World news | The Guardian

The Preventative Departmental Expenditure Limit will be money ringfenced in the budget for preventive policiesJohn Healey's debut budget was far from a blockbuster, but it may come to be remembered for the birth of a plucky new character in the tax and spend universe - little PDEL.It may not have the charm of Disney's Wall-E, but PDEL (pronounced P-Del), Preventative Departmental Expenditure Limit, to give it its full name, marks a welcome, and potentially very consequential, addition. Continue reading...

Ahead of a meeting with Commonwealth leaders, Andy Burnham wrote that Britain needed to acknowledge its complicated history'Just to turn back to the budget for now, and I'll recap John Healey's interview on Kuennsberg's show for the next few posts.The conversation was the usual tussle, a back and forth, on trying to get the chancellor to commit to specific timing for when the really tough decisions on spending will kick in.

With heir apparent Danny Tommo also in custody, Robinson's conviction for harassing journalists is blow to anti-migrant movementThe verdict was met with a groan from Tommy Robinson's supporters, who had sat behind the dock throughout his harassment trial.It took more than 11 hours of jury deliberations to find the far-right activist guilty of harassment causing fear of violence to two journalists, enough time for a band of lieutenants and hangers-on to get their hopes up that he might be acquitted. Continue reading...

Mayor questions impact on air quality, congestion and jobs as government poised to allow driverless vehicles in capitalLondon's mayor has called for a cap on the numbers of robotaxis on its streets, with the UK government poised to allow fully driverless vehicles to operate in the capital.Sadiq Khan said politicians had failed to grasp the pace of change" from the technology, which could threaten jobs and increase congestion in the city, and questioned whether the rules for autonomous cars were fit for purpose. Continue reading...

Former chancellor says leaving European Union has made Britain poorer, weaker and less secure'The former chancellor Rachel Reeves has argued Britain's future should be back in the European Union, saying Brexit has made the UK poorer, weaker and less secure."In her first major intervention since leaving the Treasury when Andy Burnham took office, she said those forging a path back towards EU membership had to make compelling arguments to the public. Continue reading...

Guardian understands Home Office continues to detain dozens of people, with one group forcibly removed this weekThe Home Office is still putting asylum seekers on to planes to France weeks after the controversial scheme to remove them ended, the Guardian has learned.The one in, one out" scheme was announced by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the former prime minister Keir Starmer in July 2025. It aimed to deter small boats crossing the Channel to the UK from northern France, with some asylum seekers arriving here forcibly returned to France while a similar number in northern France were brought legally to the UK. Continue reading...

UK children's minister Josh MacAlister has travelled to Copenhagen to see what can be learned from Danish systemIn a quiet suburb on the outskirts of Copenhagen sits a large white house, set back from the road behind a purple-leaved plum tree. It looks much like the rest of the buildings on the street and there is little outward sign this is Josephine Schneider's House, considered one of the best children's homes in the world.Danish children's homes are often cited as the gold standard of children's residential care globally. They are now being studied by the British government as it tries to create a roadmap out of the crisis in which its own children's home system has become mired. Continue reading...

Former New Zealand prime minister has moved to Australia and is lecturing at University of Sydney - and from stage of city's famous landmarkJacinda Ardern, who now calls Sydney home, has delivered a message to Australian politicians from the stage of the city's Opera House.Politicians, the former New Zealand prime minister turned academic told the audience on Sunday, were exacerbating the problem of polarisation within society and needed to be better. Continue reading...

Cryptocurrency exchange says withdrawals starting to resume on Sunday as FBI blames North Korean state-sponsored group TraderTraitorCryptocurrency exchange Binance says it has replaced 90% of the amount stolen after a record $6.3bn hack of its platform by a group the FBI identified as being backed by North Korea.The remaining 10% of tokens are less liquid, meaning they may take longer to buy, the company said in a post on X on Saturday. Co-CEO Richard Teng said separately that the company was committed to covering the remaining 10%" and that users will not bear the financial impact of this incident". Continue reading...

Opposition says hundreds of thousands of people expected to participate in march demanding election chief resign over voter list changesIndian security personnel carrying batons and shields and accompanied by riot control vehicles surrounded the site of a planned opposition protest in Delhi on Sunday that is set to demand the resignation of the country's election chief over a controversial revision of voter lists.Authorities warned of traffic diversions ahead of the protest march and rally that will be led by Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi. The opposition says it expects hundreds of thousands of people to participate in what it says will be a major challenge to the prime minister, Narendra Modi, and his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). Continue reading...

Hundreds of adult gaming centres in England have bingo licences that still qualify them for discounted business ratesHundreds of high street slot farms" could continue claiming a discount on their business rates, unless the government closes a loophole that allows them to pose as bingo halls.John Healey singled out adult gaming centres (AGCs) in his first budget this week, in which he increased duty on slot machine takings from 20% to 25%, claiming he was raising taxes on gambling to support good growth on every high street". Continue reading...

Demonstrations also taking place in Germany, where officers fire teargas to disperse crowds as evening fallsClashes erupted in Paris, Marseille and other cities on Saturday after tens of thousands of demonstrators, some in Halloween fancy dress, marched across France in a third wave of protests over the cost of living and deteriorating public services.The interior minister, Laurent Nunez, said about 150 planned demonstrations around the country had passed off peacefully, but police had encountered an extraordinary" level of violence from some rioters as the rallies ended. Continue reading...

Prime minister says shake-up is vital to restore tribunal crippled by years of political disputesPoland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, has vowed to see through a contested overhaul of the country's constitutional court, declaring that in certain matters, there can be no compromise".In a prime-time television address on Saturday night, Tusk was defiant, despite overnight protests that saw riot police drafted to protect the court's building, saying the shake-up was vital to restore a tribunal crippled by years of political disputes. Continue reading...

The 35-year-old was charged after police searched properties in Shankill Road and Edwina Street areasA man has been charged under the Explosives Act and Firearms Order after police searched properties in Belfast.The 35-year-old was charged with offences including two counts of possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances, and possession of a prohibited weapon (discharge of electricity or noxious gas). Continue reading...

Residents of nearby villages line highway waving flags to greet the evacuees' convoy from the Russian-occupied cityEvacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky have been reunited with their families after crossing into Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday.The major rescue operation began on Friday and was carried out under the most significant truce since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine four and a half years ago. Continue reading...

France's interior minister, Laurent Nunez, has warned protesters that covering their faces with Halloween costumes could result in fines

British Heart Foundation describes exceptionally challenging' trading after Oxfam's retail profit reportedly fell 23% amid rise of platforms such as VintedProfits at some of the UK's best-known charity shops have plummeted as they face a number of pressures, including from online secondhand clothes platforms, prompting claims that a key part of the sector's fundraising model could be under threat.According to unpublished accounts seen by the Financial Times, Oxfam's retail profit fell 23% to 4.9m in the last financial year, compared with 6.4m in the previous year. Continue reading...

Tucked away in John Healey's budget is decision to ringfence preventative projects where future savings outweigh initial costIt merited the briefest of mentions in John Healey's speech and just one paragraph in the 166-page budget document, but some believe it could revolutionise not just public spending but the very process of government itself: a new focus on long-term outcomes.The idea in the broad sense is very simple. Any spending deemed to be preventative" - that is, the initial outlay will be more than made up for by future savings - will from now on be ringfenced, meaning it cannot be raided for more immediate needs. Continue reading...

Shift in dealings with Washington not likely to reset once Trump leaves Oval Office, former PM saysThe UK and other European nations must draw closer together as the US becomes a less-reliable partner, Keir Starmer has said in his first significant political intervention since leaving No 10.The former prime minister warned European leaders of the threat posed by Russia, among others, and said the shift in relations with Washington during Donald Trump's presidency was not likely to reset once he leaves the Oval Office. He accused them of being caught out by these new realities twice already. Continue reading...

According to documents obtained by the Guardian, officials accused Cambridgeshire force of breaching US-UK deal by handing over case of woman strangled by US pilotMinistry of Defence officials have privately accused a UK police force of wrongly handing over the investigation of an American fighter pilot who strangled a British woman to the US military, according to documents obtained by the Guardian.Cambridgeshire police allowed the US military police to quickly take control of the investigation into Capt Jacob Wulfson after he had been accused of sexually assaulting Sarah Steele in his Cambridge flat. Continue reading...

The 15th amateur to challenge Littler in Netflix stream on Friday evening, Sherrock was lost for words' after winning 501,000 prizeThe name of the programme was Beat Luke Littler and Fallon Sherrock did just that.On one of the biggest nights of the year for British TV and Netflix, there was much at stake: not just 501,000 to any of the 20 amateur challengers who managed to beat Littler in a single leg of darts, but also the jeopardy of whether audiences would choose to watch the streamer's first UK live entertainment event - or the final of BBC juggernaut The Celebrity Traitors. Continue reading...

UK chancellor's plans add to concerns government is moving away from pro-renewables agendaJohn Healey has said he will veto new offshore wind projects if they will not lower bills, adding to concerns that the government is moving away from the pro-renewables agenda.Announcing his plans, the chancellor said clean power is how we break the grip of international gas prices on our bills", but added the shift towards it has to come at the right pace, in the right places, with the grid to carry it". Continue reading...

London Paddington and Birmingham New Street stations will shut for five days but most routes will stay openPassengers travelling on some of Great Britain's busiest railway lines at Christmas have been warned of significant disruption from 10 days of engineering works.Work will close London's Paddington station - affecting intercity trains to the west of England and Wales until January - as well as Birmingham New Street, the UK's busiest station outside the capital, for five days over the holiday period. Continue reading...

Defence secretary says value for money and modernisation key for spending to fight the wars ahead'The defence secretary, Wes Streeting, says he started stockpiling food and water weeks ago in case of a national emergency, as he talked up the threats to the UK and said his department had already begun ramping up its spending in response.Streeting spoke after the chancellor, John Healey, said he wanted defence spending to reach 3% of GDP by 2030 and 3.5% by 2035; having already asked Whitehall departments to find 1% cuts in their budgets for long-term investment to fund defence spending. Continue reading...

Alleged self-dealing by the president and his allies doesn't look so good as corruption emerges as a key issue for midterm voters

Activists call for people to make their anger known over poor public services including education and housingStreet protests sweeping Europe are expected to spread to Germany and reignite in France on Saturday, with police mobilised to stop potential looting and rioting on the fringes of what organisers hope will be peaceful rallies.Weeks of, at times violent, student demonstrations have rocked Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania and France, where activists on Halloween have again called for people to make their anger over the cost of living and deficient public services felt across the country. Continue reading...

The former comedian and his wife gave evidence in the case in which he denies all charges against himRussell Brand's trial at Southwark crown court began with widespread media coverage on 12 October. The former comedian and presenter faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault against six women, in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999. He denies all the charges. Here are five things we learned in the third week of his trial. Continue reading...

Mouria coffeehouse unable to renew lease in Exarchia, known for leftwing solidarity, resistance and radicalismIt has been the hangout of writers, artists, poets and politicians, doctors and lawyers, radicals and revolutionaries for as long as anyone can remember. And for 44 years, Christos Vanas, the proprietor of Mouria, has let them all in.Every day at 7am, the taciturn former waiter has been the first man to step inside the historic cafe in Exarchia, the heart of leftwing Athens. It is a ritual he has kept punctiliously, opening up the famous gathering place before he himself has had his first coffee. Continue reading...

Editor, agony uncle, crossword compiler - he even interviews himself. Our sketchwriter finds there's no end to Farage's talentsWelcome to your new super, soaraway Reformer. The paper that aims to take you back to the 1950s with all the stories that the mainstream media don't want you to read. Free to all patriots. And those who happen to have found a copy on the floor of the bus. Continue reading...

Intercity train operator's compensation bill likely to top 70m this financial year amid rise in claims across networkAvanti West Coast paid out more than 20m to passengers in just three months this summer in refunds for disrupted journeys on Britain's main intercity rail network.The intercity operator paid out almost as much in a four-week period to 25 July - 9.3m - as its annual profits for each of the past two years. It repaid a further 12.2m in the subsequent eight weeks. Continue reading...

BoM predicts hail, damaging winds and possible flash flooding across Victoria, NSW and parts of Queensland into Sunday

Activists see meeting as opportunity to demand UK confront role in transatlantic enslavementThe royal family enslaved us! Apologise now! Reparatory justice now!"King Charles and the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, will be greeted with messages as they travel through Antigua's capital, St John's, to attend meetings at the Commonwealth leaders' summit next week. On billboards, placards and T-shirts, in letters and at a candlelight vigil for the thousands of Africans trafficked to Antigua and Barbuda during the transatlantic slave trade, the message from the Caribbean will be pervasive: slavery reparations is not an issue they are going to be able to dodge". Continue reading...

Sellers in areas such as Belgravia and Mayfair face hundreds of thousands of pounds in losses as property prices fallEight out of 10 properties in London's most exclusive neighbourhoods - such as Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge - now sell below asking price, according to research by Coutts, which provides private banking services to wealthy clients.Property prices in prime central London", which covers the city's most expensive postcodes, have dropped 5% in the third quarter of 2026, as the slowdown in the UK's property market hits its wealthiest residents. Continue reading...

Consultation follows growing calls from campaigners, vets and National Farmers' Union for tighter regulationAs the nights draw in, the season of sparklers begins, with Diwali, Bonfire Night and New Year's Eve among the occasions typically celebrated with fireworks. But if campaigners get their way, this could be the last blast for bangers in the back yard.In January concerns about the noise and availability of fireworks were aired in a parliamentary debate, with two petitions clocking up more than 180,000 signatures each, while earlier this month the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade closed a consultation on proposals including making louder fireworks only available to professional users. Continue reading...

President Karol Nawrocki seen struggling to gain entry to court building in Warsaw amid long-running row over the court's legitimacyRiot police were locked in a tense standoff with protesters outside Poland's constitutional court on Friday night after its top judge was suspended in the latest escalation in a decade-long dispute over the court's legal status.The clashes followed a controversial decision by a group of government-appointed judges to suspend the court's contested president, Bogdan wiczkowski, and his deputy, Bartomiej Sochaski, amid disagreements over the bench's legitimacy. Continue reading...

The MV Odyssey was billed as the ultimate escape from Donald Trump. Instead, the oil shock caused by his war has left passengers unceremoniously dumped in CambodiaThe idea was a never-ending retirement at sea, a continuous voyage around the globe. The promise to the passengers of the MV Odyssey cruise ship - many approaching the autumn of their lives - was that on the open seas they could cut loose from the troubles of the world. But the world had other ideas.The end came in an announcement as stark as it was brief: they had seven hours to get off. They were going no further than Cambodia. Continue reading...

The prime minister will speak with King Charles and others at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Antigua and Barbuda

The Ukrainian president called the US decision strong, but added that delivery of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles could take yearsThe US has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1bn, but Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned deliveries could take years and stockpiles were needed now to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks.The proposed sale will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by improving its integrated air and missile defense capabilities," the US state department said in a statement on Friday. Continue reading...

Rex Patrick's latest transparency fight is over what he calls most open secret in the history of Australian spying' - maybe even the world

Alliance for the Future, unveiled at Montreal summit and open to other countries, conceived for world shaken by new storms'Canada and Europe have announced a new alliance of like-minded nations to serve as both a protective canopy under which our citizens can thrive" and a powerful hedge against the unpredictable nature of geopolitics, while welcoming other countries to join.Speaking to reporters on Friday from Montreal, the prime minister, Mark Carney, and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, called the new partnership the Alliance for the Future and said the deepest possible partnership between Canada and the 27-member bloc had the potential to offer unprecedented stability and opportunity". Continue reading...

Miami-Dade officials drop charge of battery by strangulation against rapper due to insufficient evidence'Florida prosecutors on Thursday dropped a felony charge against rapper Rick Ross nearly a month after he was arrested in Miami Beach when a woman he was living with told police he hit her, court records said.The Miami-Dade state attorney's office filed paperwork on Thursday to drop a felony charge of battery by strangulation because of insufficient evidence". Ross, whose legal name is William Roberts II, still faces a misdemeanor charge of battery domestic violence. Continue reading...

This is voter fraud at the highest level,' president tells rally crowd in South Carolina; Alaska governor orders inquiry into Peltola campaign amid Republican outcry

Court of appeal ruling on the two appeals from 10am in the high profile Australian mushroom triple-murder case

Report calls for an effort to tackle harms in similar way to obesity and smoking, and stresses need to offer boys something better'The manosphere and online misogyny should be treated by the government as a public health issue, in the same way as obesity or smoking, experts have said.Writing in the Lancet, the authors of a new report argue that a coordinated response is needed, involving governments, schools, health services and community organisations, similar to the public-health response to tobacco use and ultra-processed food. Continue reading...

Victorian court of appeal rules Patterson should be jailed for life with no parole over deadly lunch that killed three people

Security incident linked to performance-monitoring tool spurred platform to halt trading for about an hourPolymarket temporarily halted trading on its international platform on Thursday because of a security incident that compromised a third-party provider, the company said.Trading was paused for about an hour and resumed on Thursday afternoon. The company has promised to fully reimburse any affected traders. Continue reading...

Prime minister claims Arab Israeli parties used foreign backing to steal elections, in which his coalition lost its majorityBenjamin Netanyahu has been accused of using smear tactics to cling to power, after he claimed that Arab Israeli parties had used foreign backing to steal" Tuesday's election, in which the prime minister's coalition lost its parliamentary majority.Netanyahu and his allies called on the internal security service, Shin Bet, to investigate alleged vote buying and other irregularities in Palestinian communities in Israel, supposedly funded by foreign money. Continue reading...

Pentagon says it has referred leak case to justice department for criminal investigationThe US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has reportedly dismissed Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, a high-ranking army strategist serving on the Pentagon's joint staff, following allegations that he disclosed classified information to the public.The Pentagon announced on Thursday that it had referred an alleged information leak case for criminal investigation, maintaining that the removal of the senior general was essential to protect sensitive information", the Washington Post reported. Continue reading...

Star Trek: the Next Generation and X-Men actor died at his home after a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia'

Experts round on chancellor over scattergun' budget, saying he ducked big tax and spending decisionsJohn Healey has backed away from cutting the cost of welfare this parliament, amid dire warnings his first budget could lead to brutal spending cuts because of a 28bn shortfall in public finances.Experts rounded on Healey's steady-as-she-goes budget on Thursday, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies saying he had left himself a mountain to climb by ducking big tax and spending decisions. Continue reading...