Downing Street says PM's hopes of meeting Democratic nominee as well as Donald Trump have fadedKeir Starmer's hopes of meeting Kamala Harris before the US presidential election have faded, Downing Street has said.The prime minister said last month he aimed to meet both presidential candidates before American voters go to the polls on 5 November. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Despite a 58% increase in funding over a decade, there has been no improvement in outcomes, a new report reveals Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. The annual budget for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in England now stands at 10.7bn, an increase of 58% in a decade. Despite that, there has been no improvement in outcomes, and many parents say that their children are being sold short. The need for services is so great against the backdrop of years of council cuts that two in five local authorities are at risk of effectively declaring bankruptcy by 2026. In other words: the system is somehow underfunded and financially ruinous at the same time, and failing the children it is supposed to support.That is the grim diagnosis contained in a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) published this morning, which warns that system-wide reforms are needed to keep councils afloat. And there is no doubt that the figures it contains are eye-watering.Budget | Rachel Reeves will announce at the International Monetary Fund a plan to change Britain's debt rules that will open the door to more borrowing for long-term capital investment. After weeks of speculation, the change could release up to 50bn extra for infrastructure projects.France | Gisele Pelicot, the French woman who has become a feminist hero for insisting that the rape trial of her ex-husband and 50 other men should be held in public, has told a court in southern France she was driven by her desire to change society and expose rape culture. She said: I wanted all woman victims of rape ... to say: Mrs Pelicot did it, we can do it too."Police | The identities of armed police officers charged after opening fire at suspects are likely to stay secret in future unless they are convicted, the home secretary has announced. Yvette Cooper's statement came after the acquittal of the Metropolitan police sergeant Martyn Blake for shooting dead Chris Kaba.US | A former model who says she met Donald Trump through the late sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein has accused the former president of groping and sexually touching her in an incident in Trump Tower in 1993. Trump's presidential campaign called the allegation unequivocally false", calling it a fake story contrived by the Harris campaign".Dementia | Tens of thousands of dementia patients are to be enrolled in clinical trials designed to dramatically speed up the hunt for a cure, leading scientists have announced. The initiative is intended to challenge historically low" numbers enrolled into trials in the UK. Continue reading...
Former business secretary says Sunak and Hunt better placed to respond to Rachel Reeves' economic policiesKemi Badenoch has been blamed by senior Tories for missing the chance" for the party to make a mark" in its response to the budget because the leadership frontrunner had been unwilling to move the dates of the contest.Sources close to Badenoch had said there was no prospect of changing the timetable when the matter was raised by other candidates earlier in the autumn, with most of her rivals said to be backing the change to allow them to respond to Rachel Reeves' first budget. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#6RPWS)
The Thirlwall inquiry has uncovered new details about Letby and the neonatal unit on which she workedDuring the two criminal trials of Lucy Letby, jurors were given a huge volume of complex evidence including tens of thousands of pages of medical notes, swipecard data, witness testimony, Facebook messages and more.Letby, now 34, was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder another seven on the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester hospital in north-west England. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspon on (#6RPVC)
Dehumanising rhetoric' blamed as almost half of respondents say they recently suffered discriminationMuslims across Europe are grappling with a worrying surge" of racism that is being fuelled in part by dehumanising anti-Muslim rhetoric", the EU's leading rights agency has said, as it published a survey in which nearly half of the Muslim respondents said they had recently experienced discrimination.Published on Thursday by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the survey of 9,600 Muslims across 13 member states found that racism and discrimination threads through most aspects of their lives. Continue reading...
Plant enthusiasts stumble across 2-metre long snake consuming egg-laying mammal in Marys Creek State Forest in QueenslandA botanist was admiring a myrtle shrub in bloom in an obscure state forest just west of Gympie in Queensland when his companion uttered 10 words that can rarely have been heard before - at least in English.I was just looking at a Gossia bidwillii, in flower and Darren calls out," Elliot Bowerman said. Continue reading...
by Lois Beckett in Los Angeles, California on (#6RPRZ)
Mariel Garza says she is standing up' after billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong quashes support for Kamala HarrisPatrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times, refused to allow the newspaper's editorial board to endorse Kamala Harris for president, the former editor of the paper's opinion section told a media news outlet on Wednesday.Mariel Garza, a veteran California journalist who has worked for the Times' editorial board for nearly a decade, resigned from the paper in protest of Soon-Shiong's decision, she told the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR). Continue reading...
US says for first time that North Korea has sent at least 3,000 soldiers to Russia and are training at military basesThe US has said for the first time that it has seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, a move that could mark a significant escalation in Russia's war against its neighbour.US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said it would be very, very serious" if the North Koreans were preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Kyiv has alleged. But he said it remained to be seen what they would be doing there. Continue reading...
Charity Commission investigation also said there had been mismanagement within MermaidsA charity supporting gender-questioning young people has been told to rewrite its guidance about the risks of puberty blockers, after a two-year Charity Commission investigation, which also concluded that there had been mismanagement within the organisation.However, the investigation found that the charity, Mermaids, had appropriate safeguarding policies in place and there was no evidence that it provided medical advice to children, which would have been outside its remit. Continue reading...
National Audit Office report finds no signs of improvement in lives of pupils despite record spendingThe bill for special needs education in England has hit 10bn a year, with the number of children and young people entitled to government support in the form of education, health and care plans set to double to 1 million within a decade, a landmark report has found.The investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that despite record levels of spending there had been no signs of improvement in the lives of children with special educational needs (SEN). Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea in Apia and Aamna Mohdin on (#6RPC3)
UK prime minister would rather work with nations on future-facing challenges' at Commonwealth summitKeir Starmer has insisted he wants to look forward" rather than have very long endless discussions about reparations on the past" in his first comments on the issue before the Commonwealth summit.The prime minister is under pressure to discuss reparatory justice with Commonwealth countries, most of which are former UK colonies, in Samoa this week. Continue reading...
by Steven Morris, Jamie Grierson and agency on (#6RP5T)
Police confirm possible carbon monoxide poisoning' is main line of inquiry after fatalities at care home in SwanageA 60-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by detectives investigating the deaths of three people at a care home in Dorset.Officers are still treating the deaths at the Gainsborough care home in Swanage as unexplained and have confirmed that possible carbon monoxide poisoning" is the primary line of inquiry. Seven other residents were taken to hospital. Continue reading...
by Julian Borger and William Christou in Beirut on (#6RPF1)
Yoav Gallant says his country still intends to strike back in response to 1 October missile attack by TehranPlanned airstrikes on Iran will make the world understand Israel's military might, the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has said.The Middle East has been braced for more than three weeks for a threatened Israeli response to Iran's 1 October missile attack, which was in turn a reprisal for Israel's killing of the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent on (#6RPF0)
In statement written shortly after murder, Eddie Ratcliffe's mother said he clearly knows right and wrong'The mother of Eddie Ratcliffe, one of Brianna Ghey's killers, described him in the aftermath of the murder as a good child, with good morals and a loving, caring family behind him" who was on track to apply for Oxford.Brianna, aged 16, was stabbed to death in a sadistic" and exceptionally brutal" murder in a Warrington park on 11 February 2023 by Ratcliffe and Scarlett Jenkinson, who were both 15 at the time. Continue reading...
Nineteen-year-old woman died from stab wounds at a property in the St Andrew's area of the city on SundayA 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder after the death of a woman at a residential property in Bristol at the weekend.Avon and Somerset police were called to a property in the St Andrew's area of Bristol in the early evening on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as 19-year-old Luka Bennett-Smith. Continue reading...
Robert Buckland, the former justice secretary, says ex-president not fit for office'The Labour party has put out a statement rejecting allegations that it broke US election law because activists and staff members have been volunteering to help the Democrats.A Labour spokesperson said:It is common practice for campaigners of all political persuasions from around the world to volunteer in US elections.Where Labour activists take part, they do so at their own expense, in accordance with the laws and rules.We said that because working people had already paid the burden under the last government, we wouldn't increase the taxes, the main taxes that working people pay, so income tax - all rates - national insurance and VAT. So those taxes that working people pay, we're not increasing those taxes in the budget.We go into this budget with a number of challenges - the 22bn black hole just this year, in the public finances, the unfinanced company compensation schemes, for example on infected blood and Horizon, it's really important that we honour but they weren't in the forecasts from the previous government.The fact that the previous government had baked in austerity to our public spending settlements in the years to come, and we committed to not return to austerity. Continue reading...
French maritime officials say rescue operation was launched after lifejacket spotted in sea off CalaisThree people have died after a boat sank in the Channel, French maritime authorities said.The French maritime prefecture for the Channel and the North Sea said a further 46 people were rescued after the incident off the coast of Calais on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...
As Commonwealth heads meet, pressure is growing for justice over colonialism and climateCalls for the UK to open the door to reparatory justice for slavery, colonialism and the worsening effect of the climate crisis are growing from Caribbean and African nations, campaigners and MPs as the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) gets under way in Samoa.The UN judge Patrick Robinson concluded last year that the UK owed more than 18tn in reparations for its historical involvement in slavery in 14 countries. But Downing Street has said the issue is not on the agenda" at Chogm, and Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that he wants to be facing forward" rather than have very long, endless discussions about reparations on the past". Continue reading...
Long-delayed regulations for England may encourage' housebuilders to equip homes with solar panels, rather than requiring themLabour is considering making solar panels optional on new homes in England, after pressure from housebuilders, in a move that would weaken low-carbon regulations, the Guardian has learned.Ministers are preparing to publish long-delayed regulations for new homes, known as the future homes standard, which would ensure that all newly built homes are low-carbon. Continue reading...
Inquiry preceded controversial migration deal linked to claims of abuse in increasingly authoritarian countryThe European Commission is refusing to publish the findings of a human rights inquiry into Tunisia it conducted shortly before announcing a controversial migration deal with the increasingly authoritarian north African country.An investigation by the EU ombudsman found that the commission quietly carried out a risk management exercise" into human rights concerns in Tunisia but will not disclose its results. Continue reading...
Health spending watchdog says donanemab does not currently demonstrate value for the NHS'A new Alzheimer's drug has been rejected for widespread use by the NHS in England after the health spending watchdog said that it does not currently demonstrate value for the NHS".The news comes as the UK's medicines regulator said donanemab could be licensed for use in the UK. Continue reading...
Lyla Elichaoff and Esme Bertelsen tell Tatler they have never watched What Not to Wear, with Elichaoff saying: you can't really speak to people like that now'Trinny and Susannah, the presenters of the noughties fashion TV hit What Not to Wear, would be cancelled if the show was made today, their daughters have said.Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine starred in the BBC fashion makeover series, in which they dispensed brutally honest style tips, between 2001 and 2007. Continue reading...
Peter Dutton's proposed 10-year freeze to national building codes would be a shame, one industry leader says, given the serious impacts of our changing climate'
Shadow Indigenous Australians spokesperson says she cannot agree' with later term abortions, sparking rebuke from Sussan Ley, Jane Hume and Bridget McKenzie
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6RP0K)
Exclusive: Those with interest in keeping world hooked on fossil fuels' should not oversee climate talks, say report authorsAzerbaijan, the host of the Cop29 global climate summit, will see a large expansion of fossil gas production in the next decade, a new report has revealed. The authors said that the crucial negotiations should not be overseen by those with a vested interest in keeping the world hooked on fossil fuels".Azerbaijan's state-owned oil and gas company, Socar, and its partners are set to raise the country's annual gas production from 37bn cubic metres (bcm) today to 49bcm by 2033. Socar also recently agreed to increase gas exports to the European Union by 17% by 2026. Continue reading...
Campaign targets wordplay and memes that are often used by people to get around censorship controlsChina's internet regulators have launched a campaign cracking down on puns and homophones, one of the last remaining ways for citizens to safely discuss sensitive subjects without recriminations or censorship.The clear and bright" campaign is targeting irregular and uncivilised" language online, particularly jokes, memes, and wordplay, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the ministry of education announced this month. Continue reading...
Police say it is unclear if 17 missing passengers are still alive or wounded, and may be hiding in bushes or sheltering with neighbouring clansAt least seven people were killed and more than a dozen remain missing after gunmen ambushed a public bus and shot passengers in Papua New Guinea's Enga province.The shooting took place in Enga's Lagaip district on Tuesday afternoon. More than 20 passengers were on the bus when men armed with high-powered weapons set up an ambush and fired shots indiscriminately" into the vehicle, highland western end assistant police commissioner Joseph Tondop said in a statement on Wednesday. Continue reading...
National Audit Office questions value for money as predicted bill for decommissioning increases by 21bnThe cost of cleaning up Sellafield is expected to spiral to 136bn and Europe's biggest nuclear waste dump cannot show how it offers taxpayers value for money, the public spending watchdog has said.Projects to fix buildings containing hazardous and radioactive material at the state-owned site on the Cumbrian coast are running years late and over budget. Sellafield's spending is so vast - with costs of more than 2.7bn a year - that it is causing tension with the Treasury, the report from the National Audit Office (NAO) suggests. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey, Jessica Elgot and Pippa Crerar on (#6RNXZ)
Exclusive: England mayors fear bus, tube and tram plans could be scrapped if Treasury reneges on agreed budgetsHundreds of millions of pounds of local transport funding in England could be cut in next week's spending review despite having been agreed with regional mayors, putting bus, tube and tram improvements at risk.The mayors, most of whom are Labour, are engaged in a last-minute lobbying campaign to stop the Treasury raiding their transport budgets as Rachel Reeves looks for immediate savings. Continue reading...
Dominique Pelicot invited dozens of men to rape his then wife over a nine-year periodGisele Pelicot, the French grandmother who has become a feminist hero for insisting that the rape trial of her ex-husband and 50 other men should be held in public, will take the stand on Wednesday to comment on the evidence so far.The 72-year-old former logistics manager was unknowingly sedated and raped by her then husband, Dominique Pelicot, 71, who crushed sleeping tablets and anti-anxiety medication into her food and drinks, and invited men to rape her over a nine-year period from 2011 to 2020 in the village of Mazan in Provence. Continue reading...
Dominique Pelicot has admitted drugging and raping his wife. Fifty other men may face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty in case that has shocked the worldWarning: this article contains descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assaultA total of 51 men are on trial over their alleged attacks on Gisele Pelicot, recruited by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot, who has admitted drugging and raping her. Continue reading...
There is a contradiction between the Liberal National party leader's steadfast defence of the right to a conscience vote a year ago, and his continued refusal to make a clear statement about it these past few weeksPollsters say one word - abortion" - has entered the minds of Queensland voters as Saturday's state election draws near.It is coming up unprompted in our surveys, people are bringing it up as an issue" one political strategist Guardian Australia last week. Continue reading...
by Philip Wen (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Joanna Walter on (#6RN26)
This blog has now closed. You can read our latest report on the conflict in the Middle East here and all our coverage from the region here.As Israel continues its war in Gaza and assault on Lebanon, a growing number of international airlines are suspending flights to the region or to avoid affected airspace.Reuters has helpfully compiled a list of some of them:Aegean Airlines: The Greek airline cancelled flights to and from Beirut until 6 November and to and from Tel Aviv until 5 November.AirBaltic: Latvia's airBaltic cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until 30 November.Air Algerie: The Algerian airline suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.Air France-KLM: Air France extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until 29 October and Paris-Beirut flights until 30 November. KLM extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of this year at least.Air India: The Indian flag carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.Bulgaria Air: The Bulgarian carrier cancelled flights to and from Israel until 31 October.
World news | The Guardian