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Dozens of CIA officers have been afflicted by debilitating symptoms over the past decade. Are they the result of mass hysteria'? Or are they from attacks with an energy weapon and, if so, who is responsible? And has there been a cover-up?Shortly after 1am one night in April 2019, a CIA officer on a work trip to London was jolted awake in his hotel room by the most intense head pain he had ever experienced. His body was soaked with sweat and he felt like his eyes were spinning in their sockets. He manoeuvred his way out of bed, hoping to make it to the bathroom to vomit, but found his sense of balance had deserted him. Eventually, he fell back into a fitful, shallow sleep.The next day, arriving at the work meeting he had travelled for, the officer found he could not remember the names of colleagues in the room, people he knew well. As the meeting got under way, he could barely follow the discussion. Initially, he chalked it up to a terrible - if rather odd - case of food poisoning. But over subsequent weeks, worrying symptoms persisted: brain fog, loss of balance and increasingly harsh tinnitus. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former minister's review warns that dramatic action is needed over huge drop in youth apprenticeship startsA national apprenticeship readiness scheme should be introduced in England to close the gap for young people between leaving school and starting work, the government is to be told.Alan Milburn, who is leading a major review into Britain's youth jobs crisis, will call for a new national pre-apprenticeship route" to offer young people further education, training and work experience. Continue reading...

Governors of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida declared states of emergency as a downsized Fema faces first major testHurricane Isaias crashed into the US Gulf coast on Friday as a dangerous category 2 storm, hammering communities in Alabama and the Florida panhandle with damaging winds, heavy rain, flooding and life-threatening storm surges.The first hurricane of the Atlantic season made landfall near Destin, Florida, the National Hurricane Center said. It had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 kph). The storm weakened to just below major hurricane status before it came ashore. Continue reading...

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President complains about not winning prize in year he started war with Iran and says: We will not forget, Norway'Donald Trump complained Friday about not winning the Nobel peace prize for 2026, a year in which he started a war with Iran.At what was supposed to be a rally for other Republican candidates in Syracuse, New York, the US president devoted a long portion of his speech airing his grievances with the Nobel committee. Continue reading...

The hurricane is first in the Atlantic in what has turned into a very late season. Here's what forecasters are saying about where Isaias will hit and how hardHurricane Isaias, which made landfall on the US Gulf coast Friday night, was forecast to bring a dangerous storm surge, significant rainfall, flooding and strong winds across the US Gulf coast this weekend. Millions of people across several states, including Florida, Georgia and Alabama, were under evacuation orders as officials prepared for the storm. All three states issued states of emergency.The hurricane, the first in the Atlantic in what has turned into a very late 2026 season, made landfall as a category 2 storm, with sustained winds of 105 mph. Continue reading...

Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, 30 and 33, and friend Carter Rhoad, 30, were killed on a surfing trip in 2024

Alabama, Florida and Mississippi declare emergencies, with preparations under way for long-duration power outages'Hurricane Isaias neared landfall Friday evening, barreling toward the US Gulf coast coast as a dangerous category 2 storm and prompting emergency declarations in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi.The hurricane, the first in the Atlantic in what has turned into a very late 2026 season, is expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge", officials said. Isaias is forecast to make landfall on Friday night, somewhere along the western Florida Panhandle, with surging seas up to about 7ft (2.1 meters) and waves as high as 30ft (9.1 meters). Continue reading...

The quake caused buildings and roads to collapse but the country appeared to escape widespread destruction or deathsA magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, damaging buildings and sending thousands into the streets, but the country appeared to escape widespread destruction or deaths.The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake hit at a depth of 12.6km (7.8 miles), with an epicenter in a sparsely populated area about 200km (124 miles) from the capital, Panama City. It lasted about a minute. Continue reading...

Unions tell government to fix overbearing mess' of inspection regime and its impact on staff wellbeing - or risk industrial actionTensions between England's headteachers and Ofsted are developing into a crisis after school leadership unions said they had no confidence in the watchdog and would hold strike ballots unless significant wellbeing issues" caused by Ofsted's inspections regime were fixed.The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), which includes senior leaders in many secondary schools, described Ofsted's inspection system as an overbearing mess" and urged the government to pause inspections to stop teachers leaving the profession. Continue reading...

With GLP-1s to treat the condition not specifically approved by the TGA, patients are being prescribed them off-label

Recommended dose of hepatitis B vaccine will be withheld from thousands of newborns by Danish researchersA controversial research trial that will withhold hepatitis B vaccines from some African newborns was given approval to move forward this week.It is a central part of the vaccine vision for Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a longtime vaccine opponent. Continue reading...

Hammam al-Hammami is believed to have been targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion airport near Tel AvivThe co-pilot who tried to seize control of a passenger jet flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv last week was planning to launch a suicide attack targeting the passenger terminal at Israel's international airport, prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates said on Friday.Hammam al-Hammami attacked the plane's Indian pilot with an emergency axe, but failed to prevent his badly injured colleague from opening the cockpit's security door to allow passengers to overpower his assailant. Continue reading...

Actor was robbed of his watch after being struck in the head by two attackers wielding a gun and a knifeThe Pretty Little Liars actor Keegan Allen was battered and robbed by attackers wielding a knife and gun in West Hollywood, he said on Thursday in a social media video showing him bloodied and alarmed.The Los Angeles county sheriff's department confirmed in a statement shared with news outlets that it was investigating a violent robbery matching the weapons, block and time described by Allen on social media, where users responded with shock and supportive comments. Continue reading...

US president renews his efforts to oust Cook despite supreme court ruling that her firing was unconstitutionalDonald Trump announced on Friday that he is establishing a committee to investigate Lisa Cook, the US Federal Reserve governor, over allegations that she committed mortgage fraud, renewing his efforts to oust her despite a June supreme court ruling that her earlier firing was unconstitutional.Trump said a committee will consult with justice department officials to decide whether there is cause" for her removal. The White House will hold an in-person hearing on 5 November to consider the allegations against Cook, which will be closed to the public but transcribed and published. Cook will be able to submit a written statement to present her own evidence and will be subject to examination from White House and her own legal counsel. Continue reading...

Tories said to be ready to fight in Clacton, with standards investigation rumoured to be nearing its endNigel Farage's rivals are gearing up for a byelection in Clacton in the months ahead, amid speculation that the standards inquiry into his 5m gift is nearing a conclusion.Conservative sources said the party was ready to fight in Farage's seat, although senior figures in the shadow cabinet are divided about whether it would be winnable, given Farage's victory in a byelection over the summer. Continue reading...

Men found inside RAF Molesworth, used by US and Nato for intelligence, freed on strict conditions as police continue investigationTwo Latvian men have been released on bail after being arrested at an RAF base in Cambridgeshire used by the US military and Nato.The two men, aged 32 and 26, were arrested at 2am on Thursday after they were discovered inside RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, which is used by the US military and Nato for intelligence operations. Continue reading...

Governor halts execution of William Lee Thompson, after Christa Pike survived failed lethal injectionsRon DeSantis cancelled a planned execution in the state on Friday, days before a 74-year-old man was due to be killed by lethal injection.The move - the first time Florida's governor has withdrawn a death warrant in his nearly eight years in office - comes just over a week after the botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee. Continue reading...

Party now polling 15 points above Greens, who had been ahead of Labour before Keir Starmer resigned as PMLabour is starting to win back voters on the left who became disillusioned under Keir Starmer's leadership, the party's deputy leader has claimed after it saw off Zack Polanski and the Greens to win the Holborn and St Pancras byelection.Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali took 45% of a relatively low turnout to keep Starmer's old north London seat for the party, pushing Polanski, who had stood for the party he leads, into second place on 33%. Continue reading...

Treasury spokesperson Charlie Maynard reportedly resigned in attempt to unseat leader as party slips in pollsEd Davey is facing a growing revolt against his leadership of the Liberal Democrats, after the resignation of a senior frontbench figure on Friday.Charlie Maynard, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson, has resigned in an attempt to unseat Davey after months of frustration over concerns that the party is failing to cut through with voters, the Guardian understands. Continue reading...

Pentagon said execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, would be broadcast live

Pressure is building on the party leader after byelection defeat, a damaging row over Zionism and polls that show him less popular than Nigel FarageWhen Zack Polanski addressed his campaigners flush with victory after the Gorton and Denton byelection in February, he declared: Labour's electoral stranglehold is over." The election of Hannah Spencer as the new Green MP for the Greater Manchester seat was a seismic victory, he continued: I said we were here to replace Labour and this is what replacing looks like."But in the wake of Polanski's defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection on Thursday, and a calamitous row over the party's stance on Zionism, the debate around what, or who, could be replaced has shifted to Polanski himself. Continue reading...

Committee recognises work of South African who chaired UN commission that concluded Israel was guilty of genocide in GazaThe Nobel peace prize has been awarded to Navi Pillay, the South African former UN human rights chief who chaired the UN commission that concluded Israel was guilty of genocide in Gaza.The Norwegian Nobel committee said Pillay, who is serving as a judge at the international court of justice (ICJ), has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence". Continue reading...

Decades of volunteering combined with years of active local party politics propels Abdi-Wali to victory over Green leader Zack PolanskiFor Sagal Abdi-Wali, the new MP for Holborn and St Pancras, being elected to replace Keir Starmer in the north London constituency is deeply personal", she said in her acceptance speech.The 43-year-old has lived in the area since the 1990s when, as a seven-year-old, she fled war-torn Somalia with her mother and four brothers, eventually settling in Gospel Oak in Camden, which largely falls within the constituency. Her journey from refugee to member of parliament was one which she hoped would inspire people who look like me", she said. This is Camden and this is Britain." Continue reading...

The MP says that passing the motion has done genuine damage; to the party's reputation

Trump administration says US doesn't need' ICC after accusing court of unfairly targeting Americans for war crime chargesThe United States imposed sanctions on the international criminal court (ICC), its latest escalation against an entity the Trump administration has accused of politicization and unfairly targeting Americans for war crime charges.The ICC accused Donald Trump's officials of attempting to obstruct the course of justice" after an assault" on the international legal order. Continue reading...

The ICC's deputy prosecutor condemned the sanctions and said they would not halt the tribunal's workYou can watch along below, but I will bring you all the key lines here.Spoiler alert (not really). Continue reading...

Brussels says Beijing's shipments could fall by more than half over four years, cutting millions of vehicles amid fears for European jobsThe EU said it has reached a landmark deal with China to halve" its sales of hybrid cars in the bloc amid fears surging sales could kill off parts of the European car industry.Trade commissioner Maro efovi said the deal was the first of its kind and the result of intense" negotiations with China since June to curb a trade deficit of 1.18bn (1bn) a day, which has caused mounting tensions between the two economic powers. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Federal government under scrutiny as documents reveal serious security lapses at Melbourne and Villawood immigration detention centres

Only Iran and Afghanistan routinely carry out sentences in public, with Saudi Arabia appearing to have ended practice

Saber is expected to fetch at least $1m and is one of more than two dozen props that will be up for saleA lightsaber used by Darth Vader in the duel where he tells Luke Skywalker I am your father" is going up for sale at Heritage Auctions next month.The Vader saber, also used in Return of the Jedi, is expected to fetch at least $1m. It is one of more than two dozen lightsaber props that will be up for sale at the auction that spans Star Wars Episodes I through IX and other films and TV shows from the universe George Lucas created. Continue reading...

Reform UK shadow chancellor seeks to associate Tory leader with metropolitan elite as party relations sour further

The climate issue is the security issue,' says Turkish minister at Pacific pre-Cop summit in FijiWealthy countries should spend far more on dealing with the climate crisis than the 5% of GDP promised by Nato members for defence because the climate issue is the security issue", the host of the next UN summit has said.But, in comments that are likely to prove contentious, the Cop31 president-designate, Murat Kurum, hedged on whether the world's countries should try to repeat a previous agreement to transition away from fossil fuels" - the primary cause of the climate crisis - when they meet in Turkey next month. Kurum, the Turkish climate change minister, told the Guardian the world was already in a transition" and suggested fossil fuel use could be addressed indirectly through other steps. Continue reading...

Gang broke into cellar of Marchesi Antinori in Cortona and loaded two trucks with 30,000 bottles before getawayThousands of bottles of wine worth 5m (4.2m) have been stolen from a prestigious winery in Tuscany in what is thought to be the biggest heist of its kind in Italy.A gang of at least seven masked individuals broke into the cellar of Marchesi Antinori, a family-owned winery dating back to the late 1300s, in Cortona after shutting off the alarms and surveillance cameras before using company forklifts to load two large trucks with 30,000 bottles of wine and making off. Continue reading...

Founder of influential Rybar blog detained after warnings of attempts to destabilise Balkan country, officials sayA leading pro-Kremlin Russian military blogger with reported ties to Russia's intelligence services has been arrested in Montenegro, after warnings of attempts to destabilise the Balkan country, officials have said.Mikhail Zvinchuk, the founder of the influential Rybar war blog, was detained on Friday alongside his wife and three other Russians by police and security agents in the Adriatic resort town of Risan, on suspicion of spreading Russian influence, local media reported. Continue reading...

Online retailer's 26% jump sharpens focus on exemption letting cheap parcels into the country duty-freeShein, the online fast-fashion retailer founded in China, increased sales in the UK by just over a quarter last year, overtaking its British rival Asos.The company, whose global parent group listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange valued at just over $26bn (19.6bn) last month, increased sales at its UK division by 26% to 2.58bn, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Continue reading...

Storm expected to make landfall on US's northern Gulf coast with risk of flash floods and isolated river floodingIsaias has become the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season, with wind speeds of 80mph and a minimum pressure of 975mb. It is expected to strengthen further into a category 2 hurricane before approaching the US's northern Gulf coast on Friday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).As a result of the strong El Nino this year, it has been a notably quiet Atlantic hurricane season. In fact, the first hurricane of the season has not formed this late since 8 October 1905, which pre-dates the satellite era (1960s) for tracking hurricanes that has allowed for more non-landfall hurricanes to be discovered. Continue reading...

Attack is deadliest in kingdom since it launched major military offensive with allies against Houthis in YemenThree Saudi citizens have been killed and several other people were wounded in attacks targeting Riyadh airport for which Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility, Saudi officials have said.The attack late on Thursday was the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces in neighbouring Yemen launched a major military offensive last weekend against the Iran-backed Houthis. Continue reading...

Gulf officials say they are ready for storm but concerns raised about restructured agency's ability to respond effectivelyGulf state officials say they are prepared for Hurricane Isaias, but the storm could be the first major test of Fema's ability to deploy a large surge workforce after the Trump administration's sweeping cuts and restructuring of the agency, emergency management experts say.The Trump administration has said it wants to eliminate, or drastically downsize, Fema, putting more burden on states. More than 4,300 employees left the agency in fiscal year 2025, about 17% of the workforce, according to a recent US government accountability office (GAO) report. The agency's staffing reductions were not carried out systematically to ensure Fema could still meet its statutory obligations, said Chris Currie, director of homeland security and justice at the GAO. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Abena Oppong-Asare urges chancellor to unlock billions of pounds, as housing associations say they could build 41,000 homes in 10 yearsThe Labour chair of the Commons housing committee is urging John Healey to bring forward billions of pounds of planned spending on social and affordable homes in England, after housing associations said they were ready to build tens of thousands more.Abena Oppong-Asare called for the chancellor to allocate money from the 39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) as soon as possible, rather than after the election as planned. Continue reading...

Victory by Sagal Abdi-Wali in north London seat will reassure Andy Burnham in high-stakes battle for left of British politics

Exclusive: Theresa Musgrove unearths newspaper archives showing one Alice Shepherd was severely punished in 1836 for similarly innocent requestCould a consumptive young woman called Alice Shepherd have been the inspiration for Oliver Twist? That is a question now being posed by a historian, who has discovered parallels between the brutality suffered by a real-life pauper incarcerated in one of Victorian London's notorious workhouses and Charles Dickens's fictional orphan.In researching a new book on Dickens, Theresa Musgrove unearthed 1836 newspaper reports on Alice Shepherd, who endured starvation and solitary confinement within a workhouse in Hendon, after a magistrate ruled she was to be punished for daring to ask for permission to take a walk. Continue reading...

It may sound odd to think Zack Polanski would be happy with second place, but after his most challenging week in politics, it could have been worse

Global sportswear brand is suing online retailer in the federal court for selling clothes featuring deceptively similar' design

Exclusive: Badenoch's flagship conference policy document cites 957bn estimate, twice the total in climate advisers' dataKemi Badenoch's flagship party conference policy document overestimated the cost of net zero by nearly 500bn, seemingly after someone accidentally double-counted figures on a spreadsheet.The apparent error appears in a chapter on net zero in The Right Way, a 100-page policy document produced for the Conservative conference in Birmingham. Badenoch repeatedly used the phrase in her main speech. Continue reading...

Group plans to launch services from London in 2030 and hopes to outshine competitor with design inspiration from its airline, cruise and hotel armsFlash interiors, fancy food and maybe even a bar: Virgin has unveiled a mock-up of its future cross-Channel train, with a pledge to create something genuinely new".The group is planning to launch rail services from London to the continent in 2030, with Eurostar facing competition for the first time since the opening of the Channel tunnel. Continue reading...

Employee had also been in Bali when he told his manager he was working from home, Fair Work Commission hears

Exclusive: Firms made more than 340m last year from processing industrial and commercial wastewater at sewage works that are unable to remove many chemical pollutantsWater companies in the UK made more than 340m in revenue last year by pouring billions of litres of industrial and commercial wastewater into sewage treatment works that experts say are not designed to remove most chemicals, leaving pollutants to pass into rivers, seas and farmland.Water companies are required by law to take industrial wastewater and issue permits called trade-effluent consents" that allow businesses to send it to sewage works, though water companies can refuse applications. Continue reading...

Decision by Royal College of Pharmacy to end sponsorship comes after concerns over Teva Pharmaceuticals' activities'A second major UK health body has cut ties with an Israeli drug firm after coming under pressure from pro-Palestine campaigners.The Royal College of Pharmacy has dropped Teva UK, the British arm of the global medicines producer Teva Pharmaceuticals, as a sponsor of and exhibitor at its annual conference next month. Continue reading...

Matsadaash staff allege torture and forced confessions after being held on charges of working for Muslim BrotherhoodEgyptian journalists are planning a new protest in Cairo this weekend after six colleagues were charged with terrorism offences amid allegations they had been tortured in police detention.Last week, Egyptian authorities arrested the journalists, from the independent factchecking and investigative platform Matsadaash, accusing them in a statement of being unlicensed and producing false news on behalf of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Continue reading...