World news | The Guardian

Jack Schlossberg says dangerous' to evoke grandfather's assassination; Fox says it's a statement' of Jackie's braveryPolitical writer and commentator Jack Schlossberg has said it was disgusting, desperate and dangerous" for actor Julia Fox to wear a Halloween costume evoking the assassination of president John F Kennedy, his grandfather.Fox, however, has defended her controversial decision to wear a replica of the blood-stained, pink suit that former first lady Jackie Kennedy was seen wearing when her husband was shot dead by a sniper while the couple rode in a motorcade in Dallas in 1963. The Uncut Gems star has said she dressed as Jackie Kennedy as a statement" about the poise and extraordinary bravery" she showed when subjected to unimaginable brutality". Continue reading...

A 32-year-old man who was arrested in connection with the Huntingdon train knife attack is now being treated as the only suspect, according to transport police

Guidance to combat misinformation puts pressure on police to release details, says former senior Met officerPolice are being forced to disclose the ethnicity of suspects in response to a rise in far-right speculation on social media, a former senior officer in the Metropolitan police force has warned.On Sunday morning at 10.30am, British Transport Police said two men had been arrested after multiple stabbings on a train in Cambridgeshire: a 32-year-old black British national and a 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent. The 35-year-old was released with no further action, and was not involved" in the attack, BTP said in a statement later on Sunday evening. Continue reading...

Patel reportedly became furious after revelation he flew to visit girlfriend and agency fired official who oversees fleetA top FBI official with 27 years standing has reportedly been fired by the bureau after its director, Kash Patel, became enraged by press stories revealing he had used a government jet to travel to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match.Steven Palmer, who had worked at the bureau since 1998, was fired as head of the FBI's critical incident response group which is responsible for handling major security threats as well as overseeing the agency's fleet of jets. He was the third head of the unit to be dismissed since Patel became the second Trump administration's FBI director in February. Continue reading...

Onboard staff praised for limiting the casualty numbers but transport safety is in the spotlight after budget cutsRail unions have called for more protection for staff and passengers after the mass stabbings attack on an LNER train in Cambridgeshire.The incident has cast a fresh spotlight on transport safety, after budget cuts affecting police numbers and rail staffing. Continue reading...

Voters set to accept new maps to help Democrats counter Republican gerrymandering - and check president's powerCalifornia's Proposition 50 began as a warning from the nation's largest blue state to its largest red one: don't poke the bear. But when Texas moved ahead with a rare, mid-decade gerrymander, pushed by Donald Trump as Republicans seek to shore up their fragile House majority in the midterm elections, California made good on its threat.Now, California voters appear poised to approve a redistricting measure placed on the ballot in August by Democrats and the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, who have cast it as a chance to check Trump's power. Continue reading...

Former president also praises Mamdani's campaign against rivals Andrew Cuomo and Curtis SliwaZohran Mamdani, who is favored to win New York City's mayoral election on Tuesday, reportedly received a call Saturday from his fellow Democrat Barack Obama - and the former president offered to be a sounding board" if his expected victory indeed materializes.Obama also praised the campaign Mamdani had run against his main independent rival, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and the Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.Reuters contributed to this report Continue reading...

Laure Beccuau said upper echelons of organised crime' unlikely to be involved as one perpetrator remains at largeThe brazen daytime heist at the Louvre was carried out by petty criminals rather than professionals from the world of organised crime, the Paris prosecutor has said, describing two of the suspects as a couple with children.The assertion comes two weeks after thieves parked a stolen truck outside the world's most-visited museum, used a furniture lift to reach the first floor, then smashed their way into one of the museum's most ornate rooms. Less than seven minutes later, they escaped on scooters with crown jewels worth an estimated 88m (76m). Continue reading...

Mother of Bella May Culley, 19, awaiting sentencing on Monday, says conditions have improved after transfer to new jailA pregnant British teenager accused of drug-smuggling has been moved to a mother and baby unit in a Georgian prison, her mother said.Bella May Culley, 19, who is reported to be eight months pregnant, was arrested at Tbilisi airport in May. Continue reading...

Some initially assumed the commotion was a Halloween prank, but soon realised something awful was unfolding

Charismatic figure of the left is remembered as one of the most informed commentators on Latin American affairsThe former Guardian journalist and historian Richard Gott has died aged 87.Gott's career at the Guardian began in 1964 and included spells as foreign correspondent, leader writer, features editor and literary editor. Continue reading...

Bodies of missing man and 17-year-old daughter who had fallen 200 metres found on Sunday morning in South TyrolFive German climbers, including a 17-year-old girl, have died after being swept away by an avalanche in the Italian Alps, rescuers have said.Italian media said three groups of climbers - believed to have been travelling independently of one another - had been caught in the torrent of snow as it pulsed down a mountain near the Swiss border in the north-eastern region of South Tyrol on Saturday. Continue reading...

Waitrose chocolates will also be used to lure in loyalty card holders at central London storeJohn Lewis is to open a VIP space at its Oxford Street store in London as part of a drive to lure customers back, after years in which it has lost ground to rivals including Marks & Spencer.The retailer is to unveil the John Lewis Lounge on Tuesday, with access for members of its loyalty card scheme, weeks after reporting group losses had nearly tripled to 88m in the first half of this year. Continue reading...

No one was injured and officers did not find additional devices in a sweep of building, police sayThere was an explosion early Saturday at Harvard University's medical school that appears to have been intentional, but no one was injured, authorities said.Police at the Massachusetts Ivy League university said in a statement that an officer who responded to a fire alarm encountered two unidentified people and tried to stop them. But they ran from the campus's Goldenson building before the officer got to where the alert was triggered by an explosion, police said. Continue reading...

The tax office's increased reliance on Recoveriescorp has coincided with a spike in complaints to the watchdog

Regional and disadvantaged schools are bearing the brunt of the crisis, with almost two-thirds of teachers reporting high levels of stress

Opposition faultlines have opened up over net zero and immigration, but the data shows there's more to gain targeting moderate electorates

The Minns government has two major pieces of legislation it desperately wants to pass - but to do so it needs to woo some crossbenchers

Firefighters report rise in callouts as RSPCA says some who got pets during Covid have realised it costs a lot more money than they want it to'Firefighter callouts for animal rescue have risen by more than a quarter in five years, figures show, as charities warn of a new wave of abandonment linked to the soaring costs of food and vet bills.The RSPCA received a record 22,503 abandonment reports last year, as the cost of vets and pet food surged dramatically. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show vet costs last month were almost 50% higher than they were in 2020, and the average can of dog food went up in price from 60p to 1.03 over the same time period. Continue reading...

Israel's defence minister accuses Beirut of delaying efforts to disarm militant group a day after deadly Israeli airstrikeIsrael has threatened to step up its attacks against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, a day after the Lebanese health ministry reported that four people had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.Despite the November 2024 ceasefire, Israel maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon and has kept up regular strikes. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Royal Society of Public Health says fundamental shift' needed in how firms help those with health conditionsAn extra 600,000 people will leave the British workforce in the next decade due to long-term health conditions unless ministers usher in a fundamental shift" in how employers help maintain staff wellbeing, a report has warned.More than 3.3 million adults are expected to become economically inactive by 2035, according to analysis by the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), costing the UK 36bn a year. Continue reading...

For months, Mohamed Khamis Douda shared accounts of what life was like under siege. He was killed when RSF fighters finally took the Darfur city, raising fears activists and civil society figures are being hunted downFor months, militiamen on the perimeters of El Fasher have asked those few who managed to escape the besieged Sudanese city whether Mohamed Khamis Douda was still inside. They shared videos threatening to kill him, which, as they hoped, made their way to the activist.Even as the hunger and fear of living under siege and bombardment made him desperate to leave, Douda remained inside El Fasher, constantly working to let the outside world know what was happening to the people there. Then, on Sunday 26 October, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces overran the city and it was too late. His friends and family have confirmed to the Guardian that Douda has been killed.Monday 4 AugustI awake each morning tired from the efforts of the previous day. Our first struggle is the merciless hunger and the second is the constant artillery shelling. Continue reading...

Escalating battle for city comes as overnight Russian drone and missile strikes kill six people, including two children, age 11 and 14Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops, Kyiv's top commander has said.The escalating battle in the strategically important city comes as an overnight wave of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine killed six people, including two children, and cut power to tens of thousands, officials said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Two people left with life-threatening injuries after attack police say they are not treating as terrorist incident

Former Duke of York to lose honorary rank of vice-admiral a week after having royal title of prince removedThe former Duke of York will lose his naval title, the defence secretary has said, as King Charles looks to draw a line under the scandal over his brother's relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will be stripped of his honorary rank of vice-admiral, which he was given in 2015 and has retained even after giving up other military positions in 2022, John Healey confirmed on Sunday. Continue reading...

Mother of murdered teenager to challenge ruling that David Hagan is too ill to give live evidence at spycops inquiryThe mother of Stephen Lawrence is pressing for the cowardly" undercover police officer who spied on her family's campaign for justice to be questioned at a public inquiry.The spycops inquiry has previously ruled that the undercover officer, David Hagan, was too ill to give live evidence, after submissions by his lawyers. Continue reading...

Police have arrested two people and counter-terrorism police also involved in investigation into mass stabbing on a train from Doncaster to London's Kings Cross on Saturday

Rebecca Dowdeswell has been locked in three-year legal battle with 170bn cosmetics firm over her nkd brandA small business owner is preparing to face down the cosmetics giant L'Oreal at a tribunal next week over a trademark dispute she says has had a devastating impact on her.Rebecca Dowdeswell, 49, from Nottinghamshire, has been locked in a three-year legal battle with the French company since it claimed her use of the name nkd for her business would cause consumer confusion" with its own range of Naked beauty products. Continue reading...

Forty Labour and independent MPs call on Steve Reed to take important step' of defining anti-Muslim hatredMore than three dozen Labour and independent MPs have written to the housing secretary calling on the government to adopt a definition of Islamophobia, after recent figures revealed hate crimes against Muslims were up by nearly a fifth.Forty MPs, including Labour MPs Diane Abbott, Dawn Butler, Kim Johnson and independent Andrew Gwynne, were among the signatories on the letter from Afzal Khan who wrote to Steve Reed on Friday asking him to adopt a definition of anti-Muslim hatred as an important step" in addressing discrimination, prejudice and hatred the community faces. Continue reading...

Financial Conduct Authority defends interest rate of 2.09% as critics describe proposals as hypocritical'Victims of the car loans scandal could miss out on more than 4bn in compensation if the City regulator ploughs ahead with plans for an insulting" interest rate in its redress scheme, consumer groups and claims firms say.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been accused of offering a reduced rate of interest which will be added to compensation from banks for borrowers caught up in the car loan commissions scandal. Continue reading...

With the party adrift and Reform surging, Jenrick's allies are sharpening their pitch for a post-election resetAt an opulent speakeasy-style event at the Raffles hotel on Whitehall this week, the great and the good of what is left of the Conservative party marked the Spectator's parliamentarian of the year awards.With the magazine's editorial line still just about backing the Tories, despite the party facing an existential crisis from Reform UK, it was unsurprising that much of the gossip at the champagne-fuelled event was about whether Kemi Badenoch's job was at risk. Continue reading...

School board apologises after regulator imposes six interim conditions while it conducts a review

The Coral Adventurer will return to Cairns, as investigations into Suzanne Rees' death continue

French-Turkish actor appeared in a string of high-profile films, as well as hit BBC series The MissingTcheky Karyo, who appeared in some of director Luc Besson's biggest hits and a string of international films, died on Friday at the age of 72, his family have announced.A statement from his wife and children sent to AFP said he had succumbed to cancer". Continue reading...

It's been the biggest secret in theatre: what will the marmalade-loving, hyper-polite Peruvian look like in Paddington the Musical? As the curtain rises, we speak to the new bear's creator, a veteran of Star Wars and PG Tips adsPaddington stands within touching distance. His fur flutters as he turns, his neat button nose sniffs the air, and his eyes soften with a smile. For years, design details of the bear for Paddington the Musical, directed by Luke Sheppard, have been kept top secret. Now here he is, in his blue duffel coat and red hat. A quiet theatrical marvel. What we're doing," says producer Sonia Friedman, has never been done before."Standing around 1.2 metres (just under 4ft) tall, the bear is beautifully round, all belly and sloping shoulders. He is not an exact replica of the Paddingtons we've seen in illustrations or movies, but something new. His shaggy, caramel fur has a gentle wave, and his white snout is dotted with a brown nose, ideal for sniffing out trouble. Around his neck sits a label, threaded through an old piece of string, asking for someone to look after him. Continue reading...

Woman, 38, and man, 37, had been arrested on Wednesday in relation to theft of 76m worth of jewellery in ParisTwo more suspects, a man and a woman arrested this week over the jewel heist at the Louvre, have been charged and remanded in custody, prosecutors have said.The charges on Saturday brought to four the number of people now charged over the spectacular robbery. Continue reading...

Exclusive: As jobseekers continue to have payments suspended, advocates call for the regime to be stopped until it's proven to be lawful

Seventy-year-old, who died in incident near Bentley, said by family to be a beloved husband, father and grandfather'A man who was killed in a helicopter crash in Doncaster, South Yorkshire on Thursday has been named by his family as Peter Smith.The family described Smith, 70, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather" and said they were all devastated by this sudden loss", in a statement released by South Yorkshire police. Continue reading...

Police say Ki-Shawn Crumity, 26, met girl through Snapchat, and charged him with human trafficking and sexual assaultA 13-year-old Louisiana girl who went missing after meeting a man online was found alive in a box at his home several states away in Pennsylvania - along with evidence that she had been sexually assaulted, according to authorities.Ki-Shawn Crumity, 26, faces charges of human trafficking, sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of a child after police in Pittsburgh said they arrested him on Thursday. He is one of at least two men who had been arrested as of Saturday amid an investigation involving law enforcement agencies in multiple states. Continue reading...

In Chicago suburb, protesters confront ICE agents, whom Evanston mayor says assaulted' residentsDonald Trump's immigration crackdown continued on Halloween night as federal agents were seen in Chicago and Los Angeles on the holiday, according to multiple reports.In Chicago, where the president has unleashed military troops to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as agents carry out arrests and push back against protesters, several people were arrested on Friday. ICE agents descended on the city and its suburbs as part of their operations, and protesters were also detained during clashes with law enforcement. Continue reading...

Footballer pleads guilty to one count of driving dangerously after his offence was caught on cameraA Chelsea footballer who was caught on camera speeding down the hard shoulder of a busy A road in his Lamborghini has been handed a lengthy driving ban.Wesley Fofana, 24, pleaded guilty at North East Surrey magistrates court to one count of driving dangerously on 20 April along the A3 Esher bypass in Hook, Hampshire. The incident came to light after another motorist captured the footage on a dashcam and reported it to the police. Continue reading...

Officers confiscated more than half a tonne of class B drug in 22 suitcases from air passengers travelling from ThailandPolice have charged 11 people in connection with an attempt to smuggle 22 suitcases packed with cannabis from Thailand to Birmingham worth nearly 14m.More than half a tonne of the class B drug, described by the National Crime Agency (NCA) as an enormous amount", was seized at Birmingham airport in August 2024. The 11 people charged, aged from 21 to 35, all travelled to the UK from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Continue reading...

Plans for settling-up charge' predicted to raise 2bn and would follow policy in place among most G7 countriesRich people quitting the UK could be required to pay a 20% tax on their business assets as part of plans reportedly being considered by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.The Treasury has drawn up plans for a settling-up charge" on assets; a move that would bring the UK into line with most other G7 nations and raise a predicted 2bn for the public coffers, according to the Times. Continue reading...

People brought to US as children have built lives and are raising families - but could lose their ability to work legallyA federal judge could soon decide whether tens of thousands of so-called Dreamers" in Texas could lose their ability to work in the US legally under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) immigration program - prompting fears of upheaval and heartbreak.As part of the years-long legal battle over Daca, US district court judge Andrew Hanen is set to rule on competing proposals for the future of the Obama-era program. One of those proposals, submitted by the Trump administration, would make Daca recipients in Texas, in particular, ineligible for the work permits typically offered by the policy. Continue reading...

Political instability and fuel shortages caused by rebel group is driving Mali to brink of becoming Islamist republicArmed groups of JNIM fighters have blocked key routes used by fuel tankers, disrupting supply lines to the capital Bamako and other regions across Mali.The al-Qaida-linked jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) is gradually converging on Mali's capital, Bamako, with increasing attacks in recent weeks, including on army-backed convoys. Continue reading...

Student-led movement continues to demand political change as embattled president issues rare apologyTens of thousands of Serbians have gathered to commemorate victims of a fatal railway station collapse a year ago, a tragedy that galvanised anti-government sentiment that still threatens the embattled president, Aleksandar Vui.A student-led movement organised the rallies in the country's second largest city, Novi Sad, where on 1 November 2024, the canopy at the newly renovated railway station collapsed. Continue reading...

Chaotic release procedures at HMP Chelmsford were flagged to the prisons minister last yearMinisters were warned by a watchdog that prisoners were falling through the cracks" of chaotic release procedures at the jail that mistakenly freed a convicted child sex offender.An annual report on HMP Chelmsford uncovered a litany of issues and errors" including a mix-up of release dates" when letting out a vulnerable prisoner. Continue reading...

After initial enthusiasm, people fear ceasefire does not mean end to war but just less frequent, more unpredictable violenceAmeen al-Zein, like many in Gaza, was overjoyed by the news of the ceasefire. It was a rare moment of relief after years of fear and loss. On Tuesday night he gave an interview to a local NGO urging people to return to their homes in northern Gaza now that fighting had stopped. Just half an hour later, Zein was dead, killed in an Israeli bombing on the school where he had been sheltering in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.He died without being able to fulfil his vow to his wife that they would return to Beit Lahia and pitch a tent over the rubble, eager to be home even if their house was no longer there. Continue reading...

Council data obtained by the Guardian shows 345 children have gone missing in recent years, many probably taken by traffickersMore than 50 lone child asylum seekers who disappeared soon after arriving in the UK and while in the care of the authorities are still missing, according to data obtained by the Guardian.Many of the missing children arrived in small boats or hidden in the backs of lorries and are thought to have been taken by traffickers. Kent is often the place where they arrive. Continue reading...

Acknowledgment shows shift in tone after six years of diplomatic spats over colonial-era abusesSpain has acknowledged and expressed regret over the pain and injustice" suffered by the Indigenous people of Mexico during its conquest of the Americas, heralding a shift in tone after six years of diplomatic spats over the abuses of the colonial period.In March 2019, Mexico's then president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wrote to King Felipe VI and Pope Francis, who was then the leader of the world's Roman Catholics, urging them to apologise for the massacres and oppression" of colonialism and the conquest. Continue reading...