World news | The Guardian

Case involves a challenge to a Mississippi law that allows ballots to count if they are received days after election dayThe US supreme court announced on Monday it will hear a high-stakes case about whether states can accept mail-in ballots that arrive after election day, even if they are filled out and mailed before then.The case, Watson v Republican National Committee, involves a challenge to a Mississippi law that allows ballots to count if they are received within five business days of election day. Continue reading...

Decision reflects wider regional doubts about terms of US-drafted plan for territoryPlans for a UN-mandated international stabilisation force charged with disarming Hamas inside Gaza face growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates said it would not participate because it did not yet see a clear legal framework for the force.Israel has already ruled out Turkey joining the force, and King Abdullah of Jordan has said Jordanian troops will not join. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a contributor, did not attend a planning meeting in Turkey last week and said it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was in place. Continue reading...

Former French president, who is appealing against a conviction for criminal conspiracy, is released from prison in ParisAs we are waiting for the Paris court decision on Sarkozy to come, expected around 13.30 local time (12.30 GMT), let's take a look at other news across Europe.If Sarkozy gets released with an ankle tag, it won't be his first: Reuters notes that last year, France's highest court upheld a separate conviction for corruption and influence peddling, ordering him to wear an electronic tag for a year, a first for a former French head of state. The tag has now been removed. Continue reading...

Several fire engines rushed to the scene after blast reported near the historic Red Fort, fire services saidA car has exploded near the historic Red Fort in India's capital, killing at least eight people, injuring several others and triggering a fire that damaged several vehicles parked nearby, New Delhi police said.Several fire engines rushed to the scene after the blast was reported near one of the gates of the Red Fort metro station, the city's fire services said. The cause of the explosion remained unclear. Continue reading...

Former BBC DJ, 68, will return to court next month to face 15 charges relating to seven womenThe former BBC DJ Tim Westwood has appeared in a central London court after being charged with rape and sexual assault.During a brief hearing at Westminster magistrates court on Monday, the 68-year-old was told he must return to Southwark crown court in December to face 15 charges relating to seven women, including three charges of indecent assault at the BBC studios in the 1990s. The charges include four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and nine counts of indecent assault. Continue reading...

Protest at Mowaa comes amid dispute over ownership of Benin bronzes looted by British colonial forcesProtesters have disrupted a preview event at a major new museum in the Nigerian city of Benin that has become embroiled in a row over the restitution of artefacts looted by British colonial forces.The demonstrators asserted that the opening of the Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) is a violation of Benin City's cultural heritage, which falls under the authority of its traditional ruler, the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II. Continue reading...

As the Liberal party prepares to take a position on the contentious climate target, the risk of resignations doesn't just rest on one outcome

Laws being introduced to state parliament will allow fines up to $165,000 a year in prison, or both for owners of commercial premises

Speaking at a screening of hit play The Fifth Step, the actor reveals he is not comfortable at all on camera'Slow Horses star Jack Lowden has said it was a relief" to return to the stage in the intense role of an alcoholic in the West End hit The Fifth Step.Lowden first starred in David Ireland's two-hander when it premiered at the Edinburgh international festival in 2024 and he reprised his character in London earlier this year, this time opposite Martin Freeman. It's always a relief to be on stage," said Lowden. I don't really feel comfortable at all on camera." He continued: Whenever I get to be on stage, I instantly feel at home. A lot of actors do say that, which can sound like shite sometimes, but I genuinely do mean it. I feel more at home on stage than I do in life and I don't know why that is at all." Continue reading...

Mehmet Oz made claim about audits, but experts say he misidentified routine administrative errorsThe administrator for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Mehmet Oz, recently claimed that an audit revealed more than $1bn of federal taxpayer dollars were being spent on funding Medicaid for illegal immigrants", but experts say the audits were unrelated to immigration, and that rhetoric like this could make immigrant families - regardless of legal status - afraid to seek necessary medical care.Leo Cuello, a research professor at Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families, noted that he has not seen what this audit is", but based on the reporting, it appears that it is related to administrative errors in state claiming for matching funds, which is a relatively common occurrence, and which CMS monitors closely as they should". Continue reading...

Old Laundry theatre in Bowness-on-Windermere will change its name next year and premiere show to mark 10th anniversary of comedian's deathA theatre in the Lake District is to be renamed for the comedian and playwright Victoria Wood and will stage a new musical using her songs to mark the 10th anniversary of her death.The Old Laundry theatre is run by Wood's friends, the married couple Charlotte Scott and Roger Glossop. Wood, who died from cancer aged 62 in 2016, was a trustee of the theatre in Bowness-on-Windermere and performed there many times, also directing a revival of her play Talent there in 2008. Scott and Glossop got to know her when they worked on Talent's premiere at the Sheffield Crucible in 1978. Continue reading...

Head of entertainment Kalpna Patel-Knight says hit show promises to be just as unmissable as the first'The Celebrity Traitors will return for a second series in 2026, the BBC has announced.Kalpna Patel-Knight, the head of entertainment at the BBC, said: Studio Lambert have done an outstanding job as The Celebrity Traitors has well and truly captivated the nation, becoming a bona fide highlight of the year bringing record numbers of people together to enjoy every twist and turn. Continue reading...

Move follows rising Israeli violence against Palestinians and freeze on broader sanctions last month

Greg Piper says one of his staffers told him about the protest and his request to move it away from the building could not be facilitated

Former leader presided over period marked by corruption, nepotism, censorship and claims of rights abusesIndonesia has awarded former authoritarian leader Suharto the title of national hero, in a move that has sparked accusations of historical revisionism in the world's third-largest democracy.The award has deepened fears about attempts to whitewash Suharto's rise and decades-long rule, a period marked by rampant corruption, censorship and accusations of mass human rights violations. Continue reading...

Director general and head of news quit amid accusations of bias over Trump and trans issues at broadcaster

Appointment of Sir Dave Lewis as CEO represents major coup for struggling FTSE 100 firm Business live - latest updatesThe executive credited with steering Tesco out of the worst financial crisis in its history has been handed the top job at the struggling Guinness maker Diageo.On 1 January, Dave Lewis will become chief executive of the FTSE 100 drinks company, whose shares have fallen by a third this year. Continue reading...

Destructive winds and rainfall hit archipelago, while a cold spell in Florida prompts fears of falling iguanasTyphoon Fung-Wong, locally known as Uwan, is the second in a week to affect the Philippines after making landfall on Sunday evening. The weather system prompted warnings for heavy rainfall and life-threatening storm surges across much of the country, with sustained winds of 115mph (185km/h) and gusts of about 140mph recorded on Sunday by the national meteorological agency.By the time Fung-Wong moves past the Philippines early this week, more than 200mm of rainfall is expected to have fallen on Luzon, the country's most populous island. Continue reading...

Albanese says old suffocating conservatism' of Menzies era reached out of its political grave to remove a government chosen by voters

It is time to leave shit behind,' Parton says after weeks of turmoil in the territory's opposition

Ola Ince, who has refreshed Agatha Christie's record-breaking mystery, says we all fancy ourselves as detectives'Audiences left hungry for more suspense after the nail-biting Celebrity Traitors finale should visit the ultimate murder mystery, The Mousetrap, its new director has suggested.Ola Ince has taken charge of Agatha Christie's indomitable whodunnit, the world's longest-running play, which is in its 73rd year in London's West End. The director, acclaimed for her bracing takes on Shakespeare, said Christie's drama about a group of strangers snowed in at a remote guesthouse with a killer at large is juicier" than she had previously imagined. Continue reading...

IDF soldiers tell documentary of opening fire unprovoked and arbitrary designations of who was an enemyIsraeli soldiers have described a free-for-all in Gaza and a breakdown in norms and legal constraints, with civilians killed at the whim of individual officers, according to testimony in a TV documentary.If you want to shoot without restraint, you can," Daniel, the commander of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tank unit, says in Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel's War, due to be broadcast in the UK on ITV on Monday evening. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Rallies, organised by anti-lockdown protester Monica Smit and others, are set to go ahead in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane at the end of November

Programme uses artist's sketches, drawings and watercolours to build unprecedented psychological portraitHe is widely regarded as England's greatest painter, but despite his extraordinary output, elements of JMW Turner's personality have remained a mystery.Now, a groundbreaking BBC documentary delves into Turner's 37,000 sketches, drawings and watercolours to build an unprecedented psychological portrait, one that raises the possibility that Turner's singular vision was shaped by childhood trauma and neurodivergence. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed

Exclusive: Homelessness charity planning to buy properties as it can no longer rely on access to social housingSimilar pressure to London': the housing crisis reaches NewcastleThe homelessness charity Crisis is going to become a landlord for the first time in its 60-year history, saying the housing crisis in the UK has reached a catastrophic scenario".Matt Downie, the charity's chief executive, said it was preparing to launch a fundraising appeal to buy its own housing stock as it can longer get access to social housing to help homeless people. Continue reading...

Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to push for full lifting of remaining sanctions imposed during 13-year civil warSyria's president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, will on Monday hold talks with Donald Trump at the White House, the first such official visit by a Syrian leader since national independence in 1946. He is expected to push for a full lifting of the remaining sanctions on his war-ravaged country.Sharaa, whose Islamist rebel forces toppled the longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, has courted the US president to try to reverse the economic restrictions imposed during the 13-year civil war, arguing they are no longer justified. Continue reading...

Allegra Spender and Kellie Sloane report threats to police, as premier says government is investigating whether ban on Nazi symbols should be expanded

Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux was captured looking suave in a picture outside the Paris museum on the day of a crown jewels heistWhen 15-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux realised an Associated Press photo of him at the Louvre on the day of the crown jewels heist had drawn millions of views, his first instinct was not to rush online and unmask himself.Quite the opposite. A fan of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot who lives with his parents and grandfather in Rambouillet, 30km (19 miles) from Paris, Pedro decided to let the mystery linger. Continue reading...

Wide-ranging review finds no convincing connection after Trump said women should fight like hell' to avoid painkillerA wide-ranging review into paracetamol use by pregnant women has found no convincing link between the common painkiller and the chances of children being diagnosed with autism and ADHD.Publication of the work was fast-tracked to provide prospective mothers and their doctors with reliable information after the Trump administration urged pregnant women to avoid paracetamol - also known as acetaminophen or Tylenol - claiming it was contributing to rising rates of autism. Continue reading...

Senior insiders admit concern about big editorial errors and fear attacks are part of ongoing campaign to undermine the broadcasterThere is a joke regularly deployed by BBC staff that deputy heads must roll" over big mistakes because they rarely appear to have any impact on those at the top of the organisation. That all changed on Sunday, when Tim Davie and Deborah Turness both quit their jobs.Davie oversaw no shortage of scandals during his five years as director general - in recent months these included rows over a Gaza documentary and Glastonbury coverage - and was nicknamed Teflon Tim" by BBC insiders because nothing seemed to stick. Continue reading...

Full text of director general's note to staff and the resignation statement from head of news Deborah Turness

Davie says departure is my own decision', while head of news also quits. Insiders say it feels like a coup' by broadcaster's enemies

At least two people found dead as super-typhoon hits Philippines, days after Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least 224More than 1 million people have been evacuated from their homes in the Philippines and at least two people have been killed as Typhoon Fung-wong - the second big storm to hit in days - made landfall on the east coast.The super-typhoon crossed over the north of the archipelago's most populous island, Luzon, with torrential rain, sustained winds of 115mph (185km/h) and gusts of up to 140mph (225km/h). Continue reading...

Barclay family set to lose another part of former business empire, once known as Littlewoods, to Carlyle GroupThe Barclay family is set to lose control of another part of their former business empire with a US private equity firm taking control of online retailer the Very Group.Washington-headquartered Carlyle Group is expected to announce it has taken over the retailer as soon as Monday morning. Continue reading...

Jeffrey Epstein associate, serving 20 years for sex-trafficking crimes, is now in minimum-security federal prison in TexasLongtime Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes, has reportedly said that she is much, much happier" after the Trump administration transferred her to a minimum-security federal prison in Texas, according to emails obtained by NBC News.Maxwell, 63, was moved from a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, to the minimum-security Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas in August -just days after she was interviewed about the Epstein case by deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche. Blanche is a former personal lawyer for Donald Trump, who had been friends with the late Epstein - a convicted sex offender - before winning two presidencies. Continue reading...

Switch comes amid first festive season since Daniel Ketinsky's takeover of parent company IDSRoyal Mail says that it has delivered Christmas" for more than 500 years, but this year many workers have been left feeling less than festive after the company downgraded a small gift to workers to second class.The postal service, which traces its history back to the appointment of a master of the posts" by Henry VIII in 1516, has given workers a collection of 50 Christmas stamps to recognise their work over the busiest time of year. In previous years, including in 2024, workers have received a book of 50 or 100 first-class stamps, but that has quietly been switched to second class this year. Continue reading...

Over 2,500 flights cancelled as transportation secretary says flight reductions could reach 20% if shutdown persistsFlight cancellations and delays are set to grow as airline passengers across the United States spent the weekend grappling with those issues at major airports nationwide after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated a 4% reduction in air traffic in response to the ongoing federal government shutdown.If the shutdown continues, the FAA has instructed airlines to cut 6% of flights on Tuesday - and to do the same to 10% by 14 November. The transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, has warned that flight reductions could reach 20% if the shutdown persists, and on Sunday he predicted a substantial" number of people in the US would be unable to celebrate the upcoming holidays with their families if the shutdown wasn't resolved.The Associated Press and Reuters contributed reporting Continue reading...

Igor Rogov, who left Russia in 2021, due to go on trial accused of informing on other Russian opposition activistsA Russian opposition activist arrested in Poland and due to go on trial next month has admitted he worked as an undercover agent for Russia's FSB security service and informed on other opposition figures, court documents claim.Igor Rogov, 30, has been associated with various opposition movements in the Russian city of Saransk, including Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation and Open Russia, linked to the exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Continue reading...

Only 15% of families are eligible for legal aid which has led to huge swathes of UK becoming legal advice deserts', body saysThe Bar Council has called for all family court cases involving domestic abuse to be brought within the scope of legal aid for both parties, and for means testing to be scrapped for alleged victims and survivors of domestic abuse.In a new policy paper, the body, which represents all 18,000 barristers in England and Wales, has set out a package of recommendations to improve the ability of the family justice system. Continue reading...

Former health secretary Alan Milburn's review is exploring reasons for rising inactivity among young people

Campus police officer Roger Smith was killed during a struggle and a person of interest' is in custody, police sayA police officer was shot and killed during a struggle in the emergency department lobby at a North Carolina hospital Saturday.The shooting happened around 9am at the WakeMed Garner Healthplex, killing WakeMed campus police officer Roger Smith, according to a WakeMed statement. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Exhibition will reveal complex reality, featuring women and artistic creations, beyond armour-clad warriorsA groundbreaking samurai exhibition that promises to challenge everything we think we know about Japan's warrior elite" spanning a millennium of myth and reality is to open at the British Museum next year.Titled Samurai, the blockbuster exhibition will reveal a world beyond armour-clad warriors and epic duels, as popularised by the noble, katana-wielding heroes of Akira Kurosawa's classic action films and PlayStation's hit video games. Continue reading...

Royals joined by senior politicians at Cenotaph in London and events are held across UK to pay tribute to war deadVeterans of the second world war were applauded as they arrived at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, before being joined by royals and senior politicians to honour those who have died in conflict.King Charles laid the first wreath in recognition of those killed in wars and conflicts dating back to the first world war. He was followed by his son, the Prince of Wales. Continue reading...

Reform's leader may hope to tread a similar path to Italy's prime minister, but she is an experienced parliamentarian open to collaboration and compromiseOne of the more striking images from June's G7 summit showed a small group of world leaders engaged in an impromptu and informal evening chat at the venue's restaurant. In the foreground of that photo was a familiar blond head: Giorgia Meloni.During her three years as the Italian prime minister, Meloni has moved beyond her hard-right populism, not to mention her fascism-adjacent origins, to earn at least the respect of other leaders - Keir Starmer among them - for her pragmatism and flexibility. Among those watching this transformation from the sidelines will be the man hoping to be Starmer's replacement: Nigel Farage. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Mohammed Baraka's case alleges discrimination on basis of nationality after EU counterparts were transferredA Palestinian man who was dismissed from his job in Gaza after the war broke out is suing the European Union for allegedly breaching Belgian law.Mohammed Baraka, who worked at the EU border assistance mission (EUBam) at Rafah after its inception in 2006 as an unarmed civilian third-party presence, has filed his case in a Belgian court. Continue reading...

Two-minute silence held at 11am GMT, with commemorations also taking place across the UK, including in Edinburgh, Cardiff and BelfastThe Prince of Wales, dressed in Royal Air Force uniform in the rank of Wing Commander, saluted after laying his wreath at the Cenotaph.He was followed by the Duke of Edinburgh, with wreaths also laid on behalf of the Duke of Kent and the Princess Royal. Continue reading...

Storage dwindles in Mashhad, home to 4 million people, as country struggles with droughtWater levels at the dam reservoirs supplying Iran's north-eastern city of Mashhad have plunged below 3%, according to reports, as the country suffers from severe water shortages.The water storage in Mashhad's dams has now fallen to less than 3%," Hossein Esmaeilian, the chief executive of the water company in Iran's second largest city by population, told the ISNA news agency. Continue reading...

Incursions halted flights at Brussels and Liege airports last week with Russia said to be the most likely culpritBritain is deploying Royal Air Force specialists to help Belgium counter drone threats to the country's airports after disruptive sightings last week that some politicians blamed on Russia.Sir Richard Knighton, the head of the UK's armed forces, said the British military would provide our people, our equipment" to help Belgium, though he was careful to say we don't yet know" the origin of the drones seen last week. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Almost half of families flagged as emigrants based on Home Office travel data were still living in UKHome Office travel records used in a trial of a controversial anti-fraud crackdown that under which thousands of parents lost their child benefit were so flawed that almost half of the families initially flagged as having emigrated were still living in the UK, it has emerged.The pilot scheme saved HMRC 17m but left 46% of families targeted incorrectly suspected of fraud, a margin of error far in excess of the 1% to 5% scientifically acceptable. Continue reading...