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Sources say Firmus is slashing its price and may even shelve initial public offering altogether

MIT computer scientist led development of software for moon mission and earned Presidential Medal of FreedomMargaret Hamilton, the computer pioneer whose software powered the first moon landing, has died, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced on Wednesday. She was 90.In an era before titles such as software engineer and computer scientist became mainstream, Hamilton, who died on 30 September, learned to program under the tutelage of a renowned MIT meteorologist. Continue reading...

Hundred-and-fifty-year-old Wych elm in Newcastle, Co Down has grown sideways owing to strong windsThe astonishing and bizarre" Bendy Tree in Northern Ireland has been crowned the winner of this year's tree of the year competition.The wych elm tree, located in Newcastle, County Down, owes its name to its near horizontal trunk, which has grown sideways owing to the strong seaside winds coming off the Irish Sea. Continue reading...

In the shadow of the Parthenon, the secretary of state gave a selective reading of history as he urged Europe to awaken from its slumber'The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, delivered a classically inspired apologia for Donald Trump's America first" foreign policy on Wednesday, giving a sweeping speech to the backdrop of the Parthenon in Athens that appeared tailor-made for campaign ads if he runs for president in 2028.In the speech, the top US diplomat drew historical parallels from the founders, philosophers and conquerers of antiquity to the modern American spirit - as well as his family's own journey to the United States - as he called on Europe to awaken from its long slumber" and reject a future of atrophy and servitude and decline". Continue reading...

Ethan Scott Brown died after being wrongly told he would not be eligible to graduate from the University of GlasgowThe family of a student who took his own life after being wrongly told he would not be eligible to graduate have said the University of Glasgow will be held to account".Ethan Scott Brown, 23, was due to graduate in December 2024 after studying geography. Continue reading...

Transparent information sharing' from Moscow is required to conduct full risk assessment, UN agency saysThe World Health Organization has said it does not have the full picture" from Russia following the suspected death from plague last week of a 28-year-old laboratory worker in Siberia.Darya Shipilova died two days after falling ill with cold-like symptoms. She was an employee at the anti-plague research institute in the eastern city of Irkutsk, with some reports suggesting she was infected after a workplace accident. Continue reading...

Minister says use of grenades has been stopped after a student lost a hand as protests across France continue

Group's fighters hit key airport in Aden with explosive moments before plane from Cairo was due to landHouthi forces appeared to be making slow advances on Wednesday in south-west Yemen, approaching the city of Taiz and firing a missile and an explosive towards the airport in Aden, the chief international hub of the Saudi-backed government.The explosive hit the key airport moments before a plane was due to land. The British ambassador to Yemen, Abda Sharif, said the attack could have endangered thousands of people. It forced the flight - from Cairo - to be diverted to Jeddah and led to a review about the safety of flights in Aden. Continue reading...

Pentagon chief tries to play down problems onboard carrier as it returns to dock after 260 days at sea without port callPete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, told service members on the USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday that their deployment wasn't easy" as the carrier prepares to dock after spending over 260 consecutive days at sea without a port call, setting a navy record.For months, there have been widespread concerns since reports first emerged of supply shortages and deteriorating mental health onboard. In his remarks on Wednesday, however, Hegseth again sought to play down the issues. Continue reading...

Isaias, which succeeded Tropical Depression Nine, would be the first hurricane of the belated Atlantic seasonTropical Storm Isaias formed early on Wednesday in the warm waters off eastern Mexico and forecasters said it was expected to strengthen into the first hurricane of the belated Atlantic season, as early as Thursday, before hitting the US Gulf coast later in the week.Isaias succeeded Tropical Depression Nine as it strengthened overnight. It was located about 285 miles (460km) west of Progreso, Mexico, and about 580 miles south-west of where the Mississippi River spills into the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm on Wednesday morning had maximum sustained winds of 40mph (65km/h) and was moving east to north-east at 8mph. Continue reading...

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Inquest under way into why President Lula's success in curbing Amazon deforestation has not led to success at pollsMore fire, more ash, more crime, more death. And a globally important ecosystem driven ever more rapidly towards a point of no return. That is the prospect for the Amazon rainforest for at least the next four years if Flavio Bolsonaro holds on to the lead he established this week in the first round of Brazil's presidential election.This appears to be of far more concern to the outside world than to voters in Latin America's biggest, richest and most biodiverse nation. Continue reading...

Nearly 460 schools are affected by continuing protests today, just over a half of those that joined the day of mobilisation' yesterdayWe are getting reports of a knife attack at a vocational school in Ostroka, Poland, which left at least seven people injured, including two seriously, as reported by Poland's RMF FM radio.The city mayor, Pawe Niewiadomski, confirmed in a statement that the situation has been contained.Henri Kagan discovered a new way of manipulating chemical reactions, allowing a greater excess of one of the mirror images to be created than was previously assumed possible. His discovery has been revolutionary for chemists who develop reactions for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, flavours, scents and new materials.Kenso Soai designed the first chemical reaction in which only one of the potential mirror images was formed. Other than life itself, no one had ever achieved this feat. The Soai reaction is one of the most spectacular chemical experiments ever conducted." Continue reading...

Party hopes to win over affluent middle-class voters as leader rejects calls to unite the right' in conference speechKemi Badenoch has announced that the Conservatives would abolish inheritance tax on family homes if elected, prompting criticism that she is prioritising cutting taxes for the rich.The Tory leader also said couples would be able to leave an additional tax-free sum of 1m to their families, as the party attempts to shore up its traditional base in southern England. Continue reading...

Organisations honour those who died three years ago as Andy Burnham says government stands with British JewsBritish Jewish organisations gathered in central London on Wednesday for a vigil honouring victims of the 7 October attacks in Israel, after a day of tributes from politicians and community leaders.The vigil took place at Richmond Terrace, opposite Downing Street. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: Three years ago, Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel, murdering 1,200 men, women and children, injuring thousands and taking 251 people captive. May their memories for ever remain a blessing." Continue reading...

The Tory leader's proposal to slash the tax would shovel 6bn of taxpayer money to the already-wealthyKemi Badenoch's inheritance tax gambit is a Conservative classic. After all, it was George Osborne's high-profile pledge to take the family home out of inheritance tax" in 2007 that put Gordon Brown off calling a snap general election.In practice, Osborne's plan involved a 1m threshold for inheritance tax - and given the global financial crisis had blown a hole in the public finances by the time the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition came to power in 2010, it never came to pass. Continue reading...

Energy and housing costs threaten biggest decline in modern times unless bold action taken, says thinktankSoaring energy and housing costs mean Labour is on course to preside over the worst parliament for living standards in modern times, a stark analysis warns.Three weeks ahead of John Healey's budget, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said Britain faces a dire" outlook unless the government takes bold policy action". Continue reading...

The Tory leader is now too big for the party to allow her to fail, so everything she does is acclaimed a work of geniusWhere's AI slop when you need it? It could all have been so much simpler. Just ask ChatGPT to write me a leader's speech in the style of Kemi Badenoch. Make it an hour and 10 minutes long, so plenty of room for padding. Go heavy on the slogans, cliches and the obligatory crap politician jokes. Ones we've all heard many times before. Not least at this conference.Make the usual digs at Labour and put the boot in to Reform. The main aim of the speech is to try to reposition a party that is tanking in third place on 20% in the polls as the main opposition to the government. Continue reading...

Building in Pryluky destroyed, killing nine people including three children, officials say, night before Russian president's 74th birthdayVolodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia's military of deliberately killing civilians and bombing residential buildings as a macabre gift for Vladimir Putin, who celebrates his 74th birthday on Wednesday.Ukraine's president described Russia's overnight drone and missiles strikes, which killed at least 24 people, as despicable". The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively," he said. Continue reading...

After a surprise first-round victory, critics suggest son of disgraced ex-president could seek to continue his father's authoritarian rule

The number of pharmacies stocking the MS-2 Step medication increased from 2,228 to 4,107 after rules relaxed in 2023

Exclusive: 11 facilities shut, seven for lack of staff and four over issues such as infestations or lack of running waterEleven bail hostels that were supposed to have housed dangerous prisoners during the early release of stalkers and domestic abusers in England and Wales have been closed, the Guardian can disclose.Seven of the halfway house facilities, known as approved premises, were shut because of a lack of qualified staff, and the other four because of problems such as infestations or lack of running water, Whitehall sources said. Continue reading...

At Conservative conference, some worry about becoming a one-woman party, while others say party should thank their lucky stars they have her

Conservative leader says proposed measures would halve the number of families paying inheritance taxChris Philp, the shadow home secretary, is speaking now at the conference. He described Nick Timothy as the Bob the Builder" of the next parliament on the basis of the Tory pledge to build 50,000 prison places.Can he fix it? Yes he can," Philp said. He went on:I know we didn't get everything right in government, but we now have a plan to make things better, whereas Labour is making them worse.Dangerous men released early from jail. Police numbers down by 2,000. Stop and search opposed. 92% of crime unsolved. Illegal immigrants and foreign criminals not deported.So many parts of government are corrupted by radical identity politics and a deference to clan culture.We can no longer trust our institutions to work for us all, to uphold the principle that justice is blind, that we're all equal before the law. Continue reading...

Campaigners set up in more than 1,200 tents in Puerto del Sol square say challenge now is to translate a groundswell of public support into concrete changeAt a makeshift lunch counter tucked within a maze of tents at a housing protest camp in Madrid, Selpide San Luis pointed to the dizzying pace of change.We built a city in a week," said the 26-year-old, whose videos documenting day-to-day life at the encampment have attracted tens of thousands of views on social media, as she pointed to the more than 1,200 tents set up in the central Puerta del Sol square. We have urban planning, the streets have names and we've put surveillance systems in place. And thanks to what we're doing here, media have not stopped talking about the issue of housing - something that we've been trying to get on the agenda for so long." Continue reading...

Postal service says cuts will focus on head office and support function roles'

Celebrated for his earnest, dextrous voice, Jackson crossed into the pop charts with the hits Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake) and You Are My LadyFreddie Jackson, the US singer whose smooth and romantic take on R&B found a huge audience in the 1980s, has died aged 70.A statement from his family on social media reads: Freddie was more than a legendary voice. He was a kind, generous soul who loved his fans, his family, his friends and his music with everything he had. For decades he gave us the songs that became the soundtrack to our love stories, our celebrations and our most treasured memories. That gift will live on for ever." No cause of death was given. Continue reading...

An initiative on November's ballot aims to overturn the 9.9% tax on earnings above $1m - who's winning the fight?Voters in Washington state will soon decide the fate of the state's so-called millionaire tax" - a 9.9% income tax on earnings above $1m that was signed into law in March and is now facing a conservative-backed effort to repeal it.An initiative on November's ballot aims to overturn the tax, claiming that the tax represents a slippery slope, and would eventually result in taxes for more than just millionaires. A coalition of advocacy groups and unions opposing the initiative say taxing the state's 20,000 highest-earning households could raise approximately $3.5bn in necessary annual revenue to fund core priorities like education and healthcare, and expand tax credits and sales tax exemptions. Continue reading...

Lack of majority for Parti Quebecois puts any referendum in doubt, especially amid bruising trade war with TrumpThe victory of the Parti Quebecois in Monday's election in Quebec might seem to bring its signature goal, of separating the French-speaking province from Canada, much closer - but Canadian unity may not be nearly as threatened as may first seem.The PQ's victory was both impressive and disappointing. The party added 56 seats to its roster and more than doubled its vote share compared to the 2022 election, giving it its first taste of power in 14 years. Crucially, however, it was left five seats short of a majority, making its promise to hold a referendum after Donald Trump leaves office in 2028 nearly impossible. Continue reading...

Record prices caused by global shortages amid shutdown of war-damaged refineries in Middle East and RussiaShell's refineries are expected to make almost double the profit from every barrel of fuel produced owing to record prices caused by shortages around the world.In a market trading update on Wednesday, the energy supermajor forecast profit margins of $42 a barrel in the July to September period, far above the $24 a barrel of the second quarter and the previous high of about $28 in mid-2022. Continue reading...

Average cost of home in September was 298,441, says Lloyds - about the same as year earlier and in August

Models walk runway at the Louvre with flying cars hovering above as designer envisions city life in a warming worldIn silk slip dresses, breezy vented tunics and gossamer layers of chiffon, the models on Louis Vuitton's catwalk were perfectly dressed for an unseasonably warm October evening in Paris. As the show began at sunset it was still 24C.This summer's record temperatures were on designer Nicolas Ghesquiiere's mind. The world is getting warmer, this definitely had a strong influence" he said. Continue reading...

High court finding in favour of Hunter Valley community group sets precedent other environmentalists should follow, advocate says

Angus Taylor says opposition worked closely' with Parliamentary Budget Office but Liberal sources say it has not yet conducted a full analysis of the policy

Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in Sydney in February 2024

Uneeb Ullah, 28, from Logan, has been remanded in custody after his arrest on Tuesday evening for the alleged murder of the child

Hamam al-Hammami spent 175 days in New Zealand until May 2019, as Australian Jewish group calls for full investigation into his time in MelbourneNew Zealand authorities have launched their own investigation into the flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound plane, after police confirmed he underwent flight training there about a year after he abandoned a degree in Australia.Disaster was narrowly averted on 30 September when passengers and crew intervened to stop the alleged attempt of the co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, 29, to take control of a flight to Tel Aviv with 182 people onboard. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 10-year sponsorship extension at a 50% premium on last agreement crowns bonanza year for live venueO2 has struck a record 200m deal to retain the naming rights to the London venue the O2 in what is thought to be the largest renewal of its kind in UK history.The 10-year agreement will extend O2's relationship until at least 2038. It cements the sponsorship as the second longest-running UK stadium naming rights deal after Arsenal's partnership for the football club's London ground, Continue reading...

Reminders of banished Reform UK defector were all around the Conservative party conference in BirminghamAs Kemi Badenoch basked in the applause of the Tory faithful at the close of her pivotal speech at Conservative party conference last year, one member of her shadow cabinet looked less than enthused.Robert Jenrick, bested by Badenoch in the leadership contest a year earlier, looked on, and - as one shadow cabinet member now recalls - had to be prodded by Lord Ashcroft to applaud. If you're plotting against someone, then you at least pretend to like them," they say. The thing about Robert is he's not even a good machiavellian." Continue reading...

Teenagers Eva Wishart and Emily Smith launch project to breed and release 250 of the tiny animals by SeptemberChildren in Devon are being invited to become citizen captive breeders", rearing harvest mice at home for release into the wild to help revive endangered nature.Wild Pets, a new conservation project launched by two 14-year-old friends, is seeking 20 Devon-based children to rear hundreds of mice after the duo's own successful restoration efforts. Continue reading...

Christopher Alan Saunders becomes highest-ranked Catholic in Australia convicted of sexual abuse over his time as member of clergy

Mood in trade talks said to have changed as EU member states harden demands for protection against Chinese importsEU trade negotiators are heading to China for two days of crunch talks aimed at sealing a breakthrough deal tackling Beijing's record 1bn-a-day trade surplus by curbing its exports of cheap hybrid electric cars into Europe.Trade commissioner Maro efovi and his team fly out on Wednesday and will be negotiating up to the wire in talks scheduled to start the following day and continue late into Friday. Continue reading...

Ruling on Mount Pleasant coalmine shows we cannot continue to dig up coal ... and pretend the consequences have nothing to do with us', group says

Entertainer alleges complaint made about in-kind' donations over Victorian fundraisers, where he has been railing against Labor

Anthony Albanese fondly recalls the passionate environmental advocate keeping an infant flying fox under his desk as he presented the news

Ellison admits good relationship' with administration in remarks to reporters about newly merged media companyDavid Ellison, the chief executive of the newly formed media conglomerate Skydance, denied that he has politicized" the company despite the close connection he has forged with Donald Trump's White House over the 20 months of his administration.We have a good relationship with this administration," Ellison acknowledged to reporters at a Tuesday press briefing focused on the now-consummated merger of Paramount Skydance and CNN parent company Warner Bros Discovery. Continue reading...

World Health Organization detects no sign of further outbreak since Darya Shipilova died last weekThe World Health Organization has said the risk of an epidemic in Russia is low after the sudden death of a lab technician who worked at a plague research institute in Siberia.Darya Shipilova, who was 28, died last week, two days after falling ill. Russian media reports suggested she may have become infected after an accident at her workplace, where dangerous pathogens are kept and studied. Continue reading...

Government report finds the country could be hit with more frequent and intense heatwaves, as well as damaging storms and cyclonesNew Zealand could be hit with more frequent and intense heatwaves and catastrophic glacier melts in the near future, as greenhouse gas levels hit record highs, a new report about the nation's climate has revealed.Released on Wednesday, the Our Atmosphere and Climate 2026 report shows New Zealand is experiencing mounting climate pressures, which will have wide-reaching implications for the environment, native species and communities. Continue reading...

Service to be tested in Spain and Portugal this year, with a UK rollout if successful, as pre-loved markets boomIkea is to test an online version of its buy-back service where the retailer offers vouchers for unwanted secondhand furniture.The service will be tested in Spain and Portugal before the end of December and will be launched in the UK if it proves successful. Ikea already offers buy-back in stores, including in the UK. The online version will extend it to a much wider audience, with Ikea predicting pre-owned goods are likely to grab 16% of the UK homewares market by next year Continue reading...

Manager who removed Macdonald announces she will replace the late James Valentine from March