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Home Office brands operation targeting people smugglers a success after cash and false ID documents seizedMore than 30 people have been arrested across the UK in a Home Office crackdown against people-smuggling gangs exploiting the invisible border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.The operation, which took place between 16 and 18 September, resulted in 14 arrests in Belfast and 400,000 in cash and 10 false ID documents seized at various locations across the UK. Continue reading...

Olaf Scholz's SPD appears to have made late comeback after trailing far-right party throughout Brandenburg campaignThe far-right Alternative fur Deutschland party appears to have narrowly missed out on victory in an election in the German state of Brandenburg, according to exit polls, three weeks after making historic gains in two other regions.In what had been widely interpreted as a referendum on the federal government of Olaf Scholz ahead of next autumn's general election, his Social Democratic party (SPD) appeared at the 11th hour to have clawed back its lead over the anti-immigrant populists who had been on course for months to seize victory in the state for the first time. Continue reading...

Major trade unions are lining up to back motion to reverse chancellor's decision to cut pensioners' fuel allowance

The party should be toasting its landslide, but instead a state of near-paralysis seems to have set inWe may need to have a rethink. Over the last few days it seemed to have become apparent that Keir Starmer wasn't very good at the politics of being a politician. Taking the free suits and glasses. Being slow to realise this could make him look hypocritical. Sitting back while different factions within the Labour party elite kick lumps out of one another. Making a mess of the winter fuel allowance. Unsure whether he was making cuts or means-testing benefits. Unable to move on from days of bad media. Generally looking a tad on the dim side.Now not so much. Come the start of Labour's party conference in Liverpool, Keir was a man on a mission. Willing to learn from his mistakes. Ready to do whatever needed to be done. And what needed to be done was ... nothing. It's usual for the prime minister to make himself available for TV interviews on the Sunday politics shows during conference. A rite of passage. Continue reading...

Minister tells Labour conference delegates that Whitehall should focus on stopping perpetratorsCivil servants were told to rewrite a proposed social media campaign to combat drink-spiking after the original appeared to blame victims, a minister has told Labour conference delegates.Alex Davies-Jones, the minister for violence against women and girls, suggested that Whitehall encouraged a culture of victim blaming" and should instead focus on stopping perpetrators. Continue reading...

Qatari broadcaster has been ordered to close office for 45 days, months after being banned from operating in Israel

Critics of new cabinet, finalised by Michel Barnier on Saturday night, said it was same-old, same-old'Mounting threats of a parliamentary motion of no-confidence have put Michel Barnier's new government under considerable duress before it has even had a chance to start work, as street protesters continued to voice their anger over the French prime minister's new administration.Eleven weeks after Emmanuel Macron, France's president, called a snap general election, the new government was finally appointed on Saturday night. But there was little sense that the new cabinet, which signals a clear shift to the right, would bring calm into the political realm. Continue reading...

Antonio Guterres gravely alarmed' by RSF assault on al-Fashir as EU foreign policy chief warns of another genocideThe UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, is gravely alarmed" at reports of a full-scale assault on the Sudanese city of al-Fashir by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and has called on its leader to halt the attack immediately, according to Guterres' spokesperson.It is unconscionable that the warring parties have repeatedly ignored calls for a cessation of hostilities," Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Continue reading...

Landlords will have to offer convenient ways to avoid extra charges when paying the rentNew South Wales renters will no longer be made to pay extra fees when they pay the rent and will have greater rights to keep a pet in a suite of reforms to be announced on Monday.The state government plans to introduce legislation to modernise the state's rental regulation into parliament in October.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

In remarks apparently directed at White House, UK foreign secretary says Kyiv's allies need to show nerve'The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, has indicated that delicate negotiations with the White House to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia are ongoing, arguing it was a time for nerve and guts".The apparent encouragement to Joe Biden comes just over a week after Lammy and Keir Starmer visited the US president in the White House but failed to resolve the sticking point between two countries. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Relief rolled out in 2023 will cost 30bn in taxes but spur only up to 10.5bn investment, analysis showsCorporate tax breaks designed to encourage companies to buy new machinery and equipment are set to cost the taxpayer around three times as much as they generate, according to analysis of official forecasts.The tax relief on new plant and machinery announced by Jeremy Hunt as chancellor in 2023 was billed as a major part of the solution to the problem of Britain's low economic productivity. Labour supported the measure at the time and have now promised to make it permanent. Continue reading...

Categories will boost visibility of shows in a new, fractured media landscapeChildren's television was once a thriving, fantastical realm, peopled by Wombles, Tweenies and Danger Mouse - not to mention a car called Brum, an engine called Ivor and a dog called Roobarb - and British-made shows were available every day on the major terrestrial channels. Since then, the magic has largely retreated to the margins of broadcasting.But the embattled landscape is to receive a high-profile boost from Bafta, the Observer has learned. After prolonged campaigning from influential figures such as the former PlaySchool presenter Floella Benjamin, the children's maths whiz Johnny Ball, the Dr Who writer Russell T Davies and Anne Wood, a veteran creator of worldwide hits such as Teletubbies, Bafta is to recognise the inventive work that is still entertaining Britain's children. The British Academy has created three high-profile awards to sit alongside the trophies it hands out to adult television shows. The new categories will go some way to replace Bafta's abandoned children's TV awards event. Continue reading...

The long-running investigation will enter a new phase this week with findings from a revealing survey of current operatorsTo date, the public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal has heard or received written testimony from more than 500 witnesses over 152 days of hearings, amassing a vast paper mountain of evidence.What has been exposed has been a litany of cover-ups and poor management, as well as an at-best dysfunctional relationship with supervising government ministers stretching over decades. This is in addition to the many harrowing stories from post office operators the panel has heard. Continue reading...

Lib Dems and Tories say health secretary has failed to reach out to them for ideas on a solution, despite declaring he wanted to do so in the summerLabour has made no contact with other parties over new talks to resolve England's social care crisis, amid fresh demands for a workable plan that secures cross-party support.Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said over the summer that he was keen to hear ideas from across the political divide as part of a renewed attempt to make progress on a crisis that has remained unresolved for more than a decade. Continue reading...

Israeli military says its jets targeted hundreds of Hezbollah sites, while Hezbollah says it launched dozens of missiles at an airbase in northern Israel

Deputy PM denies wrongdoing but says I get that people are angry, I get that people are upset'

Methane gas blast at mine in South Khorasan province leaves further 20 injured, state media saysA gas explosion in a coalmine in Iran's South Khorasan province has killed at least 51 people and injured 20, Iran's state media said.The accident was caused by a methane gas explosion in two blocks, B and C, of the mine run by the Madanjoo company, state media said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Many people now feel trapped despite major provider's guidance that mortgage, rent and service charges should not exceed 40% of take-home payResidents who bought shared-ownership properties promoted as affordable homes" say they now feel trapped because they have to spend more than half of their net salaries on mortgage repayments, rent and service charges.Campaigners say residents have become the victims of financial abuse after buying properties promoted as a step on the property ladder, only to be told of dramatic increases in service charges. Some residents face annual charges of more than 5,000 a year. Continue reading...

Buoyed by the team's success in 2022, the kingdom is eyeing a bigger goalThe rendering is dramatic, a vast white stadium inspired by the design of a Maghrebi communal tent, known as a moussem.The language used to describe it is no less flowery: think of it as almost like a Noah's Ark, a place for all nature and animals to come together", says Tarik Oualalou, head of Paris architecture firm Oualalou + Choi, one of five teams in the design consortium. Continue reading...

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Sister of headteacher Ruth Perry, who killed herself last year, joins call for complete reset' of schools inspectorateEducation unions are to warn that Ofsted cannot be trusted to reform itself, as headteachers continue to report that school inspections are leaving their staff feeling distressed.Prof Julia Waters, sister of the Reading headteacher Ruth Perry, who killed herself last year after an inspection downgraded her school from outstanding to inadequate, will call on the government to make deeper reforms of the inspectorate at the Labour party conference on Sunday. While welcoming the government's recent confirmation that Ofsted's single-word judgments will be scrapped, Waters, along with all four teaching unions, said the inspector still operated with a culture of fear and terror". Continue reading...

Vladimir Kara-Murza and his wife, Evgenia, speak of his time in a Siberian jail and why the truth about Russia will come outThe last time I met Evgenia Kara-Murza, it was a grim day in early March. The timing couldn't have been worse. As we spoke, Alexei Navalny's coffin was being lowered into the frozen ground in a Moscow cemetery. Meanwhile Evgenia's husband, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was still incarcerated in a Siberian prison cell almost identical to the one in the Arctic Circle in which Navalny had been found dead, presumed murdered.The parallels were eerie. Because Vladimir, a journalist turned political activist, was not just also loathed and feared by the Kremlin and imprisoned on spurious charges, he'd also been poisoned - twice - targeted by the same FSB (Federal Security Service) unit that had poisoned Navalny. Continue reading...

Despite cementing control, the EU commission's president faces a daunting second term amid the rise of the far rightUrsula von der Leyen was leaving nothing to chance. At a private meeting with members of the European parliament in Strasbourg last Tuesday, she chose not to reveal who would get what job in her incoming European Commission, due to take office at the end of the year.Then immediately afterwards, during a brisk 21-minute press conference, she announced every single name, leaving MEPs fuming. That's not how it should be done," said one. Continue reading...

Federal health minister also calls for prosecution of shopkeepers caught illegally selling vapes

Phillippa Kaufmann KC, who helped black cab rapist's victims sue the Metropolitan police, is helping examine whether the force should have done more to bring Harrods boss to justiceThe lawyer who helped victims sue the Metropolitan Police for failing to investigate John Worboys, the black cab rapist, is working with women allegedly attacked by Mohamed Al Fayed.Phillippa Kaufmann KC has joined the legal team examining whether police had a duty to do more to bring Fayed to justice when allegations were made against him. Continue reading...

Labour wants to see apartment blocks built in more densely populated cities to achieve its housing targetsA radical scheme to speed up the building of more apartment blocks in towns and cities - as opposed to individual houses and bungalows - has been announced by the prime minister on the eve of the Labour party conference.Keir Starmer told the Observer in an exclusive interview that the new system of planning passports" would be a game-changer" as the government strives to build 1.5m new homes within five years. Continue reading...

Thirty-two-year-old in custody after attack on man, 25, on Stapleton Road in the east of the cityA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of a 25-year-old man in Bristol, police have said.Avon and Somerset police arrested a 32-year-old man in the Eastville area of the city at about 5.45pm on Saturday. He remains in custody. Continue reading...

New cabinet likely to face immediate no-confidence motion from leftwing bloc sidelined by presidentThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, has named a new government led by the prime minister, Michel Barnier, marked by a shift to the right 11 weeks after an inconclusive parliamentary election.The first major task for Barnier, appointed just more than two weeks ago, will be to submit a 2025 budget plan addressing France's financial situation, which the prime minister this week called very serious". Continue reading...

Police warn unauthorised drone users could be prosecuted as restrictions are in place for conference weekDrones have been seized by police after they were flown in breach of airspace restrictions during the Labour party conference in Liverpool.Merseyside police said they seized three drones on Saturday after a temporary airspace restriction covering much of Liverpool city centre was put in place. Continue reading...

Woman says store's former owner told her he was her boyfriend' and kissed her on the foreheadA former Harrods worker has criticised Harrods for the way it handled the alleged misconduct of the store's former owner Mohamed Al Fayed.Five women have alleged they were raped by Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, and a number of others have alleged sexual misconduct. Continue reading...

Meliesha Jones sacked by Vale Curtains and Blinds after replying he's a twat' to customer complaintA worker who was sacked after calling a customer a twat" in an email she mistakenly sent to him has won more than 5,000 in an unfair dismissal claim.Meliesha Jones, who had been a part-time administrator at Vale Curtains and Blinds since 2021, was dealing with a customer complaint with a colleague when she hit the wrong button. Continue reading...

Prime minister insists he offers more than doom and gloom' in an interview with the Observer, but admits that leaks and squabbles are damaging the Downing Street operation

The former Conservative justice secretary is on a shortlist to lead a policy review that could herald radical reformsKeir Starmer is considering appointing former Tory justice secretary David Gauke to head a review into sentencing policy in a move that could signal a radical change in approach towards short prison sentences.Government sources confirmed on Saturday night that Gauke was a strong contender", despite being a member of the Conservative party, and that he was on a shortlist of names that also included former Labour home secretary David Blunkett. Continue reading...

The London football club's former owner had been held in high affection. At its ground, supporters are changing their tuneThe common word on the lips of the Fulham fans outside Craven Cottage stadium yesterday was shocking". No one, young or old, male or female, hesitated to express their horror at the news that the club's former owner, Mohamed Al Fayed, who died last year, has been accused of being a serial rapist and sexual abuser.Yet as Anna Davies, attending the game with her son Evan, put it: I was shocked when I watched [the BBC investigation, Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods] but equally I wasn't surprised." Continue reading...

The country was divided before, unsure about its approach to Hezbollah, but now people are thinking as oneThe smell of burnt rubber hung heavy over the rescue workers as they dug, painstakingly removing rubble, their shadows long and movements harsh under the burning floodlights. Onlookers watched the progress in silence, waiting for any sign of life under the building levelled by four Israeli missiles in Dahieh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, just a few hours before on Friday afternoon.Broken glass stained with blood had been swept to the side and the area cordoned off, members of Hezbollah and the Lebanese civil defence barking orders to make sure emergency vehicles could access the area. Men with freshly bandaged hands, the product of booby-trapped pagers a few days before, milled about as women sobbed. Continue reading...

Widow and sons of Alistair Wilson speak to media after trust in officers' ability to identify shooter eroded'The family of a banker who was shot on his doorstep say they have lost confidence in Police Scotland as his murder remains unsolved almost 20 years on.Relatives of Alistair Wilson labelled the police incompetent" and said they had lost trust in their ability to secure justice. Continue reading...

The last time the Israeli PM spoke at the UN, he was touting his vision of a new Middle East. Now he is on the brink of catastropheOne year ago, Benjamin Netanyahu came to the UN with a vision of a new Middle East" anchored by Israel's growing ties with its Arab partners in the region. Now he is on the brink of launching a major escalation against Hezbollah, ignoring calls for restraint from his allies over the Gaza war and defying criticism that he is prevaricating in negotiations over a temporary ceasefire.The Israeli PM remains scheduled to speak on Friday at the UN general assembly in an appearance that is sure to lead to walkouts and protests on the streets of midtown Manhattan. Continue reading...

Senior law officers urged to intervene over potential wrongful acquittals when Crown Prosecution Service offers no evidence Dame Vera Baird: An empty apology from the CPS? That's no justice for rape victimsA draconian" practice that stops crime victims challenging last-minute decisions to drop their cases is leading to miscarriages of justice and must urgently be reformed, campaigners say.Under the Victims' Right to Review (VRR) scheme, victims can challenge decisions not to charge a suspect or to halt a prosecution. Successful appeals can lead to cases being reopened and may result in a conviction. Continue reading...

Body found in Jesmond Dene area of Newcastle believed to be that of ex-army officer and mother-of-twoPolice searching for Katherine Watson, a missing hospital chaplain who appeared in the Channel 4 documentary series Geordie Hospital, have found a body they believe to be hers.The 50-year-old ex-army officer and mother-of-two was reported missing on Thursday afternoon and police mounted an extensive search to locate her. Continue reading...

Women and children confirmed among dead, as US and UN officials warn against further escalationThree children and seven women were among 37 people killed by an Israeli strike on Beirut that targeted a top Hezbollah leader in a densely populated neighbourhood, Lebanese authorities have said, as US and UN officials warned against further escalation.On Saturday, Israel closed its northern airspace as it awaited Hezbollah retaliation for the assassination of Ibrahim Aqil, a veteran commander of the elite Radwan unit, along with more than a dozen other militants. On Saturday afternoon, fires broke out after a barrage of rockets from Lebanon. Continue reading...

Restaurateur and Master Chef star did much to popularise Middle Eastern cooking and adapt it to modern tastesThe Australian celebrity chef Greg Malouf, known for his innovative Middle Eastern cuisine, has died aged 64.Malouf, of Master Chef fame, was affectionately known as Australia's godfather of Middle Eastern cuisine due to his unique takes on Arabic dishes. Continue reading...

Furore over freebies like tickets to Taylor Swift concerts and football games has led to calls for reform to MPs' gift declarations and an overhaul of the ministerial codeMore than 700,000 worth of free gifts and hospitality has been received by MPs in the past year for everything from Taylor Swift tickets to helicopter rides, new analysis reveals.The figures, based on data from the MPs' register of interests between September 2023 and August 2024, comes during a growing furore around the acceptance of gifts by the prime minister and his inner circle. Continue reading...

Overnight attacks apparently show growing capability to strike targets deep inside RussiaUkraine said it hit two Russian munition depots overnight, in attacks that illustrated its growing capability to strike targets deep inside Russia.A statement by Ukraine's military general staff said the munitions depots were at Tikhoretsk in southern Russia and Oktyabrsky in the western region of Tver. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereReuters reports that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Saturday that Israel is committing shameless crimes" against children, not combatants.His comments came a day after an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, killed 31 people, including three children and seven women, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Continue reading...

In Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, residents have clung on to hope until the bitter end. Now many are saying goodbye to their homesValeria Tanashchuk packed up a few last belongings from her home. Going in the evacuation van waiting outside: her daughter Nicole's favourite bear, clothes, items of furniture and a microwave oven. Staying behind: her mother Marina's collection of detective novels, a wall poster with the Ukrainian alphabet written on it, and a pair of furry slippers.We don't want to leave. But would choice do we have?" Tanashchuk asked, as a thunderous boom echoed nearby. The explosions get worse every day. They are louder and more frequent." What would she do next? I don't have a concrete plan," she said. I will try and find work somewhere. We had hoped until the end that everything would be OK." Continue reading...

Culture secretary says PM and others will stop accepting gifted clothes as they don't want voters to believe they are living very different lives'The prime minister and Labour ministers will stop accepting clothing donations because they don't want voters to believe they are living very different lives" to people who are really struggling" in the country, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said.Speaking before the opening of the Labour conference tomorrow, Nandy told the BBC the government wants to demonstrate that its priorities are the country's priorities", after it emerged Keir Starmer, his wife Victoria, Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner have all decided to stop accepting free gifts of clothes from Labour party donors. Continue reading...

Ex-director of public prosecutions in England and Wales says that of 27 cases he considered for potential charges only one met the thresholdThe former director of public prosecutions Sir Max Hill has said a review of assisted dying laws should consider how bereaved suspects are forced to endure long waits before being told whether they face prosecution.During his time as DPP for England and Wales, from 2018 to 2023, Hill said he considered 27 cases for potential charges involving assisted suicide. He considered only one met the evidential and public interest threshold for a prosecution. Continue reading...

Steven Wilson was attacked after risk assessment failed to stop convicted murderer working in kitchen with access to knivesA career burglar has been awarded more than 5m in damages by a high court judge because of life-changing" injuries he sustained after being stabbed in prison.Steven Wilson, 36, sued the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) after a convicted murderer stabbed him several times with a 22cm (9in) knife in July 2018 while working in the canteen at HMP Chelmsford. Continue reading...

The horrifying details of the case that shook the country, and the local mayor's reaction, show a refusal to confront abuseAs the horror of how Dominique Pelicot drugged his wife, Gisele, and allowed at least 83 men to rape her continued to unfold in a French courtroom last week, it was hard to see how the case could have been worse" as one local official suggested.Louis Bonnet, mayor of Mazan, the southern French town of 6,000 people where the Pelicots and a number of the alleged rapists lived, who added that no one was killed", later apologised and admitted his words were not entirely appropriate". Continue reading...

Gloomy segmented head of famed playwright fails to convey his wit and brilliance, says Merlin HollandA huge sculpture of Oscar Wilde's head lying on its side, his face sliced into segments, has been condemned as absolutely hideous" by the playwright's grandson.Merlin Holland, an expert on Wilde's life and works, has criticised a 2ft-high black bronze sculpture by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi that is to be unveiled in a public garden in Chelsea, south-west London, near Wilde's former home. Continue reading...