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...
Announcement from US officials comes after CDC declared end to outbreak that infected nearly 13,000 peopleThe Food and Drug Administration said on Friday its inspectors had detected cyclospora at the Mexican farm blamed for the largest foodborne illness outbreak of the parasite in US history.FDA inspectors said Friday they found cyclospora in two places: a wastewater tank and a drainage ditch used for lettuce cultivation. They said it was unclear how the lettuce became infected. Continue reading...
Kenan Ken' Urker, 34, who died of apparent drug overdose, was partner of woman convicted of murder of motherThe on-and-off partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who spent time in prison for her role in the murder of her abusive mother, was found dead inside his Louisiana home on his 34th birthday on Thursday in what authorities described as an apparent drug overdose.The sheriff's office in Lafourche parish, Louisiana, confirmed Kenan Ken" Urker - the father of Blanchard's daughter - was discovered on Thursday after relatives asked police to conduct a welfare check at his residence. Continue reading...
Plan to install barriers through popular national park sparked outrage from advocates and politicians alikeA federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from expanding the border wall and other security infrastructure across the Big Bend region of west Texas, where contentious plans to build roads and vehicle barriers through a popular national park have led to furious backlash and public protests.US district judge Kathleen Cardone's ruling after a Friday hearing in El Paso deals a major blow to the Trump administration's efforts to expand the border wall through west Texas at breakneck pace, while riding roughshod over the objections of local business owners, landowners, public land advocates and politicians from both parties. Continue reading...
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...
Kevin Warsh's predecessor had been investigated over cost overruns related to central bank renovation projectThe US justice department is not reopening a criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for cost overruns related to the central bank's building renovation project, a department spokesperson said on Friday.Attorney general Todd Blanche - in comments to Bloomberg News, which first reported the development - said he has not ruled out continuing to look into the project's oversight and potentially take action if evidence of wrongdoing came to light. 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...
by Adria R Walker in Jackson, Mississippi on (#78SRM)
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...
Hlei sea arch, formed 550 years ago by erosion from ocean waves, no longer standing, National Park Service confirmsA famed centuries-old sea arch on Hawaii's remote and rugged coastline has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, the National Park Service confirmed on Friday, following a stretch of rough storms in the region in recent weeks.The beloved landmark, Hlei sea arch, stood at around 90ft high for over half a millennium in Hawaii's Volcanoes national park, located on the dramatic southern coast of the Big Island. It was naturally formed around 550 years ago due to differential erosion by ocean waves. Continue reading...
Senate Leadership Fund is redirecting ad spending from Michael Whatley's campaign to support other candidatesA major Republican political action committee pulled the plug on financial support for its Senate candidate in North Carolina, Michael Whatley, according to multiple reports, as the party begins to triage resources amid increasingly dire midterm polling.The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the campaign arm of the Senate majority leader, John Thune, has withdrawn its ad spending in North Carolina to redirect support to other candidates, Semafor reported on Friday. The New York Times, CNN and other publications have confirmed the report with sources close to the fund. Continue reading...
Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, charged with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, say policeThe man accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe has been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism including against Nigel Farage.Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service on Friday with one count of preparation of terrorist acts. The charge relates to activity alleged to have taken place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July this year, counter-terrorism police said. Continue reading...
Buckingham Palace say the king will not shy away' from Britain's role in slavery when he visits Commonwealth nations later this monthKing Charles III will acknowledge the darkest days" of colonial rule and slavery while touring Caribbean countries on a visit beginning this month, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said on Friday.The king will first visit the Bahamas and Guyana alone, followed by a trip to Antigua and Barbuda with Queen Camilla, where Charles will give a speech at a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government, the palace said. Continue reading...
by Joanna Partridge, Jillian Ambrose and Mark Sweney on (#78SQQ)
Leaders agree a coordinated drawdown after surge in prices and Donald Trump's threat to cut off US suppliesLeaders of G7 nations are to release up to 100m barrels of their emergency diesel and crude oil stockpiles after Donald Trump threatened to cut off supplies of US diesel.The French President, Emmanuel Macron, said ministers from some of world's largest economies had agreed to release stocks from their strategic oil reserves after crisis talks on Friday. Continue reading...
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority are now considering setting trained falcons on the urban birdsThe mass transit authorities in the greater Boston region are clawing around for ways to mitigate the excessive local pigeon population - or more graphically, pigeon poo all over stations - and have swooped on the possibility of setting trained falcons on them.The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the public system commonly known as the T", issued a request for information" (RFI) last month from falconry experts on the potential use of birds of prey, such as falcons, to control the crowds of urban birds widely considered a public nuisance. Continue reading...
Mattie Music Group, owners of Bill Withers' back catalogue, contend the Grammy winner infringed on Just the Two of UsOlivia Dean has been accused of plagiarizing the Bill Withers classic Just the Two of Us.The owners of Withers' back catalogue aimed that allegation at his fellow Grammy winner in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed on Thursday in US federal court in Los Angeles. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#78SNJ)
Five defendants accused of being part of black team' tasked with overcoming security at Israel-linked firm Elbit near BristolPalestine Action activists brandished whips, hammers and kebab skewers to intimidate security guards and keep them at bay during a break-in at an Israel-linked arms factory, a court has heard.Five defendants are accused by prosecutors of being part of a black team", wearing black jumpsuits, whose role was to overwhelm security guards, so that a red team", wearing red jumpsuits, could break into the Elbit systems factory in Filton, near Bristol, and smash up equipment including drones. Continue reading...
Guarantee will remain until 2030 but MPs will vote on changes during this parliament, government saysAndy Burnham will pass legislation to scrap the state pension triple lock in this parliament, even though the guarantee will remain until 2030, the government has said.The prime minister used his conference speech to announce a change to the policy, which guarantees that the state pension rises by the highest of 2.5%, inflation or earnings growth. Continue reading...
Opposition lawmakers join forces to defeat proposals made by Socialist-led coalition after eviction of 87-year-oldRightwing lawmakers in Spain have joined forces to reject emergency measures put forward to tackle the country's housing crisis, pitting a fractured parliament against the widespread protest movement that has swelled in recent days.As protesters outside the parliament building in Madrid held up homemade signs bearing images of vultures, the conservative People's party, the far-right Vox and the Catalan pro-independence party Junts voted against a package of decrees by Pedro Sanchez's Socialist-led coalition that included a ban on evictions until 2030 and the regulation of temporary lettings and lettings by room. Continue reading...
The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, once belonged to Conrad Hilton and was sold at foreclosure auctionTech billionaire Peter Thiel has been revealed as the new owner of a storied Bel-Air estate that quietly sold in July for a staggering $130m.The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, was sold at an open-air foreclosure auction in Pomona, with the name of the buyer kept under wraps for months. The winning bid is now revealed to have come from a limited liability company linked to the venture capitalist and PayPal and Palantir co-founder, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the buyer's identity. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now) and Taz Ali (earlier) on (#78SBC)
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereBack to France, midday figures quoted by Le Figaro show that 564 schools and educational establishments have been disrupted by the ongoing unrest, and some 600 people have been arrested so far today as the high school protests continue.Europe environment correspondent Continue reading...
Exclusive: Education secretary sends Ofsted back to drawing board' as teachers raise serious concerns about new systemSchool inspections in England will be overhauled for the second time in a year, after a barrage of complaints that the new system was dangerously stressful and damaging teachers' mental health.Lucy Powell, the education secretary, will tell the schools regulator Ofsted to go back to the drawing board" after becoming concerned that inspection changes overseen by her predecessor, Bridget Phillipson, were creating problems for headteachers. Continue reading...
US says ship thought to be using common dark fleet' tactics was boarded and taken to Mexico as embargo continuesThe US Coast Guard has announced that it intercepted a large cargo ship carrying fuel bound for Cuba, as the Trump administration's crippling oil embargo against the island nation continued.The vessel named Grace was stopped on 5 September in the Caribbean Sea between Cuba and Mexico while using tactics to evade authorities, the Coast Guard said. The New York Times reported that the ship was 91 metres (300ft) long. Continue reading...
From pillboxes and boaters to bicornes and buckets, characterful hats are making their way from the catwalk to the high streetHere goes - an order for a million hats," wrote Jackie Kennedy to Bergdorf Goodman before moving into the White House in the early 1960s. It's a line that could have been uttered by any number of people working in fashion today, because the hat - and not just the ubiquitous baseball cap - has been enjoying a very characterful resurgence.This season at the turbo-high-end brand Loro Piana, whose clothes are beloved by tech bros and Kendall Roy, almost every model was wearing a hat. At Thom Browne, straw boaters came shrouded in colourful mesh. At Chloe there were see-through hats to match see-through trenchcoats and white sailor hats atop all-white outfits. Courrege's hats were space-age, Burberry had big buckets, Bottega Veneta had hats brimming with charisma. Continue reading...
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereZack Polanski also insisted his authority as leader of the Green party of England and Wales does not depend on winning next week's Holborn and St Pancras byelection, amid suggestions that the party's popularity has peaked.Polanski, who is trying to take Keir Starmer's former seat from Labour, described the contest as probably 50/50 right now" and really on a knife edge".This will be our biggest and most exciting Green party conference ever, coming on the back of a year of unprecedented membership growth and extraordinary electoral success.Greens have turned hope into electoral wins - in councils, boroughs, in mayoral elections and with our exciting breakthrough in Gorton and Denton. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#78SH3)
Exclusive: CrowdJustice platform says US firm Stripe, its payment processor, cannot support accounts or transactions' linked to groupAn online crowdfunder to raise money for the UK supreme court challenge to the ban on Palestine Action has been blocked as a result of US sanctions against the direct action group.CrowdJustice, a UK company, has declined to host a fundraiser for legal fees to fight proscription because the platform uses the US company Stripe as its payment processor. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Britain's largest private-sector employer has also trained managers to spot signs of domestic abuseTesco has become the first supermarket to introduce paid safe leave" for victims of domestic abuse, giving staff dedicated time to access support, secure their safety and take steps to move on with their lives.The UK's largest private-sector employer is offering up to three days of paid leave which can be taken flexibly for activities such as attending court hearings, arranging emergency accommodation, changing locks, securing childcare or separating finances. Continue reading...
Derbyshire county council accused of worst kind of double speak' as it denies banning local democracy journalist but says it will ignore his inquiriesRows over potholes and a viral story about a garden gate have led to Reform UK's latest confrontation with local media, after one of its councils announced it would refuse to engage with a reporter behind the stories.Reform-run Derbyshire county council has been accused of setting a dangerous precedent" after withdrawing all cooperation with Eddie Bisknell, a Derbyshire Live journalist who is publicly funded to cover local democracy. Continue reading...
Dispute over march will go to legal appeal on Monday after talks hosted by Northern Ireland secretary endTalks aimed at resolving the Drumcree parade dispute have broken up without agreement, with the Northern Ireland secretary, Chris Bryant, describing the situation as being between a rock and a hard place".Speaking on Thursday night after the latest talks with the Orange Order and residents of Garvaghy Road broke up, Bryant said: I think this is the end of these conversations. We haven't come to a settled agreement, and it's a shame, but my door remains open." Continue reading...
Pike alive but in critical condition as experts call ordeal that unfolded in Tennessee Wednesday unimaginably barbaric'Top lawyers, doctors and members of the faith community are calling for a moratorium on the US death penalty after Tennessee's failed attempt to execute Christa Pike left the prisoner alive but in critical condition and receiving life-saving medical care.The recent spate of harrowingly botched executions across US death penalty states reached a new low late on Wednesday when Tennessee's governor Bill Lee called off the procedure after Pike had been injected with two full syringes of pentobarbital. She is the only person to have survived being administered 5mg of the sedative - a massive dose that under normal circumstances is considered fatal. Continue reading...
Smit Machchhar says in video call with Indian PM that he realised if he did not get up then passengers would lose their lives'The Indian pilot who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a flydubai flight has described how he fought for his life in the minutes after his co-pilot stabbed him and the plane began a steep descent.Capt Smit Machchhar, who is recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, in a video call broadcast live on television news channels that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save the passengers onboard the aircraft. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Met police say 70 women's accounts have hallmarks of trafficking, suggesting case numbers could riseAlmost half of the women who reported allegations of sexual abuse by Mohamed Al Fayed to the Metropolitan police are potential victims of human trafficking, MPs have been told.In a briefing for the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for the survivors of Fayed and Harrods in July, senior Met officers said a review earlier this year found 70 survivors' accounts bore the hallmarks of trafficking. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#78SAB)
Britain's nursing union axes Teva UK as commercial partner over links to Israel's military and corporate track recordBritain's nursing union has cut its ties with an Israeli drug company over the firm's links to the country's military and track record of corporate misconduct.The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has axed Teva UK as a commercial partner and as sponsor of a forthcoming event on migraine and headaches at the union's London headquarters. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: When a passenger plane plunges 17,000ft amid claims of terrorism, hijacking and geopolitical intrigue, Guardian journalists have to try and separate fact from fiction in real timeGood morning. Shocking news of a cockpit stabbing. Graphic footage of bloodied crew members. Mid-air testimony from terrified passengers.This was the tenor of the heart-in-mouth reporting as the horrifying events unfolded onboard flight FZ 1073 to Tel Aviv: the early morning budget flight that plummeted 17,000ft in under two minutes before the courageous intervention of passengers and crew averted an apparent hijacking, potentially saving the lives of not just the 170+ passengers and crew on board, but many more.UK politics | Ministers are working up sweeping plans for welfare changes including scrapping a key disability benefit for under-25s and replacing it with a multibillion-pound package of support to get into work.Northern Ireland | Talks aimed at resolving the Drumcree parade dispute have broken up without agreement, with Northern Ireland secretary Chris Bryant describing the situation as being between a rock and a hard place".US news | Tennessee's governor has suspended all executions in the state and ordered an independent inquiry after a botched attempt to put a condemned inmate to death on Wednesday night.AI | When prompted, AI chat bots will edit images to remove the hijabs from Muslim women, a violation of one of the world's most common and visible expressions of faith.Europe news | A fast-growing protest by high-school students over long hours, teacher shortages and decaying facilities has escalated into urban violence", the French government has warned. Continue reading...
Redundancy process suggests home of Gavin and Stacey and Fleabag could go online-only again in 500m cuts pushThe BBC has started a redundancy process in its TV and streaming division, heightening staff fears that Matt Brittin will announce the closure of the poorly performing BBC Three and BBC Scotland channels next week.The corporation's director general, who has repeatedly said that linear TV and radio services may have to shut as audiences move online, is expected to inform staff on Wednesday of the latest stage of a plan to save 500m and shed up to 2,000 jobs. Continue reading...
Speculation that Flavio Bolsonaro will try to strip Our Lady of Aparecida of position could become deciding factor in run-up to SundayA row of Biblical proportions has erupted in the run-up to Brazil's presidential election, with the country's patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, emerging as an unlikely kingmaker in the deadlocked race.Ahead of Sunday's vote, the two frontrunners - the leftwing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and his far-right challenger, Flavio Bolsonaro - are level in the polls. Continue reading...
Four astronauts pulled up at International Space Station after eight-hour express flight led by Jessica WatkinsFour astronauts pulled up at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday after launching on an eight-hour express that set a US speed record, and that created further history with the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit.SpaceX launched commander Jessica Watkins and her crew for Nasa after a three-week delay to fix their Dragon capsule's leaking fuel system. Thick clouds threatened all morning to halt the countdown but skies cleared enough to allow a safe liftoff from Cape Canaveral at 11.10am (1510 GMT). Continue reading...
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