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Moscow struck city's North Bridge this morning, around 20-minutes drive away from the station where the German chancellor arrivedMerz has met Ukraine's President Voldymyr Zelenskyy at the main war memorial on the Maidan in Kyiv.

Conservative leader defends plan to extend free childcare to high earners, as Tory conference begins in Birmingham todayOn Friday the Times revealed that Katie Lam, the communities secretary, told a meeting in private earlier this year that the state pension system needs a fundamental overhaul.Speaking in June, when she was a frontbencher but not yet in the shadow cabinet, Lam was asked at a meeting with activists if she thought the pensions triple lock was sustainable. She replied:Ultimately I think what we will need in the end is an entirely new pension system.I mean, a baby that is born today has a 20% chance of living to be 100 and I don't think we can fund one in five people half of their lives, you know, for the first 20 and the last 30 years. But obviously if you are 90 you probably can't go out and get a job right, so I think you have to be realistic about how you would taper that and bring that in across the population.The fact is, the triple lock and pensions are things that people have contributed to.Conservatives believe that if you have contributed, then you deserve to get your state pension. Continue reading...

Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro face off in battle between leftwing incumbent and far-right son of jailed ex-presidentBrazilians go to the polls on Sunday in the first round of a highly polarised and high-stakes presidential election that could change not only the direction of Latin America's largest country but that of the entire region.The election pits the leftwing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, against the far-right senator Flavio Bolsonaro, an ally of Donald Trump and the son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after his failed 2022 re-election attempt. Continue reading...

Industry says a phased end to racing, to avoid sudden jump in caring responsibilities, is unworkableWales's greyhound racing ban - a UK first - has run into difficulties regarding how and when to wind down the practice, potentially risking the animals' welfare, a charity has warned.The law, which received royal assent in April, includes a three-year window for the ban to come into effect and is overseen by a Welsh government working group, which includes racing industry representatives and animal health and welfare organisations. Continue reading...

Charity calls for faster progress on humane slaughter laws for farmed fish in England and WalesUp to 77m fish are slaughtered each year in the UK but there are no routine or mandatory inspections of fish slaughterhouses in England and Wales, it can be revealed.Concerns within government about the way fish are slaughtered date back decades but all of the official bodies responsible for animal welfare and food standards in England and Wales said they do not undertake regular inspections. Continue reading...

FOI request shows wildfire risk scheme scrapped, as survey highlights many fire services lack proper protective gearThe government quietly scrapped plans to prepare the countryside in England for wildfires, it has been revealed. This was despite new data showing fire crews do not have the proper protective gear to tackle them.This summer has been a potent reminder of the scale of the threat posed by the climate crisis, with the UK experiencing record-breaking wildfires after punishingly hot and dry weather turned large parts of the countryside into a tinderbox. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Clare Matterson, the head of the Royal Horticultural Society, talks about the charity's 2.3m roadworks compensation, community gardening and her high hopes for Andy BurnhamThe government has awarded 2.3m in compensation to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) after roadworks affecting its premier garden in Wisley caused a three-year traffic jam".The horticulture charity estimated it lost 13m due to disruption caused by the upgrade to the A3 and M25, with visits to the garden each year cut by 350,000. A campaign to reimburse the charity was led by the gardener and TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh. Continue reading...

Those who have stepped in to keep young family members from going into care in England and Wales say the decision has brought them joy and hardshipClive vividly remembers the day when, without warning or time to work out what he was really letting himself in for, he became a kinship carer.The social worker left, the door closed and Savannah was lying there in a carry cot, wrapped up in a pink blanket. She looked so calm and so comfy, absolutely oblivious about what's just happened. Continue reading...

The mood is better but overhyped', says one Conservative MP as party remains a distant third in pollsThe forthcoming Conservative conference will be, almost everyone in the party agrees, notably more upbeat and unified than last year. There is a similar consensus that Kemi Badenoch is doing well as party leader. That is, however, not the whole story.The mood is better but the facts are still very poor," one Conservative MP said. We are still a distant third in the polls, and if there was an election tomorrow we would lose, and badly. That means the mood is overhyped." Continue reading...

AbortOmat' in Warsaw offers novel way to challenge country's restrictions and allow women swift, anonymous accessThey call it the world's first parcel locker for abortion pills". Polish campaigners have launched a new means of distribution as part of their ongoing effort to skirt the country's near-total ban on abortion.Painted pink and framed by zebra-striped curtains, the 22-compartment AbortOmat" in Warsaw allows women to access the pills swiftly and anonymously using a six-digit code. The service was envisaged for those who cannot or do not want to wait days for mail delivery due to a missed miscarriage or health complications, or who worry about receiving the pills at home. Continue reading...

Britain under pressure to put tariffs on cheap Chinese vehicle imports ahead of protectionist trade measuresBritain's car industry is grappling with a difficult trade-off" between China and Europe, as manufacturers struggle to balance the benefits of both markets ahead of looming trade measures that could restrict UK exports to the EU.The UK is an outlier in choosing not to put import taxes on Chinese vehicles, even as the US has shut them out almost entirely, and the EU imposes duties of up to 45%. Continue reading...

Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, 18, appears in court on dangerous driving offences after car struck Knights supporters lining streets to farewell their team

Treasurer says very substantial and intensifying pressure' on federal budget as he points finger at private sector for driving up inflation amid Middle East conflict

Police confirm investigation into period the man reportedly spent in Australia before alleged attempted terrorist attack

Man charged with nine offences after vehicle struck Knights fans attending grand final farewell, leaving 10 injured including three children

Forty-year-old victim declared dead at the scene in East Acton in a senseless act of violence'A murder investigation has been launched after a 40-year-old man was shot dead in a senseless act of violence" during a memorial service in west London, police have said.Police were called on Friday at 7.47pm after multiple shots were heard in East Acton. Continue reading...

Kemi Badenoch says those earning more than 100,000 should not be discouraged from working moreThe Conservatives have unveiled a proposed 700m childcare giveaway for high earners ahead of their annual conference, saying they would end the cliff edge" where free entitlement ends at salaries above 100,000.The plan, set out the day before the event begins in Birmingham, follows the earlier proposal by Kemi Badenoch's party to abolish most stamp duty, another change to taxation that would disproportionately benefit wealthier people. Continue reading...

Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang died after apparently ingesting kratom product last monthFederal authorities investigating the recent deaths of two University of Mississippi students have charged a store clerk and his son with selling an illegal kratom product, prosecutors announced on Friday.A drug taskforce in Mississippi had previously urged people to avoid kratom, an herbal substance that acts as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses, after authorities found packages of kratom derivatives while investigating the deaths on 21 September. Continue reading...

TSA says rule change is meant to keep officers alert', but union says it ignores safety and common decency'US airport security officers who verify boarding passes and IDs ahead of security checkpoints will no longer be allowed to sit down while working.The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was moving forward with this change in policy to keep officers alert", the agency confirmed recently. Continue reading...

Ryan Anderson says he reached out to Blanchard's father to offer support after apparent overdose death of Ken UrkerThe ex-husband of Gypsy Rose Blanchard has said he was shocked" by the recent death in Louisiana of her former partner Ken Urker - and that he would be there for Blanchard and her daughter if she needs me".Ryan Anderson made those remarks during an appearance on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast on Friday, providing a noteworthy reaction to the latest chapter involving Blanchard, who achieved an unusual level of celebrity in the US after spending time imprisoned for a role in the murder of her abusive mother in Missouri. Continue reading...

Investigation revealed thousands of voyeuristic videos taken on Munich beer festival's Teufelsrad, or Devil's WheelWomen have been given free cycling shorts to prevent upskirting on a famous amusement ride at the Oktoberfest in Munich, after an investigation revealed tens of thousands of voyeuristic videos circulating online.The Teufelsrad, or Devil's Wheel, which rapidly spins around while people try to sit on it for as long as they can, is one of the beer festival's oldest rides. But many of the videos discovered by German journalists focus on women whose traditional dirndl dresses have ridden up, often showing their underwear. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith told party members last year he had discussed making further savings if they win next electionThe Conservatives are planning to make sweeping cuts beyond the 47bn announced last year if they win the next election, according to leaked comments by the shadow chancellor.Speaking last year when he was shadow business secretary, Andrew Griffith told Conservative members he and fellow shadow cabinet ministers had discussed making further cuts in every part of government". Continue reading...

Greek PM hopes handover of Tsar Samuel to Bulgaria will persuade Britain that time has come for truth, reason, justice and morality'In a ceremony replete with the sort of fanfare usually reserved for great events, Greece and Bulgaria have formally exchanged a treasury" of relics and bones, sealing a cultural deal negotiated over decades.The handover involved priceless religious objects removed from Greece at the height of the first world war, as well as remains thought to belong to Tsar Samuel, Bulgaria's revered medieval warrior ruler. Continue reading...

Demonstrators take to the streets of Madrid and other Spanish cities after new legislation fails to passTens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Madrid and other Spanish cities as they step up demands for action to tackle a mounting housing crisis after government measures were struck down by the opposition.Demonstrators on Saturday waved posters calling for a general strike after the measures drawn up to address mass anger over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid, and other housing issues, were rejected in parliament on Friday. Continue reading...

The 25-year-old was the sixth man detained as counter-terrorism police investigate possible foreign state involvement'A sixth man who was arrested in connection with a suspected terrorist plot at RAF Fairford has been released on bail.The 25-year-old, a dual UK-Iranian national, was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find more of our UK political coverage hereAli says Britain is a multiracial, multicultural democracy that needs to protect everyone's equal right to belong."At a time when Britain is facing unprecedented levels of racist violence and intimidation, the country needs leadership.

Shoppers are switching from traditional product despite little evidence alternative is saferBacon has long been a favourite of carnivores, but there is growing consumer concern about the health risks posed by nitrites, chemicals used to cure meats.While many experts argue there is no evidence processed meat made without nitrites is safer, retailers have responded to consumer concerns by offering nitrite-free" products to meet demand. Continue reading...

The UK prime minister has earned his party a rehearing but the battle of public opinion is not yet wonHe's offering what no other politician has offered for a long, long time. He actually feels like he's one of us," was how Neil, a geography teacher, described Andy Burnham in our focus group on Thursday night.Neil wasn't alone in his praise: this group of Labour 2024 voters - some of whom had drifted to Reform, the Tories and Greens during the Starmer era - provided the most positive reception for a politician since Boris Johnson at the height of his Covid-vaccine bounce. Continue reading...

The Premier League's actions would have an influence on the bilateral state relationship', Emirati officials saidThe United Arab Emirates have reportedly warned the government it could cancel big investments in the UK after Manchester City were found guilty by an independent commission.Emirati officials said the Premier League's actions" would have an influence on the bilateral state relationship", according to Bloomberg. Continue reading...

Attorney general says terrorist attack' was attempted by suspect who is said to have been barred from flying by Oman because of extremist viewsThe co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 used an axe to attempt to carry out a terrorist attack" during the Israel-bound flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said.Disaster was narrowly averted on Wednesday when passengers and crew intervened to stop the co-pilot from his attempt to take control of the plane, which had 182 people on board and plunged 16,625ft in just over 30 seconds. The descent was so extreme that part of the rudder was ripped off. Continue reading...

Authorities crack down on trade they says risks spiralling out of control - but operators say they are being targeted unfairlyOn the edge of Piazza Navona, one of the grandest squares in central Rome, Barry and Linda, visitors from Texas in the US, stepped out of a golf cart. They planned to cross the square on foot, perhaps stopping to admire Lorenzo Bernini's 17th-century Fountain of the Four Rivers, before being picked up by their driver at the opposite end.The couple had already done a walking tour on day one of their trip, and had been so exasperated by a stifling three-hour shuffle along a corridor towards the Sistine Chapel on day two that by the third day they wanted to give their tired feet a rest. Continue reading...

Western Libya's GNU say working with Saddam Haftar impossible' as US-backed merger plan breaks downAllegations that the son of the Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar oversaw a terror cell" that launched drone attacks on fuel storage facilities and power stations in western Libya have upended plans for the Tripoli-based government of national unity (GNU) to continue cooperating with Haftar on a plan to unify the country.Saddam Haftar, the deputy commander of the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), has increasingly been seen by the US as an important figure in its plans to unify Libyan security, judicial and political institutions. Continue reading...

Mayor Vitali Klitschko says Kyivans can no longer pretend it is peacetime' amid strikes on school, hospital and bridgeValeriya Tkachenko was dropping her son off at school in central Kyiv when the air raid alert sounded. Staff hurried the children and parents into the shelter, where the frightened lawyer spent the next two hours with her son.I'm scared to death all day about what could happen to my son," she said as she emerged from the shelter, already late for work. Continue reading...

Revelation comes amid mounting concern over online prediction market's effects on integrity of financial systemUK authorities are being urged to intervene after it emerged that the online prediction market Polymarket has been taking thousands of dollars worth of bets over whether HSBC and Lloyds will fail.Polymarket - the US-owned company which holds bets on anything from football matches, to the existence of aliens, to when a bomb drops on a city - has allowed users to take $77,507 (58,530) worth of positions on whether the world's biggest banks will go under by the end of this year. Continue reading...

Companies race to switch households to voice over internet protocol' services by the end of JanuaryBT has been accused of bullying" customers by temporarily cutting off their broadband to pressure them to upgrade to a digital landline, as providers race to switch households over before the January deadline.Telecoms companies have so far migrated 16-17m lines from the old copper network to digital voice over internet protocol (VoiP), which uses a broadband connection instead, in the biggest technological upgrade since the early 00s, when analogue TV was switched off. Continue reading...

Sunday's poll pits the leftist incumbent Lula against the son of a former far-right president convicted of staging a coup

Who is really in charge - the people or the markets? In the first episode of Radical Thinking, a new series from the Guardian, senior economics commentator Aditya Chakrabortty speaks to the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. What was it like during the eurozone crisis when Varoufakis went head to head with those who wanted to stop his reforms?Watch Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty here. Continue reading...

Citizen environmentalists create online platform that flags spills in real time and highlights repeatedly polluted spotsThe easy thing for the people who live on the banks of the River Dart in Devon might have been to grumble and groan about the sewage spills that blight their beloved waterway.Instead, citizen environmentalists in the area have created a unique online platform that flags up spills in real time, highlights spots that are repeatedly polluted, and sets out where improvement work is planned - and where it isn't. Continue reading...

Hammersmith and Fulham says it faces biggest financial challenge in living memory' as government cuts biteA flagship Labour authority has warned it may have to impose a 150% council tax rise on residents to maintain current services following central government cuts under a new funding settlement.Hammersmith and Fulham council's cabinet has concluded in a report due to be published on Monday that such a rise would cost Band D households an additional 29.11 a week in 2027/28. Continue reading...

Pyongyang fires towards sea a day after Kim Jong-un sister denounces South Korea for claiming North's mines wounded South's soldiers in DMZNorth Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea on Saturday, South Korea and Japan said, a day after it rejected Seoul's accusation of its mines wounding soldiers.The missile was launched from the Wonsan area at about 6.30am towards the East Sea - also known as the Sea of Japan - and flew more than 700km (434 miles), the South Korean military said. Seoul and Washington were analysing the test for details, it added. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Findings will bolster those in No 10 who want to negotiate on re-entry but some senior figures remain waryAndy Burnham's personal preference to rejoin the European Union after the next election is supported by almost half of all voters, a new megapoll has found, although cabinet ministers concerned about reopening Brexit divides are privately urging him to proceed with caution.The poll by the Messina Group (TMG) found that renegotiating the UK's relationship with the EU could boost Labour's vote share by as much as seven points, if the prime minister offered a fresh referendum in which he campaigned to re-enter the bloc. Continue reading...

Climate crisis blamed as virus that originated in Africa spreads to livestock as far north as AberdeenshireBritish farmers are experiencing the worst bluetongue season on record, with the number of cases surpassing the past three years combined.The viral disease, which affects sheep and cattle among other animals, can cause fevers, ulcers, a swollen head and lameness. The tongue may go blue and even protrude from the mouth. In the most severe cases, the animal can die. Continue reading...

Fazl Mosque was used as an air raid shelter in the war - but that is not its only link to a pivotal moment in world historyExactly 100 years ago the Guardian wrote about the opening of London's first mosque, an impressive white building surrounded by immaculate flower gardens in the heart of south London suburbia.A report described the mosque, in its incongruous surroundings, as a thing of beauty". The journalists who attended the opening ceremony witnessed the mosque's large black doors being opened with a silver key. About 600 eminent guests attended the grand opening. Continue reading...

On the day Andy Burnham spoke of the wrong turn Britain took under Thatcher, football was facing a day of reckoning over its own story of corporate acquisitionIt was somehow fitting that Tuesday's damning ruling against Manchester City landed in the heart of the Labour party conference, in the afterglow of Andy Burnham's rapturously received prime minister's speech.I was there, and read the astonishing 40 pages of findings - that City created sham" contracts to boost income artificially by 900m - on my phone during a long meeting of the Socialist Campaign Group, where people were celebrating Keir Starmer's ousting and Burnham's more leftwing direction. Continue reading...

Movie about Nazi-collaborating administration strikes chord during what director calls time of great uncertainty'It is the story of how a lowly state administrator unthinkingly becomes a cog in the machine of an authoritarian regime, embracing the bureaucracy and logistics of sending people to their deaths - and it is drawing in audiences to French cinemas.The French film Notre Salut (Our Salvation), with its modern lighting, improvised scenes and anachronistic 1980s Europop soundtrack, is far from the standard historical costume drama about the second world war. Continue reading...

With 40 dead and a disaster declared across all 50 city districts, experts warn extreme flooding will only worsen across south-east AsiaBangkok is used to absorbing the sudden afternoon downpours that inundate the city during the rainy season. Even streets in many central high-rise districts can briefly turn into rivers, with rats and cockroaches racing out of sewers and taking temporary refuge on trees and buildings as the subterranean world is flushed out.But every city has a breaking point, and this year rain fell so fast and so hard that whole neighbourhoods of the Thai capital have been transformed, not into rivers, but stagnant lakes. In parts of the city, roughly 300mm of rain - the equivalent of half a year of average rainfall in London - fell in about two days. Continue reading...

The epicentre was at Leongatha, 130km south-east of Melbourne, with residents reporting houses shaking just after 2am

Man, most likely in Iran, was in contact with men arrested on the eve of Yom Kippur, police sayTwo Iranian men have been charged in relation to an alleged terror plot targeting Manchester's Jewish community.Police say another man, most likely in Iran, was in contact with them as part of a plot to get a bomb to attack Jewish targets. Continue reading...

President leads huge rally in Rio before election on Sunday seen as most important for decadesThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has claimed he is the only thing standing in the way of far-right fascists" reclaiming power, as he led a huge rally through the streets of Rio ahead of Sunday's crunch election.Speaking on the eve of the demonstration, the 80-year-old leftwinger said he had decided to seek a historic fourth term because he believed only he could prevent the family of his rightwing rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, returning to government. Continue reading...

Dozens of residents testify to legislature's redistricting committee in heated hearing, the last of eightHundreds of people gathered across from the Mississippi state capitol building on Thursday evening to rally against the aggressive Republican efforts to draw maps that favor their own party.Shortly after the US supreme court's decision in Louisiana v Callais, which severely weakened section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Tate Reeves, the Mississippi governor, moved in lockstep with other Republican governors and lawmakers to call for a special session to redraw maps. However, before that special session could occur, Reeves canceled it and wrote on X that he expected lawmakers to redraw congressional lines BETWEEN NOW and 2027 elections!" Continue reading...