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Lib Dem leader says he is proud of party's record at Brighton conferenceKemi Badenoch has pledged to bring back tax-free shopping for tourists by reversing a post-Brexit rule change, the Press Association reports. PA says:The decision to scrap the VAT refund scheme for international visitors in 2021 left the UK less competitive" than many other European destinations as the country left the EU, the Tories said.Badenoch, who personally announced the abolition of the VAT refund scheme when she was a Treasury minister in 2020, said retailers were being let down by a policy that is driving their customers away."The Tories have pulled off a spectacular U-turn. Kemi Badenoch used to say tax-free shopping was a costly giveaway and now she's trying to sell it as an economic miracle.If they really think it's such a great idea, they should explain why they scrapped it in the first place and how they'd pay for bringing it back.The UK is one of the most-visited countries in the world with international tourism driving billions into our economy. We are supporting the continued growth of this industry and the government is working to meet our ambition to welcome 50 million international visitors a year to the UK by 2030.Visitors can still claim VAT relief where the items purchased are shipped directly to their home country as exports.Yes. Yesterday I talked about the need to have a temporary tax cut in fuel duty because people are paying a huge amount of the pumps, and we showed how we could pay for it. I'm showing through our growth strategy how we can pay for more tax cuts. Continue reading...

CDU suffered heavy losses in two regional elections, including in home state of former leader Angela Merkel, where it polled just 4.9%EU senior diplomats will resume talks later today on maintaining sanctions against nearly 3,000 Russian individuals and companies, with the issue deadlocked over the status of tycoon Alisher Usmanov.The EU last week agreed a one-week extension to stop the sanctions expiring, after France joined Slovakia in pushing for Usmanov to be removed from the list. Continue reading...

Chancellor acknowledges disastrous state election results but vow to push on is likely to further alienate voters, and his own party Europe live - latest updatesFriedrich Merz called it a disaster", and that was even before the full scale of the catastrophe for himself and his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came into view after Sunday's state elections.In what one outlet called a power move", the German chancellor made a highly unusual televised speech just minutes after polls closed in the states of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, attempting to get ahead of the narrative with a pledge to stay on and fight for his economic recovery programme. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The tax-funded research aims to protect British wildlife from the human-caused climate crisisVaccines for ash trees, skin treatments for newts and gene-edited swallowtail butterflies are among 14 tax-funded projects from the UK's invention agency" aiming to accelerate nature's ability to adapt to the climate crisis.The 54m accelerated adaptation programme from the UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria) - a public body that funds high-risk, high-reward tech projects - aims to investigate applications of biotechnology that can speed up wild species' evolution and help them to adapt to new threats such as global warming and disease. Continue reading...

Storm system expected to hit Izu Islands as it strengthens. Meanwhile, Atlantic hurricane season is unusually quietTropical Storm Dujuan is skirting the coast of Japan and despite avoiding a direct landfall, is still expected to leave its mark. Dujuan briefly reached typhoon status on Friday before weakening to a tropical storm again on Sunday morning. But it is expected to restrengthen back to a typhoon by Tuesday morning. Sustained winds could reach 80mph (129km/h), with gusts approaching 100mph.Although mainland Japan has avoided a direct hit, Dujuan's track takes it across the Izu Islands, where evacuation warnings are in place. Heavy rain, flooding and landslide alerts are widespread, with high waves adding another threat to exposed coastal areas and islands. Continue reading...

Anti-ICE protesters gather and demand transparency at site where 28-year-old was shot in torsoA US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a Venezuelan man on Sunday afternoon in Texas's capital city, Austin, prompting demonstrations at the scene against the Trump administration's hardline anti-immigration campaign.The man, identified by relatives and his lawyer as 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, was taken to a hospital in Austin in a serious but stable condition, officials said, before being taken into custody. He was shot once in the torso on the city's north side, Austin's police chief, Lisa Davis, said at a news conference with the mayor and other city officials. Continue reading...

British Airways and easyJet among those to cancel or delay services after air traffic control fault at Prestwick

The population is ageing and we're having fewer babies. Labor should keep that in mind as the migration debate rages

Intergenerational report predicts that in four decades' time, more Australians will be dying than being born each year

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Former police officer, 31, pleads not guilty to two counts of murder as his supreme court trial begins in Sydney

Texts reveal Sharangan Maheswaran had an explanation ready' but was worried about picture taken with premier prompted by dumb' Christian Ellis

Court also hears from four people who say they didn't witness alleged offence against another complainant

Temperatures in Sydney's outer west peaked at 35C and 32C in the city on Monday before a cool change from the south-east

Exclusive: Government warned skills revolution' at risk amid slow start to project with target of 30,000 starts by end of parliamentLabour has been warned its skills revolution" to tackle youth unemployment risks failure, after its flagship apprenticeship scheme enrolled only 160 young people in its first eight months.The shortfall, highlighted in a report by the Fabian Society, leaves the government well off track of achieving its ambition of 30,000 foundation apprenticeship" starts by the end of this parliament. Continue reading...

Unions, thinktanks and others say overhaul could provide investment Britain needsUnions, thinktanks, environmental groups and charities have come together to call on ministers to boost the financial firepower of the national wealth fund to empower it to invest more in Britain and rebalance the country's economy.Lower energy bills, the revitalisation of the UK's industrial heartlands and the provision of more high-quality jobs could all be unlocked by scaling up the NWF, according to a statement from organisations including the TUC, Greenpeace, WWF and the New Economics Foundation.Turbocharging the retrofitting of homes and buildings.Giving the public a bigger stake in critical infrastructure through taking part-ownership stakes in key projects.Launching a targeted investment programme to bring new green industries to communities hit hardest by deindustrialisation.Supporting a network of regional banks to funnel money into the small businesses that hold up local economies. Continue reading...

While global billionaires and multinational companies have been lured to its shores, many islanders feel left behind and priced out, with food bank use increasingOn a late Friday afternoon on the Channel Island of Jersey, tourists and locals are flocking to St Helier's waterfront where the town's sprawling beach has emerged at low tide.In one direction, they face the calm waters of St Aubin's Bay, ringed by a seaside promenade and punctuated with a tidal island hosting the 16th century Elizabeth Castle. Continue reading...

Bystanders found all four on the side of the road at Valley Heights on Sunday with stabbing injuries

Though the man of the hour is unable to attend, fans flock to Rod Laver Arena and cinemas nationwide to celebrate the songs of an Australian iconAt a Sydney shopping centre on a balmy Sunday evening, hundreds of people gathered to watch a concert that, according to its host, Richard Wilkins, would set a new livestreaming record for Australian cinemas.Experiencing a Rod Laver Arena event with popcorn in a cinema chair was unusual in itself - but so too was the fact that its hero, John Farnham, would not be performing, or even in attendance. Continue reading...

Two leaders meet in French territory off Canada as Ottawa seeks stronger relations with EU while fighting trade war with USThe leaders of France and Canada have pledged closer ties to grapple with rising geopolitical tensions, climate change and the erosion of democratic values, after they met in a French territory off Canada's Atlantic coast.The two leaders' visit to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon - the first by a French president since 2014 and the first by a Canadian prime minister - came just weeks after Donald Trump posted an image showing the islands, as well as all of Canada and other countries in North America, covered by the US flag. Continue reading...

Apiarists will lose not just the insects but the value of pollination contracts, which can be worth thousands of dollars

Australia and Finland are vying for a spot on the council, and the PM needs two thirds of member states to back him

Proposal one of many at conference responding to concern voters unaware of party's policies or what it stands forThe Liberal Democrats say they will tax big tech to finance a new online crime agency, as they try to address concerns that not enough voters know what the party stands for.The plan, to be announced at the party conference on Monday by the Lib Dems' home affairs spokesperson, Max Wilkinson, would create a new Online Crime Agency focused on offences including child sexual abuse material, trafficking in drugs and weapons, and deepfake AI-generated pornographic images. Continue reading...

Funding boost for facilities and fixed dates for trials designed to encourage more survivors to come forwardSpecialist courtrooms prioritising cases of rape and other serious sex offences are to be introduced across England and Wales, with campaigners welcoming the move as potentially transformative.The changes, designed to encourage more survivors to come forward, will include the provision of private entrances and waiting rooms, and facilities equipped for recording evidence in advance and observing sentencing remotely. Continue reading...

Jovenel Moise, 53, was shot dead in July 2021 in a killing which sparked chaos in HaitiEighteen people have been arrested in association with the 2021 assassination of the Haitian president Jovenel Moise, according to US officials.Moise, 53, was shot dead on 7 July 2021 at his private residence by a hired group of about 20 military-trained Colombian mercenaries. His security detail did not intervene to protect him. Continue reading...

Bridget Phillipson says Burnham's past criticisms of US president not an issue as PM prepares to meet Trump at UNNext month's budget will be made more difficult by Donald Trump's war with Iran, one of Andy Burnham's cabinet ministers has said, while adding she did not expect the prime minister's previous disparaging comments about the US president to be an issue.Burnham is expected to meet Trump early next week at the UN general assembly summit in New York, the pair having previously spoken twice by phone since Burnham entered No 10. Continue reading...

Jane Adetoro, Christina Walters and Rebecca Walters from Uxbridge were found on 13 MayThe deaths of three sisters found in the sea off Brighton beach did not involve any criminality or third-party involvement, police have concluded.The bodies of Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, from Uxbridge, west London, were found on 13 May. A postmortem conducted that month confirmed all three women died by drowning. Continue reading...

Tensions grow as Trump tells Fox News he is considering wiping Iran out' after attacks on Riyadh by Houthi rebelsGovernments across the Middle East are bracing for an escalation of violence after Iran claimed it had received intelligence that the US was preparing for a renewed bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic.In a potential sign of growing tensions before the UN general assembly in New York this week, Donald Trump cut short a weekend visit to the Camp David presidential retreat on Sunday with no official explanation, and a new security alert was issued by the state department to all US citizens in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Far-right AfD wins in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and leftwing Die Linke on course for victory in BerlinGermany's embattled chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has vowed to stay in office and fight for future-proofing economic changes despite heavy losses for his conservatives in two state elections, one to the far right and the other to a leftwing party.Preliminary results indicated Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) tallied just over the 5% threshold to enter the state parliament in the coastal region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its worst-ever state score, which he called a disaster". Continue reading...

Self-described moderates say Ed Davey's party offers them a home as Conservatives shift further rightClimbing the party-branded stairs of the Brighton Centre with a Liberal Britain tote bag over his shoulder, Cody Butler looks quite at home at the Liberal Democrats' annual jamboree.But asked how he is finding it, the 21-year-old replied: Odd." The former Tory activist resigned as chair of the One Nation Conservative Network and left his old party in July, arguing that centrists, remainers and members worried about the climate crisis and conservation were no longer welcome in the party. A week ago, he joined the Lib Dems. Continue reading...

Row at Athenian riviera resort turned violent after two elderly bathers reportedly argued over shortage of loungersGreek police are investigating the death of an 82-year-old man after a brawl over a sunlounger at a beach on the Athenian riviera.The man had arrived at the popular bathing spot of Vouliagmeni before 10am on Sunday hoping to secure a sunbed, but he soon began arguing with a fellow bather - described by authorities as a 76-year-old man unknown to him" - when it became clear loungers were in short supply. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Intelligence officers say Russian campaign could intensify in months, not years' - but that panic risks playing into Kremlin psy-opsEuropean intelligence officials have raised the possibility of an imminent Russian test of Nato, with one saying a potential attack could come in a matter of months, not years".The warnings come after Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, told parliament that intelligence assessments suggested Russia might launch an attack with drones or missiles on Nato territory in the coming months, as part of efforts to prove that article 5 is more theoretical than practical". Continue reading...

The queer period drama wins Oscar-predicting award, being named the most popular audience film at the festivalSpanish queer drama La Bola Negra has won this year's people's choice award at the Toronto film festival.The film, which takes place in 1932, 1937 and 2017, focuses on the lives of interconnected gay men. It premiered at this year's Cannes film festival with the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw calling it handsomely produced, lovingly detailed and confidently constructed" in a four-star review. Continue reading...

Wife of former PM takes part in designer Edeline Lee's show inspired by the Greek myth of SisyphusVictoria Starmer has taken part in a London fashion week show, in one of her first public appearances since her husband, Keir Starmer, stepped down as prime minister.Lady Starmer appeared at Sunday's Edeline Lee show. The London-based, Canadian British designer's clothes are a favourite of the Princess of Wales, and have also been worn by celebrities including singer Taylor Swift and actor and screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Continue reading...

Exclusive: James Ashby also drives new Ford Ranger given to party and is main pilot of plane donated by Gina Rinehart, which he says are not for personal use

Exclusive: Stark health inequalities in terms of deaths before age of 75, NHS data revealsAdults with severe mental illness are nearly five times more likely than their peers to die from serious physical diseases before the age of 75, according to research.The analysis of NHS data by the Rethink Mental Illness charity reveals that people with severe mental health problems die 15-20 years earlier than the wider adult population, largely due to preventable physical conditions. Continue reading...

At least three people killed and oil refinery damaged as doubts cast over initial reports of ballistic missile useUkraine has targeted Moscow and the surrounding region in a large-scale attack that involved hundreds of drones.The attack killed at least three people and damaged what Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said was one of Russia's key oil industry facilities" on the final day of the country's parliamentary elections, authorities said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Action against Ofcom comes as social media companies are being accused of using courts to slow down implementationMeta has launched a fresh legal challenge against Britain's media regulator in the latest of a slew of actions by social media companies who are accused of using the courts to slow down implementation of the Online Safety Act.Lawyers for the parent company of Facebook served notice during the week in an appeal against placing WhatsApp and Instagram, which are also owned by Meta, in a category that subjects them to additional duties. Continue reading...

Data raid comes amid targeting of lifeboat charity by far-right agitators who object to migrant boat rescuesSupporters of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have been warned that their personal information may have been stolen by hackers amid targeting of the charity by far-right agitators.In a letter accompanying the autumn copy of its Lifeboat magazine, the charity warned members that their name, contact details and records of interactions with the RNLI" could have been breached in the raid on a company it uses for customer relationship management. Continue reading...

Former president of Chile drops out after support collapsed in security council straw poll, leaving seven candidates in contestMichelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile, has withdrawn her candidacy to become the next secretary general of the UN, ending an attempt that had struggled to gain traction among security council members.Bachelet, 74, announced her decision in a video posted on Instagram on Saturday, saying: I will now continue, with the same determination as always, my international work." Continue reading...

Charles lands at Heathrow with just two bags and nowhere to go as a result of Brexit and Stockholm's hardline immigration positionDoubled over a Heathrow baggage trolley, the former British business director is sobbing uncontrollably, exhausted emotionally and physically after being deported from Sweden.Hours earlier the 65-year-old had been marched on to a plane in Stockholm, separated from his home and his Swedish wife after a five-year battle to stay in the country after Brexit came to an end. Continue reading...

Rafael Moreno, whose company has opened demo plant in Brazil, says market is nervous' as Trump-Xi summit loomsThe head of a mining company hoping to supply the EU with rare earths in two years' time has said it is paramount" to end China's stranglehold on the supply of the raw materials used in everything from cars to wind turbines and military jets.As Donald Trump and China's president, Xi Jinping, prepare to meet on Thursday in their second summit of the year, Rafael Moreno said it was also imperative" that they do a deal for Beijing to ease up, once again, on its threat to ban exports of rare earths. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Five gardening teams shortlisted for Royal Horticultural Society's new Railway Stations in Bloom awardEvery year since 1964, towns across the UK have bloomed with hanging baskets and brightly coloured flowerbeds planted by residents.They wield their trowels in aid of the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom competition, a coveted accolade for the 1,600 communities that enter each year. Continue reading...

Candidates have been selected for November's midterms - have Republicans and Democrats made the right choices?Primary season has official concluded in the United States, with Democrats leading the polls among voters amid widespread economic anxieties, a war with Iran and Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda continuing into the end of the year.Democratic and Republican voters have selected contenders for key races in the 3 November midterms that will decide the balance of power in Congress, and the future of both parties. Democrats have been rocked by the primary victories of leftwing candidates. Republicans have doubled down on backing the president's policies, despite his low approval ratings. And both parties are navigating the fallout from a series of scandals that have forced some candidates from the race, while others decided to press on. Continue reading...

It's not clear that financial interests are driving White House policy, but they run parallel even as resistance mountsDonald Trump's sons, through a series of AI-linked defense and technology ventures, have picked up a $620m Pentagon loan, a Marine Corps robotics contract and an undisclosed air force drone deal in the past year. His longtime friend Michael Dell won a Pentagon contract worth nearly $9bn. And this week, as public support for artificial intelligence sinks to some of the lowest levels ever recorded, the president went to bat for the industry. .The only control or guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades," he posted on Truth Social Monday. There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers." It was the first of many aggressively pro-AI posts he would make this week. Continue reading...

The Warsaw event saw 26 teams compete across a series of demanding tasks, inspired - to varying degrees - by tram drivers' day-to-day tasks

Shabana Mahmood is concerned about length and 144m cost of inquiry into intrusive police surveillanceVictims of intrusive police surveillance have accused the government of seeking to cut short the spycops public inquiry that has been examining widespread misconduct committed by undercover officers.The independent judge-led inquiry is scrutinising how officers, who spied on tens of thousands of political activists over more than four decades, carried out abuses such as deceiving women into sexual relationships and fathering children. Continue reading...

Comments come after he accused King Charles of gaslighting him in response to claims made in new memoirEarl Spencer has said the relationship between the press and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex echoes" the way the media treated his sister Diana, Princess of Wales.In an interview with the BBC to be aired on Sunday evening, Spencer described the press's coverage of Harry and Meghan as having a cancerous influence", adding it would be beholden on people to learn from Diana's example". Continue reading...

Crime scene established at Waratah Road, Valley Heights as NSW police say they are not looking for any other people at this time'

A Bondi Beach woman in her 90s, a 23-year-old in Wagga Wagga and a woman in her 70s in Mole River died within hours of each other on Saturday