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The party won decisively in the regions but was rejected by the city, which was scared off by the hard-right social views of some candidates

Package includes Nasams air defence system that Taiwan says will help it in the face of China's frequent military manoeuvresChina will take countermeasures" to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the government said, lambasting a $2bn arms sale package by the United States to Taiwan.The Pentagon on Friday said the United States had approved a potential $2bn arms sale package to Taiwan, including the delivery for the first time to the island of an advanced air defence missile system battle-tested in Ukraine, including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and radar. The deal awaits approval by Congress. Continue reading...

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ALP has done well in the urban south-east but was hit hard in the regions, bringing it in line with the federal party and other state branches

Heir to the throne responds to criticism about his Homewards programme in two-part ITV documentaryPrince William has said criticism about his privileged lifestyle and many residences drives him to try to end homelessness in Britain.The heir to the throne was challenged to respond to jibes about his three homes and 135,000-acre Duchy of Cornwall estate for a two-part ITV documentary airing this week. Continue reading...

Royal visits to resume in spring subject to doctors' approval, official says as trip to Australia and Samoa concludesKing Charles will return to regular overseas trips next year after the hiatus from official foreign duties he has taken since his cancer diagnosis, a palace official said.Charles will fly abroad during the spring and autumn, the traditional periods for official overseas royal visits, provided that doctors approve the travel. Continue reading...

Shigeru Ishiba may struggle to win majority, undermining his position as Liberal Democratic party leaderCitizens of Japan will be voting in the country's tightest election in years on Sunday, with new prime minister Shigeru Ishiba and his juggernaut Liberal Democratic party (LDP) facing potentially their worst result since 2009.Opinion polls suggest the conservative LDP and its junior coalition partner may fall short of a majority, a result that could deal a knockout blow to Ishiba. Continue reading...

Group commits to unspecified measures to enforce price cap on Russian exports in response to Ukraine warFinance ministers of the G7 nations vowed on Saturday to step up efforts to prevent Russia from evading sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine.We remain committed to taking further initiatives in response to oil price cap violations," the group said in a statement after a meeting in Washington. Those further steps were not spelled out in detail. Continue reading...

Iran's military suggests it would prioritise an agreement to end fighting in Gaza and Lebanon over any retaliationThe US President Joe Biden said on Saturday he hopes Israel's latest strikes on Iran will mark the end of a months-long cycle of escalation, as his administration doubles down on efforts to reach a ceasefire deal for Gaza and Lebanon. I hope this is the end," he told reporters.Waves of fighter jets and drones bombed military sites across Iran in an hours-long barrage on Saturday, the first time Israel has openly attacked its erstwhile enemy after decades of shadow warfare. Continue reading...

Failure to endorse any US presidential candidate for first time in decades undermines' paper's independence, say criticsWidespread fury and shock ripped through liberal America over the weekend after news that the Washington Post, home of the Watergate scandal expose, the paper that ran the Pentagon Papers, will not now endorse Kamala Harris for president. But angry responses were quickly replaced by two pressing questions: how did it happen, and how could readers best protest?At the centre of the storm is William Lewis, the British newspaperman who became Washington Post publisher and CEO in January. The 55-year-old north Londoner broke the decision to staff on Friday couched in terms that evoked the title's traditions. Continue reading...

Chancellor said to be planning measures including raising employer NI contributions and capital gains tax rates. We consider the likelihood of each and the potential for a rowDuring the general election campaign, Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal studies repeatedly accused both main parties of indulging in a conspiracy of silence" over their economic policies. Neither Labour nor the Tories would admit, he complained, that if they won they would have to announce huge tax rises or spending cuts to restore the public finances to anything resembling good health.On Wednesday, 118 days after Labour won the election, Rachel Reeves will prove Johnson right. In her first budget she will spell out plans to raise an eye-watering sum of about 40bn from tax rises and spending reductions to wipe the slate clean and to pump funds into public services. She will also confirm changes to debt rules that will release up to 50bn more to borrow for long-term investment in new national infrastructure. Continue reading...

Exclusive: WE to vote after leaders conclude model no longer works although its mission is as urgent as ever' Why we've made the difficult decision to back a motion to close WEThe leader and co-founders of the Women's Equality party (WE) will recommend that members vote to close it down at a special meeting called for next month.Financial challenges and a changed political and media landscape mean that, after a decade of activism, the party is no longer the most effective way to campaign for women's rights, said its leader, Mandu Reid. Continue reading...

Labour's Mike Amesbury says he felt threatened' after footage appears to show him berating man lying on roadThe MP Mike Amesbury said he will cooperate with any inquiries" police have as officers investigate reports of an alleged assault involving the Labour backbencher in Cheshire.Amesbury, 55, said an incident on Saturday had left him feeling threatened" after footage circulated online appearing to show him berating a man who was lying on the road before a bystander pushed him away. Continue reading...

Poll result could determine whether country veers towards Russia or continues path to join EUGeorgia's ruling party and the pro-western opposition both claimed victory in a pivotal parliamentary election widely seen as a make-or-break vote for the country's long-held aspiration for EuU membership.Voters in the Caucasus country of almost 4 million people on Saturday headed to the polls in an election depicted as a watershed moment that would determine whether one of the once most pro-western former Soviet states would veer towards a more authoritarian, Russia-aligned path. Continue reading...

Face-to-face military confrontation on each other's soil has now been normalisedFor years, Israel and Iran have waged a shadow war", attacking each other indirectly using proxy forces, assassinations, informants, spies and hybrid, non-military covert means. Now this undeclared, largely silent war is undisguisedly out in the open. It's become a shooting war, it's noisy, it's escalating, and there's no end in sight.This is not to say Israel's large-scale, three-wave air assault on Tehran and other targets inside Iran early on Saturday morning means the two enemies are now engaged in all-out conflict. This is not yet the full-scale, region-wide conflagration so many in the Middle East fear. That may be coming, but it's still in the future. Continue reading...

London's Neal's Yard Dairy swindled out of 950 wheels of award-winning cheddars delivered to alleged fraudsterThe celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has encouraged cheese lovers to help police catch scammers who defrauded a London dairy out of more than 300,000 worth of English and Welsh cheddar.Neal's Yard Dairy, a distributor and retailer of British artisan cheese, delivered 22 tonnes of award-winning clothbound cheddar to the alleged fraudster posing as a wholesale distributor for a large French retailer before realising it had been duped. Continue reading...

Paper has been pilloried for what some call anticipatory obedience' in preparation of a new president next yearThe Washington Post's cartoon team has taken a measure of revenge on the newspaper's decision to avoid making a formal presidential endorsement with a dark formless image clearly designed to skewer the Democracy Dies in Darkness" slogan that the outlet adopted during billionaire Jeff Bezos's ownership.The image was published hours after it was revealed that Bezos, who has owned the paper since 2012, had pulled the plug on a prepared endorsement of Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in the 5 November election. Continue reading...

Local safety chief's stark advice as visitors return to Grindavik - with more activity expectedWhy do people want to see Grindavik? Gunnar Schram, the police chief for Suurnes, the region of Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula that has erupted six times since last December, laughs at the question.The allure of getting close to an active volcano is so strong that even the person tasked with ensuring people behave around the eruption site at Grindavik, which opened up to the public on Monday for the first time since the town started cracking open on 10 November last year, cannot deny its majesty. Continue reading...

Victim, in his 30s, was beaten by group who stole phone, wallet and keys after ordering him to pull into laybyA driver had his jaw and eye socket broken after being robbed when his car was pulled over by a fake police car after a motorway collision.The incident happened last Sunday evening at about 9.15pm, Thames Valley police said. Continue reading...

Prospect of drinking elderflower juice at a party is terrifying but presenter admits he fancied living a bit longer'Jeremy Clarkson has spoken of having to adapt to a new way of life after having extremely urgent" heart surgery.The former Top Gear host was recently fitted with two stents, which improve blood flow to the heart. Continue reading...

The government is facing calls to cease trading with DP World because of its partnership with Putin's northern sea routeMinisters are facing calls to review the UK's financial ties to the multinational logistics company DP World over its business deals in Russia.The business announced a 1bn expansion of the London Gateway port earlier this month, despite a row over the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, calling its ferry subsidiary, P&O Ferries, a rogue operator". Continue reading...

Government has resisted calls to say sorry for slave trade or colonialism but has done so for other historical wrongsAs leaders gathered at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in the Pacific nation of Samoa this week, they hoped that the UK government and King Charles might use the summit as an opportunity to issue an apology for Britain's colonial past and discuss reparatory justice.While their concerns were acknowledged, the UK stressed that it would not pay reparations, and while Keir Starmer called the slave trade abhorrent", the government is yet to make a formal apology. Continue reading...

Labour's policy to smash the gangs' is not yet having an impact, Home Office figures showThe number of people who have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year has exceeded the total number who arrived in the whole of 2023, according to figures published by the Home Office.As of Friday, 29,578 people had made the crossing, compared with 29,437 last year. It is unlikely that the 2022 total of 45,755 people who arrived in small boats will be exceeded by the end of December 2024. Continue reading...

Anti-racism counter-protesters and Justice for Chris Kaba campaigners also take to capital's streetsThousands of Tommy Robinson supporters have gathered in central London for a protest which the political activist will miss after he was remanded into custody by police.The Metropolitan police had put a condition on Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally that it could not begin its procession to Parliament Square before 1pm. Continue reading...

Outgoing premier Steven Miles concedes he cannot form majority government despite a last-minute surge in vote

US and European states urge Tehran not to respond, while Middle Eastern countries condemn Israeli operation

Repeated blackouts leave residents concerned about food, water supply and Cuba's futureMaria Elena Cardenas is 76 and lives in a municipal shelter on Amargura Street in Havana's colonial old town. The building has an elegant past, but for the last few days Maria has been cooking with sticks she had found on the street.You know, we Cubans manage the best we can," she said. She lives in the shelter because her home collapsed, a regular occurrence in the poorest, oldest parts of the beautiful city. Continue reading...

With a very narrow majority to protect Crisafulli will have no wriggle room to tolerate internal descent - and that's already begun

Three-hour long interview caused delay in ex-president's arrival to Michigan rally, leaving attendees in cold for hoursDonald Trump sat down for three hours on Friday with Joe Rogan, telling the US's most-listened-to podcaster that the biggest mistake he made during his presidency was hiring disloyal people".Those comments - which also described neocons", or neoconservatives who generally aim to promote democracy, as bad people" - came days after the Trump White House's former chief of staff John Kelly said the Republican nominee in the 5 November election met the definition of a fascist. Kelly also said Trump had no understanding of the US constitution and made admiring statements about generals commanded by Adolf Hitler, whose regime systematically murdered 6 million Jews as part of the Holocaust during the second world war. Continue reading...

Singer says America is on the brink of history' as Kamala Harris said Trump would seek to make state's abortion ban nationwideBeyonce lent her star power to Kamala Harris at a high-octane rally in Texas on Friday, declaring that the America was on the brink of history" as the vice-president warned the state's near-total abortion ban could become the law of the land if Donald Trump is elected.For all the men and women in this room, and watching around the country, we need you," Beyonce told a roaring crowd of 30,000 people at the open-air Shell Energy stadium in her native Houston. Continue reading...

Israeli forces say military targets hit in Iran in response to continuous' attacks on Israel, as UK and US warn against escalation

Find out who's up and who's down in the latest US presidential election opinion pollsOn 21 July, Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris. This historic move changed the landscape of the election and how many felt about the race. As the election enters its final weeks, Guardian US is averaging national and state polls to see how the two candidates are faring. We will update our averages once a week, or more if there is major news. Continue reading...

Ghana's foreign minister since 2017, Botchwey supports calls for reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialismCommonwealth members have appointed Ghana's foreign minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, as the new secretary general, on the final day of the group's summit in Samoa.Botchwey, a former lawmaker who has served as Ghana's foreign minister since 2017, has supported calls for reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialism - a position that was also shared by the two other candidates who had vied for the position. Continue reading...

High-stakes retaliatory attack could bring Middle East closer to full-scale regional war

Man, 21, to appear in court on Saturday after Deonte Mowatt-Slater died in IslingtonA man has been charged with the murder of a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in Islington, north London.Deonte Mowatt-Slater was found with injuries in Courtauld Road shortly after midnight on Tuesday and died at the scene, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Treasury plans 5bn total investment in housing supply and reduction in discounts under right-to-buy schemeThe Treasury has announced an extra 500m for social homes in the budget, in what appears to be a compromise with the housing department, led by Angela Rayner, over the scale of ambition required in the sector.The promise of an additional 500m for the government's affordable homes programme (AHP) is intended to add up to 5,000 extra social homes. The Treasury said it will bring total investment in housing supply to 5bn. Continue reading...

UK prime minister stresses need to avoid further regional escalation in the Middle East

Manifesto really clear', prime minister says amid reports that national insurance increases are plannedKeir Starmer has denied misleading the public over tax rises during the election campaign, amid reports that the government is planning to increase employers' national insurance contributions.Asked if he had misled voters by not warning them about the billions of pounds in tax rises expected in the budget on Wednesday, the prime minister said: No, we were very clear about the tax rises that we would necessarily have to make whatever the circumstances ... I listed them I don't know how many times in the campaign. Continue reading...

Figures for 2024 show 46 private schools have closed with 77 opening, despite reports claiming VAT threat has toppled some schoolsMore than 80 private schools closed every year in England on average over the last decade, official data has shown, with no apparent increase in the trend since Labour announced it was imposing VAT on fees.A number of media reports have highlighted the closure of some private schools as supposedly being caused by the policy, which is intended to raise money for more teachers in state schools. Continue reading...

UK government stresses it does not pay reparations and said before Chogm summit that issue was not on agendaCommonwealth leaders have resolved that the time has come" for a conversation on reparatory justice despite the UK's insistence that the issue was not on their agenda.The language, agreed at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) on Saturday, is a blow to the UK, which wanted to avoid reparatory justice being mentioned. Continue reading...

Revamp of Oxford Street store follows opening of Fenwick's largest beauty hall outside London' in NewcastleWith their perfectly groomed and liveried assistants being stood down during the Covid pandemic, it seemed the department store beauty hall may have had its day. But the high-street temples of pampering are making a comeback as Britons prioritise looking good.This week, as part of a wider revamp of its Oxford Street store, John Lewis opened a new-look beauty hall that is almost 25% bigger and rammed with 175 brands. Continue reading...

Updated accountability measures aim to get school leavers to look at wider range of institutions and vocational optionsThe government will no longer measure schools in England on how many of their students go to Russell Group or Oxbridge universities, in an effort to encourage school leavers towards a wider range of universities and vocational options.The Department for Education's updated accountability measures for students aged 16 to 18 state that the department will not include the percentage of school leavers who progress to Russell Group universities, or to Oxford and Cambridge universities, as part of each school's student destinations data. Continue reading...

Observers say country's democracy at stake after Moscow-aligned ruling party's threats to ban oppositionGeorgians are heading to polls in a critical election that could determine whether one of the once most pro-western former Soviet states will veer towards a more authoritarian, Russia-aligned path.For the past three decades, Georgia - a country of 3.6 million people nestled in the Caucasus mountains - has maintained strong pro-western aspirations, with polls showing up to 80% of its residents favour joining the EU. Continue reading...

Price cap set by Great Britain's regulator rose to 1,717 a year this month but there are cheaper fixed dealsThere are plenty of fixed energy deals that are cheaper than the current Ofgem price cap, so now is a good time to lock into a lower tariff before the start of winter.That was the message from some energy experts this week. Continue reading...

Exclusive: family say case of Kay Melhuish is stark reminder of the dangers of criminalising vulnerable womenThe daughter of a vulnerable woman who took her own life in prison after being left without clean underwear for 10 days and denied phone calls with loved ones has called for urgent reform of England's justice system.A jury at Avon coroner's court concluded last week that Eastwood Park prison in Gloucestershire failed to provide for Kay Melhuish's basic human needs" and that neglect contributed to her death in July 2022 after gross failings" in her care. Continue reading...

All-party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations to discuss how to bring justice to countries blighted by slaveryPoliticians and campaigners are due to host the second national conference on reparations this weekend, as the issue continues to dominate the Commonwealth summit.The All-party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations (APPG-AR), a group of cross-party MPs, plans to build on the growing momentum to provide reparations and justice to countries blighted by transatlantic slavery. Continue reading...

NSW police say two crime scenes secured after reports two light planes collided near Oakdale

MPs with children in family homes close to London favour shorter days while others want more time in their constituenciesMPs tasked with modernising parliament are divided over family-friendly hours, with some favouring shorter days to return home to their children and others hoping for shorter periods away from their constituencies.Working hours will be one of a number of areas examined by the House of Commons modernisation committee, as well as driving up standards and culture and methods of voting in parliament. Continue reading...

Many believe new offensive, along with tightening of siege, is following blueprint for removing remaining populationHospitals shelled, shelters set alight, men and boys separated from their families and taken away in military vehicles; a year into Israel-Hamas war, civilians clinging on in northern Gaza say the situation is worse than it has ever been.About 400,000 people have remained in Gaza City and surrounding towns since Israel cut the area off from the rest of the territory and issued evacuation orders. Some are unwilling to leave home, afraid they will never be allowed to return; others decided to stay put for the sake of elderly or disabled family members. Civilians have reported that the routes to the relative safety of the south are unsafe, citing sniper fire and detention by Israeli forces. Continue reading...

This blog is closed - follow the news on our new liveblog hereLebanon's health minister, Firass Abiad, has told reporters that over 163 rescuers and health workers had been killed and 272 injured in Israeli airstrikes during more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.Hezbollah, the Iranian backed Lebanese militant group, began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Palestinians on 7 October 2023, the day after its ally Hamas's attack on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed.We have been very clear that this cannot lead - should not lead - to a protracted campaign and that Israel must take the necessary steps to avoid civilian casualties and not endanger UN peacekeepers or the Lebanese armed forces. Continue reading...