Leftist former leader accused of involvement in shooting of three Europeans in Santa Cruz and torture of two othersBolivia's attorney general has announced an investigation into leftist former president Evo Morales, alleging his involvement in the murder and torture of European citizens in 2009.Seventeen years ago, police raided a hotel in the city of Santa Cruz, shooting dead Eduardo Rozsa Flores, a Bolivian-Croatian, Michael Dwyer, an Irishman, and Arpad Magyarosi, a Hungarian-Romanian. Continue reading...
Mitte, who played Walter White Jr on acclaimed show, had cerebral palsy and advocated for disability representationThe Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte died on Monday aged 34, his representatives confirmed.Mitte died in Brownsville, Texas. No cause of death was given. Continue reading...
Timothy Broglio says Catholics on army firing squad should ask to be excused since it clashes with church teachingsThe archbishop who oversees the spiritual care of Catholics serving in the US military condemned the Pentagon's proposed plans to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan later this year.Archbishop Timothy Broglio also stipulated in a Monday statement that any Catholic soldier assigned to the US army firing squad should ask to be excused from that duty, which he described as contrary to the teachings of the church. He joins other Catholic leaders in speaking out against the death penalty and the live stream plans. Continue reading...
Several news outlets reported Blair allegedly punched a flight attendant, bit another and tried to open plane doorThe actor Selma Blair was arrested on Sunday at John F Kennedy (JFK) airport in New York on allegations that she attacked flight attendants on a Delta Air Lines flight, according to officials.Blair's arrest happened at about 11pm, after Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials said they responded to a call about a physically abusive passenger aboard Delta Air Lines flight 938 which was parked at the gate" at JFK after arriving from Los Angeles (LAX). Continue reading...
Plans for a new theatre for world's longest-running soap in Digbeth scrapped as part of cost-cutting measuresThe BBC is set to stop recording The Archers in Birmingham for the first time in the show's 75-year history, after scrapping plans for a radio drama theatre that was to be the new home of the world's longest-running soap opera.A pledge to move recordings to the so-called Tea Factory, the BBC's new Birmingham hub in Digbeth, has become the latest victim of the corporation's 500m cuts plan. Continue reading...
by Pippa Crerar, Jennifer Rankin and Lisa O’Carroll on (#790K3)
PM hails next month's reset' summit as first step to closer ties, but tensions over trade may prove problematicAndy Burnham has promised a serious dialogue" over the UK's future place in Europe, saying the existing relationship is not good enough" as he framed next month's Brussels summit as a possible first step to EU membership.The prime minister said Britain must take a clear-eyed rational look" at its long-term relationship with the bloc to boost economic growth and control immigration, which needed to go beyond Labour's existing red lines. Continue reading...
Home secretary also expands police support with immediate effect' for high-profile public figures not currently MPsSecurity arrangements for high-profile public figures including politicians and members of the royal family are to be urgently reviewed after the killing of Ann Widdecombe, the home secretary has said.Shabana Mahmood said former MPs, party leaders who are not MPs, peers, former members of devolved parliaments and party spokespeople will also be offered police support. Continue reading...
Luca Olmetto was trapped roughly 10 metres below ground in the Gorroppeddu cave in the Urzulei mountain rangeA 31-year-old man has been pulled alive from a cave on the Italian island of Sardinia after being trapped roughly 10 metres below ground for 26 hours following a rockslide.In a huge and complex operation, rescuers worked non-stop after Luca Olmetto became trapped in the Gorroppeddu cave in the rugged Urzulei mountain range in central-eastern Sardinia on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading...
The prime minister tells MPs the next summit with the EU will be held on 20 NovemberBurnham to urge MPs to embrace closer ties with EUZia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson, is speaking now. He started his speech with an account of a 73-year-old woman dying in North Wales after having to wait 23 hours for an ambulance, and he sought to link this to immigration.He said:The Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimates that 15,000 people across Britain died last year due to excess wait times for emergency treatment. That's 300 people a week, 300 lives destroyed, 300 families devastated.And that number has increased tenfold over the last decade. This is a moral outrage, and it is a direct result of decisions made by Tory and Labour governments.I don't think that's because he wants to have a fight over the European Union. I think that's because he knows what we're talking about today impacts hard in what is known as the red wall. Continue reading...
Bosses of Citroen owner and French carmaker also urge UK government to consider limiting imports from ChinaStellantis and Renault have backed the UK car industry for inclusion in proposed rules to protect EU industry, but urged the British government to consider limiting imports of Chinese cars.Emanuele Cappellano, who leads Stellantis's European brands including Fiat, Citroen, Opel and Vauxhall, and Francois Provost, the chief executive of France's Renault, said the UK should effectively be counted as one of the EU's 27 member states for the purposes of the proposed Made in Europe" legislation. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#790F0)
UK to bring further sanctions against Tehran and IRGC after assessment Iran was likely to have coordinated incidentAndy Burnham said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were almost certainly" behind threats to RAF Fairford, the firmest attribution of responsibility made so far by the UK after an incident late last month.The prime minister told MPs the UK would bring further sanctions against Tehran and the IRGC in the aftermath of an ambiguous episode that, despite over a fortnight of police investigation, has yet to lead to anybody being charged. Continue reading...
Hundreds of Intermarche shops and Cooperative U outlets in France hit, with fears Dutch chains also affectedHackers have forced the temperature of many French supermarket fridges up to 50C overnight, in an unprecedented" cyber-attack affecting several hundred stores across the country, with fires and food losses reported.The Paris prosecutor's office said on Monday the large-scale attack was affecting connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France". Reported damage included food losses and fires", it added. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#790CP)
Prime minister has reopened the debate over whether Russia sought to influence the 2016 referendumAndy Burnham unexpectedly reopened an old Brexit debate when he said he had been told after becoming prime minister that Russia had interfered in the 2016 EU referendum.It was a contentious issue in the second half of the previous decade, but one that had largely been forgotten about as the UK finally adjusted to the reality of leaving the EU. Now Burnham's comments have given the topic a fresh impetus. Continue reading...
The revelation comes after the four-hour film's Venice premiere drew a string of criticisms and insults from the founder of SpaceXAIAlex Gibney, director of the new four-hour documentary about Elon Musk, said that Universal, owners of the film's international distribution rights wavered" over releasing the film outside North America.Gibney was speaking to the New York Times as the film opened in the US (where it is being released by the independent distributor Bleecker Street), and appeared to confirm a story in the Hollywood Reporter that Universal, which had acquired the international rights to the film in 2023, had got cold feet. Asked by the New York Times, Did Universal Pictures waver in setting up its international release plans?" Gibney replied: Yes." Continue reading...
Gibney, 78, has faced justice for abusing athletes in the 1970s and 80s after decades of effort to track and extradite himMore than half a century after he started sexually abusing children, and enjoyed prestige as Ireland's Olympic swimming coach before fleeing to the United States, George Gibney has faced justice.The 78-year-old was sentenced to 15 and a half years in prison at the central criminal court in Dublin on Monday for abusing four young female athletes in the 1970s and 1980s. Continue reading...
Fragile coalition suffers another blow as labour minister and co-leader of SPD Barbel Bas leaves both postsGermany's labour minister and co-leader of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), Barbel Bas, has quit both posts, citing the death of her stepdaughter and subsequent political attacks against her, in a stinging blow to the fragile coalition government.After my stepdaughter's death, I realised that I need time to come to terms with my grief," Bas said in a statement posted on Facebook, without giving further details. Continue reading...
A businessman wanted in the US for allegedly bribing top Venezuelan officials has been taken into custodyA businessman wanted for years in the US for allegedly paying bribes to top Venezuelan officials in exchange for lucrative state contracts in Venezuela has been taken into custody.Alvaro Pulido was indicted in Miami federal court in 2019 and again in 2021 as part of an investigation into his longtime business partner, Alex Saab, a one-time ally of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the state department had been offering a reward of up to $10m for information leading to his arrest. Continue reading...
Israeli PM calls for criminal investigation into soldiers and officers interviewed in Guardian-produced documentaryThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the country's attorney general and the head of the Shin Bet security service to reveal the identities of soldiers and officers interviewed in the investigative documentary NAZA and prosecute them for causing harm to Israel's diplomatic and security interests".The award-winning documentary, directed by the Oscar-winning film-makers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by the Guardian, details Israel's mass killing of civilians in Gaza. The film is in cinemas, including in the UK and the US, and will be shown in more than 50 countries. Continue reading...
Bethany Antonia wore a T-shirt with the slogan Protect the Dolls' in rehearsals, but the words were edited out on Saturday's showThe BBC has defended its decision to edit out a transgender rights slogan from a T-shirt worn by a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, stating it was standard practice to avoid overt branding or slogans".The actor Bethany Antonia was filmed wearing the T-shirt, which bore the slogan Protect the Dolls", during rehearsals before her live performance on Saturday night. Continue reading...
Gwinnett county is home to many immigrants and other newcomers, and how it votes could be decisive for CongressJohanna Park might just be an ambassador for Gwinnett county, Georgia, one of the 10 most ethnically diverse counties in the United States.Park owns Cafe Amico at Suwanee Town Center, one of her three Italian coffee shops in the area just north of Atlanta. She was born in Korea and lived much of her life in Argentina and Peru. She's been in Gwinnett for more than 20 years, part of an early wave of Korean immigration that's built Korean American car dealerships, banks, insurance agencies, supermarkets and restaurants like her own. It's also a population that's increasing in influence and not just numbers. Continue reading...
Descendant of 19-century artist demands removal of Marc Chagall's 1960s canvases that cover original frescoIn 1962, the then French culture minister, Andre Malraux, reportedly bored by the ballet he was watching at Paris's opera house, raised his eyes to the classical ceiling and determined it needed a makeover.In his ennui, Malraux decided his friend and artist Marc Chagall, sitting next to him at the Palais Garnier at the time, was the man for the job and commissioned him to make a new ceiling. Continue reading...
MEP Raphael Glucksmann issues call after becoming social democrat candidate for 2027 presidential electionThe European lawmaker Raphael Glucksmann has urged the French centre left to wage an existential battle" to prevent Marine Le Pen's far right winning the 2027 presidential election after he was chosen as the social democrat candidate for the presidency.We've got to rid our hearts of the spirit of defeat," Glucksmann, the founder of the small party Place Publique, said on Monday morning after his decisive win in a centre-left primary race held by the Socialist party. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#79058)
Survivors had criticised outrageous' appointment of Laura Johnson to 150,000 job with Barnet GroupA housing director who oversaw cost cutting at Grenfell Tower before the fatal fire has left a 150,000-a-year senior council housing role after a backlash from bereaved families and survivors.Laura Johnson was the director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the 2017 Grenfell fire which killed 72 people, and was criticised in the subsequent inquiry for her role in budget-cutting decisions prior to the blaze. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Finds suggest account in medieval folklore of a camp near Frenni Fawr hill was rooted in realityMagnus Maximus, the Roman emperor who ruled Britain in the fourth century, led his troops against the Picts and Scots, but a theory that he also established a military camp near Frenni Fawr hill in Wales has so far been based on folklore.Now fourth-century coins, among other finds at a newly identified Roman fort in Pembrokeshire, suggest the medieval tale was rooted in reality, to the excitement of archaeologists. Continue reading...
Former student says nothing untoward happened to her during stays but tells NSW parliamentary inquiry culture of Redeemer Baptist School left much to untangle' as an adult
Online appeal and detective work by local historian help to return keepsake to couple's son after it had been stolenWhen Andrew Bedford discovered an old wedding album dumped outside his city centre cafe in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, he considered chucking it into a nearby wheelie bin.But when he opened the album, the vintage photographs of the happy couple on their wedding day in 1957 seemed too precious to throw away. Continue reading...
Calls for planned fuel duty rise to be scrapped as analysis finds average fuel bill could hit 1,965, up from 1,294Millions of British van drivers face a combined 2.5bn cost to cover the rising price of diesel this year, according to figures, fuelling calls for the government to scrap its planned fuel duty rise.The owners of diesel vans and pickups can expect to collectively spend almost 8.5bn at the pump this year, according to analysis for the Guardian, after diesel prices climbed to record highs due to a global fuel shortage caused by disruption to refineries in the Middle East and Russia. Continue reading...
Council car parks have switched away from ticket machines to cut costs, leading to extra fees for usersDrivers are unwittingly paying up to 40% more to park as more councils switch to app-only payments and force customers to pick up the tab.Many councils across England have removed pay and display machines and replaced them with app payments, including a number in London. Most local authorities encourage drivers to pay by app to beat queues, while apps are often the only way to pay when ticket machines are out of order. However, many car park signs fail to mention that app payments may incur an additional service fee. Continue reading...
India's opposition parties and supporters of the cockroach' youth movement have been demonstrating against a controversial revision of election voter listsAuthorities in India's capital closed six metro stations and warned of traffic disruptions on Monday, as opposition parties planned to march to the supreme court in protest against a controversial revision of voter lists that has sparked days of unrest in Delhi.Opposition parties and supporters of the cockroach" youth movement have taken to the streets almost daily this month to demand the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the revision that critics say benefits prime minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent on (#7901F)
Thinktank's influential pre-budget report urges key decisions to be made now and not put off until next yearJohn Healey has been warned by Britain's leading tax and spending experts that his budget risks being a work of fiction" unless he sets out plans to cover 35bn in spending pressures.As the war in the Middle East rattles the public finances, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the damage from higher inflation meant the chancellor would need to either top up funds for his current government spending plans or impose deep real-terms cuts by the end of the decade. Continue reading...
Suspension of provincial government escalates standoff with Khan's PTI party a week after his supporters began marching to demand his releasePakistan has declared a state of emergency in a province led by Imran Khan's PTI party and suspended its government, a move a party spokesperson described as more of a coup disguised as emergency".President Asif Ali Zardari declared the emergency in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, after the federal government said authorities there had failed to tackle Islamist militancy in the province bordering Afghanistan. Continue reading...
The production marks the Hollywood director's first play written for the stage, which he will also directSacha Baron Cohen will headline Quentin Tarantino's play The Popinjay Cavalier when it premieres on the West End in London in March 2027.The production marks the Hollywood director's first work written for the stage - which he will also direct. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#78ZY6)
In first half of this year 1,600 tags also had no signal for over two weeks, highlighting scale of probation crisisMore than 5,000 offenders went unmonitored in the first half of the year because probation staff failed to install electronic tags, while 1,600 tags had no signal for more than two weeks due to faults, a report has found.The Institute for Government (IfG) has revealed the full scale of the crisis in the probation system in England and Wales, concluding that rationing probation supervision" due to a lack of staff meant sentences imposed by the court had become essentially a fiction" for most offenders. Continue reading...
Unidentified projectile strikes King Khalid airport, killing one and injuring 11, as escalating attacks threaten to draw more countries into Yemen conflict
Move comes after criticism of remarks in support of football club's owners following financial regulations breach rulingAndy Burnham has said he will publish all details of his dealings with Manchester City in his previous mayoral role after his intervention in support of the football club's owners raised eyebrows.Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative party leader, had urged the prime minister to publish everything related to his work with the club as Greater Manchester mayor and the Liberal Democrats wrote to him asking him to release minutes of meetings and declare all hospitality gifts received from owners of Manchester City. Continue reading...