see his family affected his mental health

Doctors say cases and dozens of deaths from the disease have occurred since August floods, with cases of malaria and cholera also on the riseAn outbreak of Rift Valley fever has killed dozens of people and infected more than 1,000 in Sudan’s Northern state, according to local doctors.Doctors told the Guardian the disease has spread across the towns of Merowe, Al Dabbah and Karima, mainly among cattle herders. Continue reading...

Some are packing their next few weeks full of activities, while others just want a chance to decompress

WHO tells countries ‘not to give up’ as virus fatigue sets in; street clashes in Barcelona; US daily deaths rise 10% in two weeks

Lockheed Martin, Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Raytheon named along with US officials who played a role in weapons sales

Dairy industry contributes NZ$15bn to the economy, but farms are struggling to find workers amid Covid

An official said the phrase, popularised by Sacha Baron Cohen’s character, sums up the vast tourism potential of the nation in a ‘short, memorable way’Kazakhstan, the home country of the fictional Borat Sagdiyev, has adopted the brash, moustachioed character’s catchphrase – “Very nice!” – for a new tourism campaign.In the recently released Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, the fictional journalist depicts his homeland as misogynistic, homophobic and anti-Semitic –as he does in the original, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. In the first iteration Borat, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, worried that he would be executed if the film wasn’t a success. Continue reading...

Rider taken to hospital after incident involving car said to be driven by Labour’s leaderPolice are investigating a collision involving the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, in which a cyclist was taken to hospital.Starmer is understood to have been driving through north-west London around midday on Sunday when the crash occurred in Kentish Town. Continue reading...

Tuesday: Melbourne’s stay-at-home orders lifted with shops, cafes and pubs to reopen. Plus: scientists confirm presence of water on the moonGood morning, this is Tamara Howie bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 27 October. Continue reading...

Individual in his 40s arrested on suspicion of driving while unfit through drugs after incident that left another pedestrian in a critical conditionA man has been arrested on suspicion of driving while unfit through drugs following the death of a toddler who was struck by a car in west London.Metropolitan police officers were called to Eastcote Road in Ruislip just after 4pm on Sunday after reports of a collision involving a car and three pedestrians, including a 22-month-old in a pushchair. Continue reading...

Mohammed Agha, 19, also told inquiry he didn’t leave his post for fear of losing his jobA security guard warned about the Manchester Arena bomber said he didn’t immediately raise the alarm because he didn’t have a walkie-talkie and felt unable to leave his position for fear of losing his job.Mohammed Agha was just 19 and earning the minimum wage as he worked his first door supervisor shift for Showsec at the Manchester Arena on the night Salman Abedi detonated a bomb at an Ariana Grande concert. Continue reading...

Virginia Raggi says she was told organised crime groups planned to kill her and her familyThe mayor of Rome has said organised crime groups planned to kill her and her family because she was taking them on in parts of the Italian capital where they hold sway.Virginia Raggi became the Eternal City’s first female mayor when she was elected in 2016 in a breakthrough for her party, the Five Star Movement, which now governs nationally. She is running for re-election next year. Continue reading...

Prince blames royal upbringing for prior lack of insight and calls on others to educate themselvesThe Duke of Sussex has said his upbringing as a privileged member of the royal family resulted in him having no understanding of unconscious racial bias, and called for others in a similar situation to “educate themselves”.Prince Harry made the comments during a conversation with Patrick Hutchinson, the south London personal trainer who was photographed carrying a far-right protester to safety during unrest at an anti-Black Lives Matter rally this summer. Continue reading...

My friend Mick Hugo, who has died aged 73, was active in the squatters movement of the early 1970s and helped to set up the Hackney Housing Co-Operative, which has provided homes in London for hundreds of people over the years.Born in the Hoxton area of Hackney to Florence (nee Bartrip), a dressmaker, and her husband, James Hugo, a demolition worker, Mick went to Shoreditch secondary school and joined the merchant navy in 1961 aged 15, mainly to avoid the temptation of drifting into crime, as many of his friends had done. Continue reading...

Prince Harry has discussed confronting his own biases on issues of race and class in a candid interview.

China says decision was ‘necessary’ after the US declared several more Chinese media outlets to be ‘foreign missions’China has tightened the rules on a number of US media outlets, in a move it said was “necessary and reciprocal” after Chinese journalists in America were hit with restrictions last week.The world’s two largest economies, sparring over issues from trade and technology to human rights, have restricted visas for each other’s reporters, while China has expelled journalists. Continue reading...

No 10 accused of reneging on commitment to collaborate with victims’ groupsThe UK government’s approach to the legacy of Northern Ireland’s Troubles has come under strong attack by MPs, who said they lacked credibility and legitimacy.The Northern Ireland affairs committee said Downing Street’s plan to permanently close cases of serious crimes committed during the Troubles raised profound legal, ethical and human rights issues. Continue reading...

Rebel groups vow to retaliate after attack in Idlib that reportedly killed 50 Turkish-backed fightersAn airstrike on a rebel training camp in north-west Syria killed more than 50 Turkish-backed fighters and wounded nearly as many, in one of the heaviest blows to the opposition’s strongest groups, a spokesman and a war monitor said.The opposition vowed to retaliate for the attack on Monday on Faylaq al-Sham, blaming Russia for the daytime attack. There was no immediate comment from Russia or Turkey, which have worked together to maintain a ceasefire in the rebel enclave, although they support opposite sides in Syria’s conflict. Continue reading...

Many firms may not last to see a promised ‘serene Christmas’, as pandemic bites across Europe

President has become a hate figure in Islamic world over response to death of Samuel Paty

Downing Street faces Tory revolt as MPs grow angry at government’s refusal to extend scheme during October half-term

False claims that pandemic is a hoax or was started deliberately are attracting adherents around world

Cycling two abreast can be safer, say campaigners calling for update to Highway CodeA revised Highway Code should emphasise the legal right of cyclists to ride two abreast, cycling organisations have argued, saying the rule is often misunderstood by drivers, and that side-by-side cycling can be safer than single-file.In submissions to an ongoing government review of the Highway Code, British Cycling and Cycling UK have both called for a change to rule 66, which states cyclists should “never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends”. Continue reading...

Calls for boycott of French goods after president’s remarks at tribute to murdered teacher Samuel PatyFrance has appealed for foreign governments to stamp out calls by what it calls a “radical minority” for a boycott of French products after Emmanuel Macron’s public backing of the Muhammad caricatures.The appeal came as anger escalated across the Islamic world over the president’s remarks at a national tribute to the murdered high-school teacher Samuel Paty last week. Continue reading...

Survey showed a decline in populist tendencies during 2020 in all eight European countries surveyedSupport for populist beliefs in Europe has fallen markedly over the past year, a major YouGov survey suggests, with significantly fewer people across a range of countries likely to agree with key statements designed to measure it.The YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project, a survey of about 26,000 people in 25 countries designed with the Guardian, showed a more or less steep decline in populist tendencies in 2020 in all eight of the European countries also surveyed last year. Continue reading...

Court hears Kyle Daniels’ superiors thought his coaching style involved too close contactA Sydney swimming instructor on trial for sexually assaulting young girls was described by his superiors as being an “overly energetic” teacher, a jury has been told.Kyle James Henk Daniels, 22, has pleaded not guilty to 26 charges including nine counts of having sexual intercourse with a child under 10. Continue reading...

A vibrant underground of rap, metal, folk and more is thriving among Brazil’s embattled tribes, who are standing up to Bolsonaro’s environment policiesAs Brazil’s world-acclaimed biodiversity turns to ashes, President Jair Bolsonaro has praised the country as an environmental role model. “It is not only in environmental preservation that the country stands out,” the far-right leader affirmed in a UN speech on 22 September. “In the humanitarian and human rights fields, Brazil has also been an international reference.”At the same time, the New York Times has reported that a team of Brazilian lawyers are drafting a complaint to the International Criminal Court in the Hague with a view to bringing Bolsonaro to trial for crimes against humanity, for removing environmental protections for indigenous peoples. Bolsonaro has not responded, but has said: “Where there is indigenous land, there is wealth underneath it,” and in February proposed a bill to legalise mining in Indigenous lands. Continue reading...

The shorthand we used to understand Russia back then was: nobody could get a pair of Levi’s. An upcoming VAT change could create something similar in the UK

From midnight on Tuesday night Melbourne businesses will be able to start reopening as restrictions ease. This blog is now closed