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Fisheries minister says rehoming Marineland's cetaceans in China would only perpetuate the treatment' the whales have enduredCanada's government has refused a request by the beleaguered Marineland theme park to export its remaining 30 beluga whales to China due to concerns that the whales will face further mistreatment.Marineland, an amusement park, zoo and aquarium in Niagara Falls, has one of the largest captive whale populations in the world, and has long been mired in controversy amid reports of poor conditions for the animals on display. Continue reading...

Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give was taken off year 10 reading list at Budmouth Academy after parent complainedA bestselling black American author has condemned a Dorset school's decision to drop her critically acclaimed novel from a reading list.Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give was removed from Budmouth Academy's year 10 reading list after a complaint from a parent. Continue reading...

Defence minister issues warning, while Hamas reportedly considers seeking amendments to Trump planThe Israeli military has issued what it said was its final warning for Gaza City residents to flee as it intensified its bombardment and offensive on Wednesday, while Hamas was reportedly considering requesting amendments to Donald Trump's ceasefire ultimatum.Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, said the warning was the last opportunity for people to move to southern Gaza as the military encircled the city. Gaza's civil defence agency said on Wednesday that Israeli forces had killed at least 46 people, including 36 in Gaza City. Continue reading...

Handcuffs and police uniform also among items Peter Windsor is accused of sending to Classic FM studiosThe TV and radio presenter and former pop star Myleene Klass has told a jury of the sheer terror" and sense of violation she felt after being sent items in the post including an air pistol, handcuffs and a police uniform by an alleged stalker.Klass was giving evidence against Peter Windsor, 61, of Stechford, Birmingham. Windsor is accused of stalking Klass and her fellow Classic FM presenter Katie Breathwick between 2020 and 2024 by sending items to the radio station's studios in central London. He denies the charges. Continue reading...

Trump budget director blamed DEI principles' while another official pointed to the government shutdownThe Trump administration said on Wednesday that it was putting a hold on roughly $18bn to fund a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey and the city's expanded Second Avenue subway project - because of the government shutdown.The White House budget director, Russell Vought, said on a post on X that the step was taken due to the Republican administration's belief that the money was based on unconstitutional DEI principles", a reference to diversity, equity and inclusion. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Reintroducing tribunal fees would be a gift for bad bosses', says TUC chief Paul NowakWorkers could be charged a fee to take their bosses to court under plans being explored by Labour as it faces pressure from businesses lobbying to water down its landmark changes to employment rights.In a development described by unions as a disaster", sources in Westminster said ministers were looking at reviving a proposal made by the last Conservative government to impose fees on employment tribunal claims. Continue reading...

Supreme court rules police suspicion that a person is in possession of a prohibited drug is not sufficient to conduct a strip-search'

Environmental assessments could go out the window for mining projects, windfarms and other developments, green groups say

Israeli offensive intensifies amid reports Hamas will seek amendments to Trump's Gaza planHere are some images coming in via the newswires today:The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the intensification of military operations in Gaza City" has forced the humanitarian organisation to temporarily suspend operations at its Gaza City office and relocate its staff to ICRC offices in southern Gaza to ensure staff safety and operational continuity".The ICRC will continue to strive to provide support to civilians in Gaza City, whenever circumstances allow, from our offices in Deir al-Balah and Rafah, which remain fully operational. This includes providing medical donations to the few remaining health facilities in Gaza City and doing the utmost to facilitate the movements of first responders. In Rafah, the Red Cross Field hospital will continue to be a lifeline for the many wounded patients pouring in.The ICRC has been in Gaza City for decades. Following the latest intensification of hostilities, ICRC teams stayed as long as they possibly could to protect and support the most vulnerable people. The ICRC remains committed to returning as soon as conditions allow.The rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance must be allowed and facilitated across the Gaza Strip. Continue reading...

Bakery chain hit by sales growth slowdown as July heatwave led to shoppers shunning hot pastriesThe bakery chain Greggs is increasing the price of its breakfast deals by 20p and some other products by 5p from Thursday after unusually hot weather hit sales over the summer.The group said its three-part deal including a breakfast roll or baguette, hot drink and a side would rise in price from 3.95 to 4.15. The two-part offer, which includes a main item and a drink, will rise from 2.95 to 3.15. Continue reading...

Pope questions what it means to be pro-life' amid the inhuman treatment of immigrants' in the USPope Leo on Tuesday strongly criticized Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies, questioning whether they were in line with the Catholic church's pro-life" teachings.Someone who says I am against abortion but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don't know if that's pro-life," the pontiff told journalists outside the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, in the Alban Hills, near Rome. Continue reading...

Liu Jianchao, previously tipped to be next foreign minister, has not been seen publicly in monthsChina's ruling Communist party (CCP) has replaced the head of its powerful international department two months after he disappeared from public life.Liu Jianchao, an influential official who had been widely tipped to be the next foreign minister, was reportedly detained while returning from an overseas trip in late July. He has not been seen publicly since. Continue reading...

Host of expensive, impossible to fulfill' immigration fees and requirements suddenly being imposedBy the time the woman's asylum hearing came around, she had already been stuck in the purgatory of immigration custody for about nine months.Exhausted from detention conditions that are allegedly oppressive at best and deadly at worst, she nevertheless arrived at her court date in Laredo, Texas, with hope in the shape of strong evidence for her claim to asylum in the US. Yet before she could make her case for refuge, the immigration judge demanded she turn over a new and unexpected $100 asylum application fee. Continue reading...

Democrats accuse Republicans of risking America's healthcare' in spending bill. Plus, Trump says military should use US cities as training grounds

Designer uses fevvers', made from grass grown on her farm, in her collection for Paris fashion weekStella McCartney is trying to save the world, one feather at a time. Or rather one fevver", a new plant-based product that has the look of a feather without the bird, which made its first ever appearance at the designer's spring/summer show in Paris.It's weird to me that feathers being plucked from a bird are seen as delicate in fashion," said McCartney backstage at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. I'm trying to show that you can still have the theatre of fashion without the animal compromise." Continue reading...

Defense secretary's speech touching on physical fitness and doctrine of lethality was seen as egotistical' and dangerous'Naveed Shah, a veteran and activist who served as an enlisted public affairs specialist - an army journalist - uncharacteristically found himself searching for words to describe the address of the newly styled secretary of war to flag officers on Tuesday.A lot of the words that are coming to me aren't fit to print," said Shah, policy director for Common Defense, a veterans advocacy organization. The people in that room who have served for 20, 30-plus years in uniform do not need Pete Hegseth to tell them about warrior ethos." Continue reading...

Defend Our Juries has received 1,500 pledges to attend and expects hundreds more to register by SaturdayA mass protest against the ban on Palestine Action on Saturday could set a record for the number of people arrested at a single event of civil disobedience, organisers have said.Defend Our Juries said it had received 1,500 pledges to attend the demonstration in London and risk arrest and was expecting hundreds more to register by the weekend. Continue reading...

All workers must cover at least one of 26, 27 or 28 December in cost-cutting move condemned as a slap in the face'Many Marks & Spencer staff will be expected to work on Boxing Day for the first time in five years as the retailer has ditched its offer of an automatic holiday in an attempt to cut costs.Workers said some colleagues were upset by changes to Christmas working, under which all staff must work at least one of 26, 27 and 28 December and be available to work all three days in the run-up to Christmas Day. Continue reading...

Starmer blames Brexit for surge in numbers of small boat crossings but defends UK's membership of ECHRKeir Starmer has said he will look at how international law is being interpreted by British courts in an effort to tackle small boats, which he labelled Farage boats" because of their increase in number since Brexit.Speaking after the Labour party conference, the prime minister signalled his unhappiness with how the European convention on human rights was being interpreted by judges making decisions about deportations. Continue reading...

Greens-chaired inquiry says system should be demand driven despite Labor's dissenting view that this could cause unintended flow-on issues

Charities launch practical guide for campaigners, saying the way we talk about it doesn't always help'Campaigners need to change the way they talk about child poverty to counter far-right narratives and harness public energy for action, charities have warned.The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Save the Children will on Wednesday launch a practical guide for campaigners, saying that although the third sector, politicians and the media talk frequently about the urgency of tackling child poverty, bolstered with alarming facts, the way we talk about it doesn't always help". Continue reading...

Treasurer Jim Chalmers and BHP CEO Mike Henry to discuss reports of Chinese iron ore blockade

Cherry Brown, 69, a British overseas territory citizen, was left sleeping rough after being sent to England for treatmentThe UK has been accused of a stark injustice" for failing to provide health services and humanitarian support to citizens of British overseas territories after a woman from the Caribbean island of Montserrat was refused free NHS care and left homeless.Council officials found Cherry Brown, 69, sleeping rough in a park in Swanley, Kent, in April. Brown had been funded by the Montserratian government - whose budget is largely subsidised by the UK - to travel to England to receive treatment from the NHS that was not available at home. Continue reading...

August, known as Gus, disappeared from his family's sheep station in state's remote mid-north on Saturday afternoon

Musicians and staff at the theatre say Beatrice Venezi is not experienced enough for the role and should be replacedVenice's prestigious La Fenice opera house is embroiled in controversy over the hiring of a conductor with close ties to Giorgia Meloni's far-right government.The theatre's orchestra musicians and staff are calling for Beatrice Venezi's appointment as music director to be revoked, claiming she does not have enough experience for the high-profile role and was picked only because of her government connections. Continue reading...

National Energy Action says 58% of households expect to cut heating use as typical annual dual-fuel bill increases to 1,755The majority of British households expect to restrict their home heating this winter to try to keep rising costs in check, according to research released as the price cap that dictates most bills rose again.The fuel poverty charity National Energy Action said 58% of households told its survey they were likely to trim their energy use, a nine-percentage-point increase from the level in January. Continue reading...

US president threatens levy on all foreign-made films, but experts point out that the industry is global and Australia is intertwined with Hollywood

US president says Linda is finishing up the details' but not clear whether university ready to announce agreement

BBC's Panorama to broadcast allegations about Charing Cross station after sending evidence to police chiefsThe Metropolitan police are braced for an undercover documentary showing officers and staff allegedly being supportive of the far-right activist Tommy Robinson, making anti-Muslim comments and using excessive force against suspects in custody.The allegations, which centre on Charing Cross police station in central London, are contained in a BBC Panorama documentary airing on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...

Prime minister lambasts Nigel Farage and the politics of Reform in combative Labour conference speechKeir Starmer has warned that Britain faces an era-defining choice between Labour and the populist right, as he launched a scathing attack on Nigel Farage, saying the Reform leader neither liked or believed in Britain".In a speech that drew the battle lines for the next general election, the prime minister said the UK stood at a fork in the road where we can choose decency, we can choose division, renewal or decline". Continue reading...

Children not allowed out partly because their exercise - playing - looked too much like fun', says campaignerChildren were stopped from playing outside during Covid partly because it looked like fun" and did not fit with the seriousness of the restrictions, the UK's inquiry has heard.Alice Ferguson, the founding director of Playing Out, which campaigns for children's freedom to play outside, told the inquiry that play was fundamental for children's health and wellbeing, especially play outside with other children. Continue reading...

Military court convicts Kabila of war crimes, treason and other offences in verdict that could fuel enduring tensionsA military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sentenced the country's former president Joseph Kabila to death in absentia after convicting him of war crimes, treason and crimes against humanity.The case stems from his alleged role in backing the advance of M23 rebels supported by Rwanda in DRC's volatile eastern provinces. Kabila, who led the country from 2001 to 2019, has denied wrongdoing and said the judiciary had been politicised. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Guidance says members of staff group must not engage in activities that could be construed to be political'Police chiefs want to prevent officers of colour from speaking out through guidance changes that would create a damaging double standard", the National Black Police Association has alleged.New draft rules seen by the Guardian aim to stop any public statements construed to be political" being made by staff associations. The NBPA said that could include statements on stop and search policy, rules on police use of force and even the effects of a future Reform government on policing and race. Continue reading...

Recommendation comes ahead of Combs's sentencing after found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitutionFederal prosecutors urged a judge on Tuesday to sentence Sean Diddy" Combs to 11 years and three months in prison after he was found guilty this summer on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.The sentencing recommendation was filed shortly after midnight early on Tuesday, and just several days ahead of Combs's sentencing, which is scheduled for Friday. Continue reading...

PM says Reform's migration plan makes it enemy of national renewal', while Farage accuses Labour of endangering his party's politicians and activists with its language. This live blog is closedWes Streeting, the health secretary, has said that Tony Blair could play a positive role in Gaza helping to lead the administration there proposed under Donald Trump's peace plan.In an interview on LBC, Streeting said that Blair's decision to involve the UK in the Iraq war was a catastrophic error" that had devasting consequences". He said that he personally opposed it at the time.I also think about Tony Blair's other legacy, great legacy, which is Northern Ireland, and there he showed that he could bring together sworn enemies to broker a lasting peace.So if Tony Blair can put those skills to use, if he's got the confidence of both the Israelis, the Palestinians, and the regional players, as seems to be the case, then great. If he can make that contribution, and that can be another legacy, a positive legacy under his belt, then so much the better. Continue reading...

The PM's challenge is to make vocational options as attractive to parents and young people as higher eductionKeir Starmer has joined a long line of ministers and prime ministers who have called time on Tony Blair's ambition for half of the nation's young people to go on to higher education.Rishi Sunak, Gavin Williamson and now Starmer have all declared an end to Blair's famous 1999 pledge as a policy priority, and done so on the grounds that the focus on universities has come at the expense of vocational education and training such as apprenticeships. Continue reading...

Keith Kellogg tells Warsaw Security Forum that war in Ukraine is unwinnable' for Putin. This live blog is closedIf you are keen to understand the dynamics between the US and Belarus a bit better (10:08), here's a brilliant story from our own Pjotr Sauer, who recently visited Minsk.Since Trump took office, Lukashenko, an authoritarian strongman who has ruled Belarus since 1994, has been edging out of the diplomatic freeze, cautiously probing for space beyond Moscow, which sees Belarus as both its closest ally and a vital buffer.Sensing a political opening with the new Trump administration, Lukashenko has regularly met US officials and even held a call with the US president, who has floated the idea of a direct meeting. Continue reading...

President gave address after defense chief Pete Hegseth decried racial and gender diversity efforts in the military

Prime minister says choice is between decency or division, renewal or decline', amid rise of Reform UK

Instability of building in East Java town hampers search but 99 boys and school staff known to have survivedParents were desperately searching for scores of missing teenage boys feared trapped under huge piles of concrete on Tuesday after a building at an Islamic boarding school collapsed in Indonesia.Authorities said 91 people were listed as missing at Al Khoziny school after the collapse as pupils held late-afternoon prayers in a mosque housed on a lower floor of a building whose upper floors were under construction. Continue reading...

Israeli military has been arming alternatives to Hamas, with up to a dozen new groups emerging

Uncommon instance of cooperation between the two countries reportedly came after months of talksThe US has deported 120 Iranians under an expulsion campaign that raises fears over the potential persecution of returnees.As many as 400 Iranians are being sent back to their home country, according to Hossein Noushabadi, a foreign affairs official. Continue reading...

Singer who now goes by Yusuf Islam was set to tour in support of his book, Cat on the Road to Findout, out in the US in OctoberCat Stevens, who now goes by Yusuf Islam, has postponed the North American leg of his book tour due to unspecified visa issues, the singer announced on social media Monday.The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member was set to tour in support of his book, Cat on the Road to Findout, which will release in the US on 7 October and was made available in the UK earlier in September. The book release won't be impacted, Islam wrote, noting that books don't need visas!" Continue reading...

His poetry often explored love and relationships and he wrote books for children including Gargling With JellyBrian Patten, who made his name in the 1960s as one of the most prominent Liverpool poets, has died, his agent has confirmed. Patten was 79.His poetry often featured lyrical explorations of love and relationships and he also wrote books for children. Continue reading...

Three men had fled in taxi after allegedly piloting vessel carrying 3.65 tonnes of cocaine to Galicia, Spanish police sayPolice in Spain have arrested three men thought to have piloted a narco-submarine" carrying more than 3.6 tonnes of cocaine from South America to the north-western region of Galicia, after the trio's wet clothes, accents and claims to be pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago raised suspicions.The investigation, which has led to a total of 14 arrests, began in August after Policia Nacional officers, working with the US Drug Enforcement Agency, detected an alleged drug-smuggling gang based in the Galician town of Outes that was said to be concealing its activities by posing as a company selling and repairing nautical equipment. Continue reading...

Ministers signal Labour will take stronger approach to attacking Reform rather than just respond to crazy things they're saying'

British companies are trialling no-shoes policies as a way to improve focus, comfort and morale - but not everyone is convincedSlippers, socks and the occasional novelty toe warmer are fast becoming part of the office dress code for startups hoping to ease stress and boost creativity.It might sound like a gimmick conjured up during a yoga retreat, but asking staff to leave their shoes at the door taps into something more serious: how to make the workplace feel a little less like work. Continue reading...

The Israeli PM threatens to finish the job' if Hamas does not agree. Plus, do AI actors' pose an existential threat to their human counterparts?Good morning.President Donald Trump and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have given Hamas an ultimatum, warning the militant group to accept their 20-point peace plan or face the consequences.What does the plan call for? A ceasefire, a swap of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.Head to our live blog for the latest updates.What healthcare provisions are Democrats demanding? An extension of subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans, which expire at the end of the year, and a reversal of Medicaid cuts.How would a shutdown be received? 45% of voters would blame congressional Republicans for a shutdown, while 32% would blame Democrats, according to polling from Morning Consult. Continue reading...

Thames Valley police say any speculation is unfounded and unhelpful as they investigate weekend attackThere is no information to link the rape of a woman by a group of men in a Banbury churchyard to migrant accommodation, police have said as they attempt to quell online speculation.The woman, who is in her 30s, was raped by a group of men in the grounds of St Mary's church and the surrounding area of Banbury town centre overnight on Saturday, Thames Valley police said. Continue reading...

Despite signs of rising prices, economists believe the Reserve Bank's choice is still when, not whether, to cut rates further