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Condemnation comes amid fierce backlash from US lawmakers who branded the move grotesque' and compared it to actions of some terror groups and oppressive governments

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...

States of emergency declared in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, where residents prepare for long-duration power outages'Isaias strengthened into a category 3 hurricane on Friday morning as it barreled toward the US Gulf coast, where states of emergency have been declared 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 Alabama-Florida line with surging seas up to 7ft (2.1 meters) and waves as high as 30ft (9.1 meters). 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...

Species with leaves large enough to be seen from space is already critically endangered - and plans are afoot to protect itA chance social media encounter has led to the race-against-time discovery of a new species of giant waterlily that has until now been hidden in the depths of Colombia's jungle.But the plant, which is so huge it is visible from space, is already considered critically endangered. Continue reading...

State planning minister declares project state significant', wresting approval process away from local councilPlans for a grand new public square in the centre of Sydney are in doubt after the New South Wales planning minister declared the project state significant", wresting the approval process away from the City of Sydney.The lord mayor, Clover Moore, released renders in August for the plaza opposite Sydney's town hall. The design for the space, which the council had expected to be completed by 2031, include a semi-circular clearing projecting eastwards towards Hyde park, with a fountain and a grove of native trees. Continue reading...

Thousands expected to march in Delhi on Saturday, as anger mounts over controversial changes to voter lists in world's largest democracyIndia's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which began as a satirical movement but is now emerging as a political force among gen Z's, says authorities have begun detaining its members en masse days before a major anti-government protest in Delhi.Opposition parties, their student units, and the Cockroach" youth movement have been holding almost daily demonstrations seeking the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial revision of voter lists. Continue reading...

Making its southern hemisphere debut, Dance Reflections will feature collaborators of Rosalia, Madonna and Beyonce - and a high-wire takeover of the Cutaway

Treasurer earmarks funds for year-long transition period for tax office, delaying ban's 30 November start dateA controversial ban on credit card payments on tax bills will be delayed by more than six months, after the federal government overruled the tax office and announced new stopgap funding.Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced on Friday extra funding on Friday, after days of criticism and calls from small business to halt the ban. Continue reading...

Contest seen as test of Andy Burnham's ability to unite Labour voters amid threat from Green party's Zack PolanskiPolls have closed in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, a contest seen as a test of whether Andy Burnham can unite Labour's voters or whether Zack Polanski can peel off support from the party's progressive flank.Labour is seeking to retain Keir Starmer's former north London seat, where he won a majority of more than 11,000 votes in the 2024 general election. Continue reading...

Schools blockaded again across country as teenagers and teachers demand more investment and concrete measures' to improve conditionsHigh school students have again blockaded schools and marched through cities across France, promising to continue their campaign against the poor state of the national education system in the tenth day of protests that have left hundreds injured.Large crowds took to the streets on Thursday for mainly peaceful demonstrations in cities including Lille, Rennes, Nantes, Lyon, Toulon and Marseille, while in Paris a large procession marched through the city centre to the Place de la Bastille. Continue reading...

Men aged 32 and 36 detained on suspicion of trespass, causing criminal damage and entering a prohibited placeTwo Latvian men were arrested in the early hours of Thursday after they were discovered inside the perimeter of RAF Molesworth, a Cambridgeshire base used by the US military and Nato for intelligence operations.The men, 32 and 36, were picked up at 2am inside the base, in an investigation that began four hours earlier when military police discovered an abandoned vehicle outside the facility. Continue reading...

Martin and Debra Robinson, the brothers' parents, will address the court before a Mexican judge hands down the verdictA Mexican judge is expected to hand down his verdict on Thursday in the high-profile murder trial of three men accused of killing two Australian surfers and their American friend in 2024.Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33 respectively, and their friend Carter Rhoad, 30, were on a surfing trip to Mexico's Pacific coast when they were shot dead in Baja California state in an alleged robbery. Continue reading...

Free-roaming Aldabra population far exceeds human population of Seychelles after decades-long recovery programmeA survey of the world's largest free-roaming giant tortoise population has discovered that the once endangered species is thriving.A population of Aldabra giant tortoises lives on an island in Seychelles called Aldabra Atoll. Continue reading...

Rally to remember woman, 87, whose rent battle with investment firm triggered nationwide protests over housing crisisAbout 20,000 people took part in a march through the centre of Madrid on Thursday evening in memory of Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her flat in the capital a fortnight before her death triggered mass protests over Spain's housing crisis.The pensioner, whose flat had been bought by an investment firm that sought to increase her rent by 230%, had become the public face of the crisis before her death in hospital on Wednesday night. Continue reading...

Intelligence specialist Teddy Young, 24, alleged to have drafted message in Russian containing classified informationA junior Royal Navy intelligence specialist from Bedfordshire accused of trying to pass military secrets to Russia appeared in court on Thursday.Teddy Young, 24, was accused of abusing his high-level security clearance to access secret defence and intelligence data after being deployed on a warship. Continue reading...

Ousted Venezuelan president and Cilia Flores have been in jail in New York since early JanuaryThe deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted for alleged conspiracy to commit torture, according to Manhattan federal court papers unsealed on Thursday.The superseding indictment was unsealed shortly before Flores appeared at court in her ongoing push for pretrial release - which was denied by Judge Alvin Hellerstein. Maduro and Flores have been jailed in New York City since early January. Continue reading...

Intense flash of radio waves is more than 10bn years old and has travelled through approximately 80% of cosmic history'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a mysterious flash of energy was released into the universe.Astronomers have now detected that flash, a burst of radio waves which travelled for more than 10bn years before reaching Earth - what they believe to be the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) ever recorded. Continue reading...

Lawyer for CNN, MS Now and Politico says Trump admitted he banned networks from White House over their coverageDonald Trump continues to be the strongest witness for the media companies arguing that they were unfairly barred from the White House at his direction, a lawyer representing CNN, MS Now and Politico told a federal judge on Thursday afternoon.The media coalition was in court asking the judge to extend the temporary restraining order (TRO) he issued on 24 September requiring the White House to lift the ban for 14 days. That temporary reprieve was scheduled to expire on Thursday, but district court judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, said he would extend it until Tuesday and that he would probably rule on a motion for a preliminary injunction by that day. That means the White House will be forced to allow journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico to continue accessing the building until at least Tuesday. Continue reading...

Embassies post links to hastily produced online film echoing style of real Guardian documentary about mass killings of Gaza civiliansThe Israeli government is promoting an online film project that mimics the style of NAZA, the award-winning documentary that details Israel's mass killings of civilians in Gaza, in an attempt to counter the real film's findings.The real documentary, directed by Oscar-winning film-makers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and produced by the Guardian, is in cinemas and will be shown in more than 50 countries. Continue reading...

Finance expert launches Small Ideas Initiative to gather practical, low-cost' ideas to put before cross-party panelEvery day, people run into what the finance expert Martin Lewis calls the life-potholes of unintended consequences" - clunky systems and poorly conceived rules that make things harder than they should be. His latest project, the Small Ideas Initiative, will attempt to address that, with a cross-party panel of politicians and policymakers crowdsourcing ideas for everyday fixes to take to government.The ideas could cover anything, from health and schools to policing, tech and money. Lewis is encouraging people to submit ideas for practical, low-cost, non-controversial ways to improve the UK" before 12 November. Continue reading...

UK and Israel back away from full diplomatic confrontation, though British presence in Palestine will be much reduced

Andrew Bailey tells chancellor whatever the stance of fiscal policy, it must be credible and be seen as such by financial markets'

Exclusive: Letter to PM, also signed by Sally Phillips, says reforms will unfairly remove children's legal protections

Protesters are gathering in Paris to rally against government policies on school and educationin AthensOver in Athens, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has been forced, yet again, to address allegations of misconduct by Kimberly Guilfoyle, America's ambassador to Greece. Continue reading...

Judge makes ruling after former prince brought judicial review of operation linked to Jeffrey Epstein investigationAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor has won his legal challenge against Thames Valley police over search warrants that led to his arrest.The former prince brought a judicial review of the legality of the force's actions and those of the central criminal court, which granted the warrants. Continue reading...