by Peter Beaumont Senior international correspondent on (#7967M)
Mounting anxiety as Russia's war on Ukraine reaches Nato's borders with targeting of vessels transporting agricultural cargoNato is deploying additional military assets to the Black Sea amid the recent deadly escalation of Russian attacks on merchant shipping, as five more vessels were attacked on Tuesday.Russia's military said it struck three cargo vessels in Ukraine's port of Reni and two other cargo vessels en route to Odesa. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now) and Yohannes Lowe (earlier) on (#795SP)
The Ukrainian leader says talks with US envoys covered security guarantees and he hopes to hear Russia's response tomorrowNordic correspondentAs well as Steve Witkoff, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also meet the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store and the Finnish president Alexander Stubb and Norway's new King Haakon during his visit to Oslo. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman, North of England Correspondent on (#7967N)
Five-month-old Esta High died at Leeds General Infirmary in November 2023 after doctors put her symptoms down to Covid-19A baby girl who died from meningitis may have been saved if doctors had tested her for the infection sooner, rather than putting her symptoms down to Covid, an inquest jury has found.Five-month-old Esta High died at Leeds General Infirmary in November 2023, days after she was taken into the emergency department with a high temperature and vomiting. Continue reading...
The ex-student writes she wants to share information that may be relevant' to vote of no confidenceThe former Cornell University student who accused seven men of sexually assaulting her at a fraternity house in 2024 recently wrote a letter to campus faculty leaders saying that she felt unsupported and disbelieved" by the Ivy League institution's president.The letter addressed to the Cornell faculty senate was obtained and published by the New York Times on Tuesday - and in it the former student said she wanted to share information that she believed may be relevant" as the panel considers a vote of no confidence in the school's administration. Continue reading...
Jurors in harassment trial told reporters who had written about far-right activist feared vigilante attack'Tommy Robinson told the Daily Mail's editor he would make the paper's journalists and their families famous", the harassment trial of the far-right activist has been told.The threat was made in a voicemail message left on the phone of Ted Verity as Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, allegedly waged a campaign of harassment against journalists from the newspaper. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#7967Q)
Latest report paints a painful picture of the care sector during the pandemic. But timid recommendations and a lack of accountability threaten to undermine itOf all 10 reports due to be published by the long-running Covid-19 inquiry, this week's findings on adult social care were especially anticipated.The impact of Covid-19 on the care sector was calamitous: tens of thousands of people died, staff were forced to wear bin bags due to a lack of protective clothing and relatives were banned from seeing their loved ones in their dying days. Continue reading...
Duke of Sussex says there's enough drama in the world' without continuing to have issues with familyThe Duke of Sussex wants to repair his difficult relationship with his father and brother, he has said.Speaking to GQ magazine in New York, Prince Harry said of his complicated relationship with William and King Charles that from a family perspective it was a massively relatable issue for so many people". Continue reading...
Result is a victory for prime minister Mark Carney and supporters of Canadian unityVoters in Canada's Alberta have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to begin the process of independence, delivering a decisive victory for supporters of Canadian unity and deepening divisions within the separatist movement.With nearly 1.9m votes counted, roughly 76% people supported remaining in Canada, while 24% backed beginning a process toward separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta. Continue reading...
The prime minister endorses report that says the adult social care sector has been under-recognisedBadenoch says Britain needs tax cuts.We need to get out of the way of job creators who make our country richer. We need to encourage risk taking, wealth creation, enterprise.Britain's tax burden has never been higher. You are taxed on the heating in your home. You're taxed at the petrol pump filling up your car. You're taxed when you insure that car. You're taxed if you take the family away on holiday. You're taxed if you stay in the UK thanks to Andy Burnham's tourist tax. You're taxed to buy a home, taxed to live in a home, taxed to pass on your home. This is clearly not working. Britain does not feel better off.Andy Burnham wrote in The Times yesterday about the moral outrage of the current benefit system. But as far as I could work out, his answer is to spend even more on benefits. Continue reading...
by Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent on (#7965F)
Far-right presidential candidate's TV debate swipe at rival backfires as people take to social media to parody itTo Flavio Bolsonaro and his publicists, it must have seemed an ingenious idea that would expose his rival's supposed crookedness on the eve of Brazil's presidential election.But the far-right politician's decision to attend a primetime television debate against his leftwing opponent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, with the word corrupto" (corrupt) written on the palm of his hand has backfired. Continue reading...
Conflict in Middle East is pushing jet fuel costs higher and many carriers are not hedged against such increases, Michael O'Leary saysRyanair's chief executive has predicted a record increase in European air fares next year, as airlines grapple with fuel bills pushed higher by the Middle East conflict.Many carriers are not hedged against rising jet fuel costs, Michael O'Leary said, which he predicted would lead to airline bankruptcies and takeovers. He forecast these pressures would result in the price of plane tickets rising by as much as 20%. Continue reading...
Andrew Young claims he received menacing' call from man who introduced himself as RobinsonThe far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson threatened to publish details about a journalist's family and warned him that they would have to move home, a court has been told.The alleged threats were said to have been made in a telephone call by Robinson to one of a number of journalists involved in reporting on his activities after the 2024 Southport killings, when he was accused of influencing the subsequent riots. Continue reading...
Yellow severe weather warning issued for first named storm of season with gusts of up to 60mph expectedThe first named storm of the season, Austen, is expected to bring gusts of up to 60mph to southern areas of the UK at the end of the week, forecasters said.While there would be spells of rain and showers for many on Tuesday and Wednesday, by Thursday, Storm Austen would be approaching the south-west of the UK, the Met Office said. Continue reading...
Researchers say almost 90% of participants in unconditional basic income scheme in Peru adopted environmentally beneficial practicesA pioneering project to provide Indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon with an unconditional basic income has contributed to the protection of the rainforest, according to a study.The analysis from the University of Bath is expected to contribute to a growing debate about the role of direct payments to communities that maintain globally important ecosystems. Continue reading...
Developers propose turning San Francisco Centre into not a server-based facility but a community-based AI exhibit'Downtown San Francisco has shown signs of revival since being battered by the Covid pandemic, which led to what many called a doom loop" of vacant buildings, a worsening homelessness crisis, and dwindling public transit. But one highly visible reminder of the city's struggle to recover remains: the San Francisco Centre mall, which sits at the heart of these urban renewal efforts and has been conspicuously boarded up since January of this year.A number of ideas have been floated for the mall's reopening, including a multi-level sports complex, housing, and more traditional retail uses. But now, another potential plan has emerged: the shuttered mall is being considered for an AI datacenter project, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#795WZ)
RAF Typhoon fighters to fly defensive missions over cities and infrastructure in extension of UK support for RiyadhRAF Typhoon fighters are to be used in efforts to protect Saudi Arabia from attack by Yemen's Houthis, flying defensive missions over the country's cities and critical infrastructure as western allies increase their intervention in the escalating conflict.The operation - the most significant military mission signed off by Andy Burnham as prime minister - will involve RAF pilots attempting to shoot down Houthi missiles and drones, which attacked Saudi airports and oil facilities. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#795X0)
Inquiry chair says failure to advise care homes to isolate people discharged from hospital was significant oversight' UK politics live - latest updatesThe care sector was an afterthought" during the Covid-19 pandemic, and government failures caused the virus to spread like wildfire" among vulnerable and elderly people, a public inquiry has found.Heather Hallett, who is leading the Covid-19 inquiry, said it was a significant omission" that the government did not advise that patients discharged from hospitals into care homes should be isolated, causing the virus to spread rapidly among residents and staff. Continue reading...
Stricken UK water supplier lines up John Hutton as independent chair designate if takeover goes aheadThe group of Thames Water creditors pursuing a 10bn rescue deal for Britain's largest water supplier has lined up a former senior Labour minister to chair the company, as it tries to win over the government.The creditor consortium, called London & Valley Water, said on Tuesday that Lord John Hutton had been selected as independent chair designate of the Thames Water board, if the consortium's takeover of the utility goes ahead. Continue reading...
Apparent attempt to hack Rade Baji's iPhone comes amid efforts to undermine landmark criminal caseA Serbian prosecutor who investigated the authorities' allegedly illegal scheme to help the Trumps build a tower in Belgrade has been targeted with advanced spyware, expert analysis indicates.The finding suggests a disturbing new element in the authoritarian Serbian regime's campaign to undermine what is believed to be the first criminal case related to global moneymaking drive of the US president's family, which critics describe as a pay to play" scheme trading the Trump administration's favour for business opportunities. Continue reading...
Subject to Change: A Dance for David Bowie will explore how the musician practised a form of artistic reincarnation', says choreographer Marcos MorauLet's dance," sang David Bowie in 1983, commanding: Put on your red shoes and dance the blues." That call is to be answered - with footwear TBC - by an international dance production featuring new choral arrangements of songs from throughout his career.Subject to Change: A Dance for David Bowie will be staged at Sadler's Wells in London in autumn 2028 after a world premiere in Luxembourg. It will visit Tokyo in 2029. The show will explore how Bowie practised a form of artistic reincarnation" according to Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau who is taking inspiration from the superstar's transformations into personas such as Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#795SR)
Cabinet colleagues have previously called for an increase but chancellor feels it might ultimately cost the TreasuryJohn Healey will not raise capital gains tax in next week's budget, despite previous calls to do so from cabinet colleagues including Louise Haigh and Wes Streeting.The chancellor has decided that any increase might ultimately cost the Treasury if wealthy individuals defer the sale of assets or move them out of the country, according to Treasury sources. Continue reading...
After a protest clip went viral, a teenager's life was torn apart by threats that sent her and her family into hiding. Plus, a book on citizen journalismBefore 24 July, a person I will call R was preoccupied with the ordinary routines of teenage life: experimenting with makeup, grumbling over mathematics homework and hanging out with friends at a tea stall.That month, as the fever of student protests spread across the country, the 15-year-old watched on her phone as young people poured into Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site in Delhi, demanding education reform. She went too. But an 11-second video clip from the protest site, in which she made crude and profane remarks about the prime minister, Narendra Modi, upended her life. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The prime minister's campaign against noisy passengers has struck a chord with commuters. Whether anyone hears him remains to be seen.Good morning.Me again, back from the October school holiday (a week in glorious Wales, thanks for asking) and ready to hear your commuter woes. For our prime minister, it's one of the most annoying things on public transport": maybe you're trying to work, or read, or you've finally got your kid to sleep, when someone starts blasting sound from their phone at full volume.France | The prime minister has said he has asked regional authorities to impose partial curfews in some cities after the government admitted police had lost control" in several places during violent weekend protests around the country.UK politics | Andy Burnham has told officials to rip up their plans for how to fix Thames Water and present him with more radical options for what to do with the stricken company.Yemen | At least 53 people have been killed in a Houthi ballistic missile attack on a training camp for Yemeni government forces in the largest single loss of life since the country's civil war reignited in September.Israel | Israeli police have detained 10 people in a rare raid against settlers, after a weekend of extreme violence in the occupied West Bank including an attack on US photojournalist Heidi Levine.Reform | Nigel Farage undermined his own claims that a 5m gift was for security when he referred to the money as a reward for Brexit, according to one of his closest aides. Continue reading...
Critics said images of detained former leader were a stunt by the military to end country's diplomatic isolationMyanmar has delivered presents from Britain's King Charles to Aung San Suu Kyi, releasing rare photos of the imprisoned former leader in what critics said was a stunt by the country's military to end diplomatic isolation.A presidential spokesperson said on social media that home ministry officials handed over two gardening books on soil, along with one sealed envelope and a sealed diplomatic pouch", from King Charles, who is known to have an interest in planting and the environment. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#795RR)
Selina Cartmell announces season including Stockport-set version of Phaedra myth by Simon StephensA theatre boss has promised to channel the pioneering spirit of Manchester" and be brave and fearless" as she unveiled a new season of work, two years after a deeply damaging censorship row.Selina Cartmell, the artistic director of the Royal Exchange in Manchester, revealed details of 2027-28 productions that include a retelling of the Munich air disaster and a modern Stockport-set version of the ancient Greek myth Phaedra. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#795RT)
Rise in economic hardship and changes in attitudes towards migration could explain drop in support, experts sayPublic support for the NHS's founding principles - that it is free to use, available to everyone and tax-funded - has fallen over the last five years, research has shown.Backing for all three pillars dropped between 2021 and 2025 across the UK population, except for a small rise in millennials' support for the NHS being funded from taxation. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#795RS)
Transport hub will offer through trains between Leeds and Manchester with turn-up-and-go' serviceA new railway station will be built in Bradford to transform how people travel across the north", the government has announced.The station will be at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) scheme, built on the current Bradford Interchange site but allowing through trains between Leeds and Manchester. Continue reading...
by Presented by Nosheen Iqbal with Zoe Williams and H on (#795PG)
The bestselling author says her books will no longer be supplied to UK bookshops over fears of prosecution. Zoe Williams and Haroon Siddique reportFor now there might be a copy or two of Intermezzo left kicking around in your local bookshop - snap it up if you haven't already, because soon that will be it.Last year, Sally Rooney said she would be using her royalties to support Palestine Action, a group that is proscribed as a terrorist organisation under UK law. Since then, thousands of people have been arrested for supporting the group. Now, faced with the risk of prosecution under terrorism legislation, Rooney and her publishers have decided to stop supplying her books to retailers in the UK. Continue reading...
by Douglas Smith Indigenous affairs reporter on (#795PH)
Northern Territory government announced sweeping reforms of child protection sector in May, just days after the Warlpiri girl was found dead Warning: This article contains images of and references to Indigenous Australians who have died
Australia's politicians have been facing increasing threats and abuse. It can no longer have been rising for Australia's politicians and they can no longer be dismissed as social media noise or harmless comment
by Sam Levin in Los Angeles and Sam Levine in New Yor on (#795F3)
Crackdown marks latest escalation in the Trump justice department's push to target alleged noncitizen votingThe US Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against 28 green card holders in California accused of fraudulently registering to vote and casting illegal ballots.The crackdown marks another escalation in the federal government's ongoing efforts against alleged noncitizen voting, efforts that Democrats and voting rights groups say are part of a strategy by the Trump administration to sow doubt in the results of the upcoming midterm elections. Continue reading...
Envelopes containing powder come weeks before midterms as federal agents try to identify who is behind campaignMore than three dozen members of US Congress have had their offices targeted with envelopes containing white powder, less than three weeks before the 3 November midterms, as federal agents try to identify who is behind the campaign.The latest is the Virginia Democrat Suhas Subramanyam, whose Leesburg district office was evacuated on Monday after an envelope containing a suspicious substance arrived. He said the office was cleared quickly, adding that acts of political intimidation have no place in our country". Continue reading...
by Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent on (#795F2)
As Cop17 kicks off, records since 1921 show more bee species declining than increasing in all parts of Europe except the AlpsMost of Europe's wild bee species and about half of its hover fly species have declined over the last century, a study has found, as a UN biodiversity summit begins in Armenia.Records since 1921 show more bee species are declining than increasing in all parts of Europe except the Alpine region. The richness of bee and hover fly species suffered a persistent drop in the Atlantic and Continental regions, the study found, though trends in other regions were mixed or even positive. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey, Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot on (#795F4)
Exclusive: Utility seen as litmus test' of PM's promise to bring essentials of life' under public controlAndy Burnham has told officials to rip up their plans for how to fix Thames Water and present him with more radical options for what to do with the stricken company.In an early test of his promise to bring the essentials of life" under public control, the prime minister is urging his advisers to go back to the drawing board and create a new list of policies for the utility. Continue reading...